Tips On When to Visit Disney World

Planning a trip to Disney World, but not sure when to go? You’re in the right place… at exactly the right time. This post covers tips on when to visit Disney World.

Let’s start with the easiest answer and then get into the details. The best time to experience Disney World is:  ANYTIME YOU CAN.

Sound too easy?  Let me explain.

You can have an incredible vacation at Disney World any season any year. Really. There are definitely advantages and disadvantages for visiting at different times, but none of these variables alone will determine if you have a fabulous trip. There are just too many other factors in play, such as your travel companions, accommodations, length of visit, etc. Hopefully that takes some of the pressure off of picking the absolute best week ever for your trip timing.

So what does the timing of your trip effect? Well, in my opinion, the timing of your Disney World trip primarily impacts four aspects of your vacation: crowd levels, weather, cost and attractions. All of these change regularly and are mostly out of your control. They also impact the calendar at different times throughout the year, so prioritizing one factor may mean compromising on another. In other words, there really isn’t a “perfect” week to visit in terms of timing.

Understanding how the crowd levels, weather, cost and attractions are effected by the timing of your trip can help guide when you plan to visit and what activities you can experience while you’re there. It will also help you to focus on what you really want to get out of your vacation. (Besides “magic” of course!)

Let’s start with crowd levels.

 CROWD LEVELS

You can find numerous Disney-related websites that share gobs of information about which specific weeks are best for visiting the parks in terms of crowds. I know, because I’ve read pretty much all of them multiple times. And although these sites are helpful for understanding traffic patterns and sorting through the various park events that could overlap your trip, the information isn’t always accurate. Sometimes (many times?!?) the sites contradict each other. Other times they can make you feel bad about the dates you picked for your trip to Disney World even if the dates you picked are the only ones available to you.

The thing is though, it’s pretty much always crowded at Disney World. If you’ve never been before, it is likely to still feel crowded to you even on the lowest volume days. It’s just that kind of place.

A few years ago I met a long-time Disney World pass holder while waiting for a firework show at Hollywood Studios. We were smashed into the center of the park with thousands of other guests, trying to hold our spots to see the show. (If you’ve been there, you know what I mean!) As we were chatting, my new friend casually mentioned he was so glad he picked that day to visit the parks because “there is nobody here.” I smiled, thinking he was being sarcastic, but he continued unfazed. He was being sincere. I wish I could have taken an aerial shot of the park at that precise moment to show you exactly how many people were there when he made this comment. It was clearly more than “nobody,” at least to me.

My point? Crowds are relative. The odds are extremely slim that you’ll happen upon a day when you and your travel party are the only ones there. (HOW AWESOME WOULD THAT BE?!?) So even though crowds are important in effecting wait times, restaurant availability and the types of attractions you can experience during your trip, it’s not the most important factor. Planning ahead and focusing on the popular attractions you really want to do can help counter the crowds. Many other attractions, like parades and fireworks, are available to you regardless of crowd size anyway.

The crowds at Disney World are largely dependent on kids’ vacation schedules. So, in general, the parks tend to be busiest during the following time periods: President’s Day Weekend, Spring Break (mid-March to mid-April depending on Easter timing), Summer Break (especially mid-June to mid-August), Thanksgiving Week and Christmas Week through New Year’s Day. If crowds are THE most important factor for you, then try to avoid these time periods. Just keep in mind that other factors will effect these dates too.

COST

A second factor that effects vacation timing and is closely related to crowds is cost. When crowds are high, costs are higher too. It’s basic supply and demand from Economics 101.

Except, Disney takes supply and demand pricing to a master thesis level. Single day park tickets fall into three categories: value, regular and peak. There’s about a $20 difference in ticket cost per day between value and peak seasons. Magic Kingdom tickets cost slightly more than the other three parks, because it’s the most popular park (20 Million Guests Annually!!!). So if you want to visit Magic Kingdom during peak season in 2018 you’ll pay $124 (including tax) for one day. If you visit during value season, it will cost you $107.  For a family of four to visit Magic Kingdom for one day, you’ll pay about $70 more during peak season. Fortunately, the multi-day tickets are currently excluded from the variable pricing categories. That means if you plan to visit the parks multiple days during your trip, the ticket price variations won’t apply to you.

The biggest price variation is really in the cost of the Disney resorts. A standard, non-discounted room at the “Deluxe” Animal Kingdom Lodge can range from $345 to $575 per night. And that’s just during the month of January! The variance at the “Value” Pop Century is still $100 a night for the same time period. If you’re planning to stay on property for your trip, these price changes can significantly alter your budget.

So if cost is extremely important to you, you’ll want to consult the rack rate pricing to get an idea of which times of year are best for your budget. Sometimes adjusting your dates a week, or even just to Sunday through Thursday instead of a weekend can significantly reduce your cost. You can find the complete list of rack rates here and my tips for saving money here.

WEATHER

Another factor to keep in mind when choosing a time to visit Disney World is weather. Ugh. If I could choose a super power I think it would involve controlling the weather.

Or maybe flying.

Perhaps I could rotate by day.

In any case, weather impacts Disney World vacations every day of the year. It’s hot in Florida and it rains a lot too. (Thanks Sherlock!) Odds are pretty good you’ll encounter one or both of these normal phenomenon while you’re there. It’s best to be prepared. Go ahead and pack the parka. Bring sunscreen too.

Florida temperatures and precipitation levels are highest between late May and mid October. Hurricane season, which hasn’t been an issue for most of Disney World’s existence but caused park closures the last two years, is August and September.  You can try to avoid the high heat and higher chances of rain by scheduling your trip between November and April, but please know there are no guarantees. It’s part of the reason why I don’t recommend basing the timing of your trip solely on the weather.

ATTRACTIONS

The amount of attractions available to you during your vacation is the final factor influenced by the timing of your trip. If you’re interested in holiday decorations and activities, consider scheduling your trip for the last four months of the year. Halloween decorations (and some of the more complicated Christmas installations) start occurring around Labor Day. The pumpkins are replaced by wreaths, ribbons and trees in early November.

Disney also tends to close attractions for refurbishment more regularly during the off-season (early fall and winter). It’s usually not very many per park, but it could include top tier attractions like Splash Mountain or Pirates of the Caribbean. You ran read the current list of closings on touringplans site here to get an idea. One or both of the water parks tend to close during the winter months too. The pools at the resorts are heated, and always open, but you may not feel like swimming in them when it’s 50 degrees outside!

Park hours are sometimes reduced during the off season as well, but Disney does a good job of adjusting hours (sometimes a few weeks before!) to accommodate the expected crowds.

Another issue related to attractions and how it effects the timing of your trip is the opening of new features.  This topic has increased in importance lately, due to the amount of new projects currently underway at the parks. Rather than just debating whether to visit in July or October, now guests are deliberating between 2018, 2019 or beyond.

With the planned opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge slated for the summer of 2019, it’s tempting to wait until then to visit. Many will. But then, what if the opening is delayed? Then whenever it does open it will be so busy you’ll be tempted to wait until 2020. (Google: Pandora World of Avatar opening day crowds if you want an idea.) But by then, well, you’re so close to the 2021 50th Anniversary celebration you might as well wait another year. Hopefully the new hotels and gondola transportation will be open by then.

See my point?  There’s always going to be another attraction or another planned feature that you’re going to want to see.  You could argue that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is a significant one, but with so many projects currently in the pipeline odds are good you’re going to miss something. Choose to enjoy whatever attractions are available to you when you visit, rather than focusing on what’s coming next.

So now that you understand how the timing of your trip effects crowd levels, cost, weather and attractions, how do you decide when to visit? Well, since some of the factors occur at different times of the year, you really have to pick what’s most important to you and go from there.  If you don’t want to take your kids out of school, then visit during one of the school breaks. You’ll still have fun. If your milestone birthday happens to fall over President’s Day weekend, then go for it! You only hit the milestone once. If you really just want to avoid crowds or reduce your cost, consider going in late January or early September. If weather is most important, consider early May or October. Just know that by prioritizing one aspect, you may be compromising another.

I hope this post helped you determine which factors are most important in timing your Disney World vacation. If you’re still confused, take comfort in knowing you can’t really get it wrong. It’s a magical place any time you can go!

Have questions or need more tips? Send me a message or leave me a comment below!