2024 Best & Worst Months to Visit Disney World
Choosing when to visit Walt Disney World in 2024 can be difficult, balancing crowd calendars, seasonal events, park hours, weather, and more. This guide does exactly that to rank the best & worst months, plus some of our favorite weeks.
If you’ve yet to narrow down when you want to visit to a specific month or season, our Walt Disney World Crowd Calendars will help you choose dates based on attendance and average wait times, but that’s it. Accordingly, we recommend many readers consult this resource for the “broad strokes” on when to visit Walt Disney World. Here we’ve re-ranked the best and worst months for 2024 based on a variety of mostly qualitative and some quantitative factors.
This considers a variety of variables in conjunction with our evolving expectations about Walt Disney World’s attendance for 2024. To that end, we regularly share big updates, discounts that are released by Walt Disney World, crowd levels change, etc., we send out email notifications. To receive these, subscribe to our free email newsletter. This will give you a good idea of what things are like ‘on the ground’ at Walt Disney World, as well as what to expect in the future.
Unfortunately, Walt Disney World crowd levels can vary, and can not be forecast with 100% accuracy. As such, you should choose when to visit based on other comfort and enjoyment factors in addition to Walt Disney World crowd projections. It’s more pragmatic to choose when you’ll visit based on a mix of attendance levels plus weather, seasonal entertainment, and special events!
As such, these rankings eschew the typical Walt Disney World crowd calendar in favor of a more holistic approach that takes into account more than just crowds when choosing when to visit Walt Disney World.
Low crowds during a time when temperatures are sweltering, humidity is off the charts and there are no special events should not trump moderate crowds during a temperate time of year with a special event. Few people evaluate their vacation’s success by some statistical ‘fun quotient’, so why not do likewise when planning, and perform a qualitative analysis when choosing travel dates?
To cut to the chase, the point of this post is to rank every month of the year for visiting Walt Disney World in light of all variables that (we feel) are important with adjustments made for the ongoing reopening of the parks & resorts, operations scaling back up, capacity increasing, and entertainment returning.
Even months with significant and obvious downsides might have tremendous upside. Take August, for example, which ranks #8. That’s obviously not great, but summer vacation demand usually fizzles out after the first week, making the two-thirds of the month much better than the first half. Even then, it’s hard to rank August higher due to the weather, and since September is such a superior alternative.
There are similar stories throughout the list. November and December have become busier, but these are such qualititatively pleasant and fun months that we’re hard pressed to rank them poorly even given the higher crowds. You’ll have to decide for yourself how you weigh those countervailing factors–we’re just giving you some insight into our thinking and methodology.
Anyway, here is our personal assessment of the best and worst months to visit Walt Disney World. We’d recommend reading the description of each month carefully to make an informed decision about which time frames are best and worst for you…
12. July 2024 – This month ranks dead last due to uncertainty and upside, or lack thereof. Last July was the busiest month of the year at Walt Disney World as the parks got hit by an onslaught of pent-up demand. That’s not normal–in recent years, summer had ceased to be peak season at Walt Disney World.
However, Americans made up for lost time during summer vacation in the last two years, and Florida was one of the top destinations. Last July wasn’t quite as busy, but that could be attributed to inflation and rising gas prices, etc. Obviously, a lot could change between now and July, but we’re expecting above-average crowds.
The big reason behind the low ranking is that July is not a good month to visit Florida because of heat and humidity. The near-certainty of poor weather plus the uncertainty of heavy crowds puts July in last place. With that said, once you plan for the realities of a summer trip, remember: “even a rainy, potentially crowded day at Walt Disney World is better than a perfect day at home.” Don’t get too down on trip–it’ll still be a great time so long as you go in with good strategy and realistic expectations.
10. June 2024 – In a typical year, June starts out slow and gets progressively worse as more schools get out and families begin taking their summer vacations. Crowds start in above-average territory and are high by the end of the month. The last few summers have been a bit atypical, but we’d expect that trend to return for June 2024.
Another normal downside to June is the weather. Obviously, it’s a hot month, and the average monthly rainfall in June at Walt Disney World is over 8+ inches, and the probability of rain on any given day is above 50%. The upside to June is that it’s typically the less busy of the summer months, with most summer vacations happening in July or early August.
10. March 2024 – Early March is one of our “sleeper picks” for low crowds–and will be once again come March 2024 with Mardi Gras moving forward to February. Consequently, there should be a brief respite before spring break, but not long enough for March as a whole to rank too highly.
Spring break is the major downside to the second half of March, as is Easter occurring at the end of the month (March 31, 2024). In particular, avoid Orange County’s spring break as that’ll be the worst week-plus of the entire season, since that local school district has the most outsized impact on crowds.
On the plus side, weather is typically temperate by March, as evidenced by the start of Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival at the beginning of the month. Regardless of the year, we are fans of March dates as a great time for cool weather, moderate crowds, and Epcot coming into bloom.
9. April 2024 – James Franco could make a sequel to Spring Breakers set at Walt Disney World, and it would make the events of the original film seem perfectly tame. Okay, maybe not, but that doesn’t change the fact that Spring Break at Walt Disney World is a time to be avoided if you can.
Given that Easter will be in April every year until 2024, it’s a month that we recommend avoiding if you don’t like long lines. The entire month will be above average, but the weeks abutting Easter will be DEFCON 1. You’d better have some fast fingers (and a fast internet connection!) when trying to book a Lightning Lane for Slinky Dog Dash!
Starting on Tax Day Eve, April should improve considerably. Whether crowds drop by enough to move it higher on this list is debatable–but the point is that the last week and a half of April is much better. If that were its own month, it’d rank on the top half of this list.
8. August 2024 – Feel like Mission: Space is insufficient at simulating a visit to outer space? Then you’ll love August in Walt Disney World, when every day feels like a veritable trip to Venus or Mercury! August sees the mercury rising in Central Florida, and that hot, humid, and rainy weather alone makes August among the worst months to visit.
August is qualitatively the worst month to visit Walt Disney World. Quantitatively, it’s harder to say. August marks the end of “Peak Season” ticket prices, meaning people who postponed their visits to save money will start heading to the parks. Annual Passholder blockouts lift in August, causing a slight spike in locals, but it’s usually not bad.
The big thing is that summer vacation demand starts to burn out by the second week of August as families prepare to head back to school schedules. This results in an overall drop-off in attendance and there’s typically a large lull in crowds from mid-August through the end of September. August is a tale of two months–still slightly busy as vacation season winds down to start, but significantly better during the second half. Overall, it’s one of the lowest crowd months of the entire year. It’s the weather that drags it down considerably.
7. October 2024 – For the last several years, October had been dropping. Thanks to a variety of holidays, school breaks, conventions, and other events, October had become one of the busiest months of the year at Walt Disney World in terms of average wait times before that. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party also throws a monkey wrench into Magic Kingdom attendance (but the upside is that it makes heavy crowds easier to predict and outsmart!).
Our expectation is that October 2024 marks a return to normal, as was more or less the case this year. That means some spikes around Columbus Day for fall break, with conventions and youth events also resulting in larger crowds. Other than that, the month is only slightly above average–albeit much worse than September.
Nevertheless, October remains attractive for its seasonal events at Epcot and Magic Kingdom and improving weather. We can’t recommend this month from the perspective of crowds alone, but it’s not a bad subjective choice when Halloween, Food & Wine, and more are added to the equation.
6. February 2024 – For the last few years, February has seen high crowds at Walt Disney World–to the point that we no longer call them “atypically” high crowds. That was once again true last year, with Mardi Gras and Presidents’ Day coinciding to make the second half of the month incredibly busy. Several days were so bad that Genie+ sold out.
It’s not likely to be much different next year. Mardi Gras moves earlier in the month, meaning two busy weeks instead of one insanely busy weeks. We expect this month to be slightly worse than January 2024 on that basis. However, if you can avoid the dates around holidays, February is still a decent time to visit.
If you’re already looking forward to February 2024, the first and last weeks of the month are definitely the ones to choose. Those should see lower crowds, pleasant weather, along with two different EPCOT festivals.
5. January 2024 – This is the “holiday hangover” at Walt Disney World. It’s sort of like Walt Disney World ate too many Christmas cookies and is too lazy to get off the couch and take down the decorations, with this mentality continuing long after the tree is dead to the point where its wife is embarrassed when it finally throws out the tree. (Not that I know from experience or anything.) On the plus side, January offers mild weather and the Epcot Festival of the Arts is fantastic.
When it comes to crowds, expect January 2024 to be a repeat of this year and the year before that. Which is to say, that January is a “Tale of Two Seasons.” This year, the month as a whole ended up being 7/10 on the crowd calendar, but that doesn’t even begin to tell the whole story. The first 7 days of the month were on par with the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Crowd levels were 10/10 every day during that stretch…and would’ve been even higher than that if the scale went higher. Attendance spiked again over the MLK Day holiday weekend, too.
However, most of the rest of January was much less busy, with lots of 2/10 and 3/10 days. If you can go after Orange County’s winter break and the Walt Disney World Marathon, January 2024 should be a great time to visit. Basically, aim for the second week or thereafter, and skip the mid-month MLK Day holiday weekend. Outside of those red flag dates, January 2024 should see fairly low crowds, pleasant weather, and EPCOT Festival of the Arts fun.
4. December 2024 – If Disney Vacation Club is the “Best Kept Secret,” the beginning of December being the best time to visit is “Disney’s Second Best Kept Secret.” Unfortunately, there’s just a pinch of sarcasm here. It’s as if the both ‘secrets’ were entrusted to the cast of Encanto, and they wrote a whole song about how they don’t talk about December crowds.
Suffice to say, the secret has gotten out about December. That coupled with Disney’s more strategic use of blockout dates and dynamic ticket pricing has shifted attendance somewhat. Crowds are still not as bad as other peak seasons, but it’s no longer the ghost town that it once was. We still view the first two weeks of the month as desirable times to visit, even despite being about as “secret” as the In-N-Out Secret Menu.
Pleasant weather plus Christmas decorations & entertainment are the big highlights here. It also helps that Pop Warner has moved to Universal, so that won’t contribute to crowds. If you can’t do mid-November, we think early to mid-December is still well worth it from a subjective perspective. And in fact, it might be worth it from an objective perspective, too. Last year, crowds didn’t get truly bad until December 19. Almost every day before that had a crowd level of 5/10 or lower. After that…well…like Bruno, we don’t talk about the chaotic crowds of Christmas and New Year’s Eve!
3. September 2024 – Every single month that was once the off-season has seen soaring crowds at Walt Disney World in recent years, with one exception: September. Nothing has moved the needle on fall off-season crowds–not the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, not the anticipated pre-50th Anniversary lull, and not perpetual picks by crowd calendars that September would be the slowest month of the year.
When judged solely on the basis of crowds, September is always the best month of the year. Aside from Labor Day weekend, September is relatively slow, especially earlier in the month. While Walt Disney World has been able to manipulate crowd levels in other off-season months, that has not happened with September. After Labor Day, the entire month is off-season, with the lowest crowd levels of the year.
September remains resilient and “crowd-proof” because most people simply cannot visit during the month due to school going back into session, or don’t want to do so because of the weather. On that basis, September had been our #1 month of the year at Walt Disney World for ages.
But these are qualitative rankings, and I just can’t give September the nod anymore. Not after last year. Even with seasonal events and low crowds–the likelihood of brutal weather is just too much. Heat and humidity make being outdoors unpleasant during September, and it’s a high point in the storm season. (We highly recommend reading Is It Still Worth Visiting During the Fall Off-Season at Walt Disney World? before booking August or September.)
Despite that, it might be worth bearing with the weather to take advantage of those low crowds. That’s doubly true when you consider the fact that prices are cheaper in September and events are held at EPCOT (Food & Wine Festival) and Magic Kingdom (Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.) Even in the current era of unpredictable crowds, September 2024 should be relatively reliable.
2. May 2024 – The entirety of May 2024 will fall before summer tourist season and our expectation is that–after several months of consistently high crowds for one reason or another–May will be another return to normal as the calm between Spring Break and Summer 2024.
That’s doubly true with nothing opening during the month of May 2024, or being new. Last year, TRON Lightcycle Run debuted in the prior month. The year before that, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opened at the end of May, and had previews prior to then. There’s almost no chance that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will be done by May 2024, and no one cares about CommuniCore Hall. There’s nothing else (major) that could debut during the month.
That’s huge from the perspective of crowds, and means the entirety of May 2024 should be slower. Even with the Memorial Day holiday weekend factored into the mix, crowds are typically below average in May. Most schools aren’t out of session this early, and there’s a lag between when kids get out of school and families take their big summer trips, anyway.
The main downside to May is that heat and humidity can really start intensifying in May, but still not as bad as the summer months that follow. However, May is the first month of the year during which it’s not uncommon to see the temperatures broach 90-degrees and the humidity reach high levels.
1. November 2024 – Save for Thanksgiving and Veterans Day weeks, neither of which are as bad as the Christmas and New Year’s holiday weeks in terms of crowds, November is similar to December. Early and mid-November are usually good times to visit Walt Disney World, and the week after Thanksgiving is exceptional.
The upside to November are that the weather is generally more temperate. The downside is that not all Christmas entertainment starts until after Thanksgiving (specifically at Epcot), and some resort hotel decorations are not up during the first half of the month. If that is make or break for you, visit in the last week of November 2024 (which technically also includes a couple days of December).
With the first half of December seeing lower crowds in the last couple of years, the gap between the two months is closing, but November 2024 should still retain its #1 ranking as an overall superior pick. Again, so long as you about the aforementioned holiday weeks. Only the week of Thanksgiving is truly bad in November, whereas only the first two weeks or so of December 2024 are truly good.
The culmination of all of this? That our favorite week to visit Walt Disney World is the Sunday after Thanksgiving through the first Saturday of December. That means arriving on December 1, 2024. (You might actually consider arriving Saturday to make your first park day Sunday–last year that day was dead.)
That’s the sweet spot for the best prospects of good weather, moderate crowds, and experiencing all of the Christmas festivities. For the last couple of years, that week has seen truly low crowd levels–not just moderate. We wouldn’t be surprised if the numbers rebound a little and crowds are in the 4/10 range. If lower crowds are of paramount importance, you can also target mid-November after Veterans Day–just go before the week of Thanksgiving. That week should be slightly less crowded and offer most Christmas entertainment, outside of Epcot.
Beyond this recommendation for our favorite week of the year, we’d refer you to our 10 Best & Worst Weeks to Visit Walt Disney World in 2024 and 2025. Those lists were actually inspired by this, and offering a range of recommendations beyond just the months here. That contains recommendations of dates to visit (and avoid!) in virtually every single month of 2024 and 2025. It should be helpful for picking dates, regardless of whether you have maximum flexibility or are locked into weeks when school is out of session.
Ultimately, that’s a rundown of the good & bad of crowds at Walt Disney World. As you might’ve gathered by reading the entries, the various months don’t really demarcate attendance levels. To the contrary, it’s really more about school breaks and holidays, and the stretches before and after those.
Consequently, mid-January to mid-February is more of a distinct window than either January or February, late April has more in common with May than with early April, mid-August is more like September than early August, and the last few months of the year are all about holiday breaks (or the lack thereof).
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Do you agree or disagree with our 2024 Walt Disney World month by month rankings? Are there any months you think are better or worse than we have them ranked? Any specific ideal weeks that you’d recommend people visit Walt Disney World? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We just completed a stay during your #1 favorite week. The Sunday after Thanksgiving to Monday, December 5th. In comparison we also stayed May 6th-16th this year. We are typically October Disney people as we enjoy MNSSHP and F&W. In comparing the two weeks for 2016, hands down I would have selected the May trip. Now, both trips were low to moderate in terms of crowds. However, the May crowd was easier to navigate as compared to the December crowd. We were able to do more each day in May and then have the afternoons to relax at the resort before heading back in the evenings. We greatly enjoyed staying at the GF during the Christmas season but the added crowds made the resort feel like a crowded main street at rope drop. Great tips on the time of year to visit.
We just got back today from 6 days at DW and it was very crowded! Even the employees were perplexed at the high volume. We chose this time frame due to statistically lower crowd numbers during this time in previous years. The word is out. We were disappointed that we were unable to ride some of our favorite rides due to long lines. And fast passes were all booked up so after our 3, we were never able to get any more.
Sounds like we were there at the same time. I purchased Touring Plan subscriptions to use during our 4 park hop days at WDW and 1 park hop day at Universal. We thought the crowds were much more than TP estimated. None of our TP worked and I was also surprised at how few fast passes were left by mid-afternoon. Two years ago, this was the perfect time to go – few crowds, no lines, great weather. This year was completely opposite – big crowds, long lines, hot, humid weather! You win some, you lose some, I suppose. We purchased park tickets last minute, but had our room booked about 9 months out. Unfortunately, it seems there are few secrets to give a family a head start, etc. on the crowds anymore. My best advice to everyone is go early (utilize Extra Magic Morning especially if you have little ones who want to ride in Fantasyland or teens who love Space Mountain) and try to be out by lunch. We were able to do a lot in the morning and make it back to our hotel by 1pmish for a late lunch with our 8 and 11 year old children. We ALWAYS take a midday break whether we nap, swim or both. A good break is 4-5 hours at WDW and 2-3+ at DL. We must leave the park around noon to keep everyone in our party sane. We just booked a different week for 2017. We are DVC members and have visited DL CALIF and WDW. I think it is particularly hard for families who are visiting for the first time or are only there for a day or so because they want to see and do everything. We set priorities and had a few rides we missed, but having realistic expectations this time helped us really enjoy our trip. So far, even though we rode less, ate in the parks less, and took longer breaks at our resort, this was our best trip to WDW yet! DTBlog, you are my go-to source for info. You set the bar high and I appreciate your knowledge, candid advice, and helpful hints very much !!!
So we will be there from January 6 through Jan 12, 2017 and staying at Wilderness Lodge, I am hoping the Christmas decorations WILL still be up, especially at the Lodge – even if it does feel “hungover”. We picked this time because we are taking our (almost) grown sons who are still in college
I would love to go to DLR or WDW for my daughter’s 5th birthday, which falls at the end of September. Part of me is intimidated by the humidity and heat that will no doubt be at WDW. Another part of me is intimidated by the longer flight and time change that we’ll face going from east coast to pacific time if we go to DLR. Might be tough to make it to nighttime entertainment, even if parks are closing “early.”
Leaning toward DLR, since we haven’t been there yet and it seems amazing. Could be persuaded either way. Might need to price it and see where tickets and accommodations put us (we will use points to fly, so whatever to that).
If you have strong opinions, I would like to hear! If you have a mild opinion, I’ll take that, too.
Considering I am leaving in three weeks and will be there on your best rated week, I am super excited!!!!!! I will let you know if I agree!
November 28th-December 4th. Hoping the crowds are a little lighter than they were during out first trip during mid October of last year.
We went over on Wed, Oct 26 from the Disney Magic Cruise out of NYC and the parks were packed. Wed morning and there were long waits for everything in EPCOT, not even MK. I was wondering if there were giving something away for free. If there were, I didn’t find it 😉
Our first trip in 2009 for our honeymoon was the first week in April. It was wonderful. The weather was mild, the crowds manageable and we had a great time. The next trip, four years later was also in April and pretty much the same experience. We went the second week of May this year, and while it was a lot hotter, the crowds were still low and we breezed through pretty much everything. We have a trip planned for the second week of December and we’re planning for the cooler weather, higher crowds and a much different experience. I swear by Touring Plans and the crowd calendars for planning which park to visit on what day.
If I’m going to go to Disney world for two weeks, and I can go either October or November, would like warm weather which two weeks would be best for crowds, looking at November but I either hit Thanksgiving or Jersey week? U.K. School hols are a week just prior to Halloween.
We went during Jersey week last year and didn’t think it was that bad. Granted by sheer serendipity we managed to always go to the less crowded parks every day of our visit. I’d vote for later October/ early November, or after Thanksgiving. Check out the crowd calendar at UndercoverTourist.
Any chance these months correlate similarly to Disneyland? The weather seems to be a bit more temperate in Cali (no Hurricanes and even the rainy season is mild), so I’m curious if you’d factor weather into the equation at all when thinking about DL.
It can definitely get hot in Anaheim from July through September (and also you can get heat waves any time of year into the 90’s). Late July-early Sept is probably going to be high 80’s to low 90’s. The good news is that it’s not nearly as humid here as Florida.
It’ll get a bit colder here December-February, but nothing horrible for the most part. Never going to snow obviously. Highs in the 50’s and 60’s and nights may get down to the low 40’s. And, normally, it doesn’t rain here much any time of the year. February is probably your biggest chance for rain. That being said about the cold, you could also come in any of those moths and the weather could be low 80’s and sunny. Weather is kind of crazy here in SoCal.
Disneyland doesn’t have many “low crowd” times these days. But they probably correlate pretty closely to Tom’s slow times at WDW. Hope that helps.
(I’m from Orange County and had a DL pass for 16 years)
Jimmy – while I think you’re on the money, “crazy” is definitely not a word I’d use to describe our weather in SoCal. 🙂
No matter when you visit, it’s going to be pleasant. It might be a bit hotter or even chilly in the evenings, but you’ll never have to deal with humidity and rarely have to deal with any sort of precipitation.
November 1st thru 5th!! I’m super excited. I’m not all crazy about seeing the decorations, I figured going the day after Halloween would be perfect. BTW, I’m addicted to your blog!!
Hmmm….not sure what you mean by hellish, but I’ve been at the parks on multiple occasions during the weekend before Thanksgiving break. Friday is fun, pretty low crowds, Saturday starts to pick up, and by Sunday it is shoulder to shoulder. Heck they even have to rope off a queue for the monorail at TTC. I can only imagine what the crowds are like by Monday.
Unlike the author, I actually love hot and humid weather. I know – I’m crazy. Therefore The best time for me to go to WDW is July/August. That being said, the best rational time for me to go to WDW is between the first two weeks of December. My wife, who is much smarter than me, introduced the concept to me and I’ve never looked back. The main reasons are:
1 – low crowds
2 – Christmas decorations are up everywhere and the place takes on a whole new feel to it.
3 – Mickey’s Christmas Party – This is simply awesome. Free hot chocolate and cookies throughout the park and even fewer people. Pro-tip – avoid the parade. YouTube it after you get home – trust me. There is no feeling like being the only person in the splash mountain line and having a 5 minute wait to go on Big Thunder Mountain while everyone else is waiting in line to watch the parade.
Early December is by far the best time to go. Yes, it can be cold at times (if you are from the Mid-Atlantic it isn’t cold at all) but last year it was in the 90’s and awesome.
I’m still confused as to “Jersey Week.” I understand why the hoards of people from there go in November (apparently due to some school scheduling thing), but when exactly is Jersey Week? If we want to avoid it, I’d like to know when it falls in November, or at least, an approximation of when it will fall.
This year it’s November 7-11
It’s the week of Election Day. Schools are out all week there. And in Virginia where I live, we get both the Monday and Tuesday off.
We’ve been in mid-October and done the MNSSHP and found the crowds bearable, and the weather downright awesome. We fully expect a day or afternoon or too of rain whenever we travel, so we build in some flexibility.
I’m happy to say that we are visiting during your #1 ranked week this year, and stumbled into it accidentally prior to reading your rankings! We’ve been in the Spring and early Fall before, but I really wanted to see MK decorated in all it’s Christmas splendor and minimize my severe aversion to large crowds. We are also trying the DDP for the first time, as an experiment and the ability to experience many of the fine dining establishments we might otherwise not visit. We are DVC members, and as such, have a tradition of staying at a different resort each visit (which is every 2-3 years) and are staying at the Wilderness Lodge. Boardwalk was the first choice, but the limited parking (special needs) and rooms with a view of something other than a courtyard or the pool due to the resort refreshment dropped this off of the contenders list this time. IMO, so far, I rank the resorts as follows; Animal Kingdom Lodge, Old Key West, and Saratoga Springs, I could ramble on about Disney forever, so I’ll just stop here. I’m so excited.
We were at WDW from 29 November to 3 December and it was the perfect time to go. With the exception of MK, the parks had very low crowds and the weather was perfect! MK was very busy with a lot more children and families of all ages than the other parks. My next visit will be in 2017 with a September visit in the planning stages. Mind you, if Australia was closer to Florida, I’d be there a lot more often 😀
We too are planning a WDW trip for Sept/Oct 2017 from Australia.
I’m going this October and I got free Dining. So that’s not true that free dining is blocked. Cause I got free dining. Just wanted to put that out there.
Hi Tom-I’m hoping!! that you do have time to answer my question. We went to WDW oct 18-24 last year and were shocked at the crowds-I couldn’t imagine how Main Street could have held i emote person. We didn’t even end up going into one store ( except Starbucks but that’s a necessity ) because it was just too crowded to even make our way through the masses.
SO having said that we are always checking wait times from week to week throughout the year-I was shocked to see these last few days in July amoung some of the lowest wait times I have seen-even frozen ever after has been “only” 90 mins!! Tower of Terror, rockin rollercoaster-30 mins as well the mountain range being in the 30 minute range.
I’m wondering is it that July 4 and the days surrounding are busy, thus clearing out right after?
Thank you for any light you can shed!
We went to Magic Kingdom on 12/5, the first Saturday in December, on the way back from visiting my wife’s family in Brazil, and it was by far the worst crowds that I had ever seen!!! So, you are saying that the weekdays leading up to that Saturday are some of the best though? Also, February 2005 was the most “ghost town” I have ever seen Disney. We got to Epcot 30 min after opening for example, and we saw more cast members than guests! Has that changed a lot? September HAS been less crowded for us but nothing like I saw in February 2005.
It’s been my dream and I have been extatic to go to Disney world. Our only option is dec 17-22 it’s booked and now after reading everyone’s pins I want to cry and cancel the entire thing 🙁 will I survive w 4 kids and will it even be enjoyable
You will still have a Fantastic time! Just make sure you have a touring plan of some sort, and prioritize- You can’t do everything, so figure out what are about the top 3 *MUST* do’s for each person in your party to do (you can adjust that number per person up or down as what logistically works best for you, but 3 per person is a good starting point) These must dos can be anything- a ride, a character they want to meet, a show or parade they want to see, even a special meal or treat, or even something as simple as time in the hotel pool (feel free to put limits on this as well as need be-just because little Jane really wants to do Cinderella’s royal castle doesn’t mean you have to it). Doing this does a few things- it helps you figure out what is important to everyone, it gives you some concrete things to start planning around, and this helps makes sure everyone has their wants and needs meet (make sure to include what you adults want too!) Treat anything above those must dos as gravy.
Other tips? if you’re staying on site, look at the extra magic hours. Be prepared to start the day early, and take mid- days breaks when the crowds get to much. Try to have an order of attractions when going to the parks so you don’t waste time deciding what to do next. And look for more informal attractions for when things get crazy- Tom Sawyer Island can be a nice escape in MK, that time of year Epcot will have the Christmas story tellers, AK has the boneyard and the animal trails, and of course leaving the parks to look at the resort decorations can be really nice.
As long as you set expectations and go in prepared, I’m sure you and your family will have a magical time. 🙂
We have our trip planned for the week after Thanksgiving going into the beginning December. So excited to see some Christmas decor. Tom, have you heard any info on night openings at AK continuing into fall? The Disney calendar has AK & HS closing pretty early (5&7pm) our entire trip. Thoughts? TIA