Category — a. When to Go to Walt Disney World

2014 CROWDS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

In the image you’ll find my projections for Walt Disney World 2014 weekly crowds.

By “crowds” I really mean wait times–not the number of people in the park, but not in line for a ride!

Dates in it are the beginning of the week, and the wait time forecast covers the following 9 days.

(For 2015 crowds, click here, and for 2016 crowds, here.)

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 2014 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 2014 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
  • For the 2014 Week Picker, see this
  • For 2015 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
  • For 2016 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
• For forecasting crowds at Walt Disney World, see this
  • For the 2014 Crowd Calendar, click here
  • For the 2015 Crowd Calendar, click here
  • For the 2016 Crowd Calendar, click here
• For seasonal pricing at Walt Disney World, see this
  • For 2014 price seasons, see this
  • For 2015 price seasons, see this
  • For projected 2016 price seasons, see this
• For weather at Walt Disney World, see this

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Google+ or Twitter or Pinterest!!

FORECAST 2014 RESORT PRICE SEASONS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

The material below shows the different resort price seasons at Walt Disney World at different times of the year in 2014.

(If you are looking for current deals and discounts, click here. For 2013 prices, click here.)

Ticket prices don’t vary over the course of the year–although they typically have an annual increase in the summer. See this for more on ticket prices.

Resort prices, however, are almost twice as high during some periods as they are at others.

Projections for 2014 resort price seasons based on recent Disney World practice follow. These will be updated when Disney releases actual 2014 prices–expected to happen on July 10, 2013.

2014 DISNEY WORLD PRICE SEASONS

[Read more →]

OVERVIEW: APRIL 2013 AT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews April 2013 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, operating hours, adds a few other notes, and ends with week by week summaries.

[Read more →]

AN ALTERNATE VIEW OF THE BEST WEEKS OF 2013 AT WALT DISNEY WORLD FOR YOUR FAMILY

This site has a couple of easy ways and a hard way to figure out the best times to visit Walt Disney World in 2013.

The 2013 Weeks to Visit rankings are the easy way for first time visitors to pick a time, and the 2013 Week Picker takes a few more clicks but is great for returning visitors—and for first timers who weigh the key issues of crowds, prices, etc., differently than I do.

The harder way is to drill down yourself into weather, prices, crowds, ride closures, and the hurricane season, and use the conclusions you draw from this material to pick your time to visit Walt Disney World in 2013.

Or you could just go in later October… [Read more →]

THE BEST WEEK OF 2013, TAILORED TO YOUR FAMILY’S PREFERENCES

Last week, the 2013 edition of one of this site’s most popular offerings came out–the 2013 Walt Disney World Week Picker.

The Week Picker is an alternative to this site’s 2013 Weeks to Visit Walt Disney World, Ranked in Order.

It’s particularly suited for returning visitors and for first-time visitors who weigh crowds, prices, ride closures, the hurricane season, or other weather factors differently than do the week rankings (which are built for the average family of first time visitors who may never return). [Read more →]

PICKING THE BEST WEEK OF 2013 AT DISNEY WORLD FOR YOUR FAMILY

The 2013 Walt Disney World Week Picker is designed to show you the best weeks for your 2013 visit to Walt Disney World based on what’s important to you.

(It’s an alternative to this site’s 2013 Weeks to Visit Walt Disney World, Ranked in Order, which is designed to yield answers for the “typical family” of first time visitors who may never return.)

The Week Picker provides guidance on the best weeks of 2013 for you to visit Walt Disney World based on your family’s exact preferences, and is particularly useful for returning visitors!

(For the 2014 Week Picker, click here.)

[Read more →]