Walt Disney World peak crowds can test the mettle of even the most determined traveler. Long queues can leave children frustrated and parents drained, while throngs waiting for parades can disrupt carefully laid Fastpass+ plans. In short, most would agree that crowds are one of the least magical elements of the Most Magical Place on Earth.
While some guests can weather the storm of peak season crowds, for those who prefer their Walt Disney World visits on the quieter side, there is hope. It is becoming increasingly difficult to determine what is the “best time of year” to visit Walt Disney World. What used to be a cut and dry set of dates and strategies in guidebooks has now become a confusing web. Times of year that used to be reliably crowd-free, such as the weeks surrounding Spring Break, are now teeth-gnashing busy. At the same time, Disney’s most famous busy season—the summer months—has surprisingly dwindled in attendance in recent years. To complicate matters further, the opening of major park expansions, such as the upcoming debut of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, will certainly have a dramatic effect on crowds being high at unusual times.
While advice on when to visit remains ever-changing, there is good news. There are still a number of times of year where one can visit Walt Disney World and find reasonably reduced crowds. While some of these are well known, a few are favorite secrets of local passholders and experts. If you don’t like crowds, consider planning your next Walt Disney World visit during one of these times…
1. January and February (with a few exceptions)
Image: Disney
There are four important rules to remember when visiting Walt Disney World if you don’t like crowds.
- Magic Kingdom and any park with a recent expansion will almost always be busiest. (Get ready Hollywood Studios fans)
- Weekends are usually busier than weekdays
- Avoid holidays and special events
This third point will prove a common theme throughout this list. While Disney offers some amazing events and entertainment surrounding holidays, most holiday weeks and weekends are guarantees for elevated crowds at Walt Disney World.
January and February are a good example of this. If you don’t like crowds, most days in January and February are incredible for visiting Walt Disney World. The air is cool, and holiday crowds vanish like magic right around the Monday after New Year’s week has passed. This pleasant lull continues throughout January and February with a few disruptions, all surrounding holidays and special events:
- New Year’s Week
- Martin Luther King Jr. weekend
- The days of a RunDisney Marathon (there is usually one in January and one on February)
- The opening weekend of Epcot Festival of the Arts (specific to Epcot)
- President’s Day weekend
The other trade-off of visiting during this time is that some attractions will be under refurbishment. However, if you can plan carefully, this can be one of the most pleasant times all year to visit Walt Disney World.
2. September (for now)
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Once kids head back to school, Walt Disney World crowds relax substantially. While late August isn’t a terrible time to visit the Most Magical Place on Earth, summer crowds can linger well into the month for students who go back to school later. It’s also still insanely hot.
Enter September and October. By tradition, they have become the favorite two months for many Walt Disney World regulars to visit. Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival starts around this time, adding another draw. The parks can be hot in September, but daily rain-showers provide some relief. If you bring a poncho and don’t mind the rain, you can even catch some attractions with extra-low queues when people disperse due to afternoon drizzles (watch out for thunderstorms though).
Like January and February, September and October come with a couple caveats.
- Labor Day weekend
- Halloween, especially at Magic Kingdom
- The opening weekend of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival
- Days of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Skip these, and you are likely to enjoy a Walt Disney World visit with reasonable crowds– for now. Guests are more and more reporting increased crowds during this time, especially in October, so be aware that the trends on this time of year may be changing. The only other major issue with September and October is the potential for hurricanes and tropical storms. These generally don’t affect Orlando, but Hurricane Irma proved that even the most Magical Place on Earth sometimes ends up in the path of nature’s fury. This is extremely rare, but it is something to be aware of. More on that later.
3. November and December (with a big, big “but”)
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November and December are awesome times to visit Walt Disney World, even if they are slowly starting to get busier. While weekdays are ideal, weekends aren’t terrible during this time. The weather is pleasant, holiday lights are up in full display, and the parks have a number of special offerings for the season. However, above all of the times to visit listed thus far, this one carries the biggest of all buts.
If you do not like crowds, do not under any circumstances visit Walt Disney World in the immediate weeks surrounding Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, or New Years Day.
If you visit Walt Disney World during these weeks, particularly the Christmas-New Years holiday, there is no advice a Disney expert can give that will help you with crowds. Unless you are a megavert who thrives on the energy of humanity thrumming about you to the point that crowds supercharge your soul, I cannot emphasize enough to avoid this time of year. I know a number of locals who know how to make visits during this time work, and a good touring plan can still make for a very fun Walt Disney World vacation. However, if you are staking a major vacation on it, look away, dear reader, for there be melancholy long lines and temperamental mobs ahead.
These weeks are some of the busiest Disney sees all year (with the exception of July 4th). On New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, Disney regularly makes the news when Magic Kingdom reliably reaches capacity and has to start turning guests away. It is not a good time to visit if you don’t care for crowds.
If you avoid the holiday weeks, however, November and December are truly magical times to visit. Crowds are low, hurricane season is generally over, and the parks look their most beautiful of all year.
4. Weekdays in early May
Image: Disney
This one is hit or miss, but there is a sweet spot in mid-April and early May where crowds temporarily dwindle. It’s not as solid a bet as the old window surrounding Spring Break, but it’s still not a terrible time to visit.
For April, this small window kicks in after schools across the nation have finally exhausted all the various weeks for Spring Break, but before Easter weekend kicks in. For May, its reliably tucked in the first few weeks, steering clear of weekends if you can. For silver Passholders, it’s a nice time of year to get your Disney fix before summer blackout dates arrive. For those who enjoy Disney’s spring offerings, like the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, it’s a beautiful time to visit, even if crowds are slightly higher than the other options on our list.
5. Super Bowl Sunday
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Want to pick a very specific day to visit with low crowds? Don’t care about football? Plan to stay away from sports bars in the parks? Super Bowl Sunday is the dream Disney day for you.
We stumbled upon this one almost by accident when we planned a Disney vacation that started on Super Bowl Sunday. If you don’t like crowds, it might just be one of the most magical days all year, particularly when the game is going on.
Most visitors who want to watch the game hurry back to their resorts or pack into The Rose and Crown, The ESPN Club, and resort bars. At this point, the parks empty surprisingly. Queues become pleasantly short, and while you may hear the occasional holler from excited fans watching the game on a smartphone, a very nice quiet settles. It’s a seriously fun time to visit if you don’t like crowds—and you can always tell when the game is over from the resounding cheers and boos you hear across the parks when the final score is settled.
6. The immediate days before an impending hurricane
Image: Todd Van Hoosear, Flickr (license)
Yup, this is a real thing.
This is one mostly for the locals or those who walk on the wild side—we obviously do not encourage travel in the middle of a hurricane warning or planning a trip when a hurricane is coming. However, if you happen to be in the unique position of visiting Walt Disney World immediately before a hurricane is about to strike, don’t despair. You might strike gold on getting the park all to yourselves.
Locals and visitors from abroad who ventured into Disney parks immediately before the arrival of Hurricane Irma reported finding crowd levels at the lowest they’d ever seen. Most local passholders from across the state were scrambling to prepare their homes for the incoming storm. Other guests had already cancelled reservations or holed up in resorts. The parks emptied.
Most hurricanes don’t affect Orlando. They may gust the city with tropical storm winds, but its rare for Disney World to get hit. Irma was a rare exception that did leave her mark and was an exceedingly dangerous storm. However, for those locals and visiting guests who had completed their hurricane prep, Disney parks were otherworldly quiet the day before the parks had to close, with extremely low queues even for busy rides. Your visit may carry a similar foreboding to visiting The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, but you can’t beat a near-empty park.
Obviously, you can’t and shouldn’t plan a trip around a hurricane warning. Hurricanes are a frightening and terrible catastrophe. However, if you happen to be in Orlando right at that sweet spot before one, don’t feel shy about taking advantage of the lull. You may get to enjoy the quietest Disney day you’ve ever had during the calm before the storm.
What’s your favorite time to visit Walt Disney World without crowds?
