Walt Disney World is closed until further notice. The earliest date I can imagine a partial, limited re-opening is Monday May 4. A later opening is more likely…
WHAT IS MAY LIKE AT DISNEY WORLD?
Earlier May is a great time to visit Walt Disney World, with low crowds, moderate prices, and good weather.
The weather typically gets hotter and more humid over the month, and the end of the month sees higher crowds and higher prices from Memorial Day weekend on.
MAY 2020 CROWDS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
May crowds are generally quite good until the Memorial Day weekend.
On a crowd scale of 1-11, the first four weeks of the month–beginning 4/25/2020–have crowd rankings of 4/low+. The week including Memorial Day beginning 5/23 has a crowd ranking 0f 8/high-minus. Crowds will be higher earlier this week, and better later.
See this for more on 2020 crowds at Disney World.
MAY 2020 RESORT HOTEL PRICES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
Disney World hotel prices begin May 2020 at moderate levels, go up over Memorial Day weekend, then shift to Summer prices May 25.
- Resort prices begin the month 25-30% higher than the lowest of the year at the values, 30% higher at the moderates, and 20-25% higher at the deluxes. Prices stay at this level into late May
- On May 22 prices jump to 25-55% higher than the lowest of the year at the values, 30-35% higher at the moderates, and 25-40% higher at the deluxes
- On May 25 prices shift to 30-40% higher than the lowest of the year at the values, 15-20% higher at the moderates, and 10-15% higher at the deluxes
See this for more on 2020 resort hotel prices at Walt Disney World.
MAY 2020 TICKET PRICES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
May 2020 Disney World ticket prices are at a mix of low and average prices in the first half of the month. Prices increase for shorter to medium-length tickets that include the Memorial Day weekend later in the month, and revert to average levels after Memorial Day.
See the image–where green is good, and lots of green particularly good, and red is bad, and lots of red is particularly bad.
For more, see my Disney World 2020 ticket price calendar.
MAY 2020 DEALS AND DISCOUNTS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
Deals for the general public are available for May 2020. Find them here.
MAY 2020 WEATHER AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
May weather begins as good as it gets at Walt Disney World.
Over the course of the month, temperatures and humidity rise to near-summer levels, and the rainy season typically begins late in the month.
Click the image, or go to Weather and When to Go to Disney World, for more.
DISNEY WORLD SPECIAL EVENTS IN MAY 2020
The Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival will continue through the month.
MAY 2020 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 about six months in advance. Major hours updates–often with later closes–can happen a month before.
These calendars can be found by clicking this link.
WEEK BY WEEK COMMENTS FOR MAY 2020 AT WALT DISNEY WORLD BY ARRIVAL DATE
The week rankings that follow below are from my 2020 weeks to visit, ranked in order, and are designed for first-time visitors who do not know whether or not they will return.
4/25/2020 Low to moderate prices. Low-plus crowds. Crowd ranking=4. Week ranking=6. Recommended week. Use the Higher Crowd Itinerary
5/2/2020 Low to moderate prices. Low-plus crowds. Crowd ranking=4. Week ranking=7. Recommended week. Use the Higher Crowd Itinerary
5/9/2020 Low to moderate prices. Low-plus crowds. Crowd ranking=4. Week ranking=8. Recommended week. Use the Higher Crowd Itinerary
5/16/2020 Moderate prices. Low-plus crowds. Crowd ranking=9. Week ranking=9. Recommended week. Use the Higher Crowd Itinerary
5/23/2020 Mixed prices–high-minus at values, low+ at others. High-minus crowds. Crowd ranking=8, worse earlier in the week, better later. Week ranking=39. Use the Higher Crowd Itinerary
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I would really like to try go first week in May but I keep reading about a ton of cheer and dance competitions. What are your thoughts on that? I was thinking beginning of March as well but was worried it would be too cold
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Arielle, you will find much warning online–especially in forums–about these cheer/dance events, but practically speaking, they happen all the time and have next to no impact on attendance.
This is because on average day there’s already 150,000+ people in the parks, and 25,000 more folks at the resort–usually spending most of their time away from the parks at the actual competitions–simply aren’t enough to have a material impact.
So don’t worry about them, and go with early May!
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