When to visit Walt Disney World
Greetings Disney travelers today I am going to answer the most popular question; When should I go to Walt Disney World? The short answer is anytime! The long answer is each month and season has a list of pros and cons you just have to find a mix that works best for you & your family.
Let’s start with January. The beginning of the month will have holiday hang over. A lot of people still have time off and are enjoying the Christmas decorations that will remain up for at least the first week. It will be a lot less busy that Christmas break, but by no means is the start of the new year quiet. For events in Walt Disney World, Epcot’s Festival of the Arts begin & marathon weekend is usually held the first full weekend of the month. This will bring in a lot of runners from all over. The parks may be quieter in the morning and in the evening but expect to see a lot of folks walking around with their medals during the day. Once Martin Luther King day rolls around things tend to quiet down… for Disney. The weather in January is going to cool and possibly cold (depending on where you’re from). You can get a nice warm day from time to time but it is not guaranteed. This time of year is also when Disney will start with water park and other ride refurbishments. Some of your favorite rides could be closed due to this. Not a deal breaker and you can still have a great time, but something to keep in mind.
February, the longest shortest month, if you’re from New England you know what I mean! I love to visit in February. The weather in New England is never ending cold & in Disney it is the perfect break from the winter. The beginning of the month will be quieter, but Presidents week will be busy. A lot of schools have a winter break and people are seeking a little sunshine. Our school district has the week after Presidents’ day off and this is one of my favorite times to go. It is lower crowds and I am just so happy to see the sunshine! In between those two vacation weeks is probably RunDisney’s biggest event; Princess Half Marathon weekend. Runners from all over come to run; 5k, 10k, half marathons and kid races through out the parks. Expect heavy crowds and long wait times for transportation this weekend. The Festival of the Arts is ending at the end of the month and Epcot has a short break in between when Flower and Garden starts. I do love a good festival but I also love the in between times when Epcot is not so busy with food booths.
March the spring break month! This will be a popular time to visit. A lot of schools around the country have a week or two off during the month of March. Be prepared for a busy time. The weather is going to be getting warmer and you’ll be guaranteed at least one pool day maybe more. March is also when Epcot’s Flower and Garden festival begins. This is a welcome site to the never ending winter we are still dealing with here. Starting in 2021 Flower and Garden is longer than ever going from March 5 to July 5, 2021!! So even if you can’t make it work in the spring you will have something to look forward to this summer!
April spring break continued! The beginning of the month will be March spill over. It is still heavy spring break crowds but the weather is getting warmer and in some cases hot! We are still in winter here, every now and then we have a nice day & it has been known to snow here in April. It is not the kind of April Fool’s joke I appreciate either. So packing up and heading to Florida, crowds or not, is appreciated! RunDisney has been hosting the Star Wars RunDisney weekend at various times in April. This one won’t be as busy as Princess weekend, but always good to know when these events happen, as you will see crowds and longer waits for transportation. Whenever Easter falls expect a surge in crowds too. Disney has been doing some fun Easter activities and decorations around the resorts and theme parks, this is always a fun thing to check out!
May & June now we are getting closer to summer and schools getting out. The start of May is not the busiest time of the year, but it is starting to get hot out! Memorial Day with a long weekend & schools and colleges out for summer break, be prepared for more crowds. As you head into June it will get busier as the month goes on. And the weather is getting into full summer mode!
July & August now it is fully summer! The heat is here to stay. Summer in Orlando can be hard for those not used to it. It is not jut hot but humid. It can also rain for a bit pretty much every day, pack an umbrella or a poncho! The crowds will be at summer peak until mid August with the busiest time being around the Fourth of July. If summer is the only time you can visit planning accordingly will help you have a magical time. Taking breaks and staying hydrated will be clutch to surviving the summer heat and humidity. We like to plan a sit down lunch reservation each day. This way we know we have a spot to sit in the ac cool off and drink some water. For the first time in, well ever, Epcot Food & Wine festival begins in July!! This event used to begin in September and then slowly crept into the end of August now it seems as soon as one festival ends the next one begins!
September back to school time!! The week after Labor Day will be one of the slowest times of the year. Since pretty much everyone is back to school this will be one of the ‘quieter’ times of the year. September will still be hot and very much summer like. While we may hit fall weather here in New England that is not the case in Florida, plan on summer weather, including hurricane season. Hurricane season technically starts in June and goes through November, but the height of it will be August through October in the Disney area. Hurricane season would not prevent me from visiting Walt Disney World anytime, but something I would be aware of as I plan my getaway. Starting in late August (in normal times) is the Halloween party; Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party. I love this event! The park closes down, usually, around 6pm to day guest and the party festivities will begin at 7pm. The party will be on select nights from August through Halloween. You can trick or treat through out the Magic Kingdom as well as see a stage show, meet rare characters, see the Halloween parade and the special fireworks show that only happens on party nights. It is a separate ticketed event and absolutely fun thing to do!
October full fall fun time! Fall is my favorite season, I mean I guess live in New England for a reason. But I honestly love visiting Walt Disney World in October. It can be a busy time as some schools around the country have a fall break, we don’t, but I like this idea! Around Columbus Day weekend will be very busy! Also now the Halloween party is ramping up and you will see it happening more often. If you are not into the Halloween party but want to go to the Magic Kingdom check the calendar as having the park close at 6pm can make for an early night. The weather is very nice this time of year, considering you’re still in hurricane season and it is warm but not summer hot out I really like this time of year.
November do you hear Christmas bells yet? All kidding aside once Halloween is over Disney is gears up to celebrate the Christmas season starting almost overnight. Legit these cast member work some serious magic to make it happen. Once the Halloween party is over, sometimes it goes to November 1, all the fall decor is down and the Christmas tree is up in the Magic Kingdom. The week of Halloween is a fun time to visit just to see the change of decorations over night. As the month goes on more holiday decorations will go up all over the resorts and theme parks. The holiday times during November will be busy!! Veterans weekend & Thanksgiving are turning into some very popular times to go to Walt Disney World. This will make reservations hard to come by and wait times long!! The weather on the other hand is very pleasant this time of year. It will not be summer hot anymore but comfortable.
December Christmas time is here! As I sing in my best Charlie Brown voice. Once December hits you will be able to visit the resorts and see them fully decked out for the holidays. The Christmas party is happening more often & the crowds pick up as the month goes on. The first week or so of December will be low crowds and lower temps, it is a gorgeous time of year to go. But the closer you get to Christmas the more crowded you it will get. The week of Christmas being the busiest time of the year. The Magic Kingdom has been known to close to capacity, especially on Christmas day and New Years eve. If you want to spend the holidays in the most magical place on earth you need to do some serious planning. Have dinning reservations booked and ones for back up incase you can’t get into the ones you’d like. Plan on long wait times for buses and other modes of transpiration and if you dive plan on traffic. If this is your first visit to Walt Disney World I would try to avoid Christmas week, it is crazy busy.
Now that we have been through a year in Walt Disney World, do you have a favorite time to go? I know if we as Disney fans could be there anytime we would, but if it had to be once a year when would you go?
Thanks for being here! And if you’re ready to book and plan a trip please feel free to email me- gbuck@mickeytravels.com Thanks so much!
