Crowds Flee Disneyland, Head To Other California Theme Park

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Crowds Flee Disneyland, Head To Other California Theme Park

in Disneyland Resort

Posted on December 27, 2024 by Jess Colopy

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A busy street scene with a diverse group of people walking and interacting. A police officer stands in the middle, monitoring the crowd. Some people are wearing backpacks, hats, and pushing strollers, including a person in a wheelchair and a child in another stroller at a Disney Park.

Credit: Patrick Nguyen on Unsplash

Holiday crowds have abandoned Disneyland Park, favoring the second Southern California Disney park: Disney California Adventure Park. The change comes days after wait times and crowd levels skyrocketed at Disneyland Park, where festive entertainment and Christmas decorations draw seasonal crowds.

The week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day is often the busiest of the year at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. Annual Passholders and Magic Key Pass holders are largely blocked out of the Disney parks, which historically have hit total capacity on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.

A group of five costumed snowmen in front of a parade float with Mickey and Minnie Mouse in A Christmas Fantasy at Disneyland Resort — Credit: armadillo444, Flickr

This Christmas, crowds abandoned Disneyland Park in favor of Disney California Adventure Park. Redditor u/CoasterCar shared these screenshots from the Disneyland Resort app, showing wait times for family-friendly rides at both theme parks. Goofy’s Sky School at Disney California Adventure Park had a 100-minute wait, while Disneyland Park’s Storybook Land Canal Boats had no wait at all:

Wait Times Giving Mixed Signals Today

Wait Times Giving Mixed Signals Today
byu/CoasterCar inDisneyland

The day prior, u/gilbert2gilbert shared another Disneyland Resort app screenshot showing a 65-minute wait for The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure at Disney California Adventure Park:

Can You Imagine Standing In Line For 65 Minutes For The Little Mermaid?

Can You Imagine Standing In Line For 65 Minutes For The Little Mermaid?
byu/gilbert2gilbert inDisneyland

In response, many Disney Parks fans said wait times like these make them avoid Disneyland Resort during the holidays.

“Ahh the Holidays at Disney probably the worst time to go,” said u/jacoblaue.

Visitors walk toward the entrance of Disney California Adventure, characterized by its Art Deco-style design, with three flag-topped towers and the park's name prominently displayed above the gate. The scene is busy with families and groups excited to explore the beloved Disney theme park. — Credit: HarshLight, Flickr

“In the past I made the mistake of going in the week between Christmas and New Year’s, and I’ll never do that again,” u/tyrone_shoelaces_esq replied.

Use the official theme park app to track wait times and dining availability to make the most of your Christmastime Disneyland Resort visit. Guests can also purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Lightning Lane Single Passes, or the limited Lightning Lane Premier Pass for quicker access to Disney Park attractions.

Have you visited Disneyland Resort during the holidays? Share your tips for beating the crowds with Inside the Magic in the comments.

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