a. When to Go to Walt Disney World
By Dave Shute
OVERVIEW: WHEN TO GO TO WALT DISNEY WORLD
Most years, I recommend arriving in Walt Disney World either one of the first three Saturdays after Thanksgiving or one of the first two.
In 2022, I recommend arriving one of the first two Saturdays after Thanksgiving–11/26 or 12/3.
See Next Best Dates if you cannot go on these dates.
WHY GO TO WALT DISNEY WORLD THEN?
“Here’s a tip for avoiding the crowds. The entire world over, two of the best weeks to go anywhere are the first two weeks of December. The weather is good in most places and attendance is almost always low. At Disneyland and Disneyworld in particular, the first two Wednesdays of December are often among the three or four lowest days of the year.”
Buzz Price, Walt’s Revolution: By the Numbers
Crowd levels* are the first factor to consider in timing your Walt Disney World trip.
Here’s why: daily attendance at the Magic Kingdom, the signature park at Walt Disney World, varies from fewer than 20,000 people to more than 60,000, with more than 90,000 heard of at Christmas. The park has a total hourly capacity of approximately 40,000 people–that is, the attractions can deliver about 40,000 rides per hour.
Consequently, on a day with 60,000 visitors, it will be hard for you to average more than one attraction every 90 minutes or so. Multiply this by the number of attractions in the park and it could take you more than 50 hours to enjoy everything at the Magic Kingdom. The attractions themselves take about 7 hours to enjoy; the other 40 or so hours will be spent waiting.
On the other hand, if you go to Walt Disney World during a low attendance period, you can enjoy an attraction at the Magic Kingdom every 20-30 minutes, reducing your total Magic Kingdom time to less than 15-20 hours, and your waiting time down to 8-14 hours.
Multiply this effect over the other three other theme parks at Walt Disney World and you can see how you can save literally days of waiting in line by going during a low attendance period. This allows you to
- Spend fewer total days at Walt Disney World, easing budget and schedule issues
- While seeing more of the best of the parks
- Taking more breaks from the parks, and, all in
- Having a less stressful, more satisfying experience
Other factors to think about in setting your date include seasonal pricing, the hurricane season, ride closures, and special events.
Given this, late November and early December is the best time to visit.
Crowds are low, hotel and ticket prices while varied are OK, especially the first of these two weeks, the hurricane season is over, few rides are closed, and magical special Christmas events and displays are everywhere.
See best and worst times to visit if you cannot go in late November/early December.
*But not the lowest crowd periods–these are low for good reasons: the peak of the hurricane season, and ride closure season, both of which should be avoided by first time visitors who may never return.
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236 comments
Hi dave been to many hols over the years spain turkey egypt. Altho not recomended i always take my spending money in cash and change it as required and always get good rates compared to travel agents and banks in uk. Would this practice be of any benefit in wdw do they have many money exchanges like other holiday destinations thanx
Shaz, I’m sorry but I dunno. Suggest you ask this question at the UK-focused Disney discussion board http://www.thedibb.co.uk/
Hi again got our tiks and flights for 29 April for 2 weeks at pop century. Looks like a lot of planning required for this hol which I haven’t really got time for with me working flat out I was just wondering if my plan as follows is ok or has it got loads a holes n pitfalls
Gunna do disney (no water parks)
Universal
Bush gardens
Discovery cove. ( do I drive on same day )
I’m just gunna get up pik up a daily programme if hotel has any and just hit a park. Just eat as we go maybe have a cheap character dinner somewhere and if we finish early some bites go to Downtown disney. What do you reckon wise or foolish
Shaz, there’s real value to picking your parks ahead of time, and then booking FastPass+ as soon as possible…
We hav 2 kids 5 n 9
Hi Dave,
Great website! Apologies if this has already been asked. What are your thoughts on the week BEFORE Christmas, i.e. Dec 18-24. Would we avoid some of the Christmas rush or has the madness set in already?
Thanks Dave!
Denis, kids largely are out of school beginning the 20th, so the parks will be mobbed from then til January 4.
Hi Dave,
After reading your site (great site!), I booked the week after thanksgiving from Nov 28 – Dec 7 (9 nights) at The Little Mermaid Room. I also purchased the dining plan since we’re such big fans of character dining. This is our first time, I will be going with my 7 and 9 yr old girls. I’m only thinking of getting base tickets and just focusing on 1 park per day. What are your recommendations on which day to go on which park. Is a 7 day base enough? Also, any character dining tips? Is it worth adding the waterpark option? my kids are water park fans. Thanks!!!
Hi Joy and thanks!!
I’ll be publishing a new itinerary for those dates early next week, so check back then, OK?? It’ll be here: https://yourfirstvisit.net/planning-your-first-family-trip/basic-itinerary/alternative-itineraries/
Hello again. One more question, WHat happens if I make dining reservations at 7pm at the Cinderella’s Royal Table the night they have MVMCP, without the party tickets? I don’t plan on going MVMCP, I just want to have dinner at Cinderella’s. Is that possible? I understand they close the park at 7pm to the general public, but what about those with dining reservations?
Joy you’ll be fine–you’ll just have to leave the park once you are done with dinner…
Hello Dave . I trying to decide on the best week to go in December 2014 .. We would like the lowest crowds , either December 6 for 6 nights (that’s also pop warner week) or December 13 for 6 nights .. According to your guide the latter week has less crowds . What should I do ?
Pam, while I do expect the later dates to have lower crowds, there won’t be much difference, and it will be more expensive
I just want to THANK YOU for this awesome advice. I have a son who has suffered from a stroke & I have put WDW off because of crowds. Now I feel more confident in making plans in Dec. (early weeks) so I won’t worry about bim getting tired & overwhelmed so quickly. I can’t wait to take him & his little brother. You are AWESOME Dave!
Key–thanks for the kind words. But two points of clarity: even on low crowd days, Disney World is still really crowded…and that time of year, you need to be really careful which parks you pick which days. See this https://yourfirstvisit.net/2012/04/30/crowds-and-walt-disney-world/
When will Disney World release their list of scheduled refurbishments for January/ February 2015? I want to know before I start booking and we are coming up on the 180 day mark to book dinners. Any info is appreciated. Thanks
Melissa, they typically come out about 8 weeks before.
Okay. I am really overwhelmed at this point; I don’t know what to do or where to start. I know I want to surprise my daughter with a trip to Disney someday, after I have saved a good while, but I don’t want to take her and have her miserable. She overheats very easily and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. That being said, I thought a cooler month would be a great idea but I don’t want her to miss out on any rides, if they’re closed for one reason or another. I’m not so worried about the budget, I guess. I know I will find a way to save what I need by the time we’re ready to take the trip (she’s barely a year old right now and I want to wait until she’s eight), so that’s not the issue. I just want to pick a good time, weather-wise, without having to deal with big crowds. For those purposes, is this the best time- early December? And since it’s just the two of us, how would you suggest making the most memorable visit? I don’t plan on doing this trip more than once, so I’m thinking staying 10 days will do it and we’ll be on to the next adventure.
Well, Tia, you need to check back in about 5 years, as things will have changed between now and when she is 8…But if you want to think about the basics now, just start with the home page and work your way through its topics: https://yourfirstvisit.net/
I forgot to add… I was thinking of calling a Disney travel rep. to help. Is there a charge for that service? And do they make the reservations for restaurants and events for me?
Tia, if you mean a travel agent, they work for free if you do all your booking through them, and can reserve everything
Hello,
I will be in Orlando the first week of November 2014. I have never been to Disney’s Magic Kingdom. After reading your page, I think the first week of November is a good time to go. Do you think the crowds would be lower on Sunday, November 9th or Monday, November 10th?
Thank you,
Laura
Hi Laura, overall crowds will be lower Monday, but it will vary a bit by park, and MK –while it will have low crowds–also will close early. Tell what park you are interested in?
Also, I noticed that November 10th is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas. Would this be worth attending for the additional charge. It is our first time attending Magic Kingdom (2 adults). Would the Very Merry Christmas take away from our first time experience/visit, or is it a must see?
Thanks again!
OK got it! MVMCP is great, but very expensive. See this: https://yourfirstvisit.net/2014/04/13/mickeys-very-merry-christmas-party-mvmcp-in-2014/
Hi Dave,
I loved this site!! Your tips and tricks are very useful, I´m from Brazil and We´ve already bougth na travel package to Orlando on 8 March 2015 to 20 March 2015. But Now, I´ve heard about spring break and we are very afraid about crowding and waiting time in line to play … mainly because we´ve 2 childrens and they won´t be patient.
So, I would like to confirm with you, is the begging of March to crowd ?? Or it worse at the end of March?
I thank you in advance….
Best wishes
Debora Alvim
Debora, thanks! I expect it to be pretty awful from March 7 through April 10, but worst 3/28 through 4/10.
Hi Dave – we’ve been to WDW a bunch of times, and I’m still finding great planning ideas here. Just starting to think about a family trip for spring 2016…most likely 1st or 2nd week of May. I was actually thinking to go Wednesday to Wednesday, to coincide with my niece’s 5th birthday, so I was wondering about your itineraries. …are they all designed to start on Saturday/Sunday just because that’s how most people travel, or are there real benefits to sticking with a regular calendar week?
Danielle–my approach is just to fit enough park days into a typical “week off of work.” Because weekends are often more expensive and more crowded, a Weds-Weds is actually better!
Hi, I am booked to arrive Thanksgiving day and check out Dec 6th. I’ve been to disney before but this is the first time with my 9 yo granddaughter. I’ve been in summer and on christmas day – both hellish and would never repeat or recommend!! This will most probably be my last hurrah there. Where can I get or can you recommend which day to go to each park (least crowded) I have a hotel/ticket package – tickets are for 7 days but i do plan to jump over to universal and don’t know where to place that visit-I was thinking 3 days for Universal – one for each park: IOA, HP, and US. It’s most important that my least crowded day is in Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom (for the granddaughter to enjoy the most) Can you help?
Hi Holtone a couple of things: first Universal has just two parks, IOA and US. There is a Harry Potter area in each. On DIsney, I won’t be able to recommend parks for sure until the December calendar comes out, which will be in May. So check back then!
Hi Dave, we are planning a vacation for 11/26-12/5/15. We are going to be doing both WDW and USF. I know the first couple days will be busier as it will be the end of thanksgiving week. I figured we would take the first Friday to do a gingerbread house/resort tour. I was then thinking we would go to Epcot world showcase on sat, thereby leaving days with lower crowd levels for rides/other parks for the rest of the week. Have you been to world showcase at this time? Can you share your thoughts? Thanks!
Karen, I won’t have specific thoughts until Disney publishes its calendar for November–in about a month. But–til then–AK is typically a great choice the Friday after Thanksgiving, if you can’t wait, and Epcot is typically a good choice the Saturday after.
Hi Dave, its Lara here from NZ who you helped on our first trip in September 2014 which was amazing thanks to all your advice!! We are now planning another trip for September 2016. The New Zealand school holidays for us fall from 23 Sept – 10 Oct which is why we like to use those two weeks plus a week either side or two weeks after them. Anyway, my question is I realise the weeks Sept 24 and Oct 1 fall within peak hurricane season and yes when we were there in 2014 the rain did impact on our first week which was 23 Sept to 30 Sept 2014. It meant we had the stress of waiting for the Hulk ride to reopen at Universal (as was closed for half of the day with the weather) and also the Jedis at Hollywood Studios – the day we were there most of the shows were cancelled because of the rain just our one we were lucky enough to find a break in the rain. So yes our first week wasn’t ideal! So my question to you is if we come at this time of year again (and I realise weather patterns change) would we better perhaps to do the week Disney Cruise first and then hit the theme parks weeks of October 1 and October 8. Or do we risk it again and do what we did last year which was 2 weeks at Disney World first followed by a cruise on the week of October 8 (Columbus Day week) where crowds can be a bit busier according to your charts. Ie better to do a Caribbean cruise when weather not as good (perhaps avoid it in the Caribbean) or do theme parks when weather not so good? Thanks so much!!!
Lara
Hi Lara and so glad you are back! While as you note nothing is certain, average rainfall amounts drop precipitously (get it? ha ha) in early October. See this.
What makes the difference is what you like to do on cruises. Me–I like the ship’s pools, and visits to beaches, wandering around old city streets, etc., all of which I’d point towards the dryer dates. Rain in the parks just keeps the crowds down. If your loves of a cruise are more indoors, I’d flip the cruise to the beginning and the parks to later… Crowds are busier later, but not bad, and for an experienced person like you easy to plan around.
Hi Dave,
We will be in WDW December 5th-12th. As you know this is at the same time as the ESPN Cheerleading competition. I know the crowds are generally low at that time, however I am concerned that there will be longer lines filled with overly excited tweens 🙂
Should I be worried? Do you have any experience in this area?
Thanks,
Dack
Dack, yes I’ve been there a lot then. See this.
Thanks Dave! As always you’re the best!
My wife and I are retired (ages 69 and 67). We are planning to arrive at WDW 4/6/16 and depart 4/14/16. Are there advantages/disadvantages to planning the 9-day trip for Wed thru Thur vs Sat thru Sun? Thank you. [Exceptional website!!]
Gary, other than the point that you can’t use my itineraries, a midweek-midweek trip is a great choice. Airfares wil likely be lower. Most Disney hotels have upcharges Friday and Saturday nights, so having as few of these as possible (i.e. 2) lowers costs a bit. Finally, except during the summer, crowds are higher on weekends (as both short and long trips typically include them) so that’s another plus.
My itineraries are Sat-Sun solely becasue the best fit the typical “week off of work” and hence are most broadly useful…
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