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Are you dreaming of a Disney World vacation? Your first step in the planning process is picking the best dates for your vacation. You want to pick good dates for your family AND theme park crowds. If you pick the wrong dates, you may be waiting in 90-120 minute lines for rides. You want to spend your Disney World vacation having fun with your family, not waiting in lines.
To help you pick the best dates for your family vacation, we have a few guidelines. The easiest rule for a Disney World vacation is visit when all of the kids are in school. I know that is probably not the answer you wanted to hear, but it is true.
Weekdays
One of the best times to visit the Disney Parks is during the weekdays. Even better is Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. These are the slowest days of the week at the Disney Parks, so always a better choice. If you are visiting all week, plan the these days for the more popular parks like Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom.
Avoid Summers
One of the worst times of year to visit Disney World is the summer months. All of the kids are out of school, so summer is super busy. If you have to visit over the summer months, plan on early June or late August. These are better times to visit over the summer.
Another reason why summer is a worse time to visit is the heat and rain. Florida gets so hot over the summer months. It also rains almost every afternoon. Not just showers but downpours with thunder and lightning.
We try to avoid the summer months at the Disney Parks for the Jones Family. If you do visit over the summer, plan on arriving at park opening. Take an afternoon break at your hotel and then head back to the park in the evening. This does help some with the heat and crowds.
Avoid Christmas-New Year’s
Another time to avoid a Disney World vacation is Christmas. The absolute worst time to visit Disney World is Christmas Day-New Years Day. I know it is the holiday season and so exciting, but the parks are so crowded.
The parks are also so crowded. Sometimes the parks even close to capacity. If you want to visit over the holidays, try to visit before Christmas Day. You can enjoy all of the amazing holiday decorations and activities without the crowds.
Besides the crowds, the Disney Resorts go up in price on Christmas Day-New Year’s. Sometimes twice the price. Save a bit of money and visit before these popular dates.
Avoid School Groups
When picking your dates and resort, double check youth sporting events. There are several big youth sporting events at Disney’s Wide World of Sports each year. This is especially true if you are staying at a Disney Value Resort or Disney Moderate Resort.
We stayed at Disney’s Pop Century a few weeks ago with 20 different baseball teams. When we walked up to the food court to get dinner, there were crazy lines of teens everywhere. Try to avoid the crowds during busy youth sporting events. You can view youth sporting events on ESPN Wide World of Sports.
Avoid Holidays
Another time of year you want to avoid is the holidays like Memorial Day, Easter, or Thanksgiving. These holidays are usually super busy. Adults are off from work and kids do not have school. In addition, a lot of locals visit during these holidays. When visiting Disney World, avoid the holidays and holiday weekends.
Plan Around Special Events
Another great time to visit Disney World is during special events. EPCOT features several amazing special events throughout the year, including Food & Wine Festival, Flower & Garden Festival, and Festival of the Arts. These events are free with your theme park ticket. If you love these themes, you may want to plan your vacation around one of these special events.
Best Times of Year to Visit
Let’s talk more about the best times of year to visit Disney World. For crowds at the Disney Theme Parks, the best times to visit are January, September, and the 1st and 2nd weeks in December. These are the best times to visit the parks for crowds.
Guess what? The least expensive times to stay at the Disney World Resorts are also January, September, and the 1st and 2nd weeks in December. That is a win-win. Fewer crowds and cheaper prices!
We hope this helps you pick the best dates for your Disney World vacation.
