Walt Disney World is a magical place with the four parks, two water parks, Disney Springs and the resorts that can be fun to explore too. There is a lot to do and one question that gets asked a lot is what are the best times of year to go to Disney World?
I would quite happily go any time of year if I was given the opportunity. But crowd levels are an important thing to think about before planning your Disney World vacation. We have taken most of our Disney World vacations from the middle of February to the beginning of March.
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Each year we have seen the crowds get busier as new festivals have been added at Epcot and the Run Disney Marathons bring in crowds that stay over a long weekend. With lots of new attractions having been added to the Disney World Parks it would seem it’s only going to get busier.
Well I would say look at the following times of year:
- Middle of January to middle of February
- Early May (the first 2 weeks)
- Late August (American Schools start their new school years).
- September (the whole month).
- Mid November through to Mid-December (keep away over Thanksgiving weekend though). After Halloween & before Christmas really ramps the crowds up.
The Middle of January to the Middle of February
A traditionally quiet time at Disney World for many years. When we have arrived usually around Valentine’s Day the temperatures have usually been mid to high twenties (degrees centigrade). January can be quite cold for Florida standards so that is something to definitely think about. Be aware that January into February is when some rides maybe closed for maintenance. There won’t be a lot closed but do consider it. When we went this year the Liberty Belle Ferry Boat was out of action in February.
Early May
In early May spring break has finished and the weather is warm but not quite at its peak. Crowds are fairly moderate during early May, so you should find it quite easy to enjoy the parks. With late May comes the Memorial Day weekend crowds so go for early May rather than late May.
Late August
A lot of American kids are back in school towards the end of August and crowds are lower in the parks. This is quite a popular time for UK families as you can squeeze in a two week break just before the kids go back to school in September. The downside is that late August is hitting peak hurricane season right up to October. This doesn’t necessarily mean hurricanes, but it can mean storms. It will also be extremely hot so be prepared to take some time off in the afternoons to head back to your resort, chill in your air-conditioned room for a bit, hit the pool. Head back to the parks later on in the day when it gets a bit cooler.
September
September has been a good month to visit for some time. With the kids back in school both sides of the Atlantic it really makes a difference. Though you have high temperatures to deal with, it’s still peak hurricane season and September can get a lot of rain. With the Halloween events giving the odd spike in crowds (Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Halloween Horror Nights at Universal) as well as the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot there is a lot of cool things to do in September.
Mid-November Through to Mid-December
First off avoid Thanks giving weekend as like any other major holiday in the USA crowds will be huge in the parks. Other than Thanksgiving you should be OK, crowds are manageable, the Halloween events are over, and you will even start to see Christmas appearing in the parks (especially from early December). Also, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party starts in November and of all the places to celebrate all things Christmas, surely the Magic Kingdom with Mickey and Pals would be the best of all! Temperatures are also pleasant too in November, but it can be cooler in the evenings.
So, these are my recommended best times of year to visit Walt Disney World but what about the worst times? Well please do try to avoid these times of the year if possible:
Take a look at some mistakes you don’t want to make at Disney World
March through to Mid-April
This can all depend on when Easter falls but you have the Easter crowds to contend with and you have all the overlapping spring breaks too. A busy period at Walt Disney World.
June through to Mid-August
Mid-summer is peak season. Schools are out in June in the States then followed by schools across the world which means high crowd levels. Also, it will be hot which isn’t all that bad but it can get very hot.
Avoid Holidays at Walt Disney World
Major holidays as I said before equals big crowds in the Disney World Parks. Around Christmas day crowds will be huge (especially Christmas Day). New Year’s Eve will be extremely busy too. Basically, all the national holidays will be busy such as Easter weekend and Thanks giving weekend and of course 4th July. One of the disadvantages to consider too with such high crowd levels is that parks might reach capacity which can make park hopping a very big risk so on such major holidays you are best to stay in which ever park you start the day in and just deal with the crowds.
The Best Time of Year to Visit Disney World
So, there you go the best times of year to visit Disney World along with some of the worst times to visit too. Of course, if you do happen to be at Disney World on a very busy day or weekend you will still have a lot of fun and there are certainly ways to make the most of your day with the effective use of fast passes and hitting the parks early enough to get on some rides early in the day. These are some subjects we will go into in more detail in future articles but for now hopefully you will have a better insight as to when to plan your Disney World holiday for.
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Darren
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