Credit: Disneyland ResortThe holiday season is coming to a close at the Disney Parks, and Guests are hopeful that they will return to more normal crowd levels during the next few weeks.
However, as we look back on the Parks’ crowding levels during 2022, especially at the Disneyland Resort, we can see which days were both the busiest and least crowded. Crowding at the Parks was especially worse on days like school breaks and national holidays when more visitors arrived.
Related: Disney Genie+ Sells Out For 2nd Time Despite Negative Reception
According to an article from The Orange County Register, this information is from Thrill Data, which gathered data from the Parks’ wait times. This data showed that crowd levels were at their highest more than 24 times last year at both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.
Thrill Data gathers information on wait times from the Disneyland app, using data analytics to track certain trends and develop graphs on visitor experience. This is especially helpful, as Disneyland officials don’t typically talk about crowd levels or Park attendance in general.
Related: Trapped Guests Create Chaos in Disney During Massive Backup
Park attendance info gathered by Thrill Data indicated that the busiest days at Disneyland and California Adventure in 2022 occurred on school holidays. Though the exact days might differ between school districts, these school breaks usually take place around national and religious holidays.
Below are the most crowded days at the Disneyland Resort in 2022, according to Thrill Data and the Parks’ wait times:
- Winter Break/Presidents’ Day – February 17-24
- Spring Break/Easter – April 9-17
- Start of Summer – June 13-22
- Fall Break/Columbus Day – October 3-16
- Thanksgiving Week – November 19-25
- Christmas/New Year’s – December 21-31
Additionally, Thrill Data provided average wait times during the 26 most crowded days in 2022. This was calculated when the wait factor reached a peak of ten on a ten scale at the Parks. Here is the complete breakdown:
- Monday, April 11 – 52 minutes
- Tuesday, April 12 – 52 minutes
- Wednesday, April 13 – 52 minutes
- Thursday, April 14 – 51 minutes
- Saturday, October 15 – 50 minutes
- Wednesday, February 23 – 49 minutes
- Tuesday, December 27 – 48 minutes
- Wednesday, December 28 – 48 minutes
- Friday, December 30 – 48 minutes
- Saturday, December 31 – 48 minutes
- Wednesday, October 12 – 47 minutes
- Tuesday, June 14 – 46 minutes
- Wednesday, June 15 – 46 minutes
- Thursday, June 16 – 46 minutes
- Monday, June 20 – 46 minutes
- Wednesday, December 28 – 46 minutes
- Saturday, April 16 – 45 minutes
- Sunday, April 17 – 45 minutes
- Saturday, October 22 – 45 minutes
- Thursday, December 29 – 45 minutes
- Tuesday, February 22 – 44 minutes
- Friday, April 15 – 44 minutes
- Monday, June 13 – 44 minutes
- Tuesday, June 21 – 44 minutes
- Wednesday, June 22 – 44 minutes
- Thursday, July 28 – 44 minutes
Though the Parks traditionally tend to be most crowded on the weekends, as you can see from the list, this was not the case for 2022.
The worst week to be at the Disneyland Resort last year was from April 11-17, as the wait factor was ten on a ten scale every day that week. Also, the longest average wait times that year occurred during this same Spring Break period, where wait time averages reached 52 minutes three times.
It was not always this busy at Disneyland in 2022. The best days to visit Disneyland, according to Thrill Data, were from January 7 to February 14, after the Christmas season and during the Lunar New Year celebration, as well as August 8 to September 30, which marked the end of summer and the beginning of the school year.
However, the best week to visit Disneyland last year was September 4-10, as these days had the lowest wait times. The average wait time was only 15 minutes on Friday, September 9.
During 2022, the average wait time overall was 31 minutes for both Parks. Though it’s not guaranteed that we will see the same levels of crowding during the same times of the year at the Parks as we did in 2022, these statistics may give us a good idea of when or when not to visit the Happiest Place on Earth in 2023.
Were you at the Disneyland Resort during these peak days? Did it seem as busy as Thrill Data indicated?