These free Walt Disney World crowd calendars fee dates so you’ll be able to select finest weeks to go & keep away from the worst, skipping lengthy traces and excessive wait instances. We cowl seasonal occasions, climate, park hours, Orlando journey tendencies, and elements impacting when to go to Florida’s theme parks. (Up to date October 1, 2024.)
Walt Disney World is getting into the house stretch of 2024, and it’s been a wild experience. Winter began out robust, main us to remind readers that Winter (Nonetheless) Is Not Off-Season at Walt Disney World. In reality, the primary few months of the 12 months noticed year-over-year will increase in crowd ranges for the primary time since 2022.
There have been just a few slight spikes since Easter week, however by and huge, the parks have been gradual since (main to a different reminder through Summer time (Nonetheless) Is Not Peak Season at Walt Disney World). It’s been virtually 6 consecutive months of each below-average crowds and decrease wait instances as in comparison with the identical durations within the prior-year. Consider, final 12 months was already down as in comparison with 2022, as a result of exhaustion of pent-up demand. With that mentioned, a number of of absolutely the busiest weeks of the 12 months will happen within the last few months of 2024.
We frequently discuss with the vacation season as having curler coaster crowd ranges, as a result of these few months have low lows and excessive highs. No matter whether or not you go to through the lulls or peak season dates, try to be ready for elevated wait instances by historic requirements. Though 2024 has not been on par with the stratospheric heights reached in 2022 (attributable to a novel set of circumstances that’ll hopefully by no means be repeated), it has been in keeping with 2016 to 2019–and is way busier than a decade in the past.
In different phrases, your body of reference issues. Aside from summer season (which is its personal beast attributable to traditionally increased warmth and costs), Walt Disney World continues to be crowded by historic requirements. We anticipate this development to proceed all through the rest of this 12 months and 2025; the parks will likely be busier than they have been 6+ years in the past, even when crowd ranges don’t hit the record-setting peaks from 2022 (and so they gained’t).
What’s maybe most fascinating about that is the function of pricing on crowds. It’s pretty plain that Walt Disney World has priced out many center class Individuals who’re feeling the squeeze from all instructions. Nonetheless, Disney has additionally gotten far more aggressive with discounting, particularly on park tickets as in comparison with a few years in the past.
Walt Disney World has launched tons of various reductions for 2024 and 2025. If the present slowdown is any indication, Walt Disney World may want extra reductions–or one thing else–to entice former followers to return. That is very true with Common’s Epic Universe looming on the horizon, and more likely to siphon away guests from Walt Disney World within the second half of 2025.
When you’re merely in search of sweeping generalizations about Walt Disney World crowds, we will supply some fast ones right here. The primary is that the worst weeks of October, November and December 2024 will all be round holidays. Fall break is the primary of those, and that’s anchored to the Columbus/Indigenous Peoples’ Day lengthy weekend for a lot of college districts (loads of others have their breaks the next weekend).
Traditionally, Halloween has not been a busy vacation at Walt Disney World and that’s as a result of virtually nobody will get it off work or college. Nonetheless, it’s the begin of the runDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon, in order that lengthy weekend will likely be busier than regular in 2024. In any other case, late October and early November are fairly good–a lull between fall break and the approaching vacation season.
One vacation that at all times catches folks abruptly is Veterans Day, which spikes crowds as a result of lots of people do have work or college off on account of it. That additionally coincides with Jersey Week, which isn’t a vacation on any calendar you personal (I assume), however is massively standard for folks from the Backyard State to take journeys to Florida–and it has an outsized affect on crowds.
All through November and December, whether or not crowd ranges are under common or method above common comes all the way down to the key holidays. This is kind of what you’d anticipate. The weeks main as much as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Yr’s Eve are all among the many 10 worst weeks of the 12 months. Specifically, the week of NYE is nearly at all times #1 and by a really broad margin. It makes Thanksgiving look blissfully uncrowded by comparability.
Many of those dates make our lists of the 10 Finest and 10 Worst Weeks to Go to Walt Disney World in 2024, 2025 & 2026. The excellent news is that though the aforementioned weeks make the ‘worst’ record, there are additionally a number of weeks that make the very best record, too! Like we mentioned, the vacation season is a veritable curler coaster of high and low crowds.
When you’re in search of a handy useful resource for planning a weeklong or so trip to Walt Disney World and wish to know when to go to or keep away from primarily based on crowds & congestion, climate, particular occasions, and extra–look no additional, and take a look at that record as an alternative of studying the month-by-month calendars under.
Observe that crowd ranges are calculated on a rolling foundation relative to the prior three hundred and sixty five days. They’re not anchored to 1971 or 1993 or 2008 wait instances. In different phrases, a 1/10 at the moment isn’t the identical as a 1/10 in September 2012 or October 2015. Immediately’s 1/10 is perhaps nearer to a 5/10 from 5 years in the past.
Just about each single day this 12 months could be 10/10 if we used 2008 or earlier because the baseline. When you final skilled Walt Disney World a number of years in the past, your expectations and expertise in all probability differ from somebody who visited over vacation weeks in 2022 when pent-up demand was working sizzling.
Not solely that, however a ‘low’ crowd ranges doesn’t imply that in absolute phrases. Even on 1/10 days, the parks won’t be ghost cities permitting you to do snow angels on the bottom. You will see rides with 60-90 minute posted wait instances. You will encounter areas of congestion. “Uncrowded” at Walt Disney World means one thing totally different than it does on the American Dream Mall or Wyoming in The Final of Us. The most well-liked rides, particularly through the center of the day, will nonetheless have lengthy traces.
For instance, going from a ten/10 crowd stage to a 1/10 crowd stage means you may encounter a 65-75 minute common wait time for standard rides–together with however not restricted to Seven Dwarfs Mine Practice, Peter Pan’s Flight, Slinky Canine Sprint, Remy’s Ratatouille Journey, Frozen Ever After, Na’vi River Journey and Avatar Flight of Passage–versus 90-120 minute wait instances.
The underside line is that below-average crowd ranges doesn’t imply each experience is a walk-on. It’s possible you’ll be dissatisfied to see 60 minute waits on a supposedly low-crowd day, and conclude that it truly isn’t gradual. Simply remember that it will get a lot, a lot worse. Whereas I don’t relish hour-long waits, they’re higher than 2-hour ones! Furthermore, these numbers are averages, so it additionally means increased peaks and decrease lows. Avatar Flight of Passage may peak at a 300 minute wait on a ten/10 day when its common wait time is 140 minutes.
We’re not attempting to be debbie downers. Our objective is to offer real looking expectations and preparation for crowds. And if you happen to learn stories of the parks being empty, ghost cities, or lifeless…effectively, you might need be shocked to come across “solely” an hour wait time for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. (Sure, that’s lots of ready–however that posted wait time can be inflated and nonetheless far decrease than it’d be throughout peak season.)
Level being, there are nonetheless undoubtedly massive variations in crowd ranges, and it is best to plan accordingly. Irrespective of how onerous Disney may strive, there are specific instances that journey is slower. Faculty schedules, climate, seasonal festivities, youth sporting occasions, conventions, and different elements all play an enormous function in crowd ranges at Walt Disney World.
If all of this sounds overwhelming or imprecise, the excellent news is that it’s fully potential to beat unhealthy crowds. In reality, we advocate savvy technique over selecting the “finest” days to go to!
By using Lightning Lanes, Early Entry, Prolonged Night Hours, rope drop, and so forth. We cowl the very best & worst strategy for every park in Finest Time-Saving Methods for Walt Disney World. (When you’re solely going to learn one planning submit, make it that!)
If you wish to learn just a few extra posts–all extra helpful than crowd calendars–make sure you additionally take a look at our Walt Disney World Itineraries for plans of assault, with choices now with and with out Lightning Lanes.
Truthfully, following itinerary and using sensible technique is far more essential than selecting the “proper” dates. There are some exceptions to this, similar to happening December 29 (common wait time final 12 months of 70 minutes) as an alternative of October 1 (common wait time this 12 months of 18 minutes), however by and huge, utilizing sensible technique will put you in a greater place than choosing the least-busy days and doing zero strategizing.
Ideally, you’d go for a better of each worlds strategy–selecting good dates in addition to using savvy technique, however that’s not at all times potential. In spite of everything, there’s a cause most households go to Walt Disney World throughout college breaks. When you don’t have any alternative however to journey throughout busier dates, you’ll be able to nonetheless beat the crowds.
With that mentioned, listed here are extra detailed recommendations for once you ought to and shouldn’t go to Walt Disney World…
2024-2025 Disney World Crowd Calendars
When you’ve already narrowed down a season or vary of dates throughout which you wish to go to Walt Disney World, we’d advocate forgoing the rest of this submit. As an alternative, discuss with our particular person month-to-month guides, which supply free crowd calendars and canopy climate, seasonal occasions, refurbishments, and what’s new & subsequent.
These Walt Disney World crowd calendars for the ultimate few months of 2024 and 2025 supply extra granular particulars for every particular month. We’d counsel studying all months for the time of 12 months you’re contemplating. For instance, if you happen to’re pondering of a summer season trip, learn the Could by August month-to-month guides; if you happen to’re contemplating Christmas, seek the advice of each November and December.
These Walt Disney World crowd calendars are most dependable about 6 months prematurely. It’s nonetheless too early to make dependable predictions for subsequent summer season and past. With that mentioned, a number of the identical common patterns play out 12 months out and in, so later months are helpful for broader weekly tendencies–reasonably than particular dates to go to.
For these crowd calendars, we mix regular information like wait instances and different information that serves as a proxy for crowds with our in-person observations and anecdotal experiences. From all of this, we’ve discovered to identify patterns and see issues about wait instances and attendance at Walt Disney World, which we share with you in our crowd calendars.
Observe that the above crowd calendars don’t, for essentially the most half, supply park by park crowd ranges. On a calendar day foundation, that’s far too granular and now not potential to foretell. Nonetheless, we’d direct you to Finest & Worst Days to Do All Parks at Walt Disney World for recommendation on selecting which day to do every park. Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT usually observe patterns and choosing the right (and avoiding the fallacious) days could make an enormous distinction, it doesn’t matter what time of 12 months (uncrowded or crowded) that you simply go to.
Having somewhat information concerning the ebb and circulation of attendance all through the day will even put together you to keep away from crowds and zig when others zag. Some parks and sights see customer numbers and features spike throughout sure components of the day, and it’s essential to grasp the why of this, so you’ll be able to plan across the peak crowds.
This isn’t to say that there’s no technique to keep away from the crowds anymore–there completely is–and crowd calendars will assist with that. The slower dates are nonetheless noticeably slower than the busier dates. All we’re saying is that crowd calendars aren’t some ‘magic bullet’ that you should utilize with out doing every other analysis to have a fantastic journey, strolling onto each attraction. Over-reliance on Walt Disney World crowd calendars (together with ours!) will result in disappointment.
When you’re attempting to find out when to go to, we advocate beginning by selecting seasonal occasions and the kind of climate that attraction most to you, after which narrowing your dates inside these broad parameters primarily based on what crowd calendars determine as the very best and first weeks to go to. Walt Disney World crowd calendars are nonetheless a useful gizmo, however they’re not a planning panacea.
Selecting which days to go to Walt Disney World is only one facet of planning a visit. To ensure you sort out every thing, ensure you learn our Information to Planning a Walt Disney World Journey, which covers all the necessities. With that mentioned, right here’s what else to think about…
Climate
If climate is a crucial consideration, we extremely advocate heading down from in late September, October, early November, late February, March, or April. These are best from a climate perspective. That’s, assuming you need extra temperate climate, reasonably than excessive warmth and humidity or extra chilly climate. When you like your garments drenched in sweat from excessive temperatures, Could till late-August are the excellent instances so that you can go to.
Late summer season and early fall are the peak of hurricane and storm season, which have turn into more and more related. We extremely advocate consulting our Visiting Walt Disney World Throughout Storm Season article earlier than reserving a visit this time of 12 months. The very best case situation is navigating the afternoon showers with out them placing an excessive amount of of a damper in your journey. Worst case, an approaching hurricane forces you to cancel your journey or be at Walt Disney World whereas the parks shut as a result of storm.
When you should go to between the late spring by early fall, simply bear in mind to pack accordingly, bringing the Frogg Toggs for the humidity…and ponchos for the rain so that you don’t spend $179 on them at Walt Disney World. Learn our Distinctive Disney World Packing Listing for some gadgets you won’t in any other case consider taking.
Whereas early December and January are nice instances to go to to keep away from crowds, our expertise has been that these are the worst two months by way of climate. Not solely does it get extraordinarily chilly (effectively, comparatively talking–it’s Florida in spite of everything), however there are substantial swings in temperature. You may end up desirous to put on shorts within the morning however by late afternoon it’s denims and sweatshirt climate. Because the night time rolls on, you may even end up desirous to placed on a parka.
When you journey throughout these seasons, anticipate to convey extra baggage and make extra stops at your room to alter clothes (or at the very least plan on renting a locker to retailer extra layers of clothes every day). It’s possible you’ll be fortunate and discover comparatively constant temperate climate throughout these timeframes, nevertheless it’s finest to organize for the worst so that you simply don’t need to buy a bunch of $50 sweatshirts from the Emporium on Predominant Avenue. These $50 sweatshirts can add up shortly! Take a look at our Winter Packing Ideas for Disney submit for extra perception on what to take in your winter journey to Walt Disney World.
Park Hours
In speaking to others, we’ve discovered that that is the one space that folks take into account the least when planning their journeys, which we expect is at the very least a small mistake. It’s essential to notice up entrance that, usually, much less busy seasons have shorter park hours and busier instances have longer park hours.
It thus stands to cause which you can mainly get the identical quantity carried out in a shorter day throughout a much less busy time than you might throughout a busier time. Nonetheless, this isn’t at all times true. When you use an environment friendly touring plan (see our Itineraries for Walt Disney World), you may have likelihood of getting extra carried out throughout a busier time of 12 months than throughout a slower stretch.
That is very true if you happen to get to the park early and keep late. Typically throughout particularly busy instances, Magic Kingdom will open at 8 am and can shut at 11 pm. Whereas we’ve taken benefit of those hours with out taking a break through the day, we understand a few of you’re mere mortals.
An awesome technique to make use of throughout days with working hours similar to these is to get to the park shortly earlier than opening, keep till round 11 a.m., return to your resort to nap or loosen up, and return round time for dinner to remain till park shut. Whatever the time of 12 months, the parks will at all times be pretty gradual through the first couple operational hours, and can at all times be pretty abandoned late at night time. Trip as a lot as you’ll be able to early within the day and do much less standard sights because the day wears on.
Equally, park hours needs to be taken under consideration primarily based upon your sleep habits. When you’re a late-to-rise night time owl, the Fall and late Winter/early Spring months could also be a foul concept, as these entail many early closing instances. When you’re not going to get to the parks till midday anyway, your day is perhaps solely 7 hours or so.
Conversely, if you happen to get up early and customarily name it a day by 5 or 7 pm or so, these midnight closings aren’t going to do you any good. Be sure to test Disney’s park hours calendar when planning your journey. It’s essential to notice that this calendar is commonly inaccurate far prematurely (Disney posts hours conservatively, then extends them as bookings improve).
Particular Occasions
This can be a massive one for us, as we’ve been to Walt Disney World so many instances that it’s good to go to throughout totally different instances of 12 months to maintain issues diverse. Even when it’s your first go to to Walt Disney World, if in case you have explicit pursuits, you may wish to take into account planning your journey round these particular occasions. The schedules for these varies, as does the worth (if any), so please seek the advice of the respective web page for every occasion when doing all of your planning and budgeting.
Halloween and Christmas occasions within the Magic Kingdom are individually ticketed, which means you’ll be able to’t use your customary park tickets for them. Not like common park tickets, you can also’t buy these tickets at a reduction from licensed distributors (which may prevent some huge cash on common tickets). Regardless of this, each occasions are a ton of enjoyable and effectively price experiencing. As you’ll be able to learn in our Final Information to Christmas at Walt Disney World, it’s our favourite time to go to the parks!
We’ve written suggestions & methods for nearly each seasonal occasion at Walt Disney World, as a result of most aren’t merely a matter of “present up, have enjoyable.” We encourage you to click on these hyperlinks (they’ll open in a brand new tab) and skim the guides. Like all issues Walt Disney World-related, you’ll have a a lot better time and see extra that the occasion has to supply if you happen to do some advance planning…
Winter
- Walt Disney World Marathon – The flagship runDisney race weekend is held in early January, often the weekend after New Yr’s. It usually happens whereas faculties are nonetheless out for winter break, successfully extending the vacation season crowds into early January.
- EPCOT Worldwide Competition of the Arts – This is likely one of the highlights of January and February at Walt Disney World for us. Really captures the essence of old style EPCOT Heart.
Spring
Summer time
- EPCOT Worldwide Meals & Wine Competition – Starting in late summer season, that is EPCOT’s flagship culinary occasion. Wish to know what to do–and extra importantly what NOT to do? Learn our information. It’ll provide you with an concept of what’s not definitely worth the cash, and what’s price doing.
Fall
- 2024 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Get together at Magic Kingdom – Presumably greater than every other particular occasion at Walt Disney World, you could do advance planning for this. Character meet & greets can kind hour-plus lengthy waits, and there’s a lot to do which you can’t accomplish every thing in a single social gathering. We extremely advocate studying this information!
- EPCOT Meals & Wine Competition – Identical as above often continues by mid to late November.
Holidays
Faculty Schedules
If college schedules are one thing round which it’s essential to plan, likelihood is you’re going to go throughout one of many busier (or at the very least not one of many least busy) instances of the 12 months. Faculty schedules are the paramount consideration for a lot of different households planning journeys, too.
It might appear handy to go to throughout one of many ‘holidays’ your youngsters have off from college, nevertheless it’s essential to think about whether or not different faculties have these identical dates off, as effectively. Of the normal college holidays, solely Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends are good instances to go to.
As a result of most faculties have the week earlier than Christmas till the shortly after New Yr’s off, that is an particularly crowded window to go to. Likewise, the identical goes for President’s Day weekend, Easter week, Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day week, Veterans Day week, the whole thing of the Summer time, and Thanksgiving week.
Though faculties do fluctuate their Spring Break schedules, don’t anticipate the parks to be any much less busy due to staggered Spring Breaks. Mid-March till mid-April are additionally extremely busy dates for the parks due to Spring Breaks, with the 2 weeks abutting Easter being absolutely the worst (since most faculties nonetheless use Easter as a proxy for Spring Break).
Some folks don’t have many different choices, so it’s going throughout a college break or nothing. If that’s the case, it’s not the tip of the world. As we’ve careworn above, crowd calendars aren’t as essential as they was once. Merely pack your endurance and have touring plan (which is way extra essential than selecting dates primarily based upon a crowd calendar, anyway). For assist with this, discuss with our Free Walt Disney World Park Itineraries & Touring Plans. We’ve got the proper technique for enjoyable, environment friendly, and memorable days within the parks!
When you don’t have youngsters or aren’t in any other case pressured to journey round holidays or conventional trip durations, we’d extremely advocate avoiding them. Not as a result of we have now something towards youngsters, however as a result of crowds and costs will likely be increased throughout these breaks. Plan round them and save each money and time! As we frequently say, pack your endurance and arm your self with savvy technique if you happen to’re visiting Walt Disney World and also you’ll just do high quality, no matter crowds.
In case you are not sure of when visiting Walt Disney World is perhaps finest for you–or want customized assist with any facet of your journey from resorts to the Disney Eating Plan and extra–we advocate contacting a no charge “Licensed Disney Trip Planner” (mainly, Disney’s time period for a journey agent) to get a quote and that will help you plan. They get their fee from Disney, so not one of the licensed (key phrase) planners will cost you for reserving their journey and serving to. Right here’s one such Licensed Disney Trip Planner that we advocate!
Hopefully this can be a worthwhile primer that will help you select once you wish to go to Walt Disney World. Determining when to go to is a crucial first step, however there’s far more to know. You’ll additionally wish to learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets submit to purchase the most affordable tickets from reputable sources. To determine the place to remain, our Walt Disney World Resort Evaluations web page is a superb useful resource. Wish to know the place to eat or if the Disney Eating Plan is best for you? Our Walt Disney World Eating Assets will assist! For plenty of different Walt Disney World journey planning suggestions and complete recommendation, be certain that to learn our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information.
Your Ideas
Visiting Walt Disney World throughout the very best dates to keep away from crowds might be one of the essential elements of journey planning. What season, month, or week do you typically go to WDW? Do you go to at instances when you already know crowds will likely be gentle, or do you go to when college is out of session? Do you agree or disagree with our recommendation? Any questions we might help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
