The Best Times to Visit Disney World if You Care About Crowds

I get this question more than any other, and I love it, because picking your dates well is honestly the single biggest thing you can do for your trip. You can have the best plan in the world, but a good week in early February will feel easier than a perfect plan during spring break. Here is how I think about it.

My favorite low crowd windows

Late January into early February This is my number one. Marathon Weekend wraps up in early January, the holiday decorations come down, and the parks exhale. Weekdays here can feel almost sleepy by Disney standards. You can walk onto Expedition Everest, do Magic Kingdom mountains back to back, and actually get a same day lunch table. Bonus: the weather is gorgeous, usually 70s during the day, and it is genuinely sweater weather at night. Pack layers.

Just dodge the Presidents Day weekend bump and the EPCOT Festival of the Arts weekends, which pack that park on Fridays and Saturdays.

Mid to late August through September After school starts back up, the crowds drop off a cliff. Late August and the whole month of September are some of the emptiest weeks of the year. The tradeoff is real though: it is hot, it is humid, and afternoon thunderstorms are basically scheduled. Hurricane season is a factor, so buy travel insurance and stay flexible.

If you can handle the heat, this is when you get the lowest waits of the year. Plan a midday break at your hotel pool and come back for evenings.

The first two weeks of December The decorations are up, the tree is in Town Square, Very Merry parties are running, and the crowds have not arrived yet. That gap between Thanksgiving and about December 12 is magic. It is my favorite time to visit if I want the holiday feeling without the holiday chaos.

Early May and mid September for a shorter option Early to mid May (after spring break, before Memorial Day) is a nice moderate week with good weather. Not as quiet as February, but very manageable.

The weeks I avoid

• Christmas through New Year's Day. The single busiest week of the year. Magic Kingdom regularly reaches capacity.
• Thanksgiving week.
• Spring break and Easter. March and April get unpredictable because break weeks are staggered.
• The week of July 4th. Hot and packed at the same time.
• Marathon Weekend (early January) and Princess Half Marathon (late February). Resorts fill up and the parks get busy on race mornings.
• Jersey Week, usually the first full week of November. A lot of Northeast schools are off and it surprises people.

Three things that matter more than the calendar

Go on the right days of the week. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are almost always lighter than the weekend, no matter the season. If your trip includes a Saturday, spend it at Animal Kingdom or a pool day.

Check party nights. During Not-So-Scary and Very Merry season, Magic Kingdom closes early to day guests on party nights. That pushes everyone into the other parks. Either buy a party ticket or plan around it.

Look up refurbishments. Low crowd seasons are exactly when Disney takes rides down. Nothing sours a quiet week like finding out your favorite attraction is behind a wall.

What to wear in each season

January and February: bring an actual jacket for mornings, and a pair of ears that works with a hood. September: breathable everything, and I like a lighter colored set of ears so my head is not baking. December: layers, always, because 45 degrees at rope drop turns into 75 by lunch. I keep a few of my favorites over on my ears page if you need ideas. ✨

Once you have your dates picked, come build the rest of it out with me on the itinerary page and start sorting out dining about two months ahead. Happy planning!