Things have been awfully quiet at Disneyland lately.
Guests have been reporting flat-out “empty” crowd conditions, with little to no lines for many rides and attractions these last few days. Is a measles outbreak that began at Disneyland really affecting park attendance?
There are now over 50 confirmed cases of measles linked to people who visited “the happiest place on earth.” Health officials say the first patients of the highly contagious disease were all visitors of either Disneyland or Disney California Adventure between December 15 and December 20, which was also the week crowds at both parks started to spike for the busy holiday season.
The following two weeks (December 20-January 2) was the busiest time of the year at the resort, with Disneyland routinely reaching maximum capacity and closing its gates to guests until crowds were just a little less unbearable.
Yeah, not fun. It simply wasn’t the best time to go to Disneyland, with or without the measles in the air.
Ever since the measles outbreak hit the news, we’re been receiving many questions from users wondering if it will affect the crowds at the parks at all. Seriously. We get the same questions every time Disneyland raises their ticket prices. Is there really a measles scare keeping people away from Disneyland?
It’s the same answer: no.
Not right now at least. The measles outbreak isn’t making the lines any shorter, but you really don’t have to worry about long wait times this time of the year. The holiday season is over and schools are back in session, so there’s always a very noticeable drop in park attendance in January.
Weekdays after the holidays are historically some of the least crowded days of the year at Disneyland. The Crowd Forecast Calendar just about always rates these days as “Ghost Town” dates. Short lines and light crowds are simply the norm around this time.
So, don’t be surprised if the wait time for Space Mountain is only 10 minutes these next couple of weeks.
It’s not the measles. It’s just the off-season.