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"
Dave,
We’re planning a trip for 1/30-2/5. We usually like to go to 1 park in the morning, take naps over the lunch hour and then go back to a different park usually in the afternoon. WDW has just posted park hours, but I just can’t figure out which days to go to which park. Do you have suggestions?
Hi Stephan! I don’t have perfect info on this, but what I hear is that the kids are predominately at the All-Stars, Pop Century, and Caribbean Beach. So that would push you to one of the Port Orleans resorts.
Hi Dave,
We’re planning our next trip to WDW for the beginning of December 2016. Altough we’ll go with our grandkids, I would prefer avoid staying at the same hotel(s) as all the Pop Warner Superbowl teams. We do hesitate between Disney Caribbean and Disney Port Orleans. Do they always stay at the same hotels? Or do they change every year? If so, how and when can I find out? Thank you very much for you help.
Thank you so much for the fast reply Dave!!
Hi Julianna, and thanks!! I typically put a draft version out about 15 months before, in September, and then a final version about 6 months before the year begins, in the summer.