Hey there Julie,
Welcome to planDisney and thank you for your question! I'm thrilled to hear that you're starting to think about a trip to the Disneyland Resort. One of the first questions to consider is always "when do I want to go?" If your dates are flexible, then considering potential crowd levels during a visit is a great thing to try to balance!
Crowd levels fluctuate throughout the year and there are actually pros and cons to both busier times and lighter times. When the parks are busy, it's usually during some of the most fun times of the year - special seasons, events, and more. During these peak seasons, there tend to be fewer attractions
down for refurbishment. During the lighter seasons, obviously, there tend to be fewer people in the parks, but there also might be more attractions down for refurbishment during your visit.
The
Best Time to Visit Disneyland FAQ is a helpful starting place and mentions the fall (mid-September through mid-November) and then again from mid-January through mid-March as the two lighter seasons throughout the year.
From my personal experience, this tends to be correct, but I've found it to be busier on certain days in the fall due to
Oogie Boogie Bash - A Disney Halloween Party. I tend to suggest mid-September or mid-October as the best times to try during this season. For a mid-January to mid-March visit, just keep in mind that spring breaks for schools start in March so I would pinpoint my suggested sweet spot to be early February for this season.
Also, I tend to schedule visits mid-week, but I've also heard that weekends can surprisingly be lighter at times as well in these lighter seasons. It might be worth a try!
The good news is that while there can be more crowded and less crowded times to visit, there is never a good or bad time to visit - it's always a good time to visit the Happiest Place on Earth!
Thanks again for your question, Julie. I hope you enjoy your next trip to the Disneyland Resort.
Have a Magical Day,
Greg