Why You Should Visit Disney World NOW!
If you can visit Walt Disney World between now and the beginning of November 2019, you absolutely should jump on the opportunity. Last minute trips are not easy to pull off, but in this post, we’ll cover the why and how of doing a quick getaway to experience low crowds, sunrise in the parks, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and more.
The single biggest reason we are recommending a visit right now is to take advantage of Extra, Extra Magic Hours (ExEMH) at Walt Disney World for the opening months of Star Wars Land. In case you haven’t read our recent posts, we’ve done ExEMH a few times already, and have had a blast. (Read our Empty Magic Kingdom Morning: Extra, Extra Magic Hours Report & Tips and Extra, Extra Magic Hours at Hollywood Studios: DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS! for specifics on our experiences.)
Prior to the summer starting and Disneyland’s version of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge debuting, Walt Disney World scheduled Extra, Extra Magic Hours between the land’s opening and November 2, 2019 as a way of spreading demand throughout the day and reducing midday crowds. At the time, it seemed possible that Walt Disney World would extended Extra, Extra Magic Hours if necessary. We now strongly believe that will not happen…
To understand our speculative thinking here and also address some questions we’ve received from readers in our ExEMH posts, let’s start with a rambling, scattershot preface (fueled by excitement and too much coffee). When it comes to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge crowds, we got it totally wrong for California.
We predicted a huge turnout just in time for the summer opening, which didn’t happen. This has been an interesting and unexpected phenomenon, and we cover it in our Why Are Star Wars Land Crowds So Low? post. (You’ve probably already read that, as we’ve linked to it in like 758 other blog posts, but it’s nonetheless worth mentioning yet again.)
However, we’ve always predicted low crowds for September 2019 at Walt Disney World. As you can see in our 2019 Walt Disney World Crowd Calendar Update: When to Visit & Avoid, we chose September as our best remaining month of the year to visit. This is always the least busy month of the year at Walt Disney World, and as you can read in that post, that’s due to factors a new land’s opening cannot really overcome.
Even though it has gotten worse in recent years, we also ranked October fairly highly on that list. This month used to be one of the best times to visit Walt Disney World, but that hasn’t been the case for at least 5 years, probably longer. We do expect October to be better this year, and that’s doubly true if you’re willing to take advantage of Extra, Extra Magic Hours.
In announcing Extra, Extra Magic Hours for Walt Disney World back in early May before either version of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened, Disney was essentially expressing a high level of confidence in the new land and the likelihood that it would draw colossal crowds. Obviously, we now know how that went.
If you’ll recall, this was during the same time that Disney had regular blog posts and “Know Before You Go” videos. These were meant to educate guests as to the logistics of everything from parking to merchandise to virtual queues in order to minimize the level of chaos out west. At the time, all of this seemed like the responsible, proactive thing to do. None of it ever proved necessary.
I’m fairly confident that if Disney had waited to announce Extra, Extra Magic Hours until the beginning of July, the offering wouldn’t have been announced at all. This would’ve given Disney the chance to observe over a month of demand for the new land in California, with & without reservations, with & without AP blockouts, and with & without the virtual queue. None of it made any difference. As such, Disney would’ve reduced expectations for crowds in Florida, and done something more conservative.
In theory, ExEMH was a great idea. If the parks are anticipating particularly heavy attendance, the best way to spread that throughout the day and minimize the crush at park opening is to simply open earlier. Fewer people will arrive super early than will stay super late, making it possible to ease into operations.
This is a lesson Walt Disney World learned with Pandora and its huge crowds for evening Extra Magic Hours. When it comes to late nights, crowds don’t really die down until 2 am. (As a reminder, Magic Kingdom used to close at midnight in the summer and those same nights the park had Extra Magic Hours until 3 am–back when evening Extra Magic Hours were 3 hours long.)
In an era of hard ticket events and regular 9 or 10 pm park closures, staying open until 2 am would mean an additional 4-5 operating hours, which isn’t going to happen. It’s arguably the better idea and something more guests will take advantage of, but it’s simply a non-starter. The realistic options are early hours with lower crowds or midnight closings that are packed until the end. But I digress.
The reality of early morning openings coupled with normal fall crowds is that Extra, Extra Magic Hours have been pure bliss. Some speculated that this was due to Hurricane Dorian, but that would no longer be impacting attendance. Lines are still pretty much nonexistent during ExEMH, as are crowds.
The reality is that most families with small children cannot make it out the door this early, and most other guests who could simply don’t want to get up so early on what’s supposed to be a vacation. For those who do drag themselves out of bed early, the result is a sea of walk-on attractions, seeing sunrise in the parks, and virtually no crowds. I absolutely love Extra, Extra Magic Hours, and have become one of its biggest cheerleaders. (Hence this post!)
As we’ve noted countless times, we anticipate crowds getting progressively busier in November and December. Both Toy Story Land and Pandora were actually busier in December of their opening years than the summer months in which they debuted. Expect the same with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, a likelihood that’ll only be exacerbated by the opening of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
Logically, it would make more sense for Extra, Extra Magic Hours to be offered in December and November than during this month and October. Nevertheless, we do not expect ExEMH to be extended. The “lesson” Disney will learn from the incredibly low crowds during this round of ExEMH is that the early hours are overkill. Even if internal projections show heavier crowds (and they undoubtedly do), a more conservative path is likely to be followed.
Think unannounced early openings or park hours extended at the last minute. Not longer hours or special offerings announced months in advance that cost a lot to operate and cannot be cancelled without backlash. Beyond the possibility of special hours December 5-8, 2019 (the opening weekend for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance), we’d expect park hours to be pretty “normal” for November and December.
Bringing this long-winded explanation back to the point of this post, all of that is why you should visit now. Since we’ve rambled a bit, the selling points are: current low crowds during ExEMH, the likelihood of those crowds staying low even during the busier month of October, and the strong probability that Extra, Extra Magic Hours will not be extended, even though November and December will be significantly busier.
Of course, this “pitch” only works if you’re an early-riser. If you aren’t going to take advantage of Extra, Extra Magic Hours, there is definitely less (or no) urgency. You’re better off waiting out the holiday season, and visiting next January or February. Those months have gotten busier in the last two years, but they’re still better than the holidays crowd-wise, have nicer weather than September/October, and also feature Epcot’s superlative Festival of the Arts.
As for September, regular crowds aren’t too bad right now, either. The surprise exception to this is actually Epcot, which has seen a spike that’s likely attributable to Food & Wine Festival plus the end of IllumiNations. (It’s not just weekends–weeknights have become really crowded–with long lines just to park.) Presumably, this will continue next month as Epcot Forever debuts and locals want to see that for the first time.
Around Walt Disney World, expect crowds to pick up by mid-October, if not slightly sooner. That has become the “new normal” of crowd trends. A slow September followed by a surge in October that gets progressively worse for the remainder of the year, with only a couple of mild reprieves in early November and early December.
Obviously, last minute trips are a non-starter for some people. If you can’t take off work or school, that’s a dealbreaker irrespective of crowds. Airfare and hotel prices can also be prohibitive. Thankfully, it’s the off-season for travel in general, not just Walt Disney World.
In quickly looking at Southwest’s low fare September calendar for Indianapolis and Chicago, I see both cities with numerous dates that have roundtrip flights under $200. (Chicago has some one-way flights for $50!) This is without even consulting ITA Software for the options that are truly cheapest. (I’m sure Spirit or Frontier have cheaper fares if you don’t mind being treated like human cargo.)
For hotels, the best option at this point is checking out our Priceline Express Deals for Walt Disney World Hotels. I haven’t updated that recently with the latest deals, but I know the All Stars were recently available for ~$77/night, and it looks like there are currently a couple of Disney Springs hotels available. Remember, those are eligible for Extra, Extra Magic Hours!
Our preferred options that are often available with last-minute deals are the Swan & Dolphin, which are both within walking distance of Epcot & Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Failing all else, our tight budget/last-minute fallback option in this area is the Best Western Lake Buena Vista Hotel (read our review). It’s not the greatest, but it’s usually $60-70/night and is perfectly serviceable.
Then there’s food. As you might know, we’re in the heart of Free Dining season. Unless you leave like today and are somehow lucky enough to score an elusive reservation, that won’t be an option. However, it’s also Magical Dining Month (which has been extended!), and several exceptional on-site Walt Disney World restaurants at Disney Springs, Swan & Dolphin, and Four Seasons are participating. (Personally, I’d take the Priceline Express Deal plus Magical Dining Month over Free Dining.)
Ultimately, if you’re able to swing a last-minute trip to Walt Disney World this month or October and will take advantage of Extra, Extra Magic Hours, we highly recommend doing it. I’ve gushed about sunrise in the parks being the unique and special experience during ExEMH, but so too are low crowds and looping popular rides without paying for an upcharge event. Barring an economic slowdown or mass boycott of Disney if they do something crazy like kill off national treasure Olaf in Frozen 2, I don’t see there being a better way to experience Walt Disney World anytime soon. We already have more hotel reservations booked, and highly recommend you likewise take advantage if at all possible!
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
Will you try to take a last-minute trip to Walt Disney World for Extra, Extra Magic Hours? Are you looking forward to ExEMH, or is it too early for you? Envious of the low crowds right now…and hoping they somehow continue for the holiday season? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? 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!
crazy-cheap flights have allowed me to take my 4-year old daughter on a pair of two-night, one-day-at-parks trips to WDW this year and we are planning to go again toward the end of October.
We took advantage of EEMH on 9/11 at DHS and on that day I found that despite low crowds wait times weren’t significantly less than they were the rest of the day. I think letting the EEMH crowd burn themselves out and going with mid-day magic tix is a solid strategy, especially for those with young kids.
Just some comments on Priceline offers, and the Swan and Dolphin hotels.
We took our cue from one of your articles. In August, we had unexpected days off. We checked Priceline and found a room at the Dolphin for %134. We had never stayed there and it’s supposed to be a Deluxe Hotel. We arrived to find very long lines and one moving quickly. The quick-moving line was the “Elite” line, and anytime someone was in the elite line, they got waited on first. In our line. there was a woman with children who said she had been in line for a very long time (over an hour). We observed that every time there was an available clerk, they ignored the regular line. and took the Elite people. After nearly another hour, they sent a woman out to check in the regular people. The refrigerator was not turned on in the room. A list of things available for a fee was left on the table. No fees were posted. The hallways in the East wing had threadbare carpeting in the middle, where people had wheeled their suitcases etc. The hallways were noisy. After we settled into the room, we found there was no internet connection. They claimed that they were aware and working on it. Later we found that 2 out of 3 lamps did not work. We could find no information or hotel maps. We had no idea where to get buses or boats. There was no organized listing of restaurants that had price ranges lor said when they closed. Anyway, the point is, these are definitely not Disney-run hotels. We got better service at the all-stars. Never again!!!
I cannot relate at all to the comments here saying that WDW was crowded last week. I was there 9/12-9/15 and the crowds/wait times were an absolute DREAM. I’m wondering if my perception of crowds and wait times are skewed by my experiences with Disneyland, which doesn’t really have an off season anymore. It’s also possible that for rides with WDW equivalents, they’re just more popular at DLR than WDW. For example, I was at Magic Kingdom all day on 9/12 and never saw the Space Mountain line above 45 minutes. At Disneyland, you’d be lucky to see it under 75 around mid day. I walked onto Star Tours at HS on 9/15. The wait for Star Tours at DLR at the same time of day would be at least an 40 minutes. I didn’t experience anywhere NEAR the same amount of foot traffic/congestion anywhere at WDW that I would expect to see around the same time of year/day at DLR. I’m wondering if I’m just so used to being packed in like a sardine as a Disneyland APH that even heavy-ish crowds at WDW don’t phase me.
we were there 9/8-9/14. we had some days that were more or less “not crowded” but only one day i’d call a dream, 9/12 at epcot, and 9/13 at AK wasn’t too bad. but 9/11 MK was a ZOO and some of the other days were more crowded than past septembers. ride waits times were down in many cases, but it was the jammed sidewalks/paths that drove me nuts. if wait times are the only date point, i guess that argument can be made, but there’s something to be said for having a little personal space when walking too. we used our fastpasses wisely and waited almost none for rides all week, but there were still lines for things like characters, photopass spots, etc, all of which ate up so much time.
Do you have the date that the post was originally written listed or would you ever consider it on the top of the page?
I find myself going back to read blog posts & this would be a useful feature.
You may be surprised to know that some Free Food reservations are still available, the last day to take advantage is Sept 29. Last week we found a great offer for this week, and there are still other rooms and dates open as of now.
Or, another offsite cheap but decent room is:
Quality Inn® & Suites By the Parks- 2945 Entry Point Boulevard, zipcode 34747
It’s about a mile or two south of AK, usually costs under $100/nt including all tax/fees, AND includes hot breakfast (opens 7am weekends and 6am weekdays).
We were tempted to make a last minute trip but already going in early Dec.
Do it if you can!
I will echo what some other posters are commenting. We got back last night (9/15) and while its not Christmas time crowded it’s not walk on for much either. I believe this is due to (and correct me if I’m wrong) a lot of attractions being run at partial capacity. I assume with predicted low crowds, WDW is not fully staffed. For example, DAK early morning should be walk on for Kilimanjaro Safari when the crowds are below a 4 or 5…but wait time jumped up to nearly an hour quickly most days because only one side was loading and safari vehicles seemed few and far between. I often sit near the loading area and the stream of safari vehicles is near constant in busy times. Not this past week/weekend.
Many dining locations exhibited the same low staffing levels causing waits that’s do not match the crowd levels you see killing around.
Crowd calendars are showing ones and twos but the staffing seems to reflect that low expected attendance. You still end up with a lot of waiting on most E ticket rides.
One thing I would caution (or maybe i missed it somewhere), when going for the extra magic hours at a park, make sure to see what is actually open during that time. My daughter and I dragged ourselves to MK for the 7am opening (missed it due to monorail not running and we missed the ferry 🙁 ) but finally got there by 7:15am, planned to gorge ourselves on thunder mountain, splash mountain & haunted mansion before the park opened at 8am, only to find out that only tomorrowland & fantasyland were open for extra magic hours :’-( we didn’t want to wait in line for mine train (had fastpasses due to a disney hotel mess up) and we don’t ride space mountain. Sooooooo we killed ourselves to get there to be able to ride buzz, people mover, and speedway. Not what we would get up early to do.
We have hotel for next weekend and I wanted to do extra-extra magic hours at HS, but am going to call. I don’t want to miss the extra sleep to get there at 6am only to find out some of the stuff we want to do is closed until the park opens at 9am.
If you look at Attractions under Things to Do on the Disney website, you can filter by park, and it shows what time the attractions are open.
Once upon a time, I used to wonder why people would begin planning their next trip the week they got back from their last one. I only did spur of the moment visits. However with the advent ,refinement and extension of the fast pass and advanced dining reservation and the on line process, it’s difficult to get the necessary up front planning done successfully once the fast pass reservation window has opened. I know that it’s still possible to get lucky with fast passes even on the actual day but that’s taking a calculated risk with a huge outlay of money already committed. I’ve been luckier with dining at the last moment but then I’m not trying for character meals and such, which I doubt would be any easier than fast passes for the top rides would be. So I’ve joined the way up front planning group but don’t much enjoy it. Spontaneity is no longer part of the Magic.
Would love to know what your thoughts are on expected spring 2020 crowd levels. We’re tentatively planning an early May trip.
just got back from a trip 9/8-9/14. we were delayed a week due to dorian. when we made the decision to postpone, dorian was still predicted to make central florida head-on landfall at cat 4 strength. we hadn’t left home yet so had to make a quick decision 36 hours before arrival if we were still going to go. this was before it made that turn. if we had already been at disney, obviously we would have ridden it out.
i mention all this because we didn’t experience the super-low crowds this post mentions. not sure exactly what dates or which parks are being referenced here, but this was our experience:
Sun 9/8- MK, crowds manageable
Mon 9/9- Epcot, day crowds manageable, evening crowds awful
Tues 9/10- HS EEMH, crowds light in morning but got much heavier, left after lunch, MNNSHP that evening. overall crowds about the same as daytime 9/8 (definitely not dead, character lines were ridiculous)
Wed 9/11- MK was an absolute ZOO. this was like spring break. paths and walkways were just jammed all day long
Th 9/12- Epcot- probably the lightest crowds we had all week
Fr 9/13- AK, probably the second lightest crowds of the week
I say all this because it was definitely not dead and don’t want people assuming such. we ran into a woman who said they always go every year the second week of september and she said this was the most crowded she had ever seen it and, like us, a lot of people who had moved their trip due to dorian (which was a big fear i had but we didn’t really have a choice of another time to go).
we used our fastpasses wisely and rarely had a long wait time for any rides. with 2 kids under 6 and breakfast reservations many mornings, we weren’t able to take full advantage of all the EEMH, but did manage to get to HS by 6:15 which i considered a big win, we did all the rides minus star tours by regular park opening, and SWGE was at least able to walk around a bit. had we been able to plan further out, half a day at SW to really see it all is ideal. if you just care about riding MFSR and then seeing the rest of the park, a day can still be done. we did single rider for MFSR to save some time, as it was consistently 50-90 minute waits all day that day.
so to the point of it being tough to plan a trip on short notice, it can be done. i had less than a week to reorganize our trip due to dorian and thank to my TA and several long nights, i was able to reschedule every FP and dining reservation we had previously, and disney even sent us bonus FPs for 7dmt, slinky, and FoP due to being unable to get those back (but of course that was a special circumstance).
also, everyone should know the Brazilians have arrived. we heard more portuguese this trip than probably anything else, and i think their reputations precede them as far as volume and politeness. also seemed like it must be a big holiday time for eastern europe, as we heard a lot of those languages.
go if you can for sure, but don’t go expecting it to be a ghost town, as that was definitely not the case for us this past week.
We are going on the Disney cruise September 20th-23rd, flying in on the 18th. I would love to get in a theme park and stay on Disney propriety, what would you recommend. Definitely would like to do the new stars wars, and take advantage of the extra extended early morning hours as well . Where would you recommend staying for cheap on the Disney resort and what theme park is the Star Wars In? Do we need to stay certain amount of days for the extra extra early mornings or free dining ? We are still looking into flights as well so any info on that would help as well. We are booking our flights tomorrow and resort by Tuesday. Yes, I know we are real last minute, cutting it close, lol. Thanks for your expertise and any help
Free dining is minimum 4 nite stay iirc.
Pop is a decent onsite hotel to stay one nite and reasonably priced.
Hollywood Studios is the park with Galaxy’s Edge in it and staying at Pop would give you the 6am EEMH access.
Sept 19 is also international Talk like a Pirate Day so enjoy!
Thank Tom for helpful information. We just got back from a week at Pop Century (9/7-9/14) and we took advantage of the EMH to visit Hollywood Studios. We were not disappointed, low crowds which allowed us to walk on the rides. Visited Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge which we were able to enjoy due to the low crowds. Thanks again!
Hi Lina, can you tell me if the entire HS park was open for EMH? I went to MK for EMH only to find out adventure land wasn’t open for EMH, which was the area we were making a beeline for and why i dragged us out of the hotel so early (could’ve used the extra sleep instead). Thank you!
This is unrelated, but I’m wondering how one goes about submitting ideas to Disney? My family would like a Disney Villain themed hotel!
My kid had a great idea about a ride so he wrote a cute letter (he was 6 years old) to Disney. We got a letter back from a Disney attorney. It’s all about IP protection and all of that. Not so magical when you scrape away some pixie dust. I guess at least he got mail from WDW.
Do you still think it’s a good idea to get the Mid Day Magic parkhoppers if we’re not staying in a Disney property? We’re coming from CA 10/20/19, only have two adults and wouldn’t mind starting later to stay on Pacific time.
Yes Terry!
Just used this ticket option with my friend on 9/9 & 9/10. We were able to ride everything that was planned- she had a blast even though this was her first visit.
We stayed @ a Good Neighbor Hotel, slept in, had a great breakfast . I do suggest arriving @ your park of choice in enough time to enter @ 12p- to take full advantage of your ticket time!
Hope this helps.
We are planning a trip at the end of this month because we really want to get that picture with Mickey and Minnie in their celebration outfits before Sept 30th. I was unable to secure a FastPass before September 30th but was able to get one after September 30th. Do you think this might be an indication that this meet will go past September 30th?
I fly in October 2 and will absolutely do the early hours!!!!
Tom, I greatly appreciate your reply to my question about the value of morning magic hours. We’ll try your approach if the hours don’t change back to Wednesday night time magic hours.
Thank you Tom for all your posts. We have just had a 7 day visit to Disney World staying at Old Key West, and have appreciated your advice on the parks. We got up early one morning to go to Hollywood studios and it worked really well.
Agree Tom,
Just finished a “last minute trip” Thursday 9/12, used the “Mid Day” ticket w/ PH and had a blast! I know you seem to speak out to those looking to stay on property & take advantage of Extra EMH, but, just wanted to let those of us who aren’t doing Disney that way know there is still fun to be had- lower crowds= more rides.
Thanks for the incredible info.