I’d like to book a Disneyland trip for September 16th at the Grand Californian, but there are no rooms available on property in September. Once in a while a suite will pop up as available, but that’s way out of my budget. Crowd calendars look like September is a good time to go. Pixar Place Hotel is the only one I can find being refurbished right now. Am I completely missing something?
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There are far fewer resorts at DL vs DW. I’ve heard it’s harder to get “last minute” availability there. Also, have the Halloween parties started that early in DL? That could be another factor.
Just my speculation of course. Im MUCH closer to DW do that’s where we go.
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I was thinking that too, but crazy thing - I can get a room for a semi-reasonable rate on August 19th. I’m just very confused by it all
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It’s because DL is very busy during fall/Halloween time, probably the busiest it is all year. Love the parks during that time, hate all the people. 
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You are looking for just one night. Try looking for two nights starting 9/15, and you get more choices starting at $632.
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Thanks! At least there’s a room available changing it by a day. I was really hoping to be there Monday through Friday because it’s typically less busy in the middle of the week (at least it has been every other time we’ve gone. Who knows now)
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Yeah, sometimes it can be really tough to find a room for just one night at a WDW hotel, but you can find them for 2 or more nights. I figured the same might be true for DLR. I don’t really know their reasoning, unless they just don’t want to leave holes of 1 night. Maybe you’d get some better results by calling. 
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Things have changed quite a bit. Weekdays are often the busiest now, due to so many APs being blocked on the weekends. Plus the cheapest days for tickets are during the week, making them busier days as life has gotten so expensive for so many. I wouldn’t hesitate to go over the weekend if yoy can stomach the higher priced hotel rooms.
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And honestly I find Friday nights hard to get! (At WDW). Sometimes harder than a Saturday night.
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I hadn’t thought of that, but it makes sense
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Once that ticket deal ends , do you think the trend of less busy weekends will continue?
Im trying to take dd during Halloween week, 2 park days only and it’s either going to be a Sunday& Monday
Or a Wednesday & Thursday( Halloween)
Everywhere I look I feel like im getting screams warnings of Monday’s.
Im not sure how much of that is due to the ticket deal that’s going to end.
Any thoughts & opinions?
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It’s hard to say for sure. In general Sat/Sun is better than Mon pretty much year round.
But Thursday might be a great day to be in the parks since it is Halloween, and most locals will be at home trick or treating with their kids. Let me ask my local friend what she thinks- she is very knowledgable about day to day trends there.
Her thoughts:
Mondays are the worst. Halloween itself is incredibly light. I’ve been going on Halloween every year (except when it’s on Sunday) for at least 15 years. It’s always pretty dead until at least 3. I generally don’t stay past then, so can’t speak for the evening.
What you need to do is go Sunday, and then Thursday. Or better yet, go Sunday-Thursday and then report back how it went.
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Great insight!
Nice to know that mondays are the worst!
Why is that?
With Halloween on Thursday this year, would she suggest going the day before or after Halloween for a 2 day trip?
We could also go 2 consecutive days the following week.
Last year I went for Halloween and it was glorious, the day after was like night and day, it was completely packed.
Coming from another time zone with a kid, we left the parks by 5pm and were there before park open, so no late nights for us!
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First “cheap” day the parks are open in a week now that there are date based tickets. Many people fly in on Sunday. Everyone thinks the parks have been packed on Sat/Sun and Mon will not be. Also, all levels of passes are unblocked on Mondays, some have been blocked all weekend, some have been blocked Saturday only. Monday-Friday are when a lot of the locals go since their passes are blocked on the weekends.
No idea exactly why, these are my guesses.
I really think you should just pick which days work best, and go. I’m not sure there is a right answer. I would guess that the day after Halloween will be busy, at least in the evening, since it’s a Friday. But it’s a school day for the locals and if you are going to leave by 5pm… I’d probably go Thursday and Friday. But if you aren’t limited by AP blocks, I’d just go Saturday/Sunday if it’s an option.
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Thanks for the thought out response!
It seems like it’s always busy there, which if it’s a locals park you’d think that there would be patterns.
I know Disney world so well and can pick up patterns and things with lower crowds pretty easily these days, but Disneyland whoo, whole new world!
Im learning that people in Nevada and Utah really flock there during their breaks too !
Haha, who knew!
I heard that fireworks are only on weekends and that really brings people in too.
If we leave by 5pm, I think we’d get to avoid a lot of the after work/ after school crowds.
If we don’t make it for Halloween my next choices would be:
January week before mlk for 2 days during the week but not sure about weather or rain.
Or first week of may 2 weekdays.
I live in Chicagoland and I’m not too interested in going from one cold place to another chilly place Haha I feel like it’s only a vacation if it’s warm/ hot!
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There was, until the covid shutdown. Now there are so many blocked days for APs (every single Saturday during the year is now blocked for Enchant, it used to be only a few), and the date based tickets push people to the weekdays as they are cheaper.
This time is not for you if you don’t want chilly weather.
I love the weather at the end of April/first week of May usually.
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We are planning a trip for that week in January (1/12-16). I’m also a bit anxious about the weather and ride closures but this trip is being planned around a conference in San Diego, so we will make it work. Just FYI - I found Costco’s DL packages that week to be less than what I could put together by booking directly through most Harbor Road hotels and using discounted tickets. Costco has a generous cancellation policy so if any DL discounted packages are released before early December, you can easily switch.
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If you make it there for Halloween I’ll be there (and the next day)! I’m staying at the Anaheim Hotel booked through Costco), because I’m way too cheap to pay $600+ per night just for early entry.
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So it looks like these deals are for Costco members, but take you through to the Disney website but for Costco. Right?
I’ve never been to that store, but they have a Disneyland promo that you book the package and get a $160 Disney gift card.
The tickets from ares travel + hotel through priceline / direct with a special promo code still come up the same.
I think I’m just gonna bite the bullet and go for Halloween the more I think about it.
January/ February, I’d just be trading one freezing cold place for a slightly less cold place , plus aren’t those the rainy months?
I probably would enjoy early may, but I’m impatient to wait that long lol!
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Yup… I’ve booked cruises, all-inclusives, WDW, and Universal Orlando through Costco travel and they’ve never done me wrong. They may not be directly cheaper (sometimes they are, or you get a better room for the same price), but you always get either a Costco shop card or a destination gift card, and occasionally there are extra perks (one cruise offered me a photo package, treats in my room each night, and spa credit!).
I guess I’ll see you on Halloween
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