It’s one of the most beloved destinations worldwide but planning your vacation at The Most Magical Place on Earth can be overwhelming. Whether it’s your first visit or you’re a seasoned Walt Disney World Resort regular, the time of year you choose to vacation can really enhance your trip. If you want to know the best time to visit Disney World, the answer will vary depending on what is important to you. Let’s weigh some of the things that will help you decide like weather, crowds and seasonal offerings in 2024.
What is the best time to visit Disney World for low crowds?
People love Disney Parks so much that crowds have become an issue. So much so that Disney has been in a position to raise prices across the board due to demand. Crowds usually mean longer wait times and less picturesque views in the parks.
There used to be slow seasons throughout the year at Walt Disney World. A few changes like runDisney leveraging slower times to host events and international travel initiatives have brought more tourists in times that were usually sparse. These days, it’s more like slower seasons. It’s just become so consistently popular that down times are shorter and less.. down. So the key here is to find the slight dips in attendance or, if possible, the few, short distinct time periods that are gloriously quiet.
Slowest Time of The Year at Disney: Best Time to Visit
If you’re completely flexible, the absolute best time to visit Disney World for low crowds is the week after Labor Day. I mean the rest of the week starting the Tuesday after Labor Day. It’s historically and consistently the least crowded time because summer travel dwindles as families prepare for kids to go back to school. It’s just an inconvenient time for many people to travel. The result is shorter wait times, more restaurant availability and more elbow room as you’re walking around. It’s really nice. Aside from this particular week, all of September seems to be decent crowd wise.
Is January quiet at Disney World?
The next best time to visit is January. The holidays are the busiest time of the year and after that things tend to slow down a bit as people gear up in the new year.
When is the busiest time to go to Disney World?
The parks at Disney World are the busiest during Christmas week and Thanksgiving, summer months when school is out, spring break season and any time there is a long, holiday weekend.
What is the slowest day of the week at Disney World?
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays used to be the slowest days at Walt Disney World. Aside from those coming for a weeklong vacation, many come for just a long weekend. The Friday to Monday trips and locals enjoying weekends at the parks made midweek visits a better option.
Over the last few years, Disney has taken drastic measures to reduce crowds and disperse people more evenly throughout the four parks. The Disney park reservation system was introduced in 2020 to keep capacity numbers low during the pandemic. While most people don’t need park reservations now, those with a ticket that isn’t date based, like a Disney annual pass, still do need a reservation to enter a theme park. Passholders are able to enter the parks after 2:00 pm without a reservation but not at Magic Kingdom on the weekends. This always requires a park reservation.
Weekdays often remain a better time to visit. However, you may be surprised to discover lower waits at Magic Kingdom on the weekends. Take a look at attraction wait times in the My Disney Experience app on a Saturday or Sunday. The lower crowds may be explained by many annual passholders being blocked out of Magic Kingdom and ticket prices peaking on the weekends.
The slowest day of the week at Disney World depends on the park you’re visiting too. Crowds are often less likely to visit a park that closes early for a special event. People usually want to make the most of their ticket and if Magic Kingdom closes early for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, it makes sense to go to another park.
Before Halloween and Christmas parties at Magic Kingdom you’ll find very low waits.
Special offerings like Extended Evening Theme Park Hours may draw more visitors to a park as well.
What is the best time to visit Disney World weather wise?
This is almost a trick question. Florida, the Sunshine State, is known for its hot and humid weather. In the summer it can really be a lot to handle between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., especially if you’re not acclimated. Staying hydrated is definitely important. Temperatures are usually most enjoyable November through March in Florida.
Does Disney stay open if it rains? Does Disney World stay open in the rain?
During summer time you can often expect afternoon showers. They go as quick as they come so if you don’t mind taking cover for the duration, you can often get right back to your park day. Many outdoor rides and some shows at Disney Parks will still operate in light rain. It’s lightning and thunder that will shut things down right away. Disney has a protocol they follow and things usually reopen 20-30 minutes after the last lightning strike within a certain mile radius.
When is it cooler in Florida?
I wouldn’t count on Central Florida weather to start to reliably cool off until October. Even on a Disney World fall trip, mornings in Orlando can feel nice but as soon as 10:00 a.m. rolls around, the sun usually changes that. Expect mid day to almost always feel warm at Walt Disney World.
In the winter months when it’s very cool in the morning, you should still dress in layers. By lunch time, it’s likely you’ll be needing to shed outer pieces like gloves, hats or a heavy jacket.
Puffy vests that keep the heat in can be really helpful on January and February trips. If you need to cool off just slightly, you can unzip the vest. If it gets much warmer, many vests can be rolled up and take up minimal space in a park bag.
Hand warmers or thermal adhesive wraps can bring warmth without having to pack and carry additional or heavier clothing. Both of these are very light and can easily fit in a park bag all day. On chilly nights waiting for fireworks, one of these small heating elements can make the experience much more comfortable.
Does Disney World Close For Hurricanes?
Let’s not forget about hurricane season. Though Florida is ready to handle most storms, a hurricane can certainly put a damper on air and road travel.
When it comes to hurricanes, Walt Disney World is slow to close and quick to reopen. Did you know there is a team of cast members in each park that ride out the storm? Many protective arrangements happen in the days preceding these natural disasters while the parks are still open. Hotels will still house guests but the parks will close the nearest they can to when the hurricane actually hits. To be precise, Disney waits until the last minute to close in accordance with state and local recommendations. It seems they allow visitors and cast members just enough time to travel home or to where they are staying before roads officially close or stay at home orders are in place.
If a fast moving hurricane comes on a Tuesday morning and leaves Tuesday night, Disney can assess damage and have the parks cleaned and opened the next day, usually with a delayed opening. I wouldn’t count hurricane season out altogether, as it’s a large portion of the year, but it is an extra variable to consider. It’s not the worst to have a hurricane hit on your vacation when it comes to being safe. I consider Disney resorts a solid storm shelter. I’ve seen some interesting things like the windmill at Stormalong Bay rotating thanks to hurricane gusts but Disney is built with hurricanes in mind.
The Best Times to Visit Disney World for Seasonal Offerings and Special Events
Walt Disney World changes a bit from season to season with different park decorations. If you want to see Disney Parks in their classic look, consider booking outside of the following holiday time periods because they start early and run long. Visits during fall and the holiday season also change things like window displays, merchandise and some menu offerings. The time of year you visit also determines which of the Epcot festivals will be happening.
Note: You can usually expect the first and last night of a special event offering to be quite busy!
Halloween at Disney World
Halloween starts mid August at Walt Disney World and Main Street at Magic Kingdom gets a special layover of pumpkins and leaves. Around this time Disney offers Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party events at Magic Kingdom for an additional cost. This special ticketed event has unique entertainment, an over the top spooky parade, trick or treating, themed food and more. Guests can wear Halloween costumes too!
During the fall, Epcot gets even tastier with the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. This delightful event has special musical performances and small plates inspired by different countries.
The Holiday Season at Disney World
Christmas time usually starts a week after Halloween as all four parks transform for the holidays. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party brings festive fun to Magic Kingdom with a special parade, fireworks, complimentary treats and other ways to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year.
Closer to Thanksgiving, the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays brings lots of jolly entertainment and rich flavors to World Showcase. All of the theme parks and resorts have decorations in a big way. The glittering holiday displays typically stay up through the first week in January.
Seasonal Epcot Festivals
January also brings the Epcot International Festival of the Arts to the park. The event starts in January and usually runs into February. Expect food booths, art demonstrations, additional performing art entertainment offerings, Disney art, artist meet and greets and more. In the spring, Epcot gets all dressed up with beautiful topiaries and flowers for the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. Of course you can expect delicious culinary offerings inspired by the season during this time as well. All Epcot festivals are included in the price of regular admission.
Special Disney Events
You might also consider planning a trip around special events held at Walt Disney World like the ones D23: The Official Disney Fan Club hosts. There are also runDisney event weekends that you might want to think about participating in. On the contrary, if you’re not participating, you may want to avoid runDisney event weekends because they can change park schedules slightly but alter road travel around the property majorly.
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