May 2012 at Walt Disney World
OVERVIEW: MAY 2012 AT DISNEY WORLD
This page reviews May 2012 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, operating hours, adds a few other notes, and ends with week by week summaries.
MAY 2012 CROWDS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
May crowds begin low, but build in the second half of the month to moderate-plus levels.
See this for more on 2012 crowds at Walt Disney World.
MAY 2012 PRICES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
May is in the “regular” price seasons.
Through the month, prices are 15-30% higher than the lowest of the year.
On June 1, value prices jump to 55% higher than the lowest of the year, and moderate prices to 20%. Deluxe prices do not change.
Click the image to see a Pop Century Resort example of Disney World resort pricing. (When open, click again to enlarge.)
See this for more on 2012 prices at Walt Disney World.
MAY 2012 DEALS AND DISCOUNTS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
You can find deals for May 2012 from the links here.
MAY 2012 WEATHER AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
May weather begins as good as it gets in Orlando.
Over the course of the month, temperatures rise to near-summer levels, and the rainy season typically begins mid-month or later.
Click the image, or go to Weather and When to Go to Disney World, for more on temperatures.
(When open, click again to enlarge.)
MAY 2012 OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
Park operating hours vary by the day, and sometimes change without notice. It is rare for hours to be shorter than Disney has publicized, but Disney may lengthen them in response to unanticipated crowds.
The best way to keep up with operating hours is to check Disney’s official calendars, usually available six months in advance, but changing during busy periods even the day before.
These calendars can be found by clicking the following links:
The calendars can be tricky to use–see this for hints on how to work with Walt Disney World’s online calendars.
OTHER NOTES AND COMMENTS ON MAY 2012 AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
The 2012 Epcot International Flower and Garden Show continues until May 20. For more, see this.
Star Wars weekends at Disney’s Hollywood Studios commonly begin in late May.
WEEK BY WEEK COMMENTS FOR MAY 2012 AT WALT DISNEY WORLD BY ARRIVAL DATE
The week rankings that follow below are from 2012 weeks to visit, ranked in order, and are designed for first-time visitors who do not know whether or not they will return.
Click the image for a calendar view of 2012 weeks (when open, keep clicking to enlarge.)
4/28/12 Prices are 15-30% higher than lowest of the year. Lower crowds–crowd ranking is 2. Week ranking=9. Recommended week. Use the Autumn-Winter-Spring Itinerary
5/5/12 Prices are 15-30% higher than lowest of the year. Lower crowds–crowd ranking is 2. Week ranking=10. Recommended week. Use the Autumn-Winter-Spring Itinerary
5/12/12 Prices are 15-30% higher than lowest of the year. Low crowds–crowd ranking is 3. Week ranking=12. Recommended week. Use the Autumn-Winter-Spring Itinerary
5/19/12 Prices are 15-30% higher than lowest of the year. Crowds will be moderate-minus–crowd ranking is 5. Week ranking=15. Use the Autumn-Winter-Spring Itinerary
5/26/12 Prices begin 15-30% higher than lowest of the year, but jump to 20% (moderates) to 55% higher (values) on June 1. (Deluxe prices do not change). Moderate-plus crowds–crowd ranking is 7. Week ranking=19. Use Summer Itinerary.
MORE ON WHEN TO GO TO WALT DISNEY WORLD
- For when to go to Walt Disney World, see this
- For the next best dates, see this
- For the best and worst times to visit, see this
- For 2012 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
- For the 2012 Week Picker, see this
- For 2013 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
- For forecasting crowds at Walt Disney World, see this
- For the 2012 Crowd Calendar, click here
- For the 2013 Crowd Calendar, click here
- For seasonal pricing at Walt Disney World, see this
- For 2012 price seasons, see this
- For 2013 price seasons, click here
- For weather at Walt Disney World, see this
4 comments
Hi Dave! You have been highly recommended by a lot of friends. I am planning a trip to Disney World May 20 – 28, 2012. We have 3 kids ages 16 (boy), 8 (boy) and 5(girl). This is our first trip with the two younger ones and our second trip with the oldest – he was 5 when we visited Disney last time. I want this trip to be a memorable one for all of them and we want to try to see everything. We are towing our camper and staying at Fort Wilderness. I have purchased 6 day MYW tickets with hopper (not sure we really need hopper either). I am so confused as to whether or not we should get the dining plan or try to eat meals out of the camper and save money. So many people are suggesting we should get the dining plan. What do you think? Also, can you give any suggestions on how we should plan our days? I’m very overwhelmed by planning all of this. Any help is greatly appreciated. I have also booked BBB for my 5 yr old on Monday the 21st at Cinderellas Castle for 8:50am.
My 8 yr old struggles with severe ADHD/ODD (oppositioal defiance) and is also Autistic. We were advised to get a note from his doctor stating his disabilities and to bring it with us because Disney will help make it more enjoyable for him by avoiding long lines/waits etc. Do you know if this is true? We want to have a great time and see as much as possible but also keeping in mind that we cannot go from early morning to late at night due to the fact that our 8 yr old will have a complete meltdown if we dont allow a little down time.
We really appreciate any help that you can offer to us.
Thank you so much!
Tisha
Hi Tisha!
For your 8 year old, I strongly urge you to buy PassPorter’s Open Mouse for Walt Disney World and the Disney Cruise Line: Easy Access Vacations for Travelers with Extra Challenges. It will help a ton–and answer how Disney will help you, and what you need to do make that happen.
For shaping your days, take a look at this: http://yourfirstvisit.net/planning-your-first-family-trip/basic-itinerary/alternative-itineraries/itineraries-for-the-rest-of-the-year/v2-of-2009-autumn-winter-spring-itinerary/ It’s not a perfect fit for you, but gives you a strong starting point.
Most people at Fort Wilderness don’t get the dining plan, as the restaurant there is inconvenient and they enjoy camp cooking both for its own sake and because of how much money it saves. The dining plan saves money only if you would have paid cash for all those table-service meals anyway. So the only way to decide is to see where you plan to eat, figure out the cash cost, and then see if the dining plan saves money compared to the cash cost…there’s no easy way to do that… The itinerary above assumes you are on the dining plan, but it is not necessarily wise if you have your own kitchen!
Hope this helps!! Dave
thank you so much! I really appreciate your advice
Tisha. you’re wlecome! Have a great trip…
Leave a Comment | Ask a Question | Note a Problem