2016 CROWDS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
The chart lower on the page shows my forecasts for 2016 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 2015 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 2016 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 often best avoided by first timers who may never return 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 particularly recommend to first time visitors, though the crowds can be managed with careful planning and lots of early mornings. 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 weather at Walt Disney World, see this
Want a second opinion?  Then check out my book lol.
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123 Comments on "Disney World Crowds in 2016"
Hi, our family is planning a trip in the second half of March ’16. which has been marked as very bad. is this because of ride closure, or crowds. We are looking at being around for 2 weeks so could time visits throughout the week. What are your thoughts?
We are thinking of going to WDW in October. You are forcasting low crowds but some of the other calendars I’ve seen are forcasting moderate to high. I’m really hoping for low crowds since our last trip to Disneyland was wall to wall people. How do you determine the crowd levels for the month?
Stacey you will see wild crowds through Jan 2. Things will then be pretty empty until Friday the 8th, when marathon folk clot up the parks a bit–and the roads more. Their crowding effect will be trivial compared to what you’ll see up to the 2nd.
We are looking into visiting from Dec 31-Jan 10. I see that the marathons are happening Jan 7-10. How does it effect crowds? Which parks would you avoid each day?