Calling all Disney World fans! What are the best months (or, better yet, weeks!) to visit Disney World while avoiding the inflated costs of peak travel and the excruciating heat of Florida summers?
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there are lots of websites that have crowd calendars that will show you how crowded the parks are during the year. September and January are lowest crowds but September is brutally hot. January is cold so no pool time for the kiddos. We have gone in January and October, both had low crowds. January was in the low 60s as a high so it was chilly but the lines were mostly short. October was in the upper 70s and low 80s but I thought the lines were slightly longer.
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I would say Jan/Feb. Very comfortable weather without big crowds.
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We went in early May last year and the crowds were not bad. It was hot but not insanely so.
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Another vote for January and February
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I say it depends what your priorities are. Low crowds or weather? I've been there dIfferent times of the year and each has its pros and cons. January is nice with low crowds, but the weather can be cool and there are typically more refurbishments with rides closed.
End of Feb/First week of March is probably my favourite time to go before the spring break craze starts. The weather is warm enough that it feels like a get away. Christmas was a zoo and i will never go then again. End of April was nice for crowds but it was HOT (at least by my Canadian standards). August was even worse heat-wise.
I've never been in Sept/Oct but I heard that's also a nice time to be there. I'd like to go sometime in early Decemeber when it's all decorated for Christmas but the crowds aren't insane yet.
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End of October is awesome. Weather is still great, lines are not too long.
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I've always lived within 90 minutes of Disney, and we only go in late fall-early Spring. The holidays are insane as is spring break. I have no idea how people visit in May-October honestly. It's so hot here then. Sometimes you'll get a decent day in late October, but I wouldn't count on it. I think Jan-Feb is good for crowds, but you can get a pretty chilly day in there. Of course, you can also get 80 degree days (like today), so it's hit or miss. If you're really wanting to do the pool thing, but have not blistering hot days, late spring works. I think it just depends on the experience you're looking for.
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We went late Sept/early Oct last year and it was super nice! Except it rained for a few hours on two days- which is normal- but it was not hot at all. It was only crowded one day but we time things so as not to be in the crowds by using touringplans.com, fast passes and planning everything out ahead.
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September! The crowds are super low and the weather shouldn't be too awful, especially in late September.
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@BananaPancakes: what month would you recommend for Disney if we also want to get beach time in?
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@regberadaisy: To me the water is still really chilly in spring, but the beach itself is great. And I'm guessing it's not chilly to most people from the north. There's still a lot of people in the water, but it's cold for me. And in actuality, most Novembers are still pretty warm here and the water is still warm from summer, but the weather isn't unbearable for theme parks. Well, it was last year, but El Niño is currently trying to kill us. Ha ha. So I'd say November (early before Christmas stuff starts happening because crowds) or April/May.
And I want to add, because so many people are saying September, I live here and its still hot as shit then, but we've also been sitting in 90 degrees and 99% humidity for the previous 4 months. So spending a full week outside at theme parks is a special kind of hell since all we want is relief from the heat at that point. I'm guessing coming from a cooler area means you don't mind spending a week in the heat since you know you'll escape it after a few days.
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@BananaPancakes: but also coming from the Cold, 70 would feel pretty hot when he already 50s here! Thanks, good to keep in mind for the future. I'm fantasizing about a long weekend Florida trip (not Disney) in the early fall. So late September could work? It'll be 60s here by then so 75 would feel warm to me! LOL
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@regberadaisy: Its still high 80's/low 90's through September here. You couldn't pay me to go to a theme park then, but I also don't get to escape it after the week is over. It's in the 60's in upstate NY then? That's like a dream.
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@regberadaisy: @BananaPancakes: it's usually still hot through Halloween (more comfortable during the day) so September would be warm and humid still for sure.
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In early October the parks are half full depending on which park you choose. (5 out of 10) Read up on the nearly daily thundershowers in the months preceding. Also we took long leisurely air conditioned lunches at the peak sun hours, midday. This year we are going later because we want to see the Christmas decor. This is the weather from when we went last year:
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I live 3 hours away from Disney. Definitely check some crowd calendar websites. But it depends a little what you are looking for.
Jan/Feb NOT INCLUDING MLK, President's Day, and WDW Marathon Weekend will be very low crowds. BUT it can be chilly, I don't think it is good pool weather. But, if you're from up north you may not mind high temps in the low 60s. (it is sometimes really warm, but you can't plan on it!) I personally don't love doing Disney with a bunch of layers and stuff.
Early March is a good time IF Easter is late because it usually before Spring Break crowds hit, it's starting to warm up a little, and you get the Epcot Flower & Garden festival, which is great.
I personally really like early May! Schools are still in session. It is warm/hot but not like it is in August/Sept.
September is low crowds but like others have said, the heat is just brutal and is really draining. October used to be low crowds but it's really picked up with the food and wine festival, Halloween parties, etc.
If you like Christmas decor a good time to go is after Thanksgiving/the first week of December (although there are sometimes some big events going on, like Pop Warner football). The weather is usually cool but not freezing, you get to see all the Christmas stuff and the crowds are not bad. The downside is that it may not be "pool weather" if that's important to you.
So, if it was up to me I'd pick a week in early May, but I prefer warmer. If you like colder weather, I'd pick a week in Jan/Feb that avoids the holidays in those months.
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@BananaPancakes: I was going to post as I live about 90 minutes away too but you said it all
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I don't know why but I didn't get an alert about some of these responses so I had no clue about them until now! Thanks to everyone who shared feedback. Hoping to hit up Disney sometime in the next year or so...we are beyond excited.
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We went in January this year and it was nice but a little chilly. The crowds were not bad. Definitely not pool weather. We went in June the year before and it was HOT and more crowded. I've also gone around late November for thanksgiving and I really enjoyed it. The parks are decorated for Christmas and the crowds are not bad yet. We are going this year in October for Not So Scary Halloween.
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@serenity207: I just got our personalized Disney World Resort packet in the mail yesterday. We just went a few months ago but I'm so beyond excited to start planning again!! Excited with you!!
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