January VS Summer VS Fall of 2018

[catycatcat4]

I have to itch to go to California again T_T

I went for the first time in summer 2015 (didn't get a choice in dates was out there for a wedding)
My traveling companions sucked I'm no longer friends with any of them. So this time i'd get to do it my way.

Last time I was in Ventura then LA then Disneyland.

This time I'm thinking of doing

A: San Fransisco (I know it's far from LA and Disneyland) L.A. then Disneyland. I wanna go for a week and half to two weeks.
B: LA/San Deigo/DL

I'm also debating the dates

January:
Pro: Cheaper air fair?? Cheaper hotels??? Less Disneyland Crowds.
Cons: I'll be in college and would have to miss 2 or 3 days of classes/would probably have to do homework at night from hotels.

Summer:
Pro: More time to set aside spending money, not in school, I'll be 25 march 2018 so by summer I can rent a car without extra fees.
Con: more humans at DL, cost slightly more for air and hotels?


Thoughts?

 

[StageTek]

Not sure what I can add. Your pros-and-cons are very well researched.

Will the extra fee for car rental balance out the higher cost of travel and hotels?

Personally I would rather be in the park with fewer crowds.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Remember that January at DLR brings shorter hours and more refurbs. Summer brings more crowds, but longer hours and a full entertainment schedule, e.g. fireworks every day, not just on weekends. If by fall, you mean mid Sept. into Oct., you could see DLR during Halloween Time and maybe go to Mickey's Halloween Party. Halloween Time brings HMH with the NBC overlay (remember that HM goes down around the 3rd week of August for the overlay) and SMGG, so that could be fun for you.

 

[disney144]

What's most important to you? For crowds, you can't beat January. However, the weather is not good for beaches in January.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Summer:
Pro: More time to set aside spending money, not in school, I'll be 25 march 2018 so by summer I can rent a car without extra fees.
Con: more humans at DL, cost slightly more for air and hotels?

The parks will have longer hours, more entertainment and less rides down for refurbishment. It will be crowded, but with the longer hours and more things being open, you'll actually get a lot more done.

Since you also want to visit some of the big cities, you'll enjoy them more during the summer. I've traveled in winter many times and when it gets dark at 5:00pm, it's a lot harder to find your way around a strange town. It can also get very cold when the sun goes down. As you can see, my advice is to visit during the summer when the days are much longer and there is a lot more open to do.