Just wondering everyone's thoughts on how busy Disneyland is in May. I've been in August and it's crazy, which is to be expected and I've been to Disneyworld 2x in June and it was crazy too. I hear these urban legends of how people just walk up to rides during other times of the year, but I only seem to go when the lines are 2 hours long. Any thoughts appreciated!

busy all year long. obviously more busy during kid's vacation times.

I've talked to people who've went in Jan/Feb or Oct and they say it's really quiet...no waiting in lines, etc. Just wondering if anyone has been there the beginning of May and what the lines are like.

Here's some good info on when to go -
http://allearsnet.com/pl/attend.htm

Looks like May (other than Memorial Day weekend) is moderately busy according to this site - never been there then though. I only go during October-Jan. I really like riding my favorite rides over and over again without any lines!

Heidi

Oops - sorry, just realized you were asking about DisneyLAND in CA. I would think the attendance would be the same though.

The important thing to remember is that no matter how busy Disneyland is, there are ways to minimize your wait times. One of the most important things is to arrive early (right at opening) and take advantage of any early entry days you have. Crowds do not usually start to build until about 11:00 a.m. The other important advantage is to use fastpasses. Get a fastpass for one of the popular rides as soon as you get to the park. You can get another fastpass every two hours (or less). You do not have to use your fastpass during the time it states - you can use them anytime that day. We were able to get 4 or 5 fastpasses by 2:00 p.m. and used them during the afternoon when lines were long. With fastpasses, the lines were only a few minutes. We were at Disneyland last July when crowds were at their highest, and we were able to do almost all the rides the first day we were there. The 2nd day we did the rides we had missed and revisited our favourites. Another thing to remember is that California Adventure is usually not as crowded as Disneyland, so if DL is too crowded in the afternoon, head over to California Adventure for a few hours.

When it's less-busy they seem to have fewer employees working, especially the food lines, many lines are closed down so your wait is just as long.

Early May is not that bad, as long as you avoid Memorial Day. And Saturdays always seem to be busy. Although not everything has a Fastpass (FP), learn how to use it and get there as early as possible. The most difficult lines in Disneyland are Space Mountain (FP), Matterhorn (No FP), Indiana Jones (FP), Splash Mountain (FP) and almost everything in Fantasyland (no FP). I would grab a FP for Space Mountain first thing, as those seem to run out the fastest. Then run to do Peter Pan. I only try Matterhorn on a very slow day, during a parade. It's really not worth the wait now that Space Mountain is open again.