By the co-author of The easy Guide to Your Walt Disney World Visit 2020, the best-reviewed Disney World guidebook series ever.

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Category — a. When to Go to Walt Disney World

2009 Weeks to Visit Walt Disney World, Ranked in Order

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When to Go   Future Crowds   2010 Weeks   2010 Week Picker App   2011 Weeks

OVERVIEW

I recommend arriving the second Saturday after Thanksgiving.

If you can’t go then, I present below the weeks of 2009 in order of best to worst

The ranking is designed for first time visitors who do not know whether or not they will return.

For visitors on a return trip, who would be less concerned about ride closures, the January and early February weeks would be ranked much higher–with the (Tampa) Super Bowl, President’s Day, and MLK day weeks being the worst of these.

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May 28, 2008   No Comments

Estimating Future Crowds at Walt Disney World

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When to Go   Future Crowds   2010 Weeks    2010 Week Picker App    2011 Weeks

July    August    September    October    November    December    January

WALT DISNEY WORLD CROWD CALENDAR

The thumbnail (click on it to open it) presents predictions for crowds at Walt Disney World over the year.

(Last updated July 2010.)

The thumbnail shows colored bars by Saturday arrival date.

The higher the bar, the more crowded the parks at Walt Disney World will be that week.

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April 4, 2008   No Comments

Walt Disney World Price Seasons, 2010-2011

WALT DISNEY WORLD FORECAST 2011 PRICE SEASONS

Below are actual 2010 Resort price seasons, and estimated dates of Walt Disney World 2011 price changes, based on recent Disney practice:

  • Lowest of year begins: 1/3/2010, 1/2/2011
  • 40-50% higher begins: 2/12/10, 2/17/11
  • 70% higher begins for values and moderates: 3/26/10, 4/15/11
  • 20-30% higher begins: 4/11/10, 5/1/11
  • 40% higher begins for values and moderates (deluxes stay at 20% higher): 6/3/10, 5/26/11
  • Lowest of year begins for Deluxes: 7/18/10, 7/17/11
  • Lowest of year begins for Values and Moderates: 8/15/10, 8/14/11
  • 20-30% higher begins: 10/1/10, 9/30/11
  • Lowest of year begins: 11/28/10, 11/27/11
  • 60-85% higher begins: 12/17/10, 12/19/11

NOTE ON WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS

Mickey by Bruce TutenIn addition to the above, Disney ups prices an additional $10-$30 per night on most holiday and weekend nights.

NOTE ON THEME PARK ADMISSION TICKET PRICES

Walt Disney World theme park admission prices do not vary by season–they are the same all year.

However, they usually do see an annual price increase in August. See this for more on ticket prices.

LINKS FOR WHEN TO GO TO WALT DISNEY WORLD

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March 24, 2008   No Comments

Weather and When to Go to Walt Disney World

OVERVIEW


If you can’t go to Walt Disney World the recommended week, or are just curious about weather patterns in Orlando, the following pages illuminate the weather in Orlando in the recent past.

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March 21, 2008   No Comments

Seasonal Pricing at Walt Disney World: Pay More to Wait in Line Longer!

OVERVIEW: WALT DISNEY WORLD PRICES

This site recommends that you arrive in Disney World one of the first three Saturdays after Thanksgiving.

disney-world-seasonal-prices-from-yourfirstvisit-net

For those who cannot go to Walt Disney World then, the material that follows illuminates the different resort room prices you will face from going to Walt Disney World at different times of the year. For ticket prices, see this.

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March 20, 2008   10 Comments

Best and Worst Times to Visit Walt Disney World

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When to Go   Future Crowds   2010 Weeks    2010 Week Picker App    2011 Weeks

May    June    July    August    September    October    November

BEST TIMES FOR A FIRST FAMILY VISIT TO WALT DISNEY WORLD

  • Early March (busy and expensive, but your best Spring Break bet)
  • Between the second week after Easter and the week before Memorial Day
  • Mid-late October
  • November other than the first full week, and Thanksgiving week
  • December up until a week before Christmas
  • (For returning visitors, January and February, except the Presidents Day and Martin Luther King Day holiday weekends, are also excellent)

These periods are highlighted in this site’s 2010 Weeks to Visit and 2011 Weeks to Visit –each ranking the weeks of the year in order of best to worst.

WORST TIMES TO VISIT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Pretty much all other times, but especially Christmas week, New Years week, and the weeks before and after Easter.

More specifically,

  • Winnie the Pooh Magic Kingdom by Allie CaulfieldWalt Disney World is the most crowded when kids are out of school: over summer through mid-August, Thanksgiving week, Christmas and New Years weeks, the college spring break month of March; and the weeks before and after Easter. Crowds matter because they can increase waiting times by a factor of 3-4, lengthening your trip and/or reducing its value as a vacation while you are there.
  • The times when kids are out of school are (mostly) also the most expensive times to visit–Disney increases resort prices at times of higher demand, so that for example the same room at the Polynesian is $1800 more during Christmas week than during the week this site recommends.
    • disney prices and crowds.jpgWalt Disney World pricing is complicated, and prices do vary during these busy periods–for example, prices go down quite bit in August, even though the first two weeks are busy. Click the thumbnail for the exact relationship on prices vs. crowds at Walt Disney World (when it opens, click it again to enlarge it more).
    • But generally you will pay more during the periods when kids are out of school.
  • Disney World Rides ClosedRides are mostly likely to be closed (for refurbishment) between New Years and mid-February. For more on winter ride closures at Walt Disney World, click here
  • The hurricane season officially runs from June 1 through November 30, but strongly peaks from mid-August through early October.
  • Warm weather becomes materially less likely starting in mid-November, and the chance of good pool weather does not sharply improve again until mid-February. See Weather and When to Go.

MORE ON WHEN TO GO TO WALT DISNEY WORLD

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March 19, 2008   No Comments