Category — a. When to Go to Walt Disney World

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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OVERVIEW: APRIL 2011 AT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews April 2011 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, operating hours, and ends with week by week summaries.
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WALT DISNEY WORLD CROWD CALENDAR

The chart presents predictions for crowds at Walt Disney World through 2011.

(Last updated 9/28/10.) [Read more →]

OVERVIEW: MARCH 2011 AT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews March 2011 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, operating hours, and ends with week by week summaries.
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DISNEY WORLD’S SPECIAL EVENTS

Over the course of the year, there are a number of special events* at Walt Disney World.

While they are subject to change, over the last few years they have included:

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THE BEST 2011 WEEKS FOR YOUR VISIT TO WALT DISNEY WORLD

Those who have clicked around here know that I give a lot of advice on when to go to Walt Disney World.

Most of this advice is for the “average family”—a family that wants to avoid crowds, higher prices, the peak of the hurricane season, and such. 

But your family may be different than the “average family.”  You may wish desperately to avoid winter, you may not care about prices, you may be less concerned about crowds.

And while the site gives all the material you need to work out for yourself the best weeks to visit for your family—including a crowd calendar, price seasons, and extensive material on weather—you may not want to dig through all this to figure out the best time for your family visit to Walt Disney World.

For families like this, I have just published the 2011 Week Picker.

HOW THE 2011 DISNEY WORLD WEEK PICKER WORKS

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