It's unlikely that any visit to a Disney theme park will be child-free. Some parents take their children out of school for that visit to Mickey Mouse's empire, hoping for a more affordable and less-crowded experience. Still, there will be fewer when school is in session.

Sheryl, a grown-up from San Jose who visits Disneyland about six times per year, advises thinking about what you want from the experience. She and her partner are annual passholders who never visit between Memorial Day and Labor Day or on a holiday weekend. Their passes allow them to book trips up to three months in advance. (Sheryl, who is a child psychologist, didn't want to give her last name and be misconstrued as anti-child.)

"For me it helps to enjoy the experience when I have reasonable expectations," she says. "I had very different desires and expectations when we went to Disneyland for our honeymoon than when we had a family reunion during spring break. Our honeymoon was during an off-season and our experience was more adult focused.

"Our family reunion had to occur during a school holiday for the children in our lives," she says. "I went in knowing there were going to be crowds and families, the occasional meltdown and need for children-appropriate negotiation. Both holidays were fantastic and very different."