The Cheapest Time To Visit Disneyland (2023 & 2024)
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It’s no secret that the cost of visiting the happiest place on earth is getting more expensive each and every year. As such, the need to cut costs where possible is becoming all the more important if you still want to experience that Disney magic.
One of the best ways to cut the cost of your Disneyland vacation is to visit when park tickets, flights, hotels etc. are all cheaper.
The cheapest time to go to Disneyland is during the off-peak season which runs from January through to February, September through to early October as well as the first two weeks of November.
Unsurprisingly, the most expensive times to visit are the most popular times of the year and include Spring Break, Easter, Summer, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Tickets to Disneyland are sold on a dynamic pricing system, therefore the estimated busiest days at the park are the most expensive and the quietest days are the cheapest.
Subsequently, you’ll find that tickets to Disneyland can be as much as $70 more per person, per day when compared to the cheapest. You’ll also find that during these times other dynamic pricing models that may affect your Disneyland vacation such as flights, hotels and Disney Genie+ cost more too.
Cheapest Time To Go To Disneyland In 2023
Based on both our experience and research, here are the cheapest times to visit Disneyland in 2023.
Note that January and February would have been included here, however, the article was published after these dates and we were unable to conduct as much detailed research as we would have liked.
That being said, we think that January is the best time to visit Disneyland and opted to visit the resort ourselves in late January 2023 for three days.
Aside from the incredible amount of rainfall we experienced, we had a fantastic and relatively affordable Disney vacation.
September
September is a fantastic time to visit the Disneyland theme parks. Labor Day weekend at the start of the month will be slightly busier when compared to the remainder of the month. However, this is still one of the park’s quietest federal holidays with many families still looking to get back into a routine after the long summer break.
A one-day, one-park ticket to Disneyland in September is set to be $104 per adult during all weekdays and $129 on the majority of weekends. Midweek in September you can expect to pay around $600 to $650 (inc taxes) for one night at the Disneyland Hotel, while weekends will cost between $720 and $900 (inc taxes).
Early October
Early October is another fantastic time to visit Disneyland. During this time (and in late September) the park is decorated for Halloween and dates for Disney’s Halloween Party, the Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure Park are available.
While the Oogie Boogie Bash is an additional ticketed event, history tells us that standard park tickets on these dates will likely be higher with guests coming to spend the entire day (and night) at the Disneyland Resort. As such if you’re not planning to experience the Oogie Boogie Bash you’ll want to try and avoid these days for fewer people and lower prices.
Early November
Early November has some of the best days to visit Disneyland since most people are either waiting until Thanksgiving or Christmas to take longer more expensive trips. During these couple of weeks, you’ll see the Disney Resort transform from Halloween to Christmas, ready for the holiday season.
A one-day, one-park ticket is usually around the $129 mark while multi-day tickets cost around $365 (price based on 2-day park hopper).
Most Expensive Time To Go To Disneyland In 2023
Based on historical data and first-hand experience here are the most expensive times to visit Disneyland in 2023;
Spring Break / Easter (March 10 – April 2)
Spring Break and Easter is the worst time of year to visit Disneyland. The high demand results in some of the highest prices you’ll see for Disney vacation in 2023 with a one-day, one-park ticket expected to cost between $159 and $179.
Meanwhile, Disney-themed Airbnb’s in Anaheim will cost upwards of $320 a night and rooms in a three-star hotel will cost between $260 and $340 per night on average (inc taxes). For context, this is roughly $100 more per night when compared to some of the cheapest times to visit Disneyland in 2023.
Summer (June 16-August 11)
Disneyland is predominantly marketed towards families, therefore it’s no surprise that the long school holidays over the summer are some of the park’s most popular days of the year.
Since some parents and guardians will still have to work throughout this time you’ll typically find that weekdays are slightly quieter (and park tickets $10 or so cheaper) when compared to weekends.
However, overall when compared to the off-peak season every day during this time is pretty crazy.
Thanksgiving (November 22-25)
Disneyland is open on Thanksgiving. However, Thanksgiving Day specifically is one of the only days of the year when both of the Disneyland theme parks reach capacity.
The Disneyland Resort can be incredibly busy over Thanksgiving weekend with families travelling across state lines to see friends and family often opting to add in a quick trip to the most magical place on earth.
Christmas & New Year’s (December 16-January 6)
The Christmas season at Disneyland is one of the busiest times of the year with ticket prices often hovering around the top of the scale at $179 for a one-day, one-park ticket.
Now, don’t get us wrong, many fantastic special events take place at this time of the year and the park looks incredible.
However, the crowds and the lines for the turnstiles, for the bathroom, for food and for the rides, it’s a lot!
If you do want to experience Disneyland decorated for Christmas we recommend visiting in early December just after Thanksgiving instead.
Cheapest Time To Go To Disneyland In 2024
Based on first-hand and historical data, here are some of the cheapest months to visit Disneyland in 2024;
January
January consistently has some of the year’s lowest prices for park tickets.
The exact increase in ticket prices from 2023 to 2024 has not yet been announced.
However, based on historical price increases we expect that a one-day, one-park ticket will start at $109 in 2024 and the majority of January will have park tickets for sale at that price.
Early January especially benefits from fewer crowds with the majority of families looking to get back into a routine after the holidays.
However, one drawback to visiting at this time of year is the weather.
In January 2023, Los Angeles County saw some of the worst weather ever, with record rainfall and even snow.
February
February is another good time to visit the Disneyland Resort.
During this month Disney’s California Adventure is decorated for Luna New Year and features a number of exclusive food dishes for guests to enjoy.
This month also see’s some of the best prices for both park tickets and hotels with one night at a three-star hotel in the Anaheim area estimated to cost between $200 and $250 per night (inc taxes).
September
September is a great time to visit the Disneyland theme parks since for the most part, you’ll still get the good weather of the summer without the summer crowds to go along with it.
Labor Day weekend at the start of the month will be slightly busier when compared to the remainder of the month.
However, this is still one of the park’s quietest federal holidays with many families still looking to get back into a routine after the long summer break.
A one-day, one-park ticket to Disneyland in September is set to be $104 per adult during all weekdays and $129 on the majority of weekends.
Hotel prices during September are also super reasonable with most three-star hotels in the area costing between $150 and $200 a night (inc taxes) and most four-star hotels coming in at around $250 to $320 per night (inc taxes).
Early October
Early October is once again set to be a fantastic time to visit Disneyland.
During this time (and in late September) the park is decorated for Halloween and dates for Disney’s Halloween Party, the Oogie Boogie Bash at Disney California Adventure Park are available.
While the Oogie Boogie Bash is an additional ticketed event, history tells us that standard park tickets on these dates will likely be higher with guests coming to spend the entire day (and night) at the Disneyland Resort.
As such if you’re not planning to experience the Oogie Boogie Bash you’ll want to try and avoid these days for fewer people and lower prices.
Early November
Early November has some of the best days to visit Disneyland since most people are either waiting until Thanksgiving or Christmas to take longer more expensive trips.
During these couple of weeks, you’ll see the Disney Resort transform from Halloween to Christmas, ready for the holiday season.
A one-day, one-park ticket is usually around the $129 mark while multi-day tickets cost around $365 (price based on 2-day park hopper).
Most Expensive Time To Go To Disneyland In 2024
Again, based on our experience and historical data, we expect that the most expensive times to visit Disneyland in 2024 will be;
Spring Break / Easter (April 6-21)
Spring Break and Easter are some of the worst days to visit Disneyland.
The high demand results in some of the highest prices you’ll see for Disney vacation in 2024 with a one-day, one-park ticket expected to cost between $159 and $179.
Bookings for the on-site hotels at Disneyland are currently not available for the 2024 season at the time of writing.
However, if the prices we’ve seen in 2023 are anything to go on then you can expect one night at the Disneyland Hotel to cost you between $750 and $900 (inc tax) with selected dates being as high as $1,400 (inc tax).
Summer (June 15-August 11)
Disneyland is predominantly marketed towards families, therefore it’s no surprise that the long school holidays over the summer are some of the park’s most popular days of the year.
Since some parents and guardians will still have to work throughout this time you’ll typically find that weekdays are slightly quieter (and park tickets $10 or so cheaper) when compared to weekends.
However, overall when compared to the off-peak season every day during this time is pretty crazy.
Thanksgiving (November 23-26)
The Disneyland Resort operates as normal over Thanksgiving.
However, Thanksgiving day specifically is one of the only days of the year when both of the Disneyland theme parks reach capacity.
However, the park can be incredibly busy over Thanksgiving weekend with families travelling across state lines to see friends and family often opting to add in a quick trip to the most magical place on earth.
As such visiting Disneyland over Thanksgiving might not be the best experience – especially if it’s your first visit to the park.
Christmas & New Year’s (December 21-January 5)
The Christmas season at Disneyland is one of the busiest times of the year with Disney fanatics flocking to see the parks decked out in holiday decor.
Don’t get us wrong, many fantastic special events take place at this time of the year and the park looks incredible.
However, the crowds and the lines for the turnstiles, for the bathroom, for food and for the rides, it’s a lot!
If you do want to experience Disneyland decorated for Christmas we recommend visiting in early December just after Thanksgiving instead.
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