2015 CROWDS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
The chart lower on the page shows my forecasts for 2015 crowds by week at Walt Disney World.
Dates in it are the beginning of the week, and the forecast covers the recommended Saturday-Sunday 9 day stays.
(For 2016 crowds, click here, and for 2017 crowds, see this.)
Crowd levels are ranked by week from 1-11 in the following way:
1: Lowest of the year
2: Lower
3: Low
4: Low-plus
5: Moderate-minus
6: Moderate
7: Moderate-plus
8: High-minus
9: High
10: Higher
11: Highest
HOW TO INTERPRET THE 2015 DISNEY WORLD CROWD CALENDAR
Dates are the beginning of the week.
The “low crowd” weeks–those colored green, and rated 1-4–represent the only crowd levels a family visiting for the first time, and unsure if it will ever return, should consider.
However, lower crowds, especially lowest crowds, do not always mean a better week. The lowest weeks are low for a reason–typically because they are in the hurricane or the ride closure seasons.
The “moderate crowd” weeks–those in black and rated 5-7–have crowd levels I would not recommend to first time visitors. However, I’d go during such weeks myself with no hesitation, and think these levels are OK for returning visitors who don’t need to see everything and already know how to work Walt Disney World.
The “high crowd” weeks–those in red, rated 8-11–should be avoided by everyone. They aren’t, which is why they are so high.
MY DISNEY WORLD CROWD CALENDAR GOES UP TO “11”
The influence of the Unofficial Guide  and TouringPlans.com has led almost all Disney World crowd calendars to top out at 10.
However, I’ve always thought that the really nastiest weeks of the year deserved an 11 for emphasis.
So, in homage to Spinal Tap, I assigned 11 to “highest.”
MORE ON WHEN TO GO TO WALT DISNEY WORLD
- For when to go to Walt Disney World, see this
- For the best and worst times to visit, see this
- For forecasting crowds at Walt Disney World, see this
- For the 2015 Crowd Calendar, click here
- For the 2016 Crowd Calendar, click here
- For seasonal pricing at Walt Disney World, see this
- For 2015 price seasons, see this
- For projected 2016 price seasons, see this
- For weather at Walt Disney World, see this
Want a second opinion?  Then check out my book lol.
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150 Comments on "Disney World Crowds in 2015"
Carmen, you can make it work, but you will need to make and follow very good plans. My higher-crowd itinerary doesn’t match your days of the week, so your best bet is to use my book The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit 2015
Hi Dave! My husband my sister in law and I are planing a Disney trip on march 2015 we would be arriving on the 5th and staying for a week. I have seen your crowd calendar and I was wondering how bad would it be, you’ve rate it as “high” but how would you describe it. We are from Paraguay (South America) and we don’t really go to Disney very often so I was wondering if it would be worth it to to on that week. Sorry for the english.
Sherry, we haven’t seen free dining in that period for the past few years. See for example this for the dates this year http://yourfirstvisit.net/2014/05/07/general-public-free-dining-for-select-arrival-dates-august-december-2014/
My charts don’t suggest arrival dates as being best. Rather, the best itineraries are 9 days and 8 nights, so a Saturday arrival best fits the typical “week off of work.” For a 7 day trip an arrival date of the 29th or later is best, as the Thanksgiving crowds collapse after the 28th.
Trying to figure out the best time in 2015 to go shortly after turkey day. Your chart looks like the 28th is best day to check in. We will be staying 7 days not 10…do you still recommend that date? We are looking for the best value and hopefully free dining.