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OVERVIEW: THE BEST TIMES IN 2020 AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

For most years in the recent past, this site has recommended arriving at Walt Disney World one of the first three Saturdays after Thanksgiving. However, in 2020, the week beginning the Saturday after Thanksgiving is not as good a choice as the earlier two weeks.

If you can’t or don’t want to go then, presented below are my rankings of all the weeks of 2020 in order of best to worst times to visit Disney World. These rankings are designed for first time visitors who do not know whether or not they will return.

For visitors on a return trip, less concerned about ride closures or the peak of the hurricane season, the later January, early February, later August, and September weeks would be ranked much higher.

These rankings assume that you follow sound touring plans and pick the right parks to visit on the right days–an especially big issue during the party season in the last third of the year.

The rankings are also in calendar order on the image.

These week rankings are based on my  2020 Disney World Crowd Calendar and Disney World’s 2020 price seasons.

Other factors are key as well–the Christmas season, ride closure season and hurricane season in particular.

(For more on how I build these rankings, see this.)

RECOMMENDED 2020 WEEKS AT DISNEY WORLD, RANKED IN ORDER

The ten recommended weeks that follow are \ of the best weeks to visit Walt Disney World in 2020.

Week number one has it all–lower crowds (except on 11/28 itself), lower prices, and wonderful Christmas programs and decorations.

• 1: 11/28/20

Week 2 has most of the strengths of week 1, but has higher prices. Moreover, it is a week that, because of Pop Warner football demand for resort rooms, is rarely discounted. Those intending to stay at a value resort, Caribbean Beach or Coronado Springs should consider avoiding this week, as Pop Warner guests may make those resorts boisterous this week

• 2: 12/5/20

Weeks 3, 4 and 5 are very strong weeks. They have lower crowds and prices (with slightly higher crowds over the first weekend of week 4), and Disney World’s holiday program at the Magic Kingdom will be fully in place for week 3 and largely in place for week 4

• 3: 11/14/20
• 4: 11/7/20
• 5: 10/24/20

Weeks 6 through 9 are all in the same 2020 post-Easter stretch, and share lower crowds, moderate prices, and (especially in weeks 6 and 7) nice spring weather. They are  in calendar order, as the weather is better earlier in this period, with humidity and rain arriving sometime in mid- to later May.

• 6: 4/25/20
• 7: 5/2/20
• 8: 5/9/20
• 9: 5/16/20 (worse the second weekend)

Week 10 is your best spring break week

• 10: 2/22/20

This completes the weeks in 2020 that are recommended for first-time visitors to Disney World who may never return.

2020 WEEKS I’M NOT SO KEEN ON

Weeks 11-23 all have moderate crowd levels, with different prices and weather. I don’t particularly recommend moderate-crowd weeks for first time visitors, but with good plans they are quite manageable if you have to pick one, and are fine for returning visitors.

I present them in two groups. Weeks 11 to 17 are outside the heat and humidity of summer, while weeks 18 through 23 are during the summer.

The first group is in order of least to most crowded, and weeks with similar crowd forecasts are sorted by price.

• 11: 10/31/20. “Jersey Week”—teacher meetings in New Jersey, leading to a massive temporary immigration of New Jersey families to Orlando. Crowds moderate-minus, prices low to moderate, rarely with major discounts.
• 12: 10/17/20. Similar to week 5 but with more crowds from the tail end of fall breaks.
• 13: 4/18/20. This week was on my draft list of recommended weeks, but slightly higher crowds in my latest forecast now shift it here.
• 14: 2/29/20. This week was recommended in many prior years, but creeping attendance leading to moderate crowds has caused me to demote it
• 15: 12/12/20. Despite its high prices, this week had been ranked in my top 3 every year since I started providing this list. However, attendance this week has crept up–even though hardly any kids are on break during it–so I am now calling it a moderately-crowded week. Good choices in your daily plans and in particular in which park to visit which day can make it fine, but my logic forces me to take it off of the “Recommended Weeks” list, as I can no longer call it a “low crowd” week.
• 16: 3/7/20. The shift in 2020 of many spring breaks (e.g. half of Texas) from this week to next makes it a better bet than the same period many prior years
• 17: 3/28/20. Actual spring break data has led me to lower the crowd forecast for this week to from “high” to “moderate plus,” so it joins this list

The 6 moderate crowd summer weeks that follow are in calendar order, as on average weather is better earlier in the summer.

• 18: 5/30/20
• 19: 7/4/20
• 20: 7/11/20
• 21: 7/18/20
• 22: 7/25/20
• 23: 8/1/20

Weeks 24-32 have one thing in common: they occur during the peak of the hurricane season. Hurricanes are rare and even more rarely affect a Disney World vacation, but for first-timers who may never return, why not just avoid the risk? For returning visitors, though, the low-crowd weeks that can be found among this group can be wonderful times to visit, and many of them traditionally see what can be a great deal, Free Dining.

These peak hurricane season weeks are ranked in order of first crowd levels, and within the same crowd level prices.

Week 24 has some of the lowest crowds of the year

• 24: 9/12/20

Weeks 25 has slightly higher crowds…

• 25: 9/19/20

…and Week 26 just a bit higher

• 26: 8/29/20

Weeks 27-29 have slightly higher crowds, but still in my “low” class, and are sorted by price.

• 27: 8/22/20
• 28: 9/5/20
• 29: 9/26/20

Weeks 30 to 32 are the moderate-crowd weeks in this hurricane group.

• 30: 8/15/20
• 31: 10/3/20
• 32: 8/8/20

2020 WEEKS TO AVOID AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

There’s two groups of weeks to avoid in 2020: high crowd weeks and weeks when some rides are often closed.

The first group, ranked 33-47, should be avoided because of crowds that traditionally range from high to unbelievable.

This group includes later June, and early July. It also includes the busy March spring break weeks beginning 3/14/2020, and the holiday weeks—President’s Day week, the weeks before and after Easter, Columbus Day week, Thanksgiving week, and the weeks around Christmas.

See the table above for exact rankings within these lousy weeks.

The next group includes the January and early February weeks when rides are often closed for repair or refurbishment—weeks 48-53.

Some of these weeks have among the lowest crowds and lowest prices of the year. However, this is the peak time for ride closures at Walt Disney World, especially the January weeks.

If this may be your only family visit, why go when you know some of the best of Disney World will probably be closed?

If you must go during this period, avoid the first days of January (massive crowds), and the Martin Luther King Day (1/18/20 arrival date) holiday weekend.

The Marathon (affecting especially the weekend of 1/11/20) complicates Disney World as well, although it has little impact on park crowds.

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Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.

THE BLACK SPIRE CANTINA

By Jim Korkis

The official description by Imagineering of Batuu, the setting of the new Star Wars: Galaxy Edge land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, expected to open in the fall or late fall of 2019, is “Located on the edge of wild space, this remote outpost is home to all those who are seeking adventure and opportunity – pilots, smugglers, rogue traders and bounty hunters traveling between the frontier and uncharted space. This thriving space port is also a convenient safe haven for all others hoping to avoid the expanding reach of the First Order.”

(C) Disney

Thousands of years ago, Batuu was known for the huge ancient trees that dotted its landscape, and as the trees evolved and petrified, those spires remained a distinctive feature of the planet.

There’s one particular spire that was blacker than the rest, and as bounty hunters and traders came to the area, they used it as an identifying marker for where to meet and do business, so the outpost sprang up around it.

Black spires are also found elsewhere in the Star Wars universe. In the movie Solo: A Star Wars Story, L3-37 mentions to Lando Calrissian that without her, he would not get from “here to the Black Spire Station.”

Of course, all these scoundrels and rogues would need a particular gathering spot to plot and plan, relax and tell tales of adventure. For Black Spire Outpost that will be Oga’s Cantina, which will serve pilots, bounty hunters, smugglers, locals and galactic travelers alike.

Portfolio Creative Executive, Walt Disney Imagineering Scott Trowbridge, stated that the Cantina, hosted by the alien proprietor, Oga Garra, will serve a mixture of drinks with choices for kids and adults, and to expect some of those otherworldly concoctions to have exotic ingredients prepared with unique methods and served in unique vessels.

Trowbridge elaborated that the creative team is “developing a specialty cocktail (non-alcohol- and alcohol-based) menu that will include creatively themed custom cocktails, and proprietary beer and wine options.” So it will serve more than the infamous and familiar blue milk.

The proprietor of the cantina is Oga Garra, an alien who “adheres to a strict code of conduct that tries to keep its unruly patrons in check.”

The cantina will feature music from a galaxy far, far away, courtesy of RX-24, a former StarSpeeder 3000 pilot droid that will seem familiar as the nervous and possibly defective “Rex” to fans of the original Star Tours. He’s found a new job as the cantina’s DJ. RX-24 will supposedly be as quirky and talkative as ever, and will probably be a better fit for a cantina rather than piloting tourists through the universe. Trowbridge said, Rex is “still trying to do his best on the job.”

Visitors to Oga’s Cantina will encounter some of the galaxy’s more interesting and disreputable characters, from First Order Stormtroopers, aliens, droids, and bounty hunters to more familiar Star Wars characters including some who are trying to hide from detection. However, these interactions will be random, without a set show schedule.

Visiting something like the Mos Eisley cantina first seen in George Lucas’ 1977 film Star Wars  (now named Star Wars: A New Hope), has been something many Star Wars fans have always wanted to do, and now with the opening of the new land, they will finally get their chance.

*  *  *  *  *

Thanks, Jim! And come back next Friday for more from Jim Korkis!

In the meantime, check out his books, including his latest,  The Vault of Walt Volume 7: Christmas Edition, and his Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew, which reprints much material first written for this site, all published by Theme Park Press.

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WHAT IS AUGUST LIKE AT DISNEY WORLD?

Updated June 25, 2019.

On March 7, Disney announced that the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land would partially open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on August 29.

Crowds in the new land will be a mess, and likely will spill over into the other thrill-style rides at that park. While I don’t see much impact on the other parks, no one knows for sure, and the Labor Day weekend that immediately follows opening day will likely be the busiest such in Disney World history.  See this for more.

There are no great times for first-timers who may never return to visit in August. Kids start going back to school in August, so crowds (and most prices) go down later in the month–but that’s also when the peak of the hurricane season kicks off.

Note however, that the last three summers have been unusually good at Disney World in terms of crowds. If this trend continues, then August will be better earlier in the month than I’ve noted.

Hotel prices begin the month low at the deluxes and stay low all month long. Prices begin the month OK at the moderates, and high at the values. Values prices drop to moderate levels on 8/11, and on 8/25 prices drop to among the lowest of the year at the values. Moderate prices also change these dates, but stay within the general band of 10-20% higher than the lowest of the year.

Ticket prices are low in the later two-thirds of the month.

[Read more →]

DISNEY WORLD’S SPECIAL HALLOWEEN PARTY IN 2019

While Halloween itself is October 31st of course, Walt Disney World provides a special Halloween celebration at the Magic Kingdom many evenings in 2019, from August 16 until November 1.

This celebration is called “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party,” or “MNSSHP” for short.

At the party, many of the Magic Kingdom’s rides are open, and trick or treating, special events, and different parades and fireworks are offered.

The official Disney World page for this event can be found here. My review of the 2019 party is here.

Click the images below for the 2019 brochure.

MORE ON MICKEY’S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY IN 2019

[Read more →]

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: JANUARY 26 TO FEBRUARY 3, 2019

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

For more on January 2019 at Disney World, see this, and for more on February, see this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/26-2/3/19

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 9a-11p 1/26, 9a-8p 1/27 through 1/31, 9a-9p 2/1, 9a-11p 2/2, and 9a-9p 2/3

Epcot will be open from 9a-9p every day

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open from 9a-8p every day

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open from 9a-8p every day

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/26-2/3/19

Saturday 1/26 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 1/27  Morning:  Magic Kingdom Evening: none

Monday 1/28  Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Tuesday 1/29 Morning: none Evening: Epcot

Wednesday 1/30 Morning:  none Evening: Magic Kingdom

Thursday 1/31 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 2/1 Morning:  Hollywood Studios Evening: none

Saturday 2/2 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Sunday 2/3 Morning:  Hollywood Studios  Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/26-2/3/19

The Magic Kingdom: Afternoon parade: 3p every day

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/26-2/3/19

Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom 8p every night

IllumiNations at Epcot: 9p every night

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8p every night

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 8.30p every night

Rivers of Light at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 6.45 and 8p 1/26 through 2/2; 7 and 8.15p 2/3

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 1/26/-2/3/19

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

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THE WYNDHAM AND WYNDHAM GARDEN LAKE BUENA VISTA

Note: guests at the Wyndham and Wyndham Garden Lake are eligible for Disney World’s Early Entry program.

The Wyndham complex has two separately booked accommodations types that share all the same hotel amenities, but have very different rooms:

• Rooms in the mid-rise tower, “Wyndham” rooms, are entered from a hall, have an undivided bath, and offer two queen beds or a king bed.
• Rooms in the two low rise buildings on either side of the tower–“Wyndham Garden” rooms–are entered from an outdoor corridor, have a divided bath, and offer two full beds or a king bed.

In the rest of this review, I will refer to the whole thingy as the “Wyndham,” unless I am making distinctions about accommodation types.

The best features of the Wyndham are its amenities, particularly its pool complex, how close it is to Disney Springs (it is basically tied with the Hilton and the Hilton Buena Vista Palace for being the closest of these seven hotels to Disney Springs), and the price/value equation for those booking Wyndham Garden rooms, who get four-star amenities at a three star price.

Weaknesses include un-divided baths in tower Wyndham rooms, full beds in the Wyndham Garden rooms, the absence of balconies, and so-so dining. It shares with all the Disney Springs Resort Area hotels weak transportation.

I’ve stayed at the Wyndham twice and I consider it one of the top three Disney Springs Resort Area options (the other two are the Hilton and the Hilton Buena Vista Palace).

My full review has five pages:

• The overview of the Wyndham you are reading now
• A photo tour of a Wyndham tower two queen bed room
• A photo tour of a Wyndham Garden two full bed room
• Amenities and dining at both the Wyndham and the Wyndham Garden
• The pools at the Wyndham

ACCOMMODATIONS AT THE WYNDHAM AND WYNDHAM GARDEN LAKE BUENA VISTA

The Wyndham has two types of accommodations buildings: a mid rise tower, and low rise Garden wings, with distinct rooms in each.

The rooms are so distinct that when you try to book a room, you have to choose a hotel first–either the Wyndham, or the Wyndham Garden.

Wyndham accommodations. Wyndham rooms are in the central mid-rise tower (an image of the tower is near the top of this page).

Standard Wyndham tower rooms are entered from an interior corridor, and offer two queen beds or a king bed.

The bath has all the basics, but is not divided, making it less family friendly.

Views are fine, but no Wyndham rooms have balconies. These rooms do have a couple of ottomans nestled under the dresser, adding some seating flexibility (the only other seat is a desk chair).

At 325 square feet, these Wyndham rooms are smaller than the smallest Disney World deluxe rooms, but the small bath area results in a 240 square foot living area, as large or larger than you’ll find in the Disney deluxes except those along the monorail. But the absence of a divided bath and an easy chair makes it hard for me to recommend this room for any but the smallest families–although the ottomans do help.

A photo tour of a two queen bed Wyndham tower room is here,

Wyndham Garden accommodations. Wyndham Garden rooms are in two separate low-rise wings, one on either side of the tower.

Some of these rooms have nice views of the lawns and pool area they enclose…

…others not so much.

Standard Wyndham Garden rooms are entered from an exterior corridor, and offer two full beds or a king bed.

Unlike Wyndham rooms, Wyndham Garden rooms offer a table and chairs, and also a divided bath–making the space overall much more family friendly.

At ~290 square feet, these rooms are larger than standard rooms in Disney’s value resorts, but smaller than those in its moderate resorts.  Bath sizes are comparable to those at the values, and the living area is about 30 square feet larger than the values, and 15 square feet smaller than the moderates.

All in–excepting the full beds, which are being replaced with queens at the values–these Wyndham Garden rooms are more livable than Disney’s value resorts, and a step below accommodations in its moderates.

A photo tour of a two full bed Wyndham Garden room is here.

DINING AT THE WYNDHAM AND WYNDHAM GARDEN LAKE BUENA VISTA

The principal dining venue at the Wyndham is the Lakeview Restaurant on the floor above the lobby, serving a breakfast buffet, and also dinner. Lakeview also offers character meals at a buffet breakfast Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Off the lobby is a bar that also serves the Lakeview menu, and an extensive shop offering snacks, drinks, and grab and go items. There’s also a Disney gift shop offering souvenirs, park tickets and such off the lobby.

The pool bar also offers an extensive menu.

I haven’t eaten enough at the Wyndham have a firm opinion, but was a bit disappointed by what I did experience.

There’s more on dining and the other amenities at the Wyndham here.

THE POOLS AT THE WYNDHAM AND WYNDHAM GARDEN LAKE BUENA VISTA

The Wyndham’s pool complex is one of its best features, and almost by itself puts the Wyndham among the top three Disney Springs Resort Area hotels (the other two in the top three are the Hilton and the Hilton Buena Vista Palace).

It features two principal pools plus a hot tub, and a nice bar and grill.

One of the pools is simpler, and thus tends to attract adults.

The other has a large rock with water sprays, and also a more structured play area.

The play area at night.

For more on the pools at the Wyndham, see this.

THEME PARK TRANSPORTATION AT THE WYNDHAM AND WYNDHAM GARDEN LAKE BUENA VISTA

The Wyndham participates in a transportation program sponsored by all the Disney Springs Resort Area hotels. One group of buses serves the Best Western, Wyndham, and Hilton Buena Vista Palace, and another the other four hotels here.

Buses run about every thirty minutes, each serving two parks–so, for example, to get to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you may have travel to the Magic Kingdom first.  Moreover, unlike the buses from Disney-owned resorts, Magic Kingdom buses drop off at the Transportation and Ticket Center, not the park itself, necessitating another transit, via monorail or ferry, to get to that park.

In addition to the theme park buses, buses to and from Disney Springs run through the evening.

On the important dimensions–frequency, and the time it takes to get to and return from the parks–the transportation system at the Disney Springs Resort Area is much worse than that at the Disney-owned resorts, but better than that at most off-site hotels.

Having your own car or a rental is a much better option. Self-parking at the Wyndham (for either room type) is $15/night and valet parking is $20/night. Parking at the theme parks is $25/day.

For more on transportation at the Disney Springs Resort Area hotels, see this.

PRICING AT THE WYNDHAM AND WYNDHAM GARDEN LAKE BUENA VISTA

Pricing at the Disney Springs Resort Hotels is much less visible than that at the Disney-owned resorts, and multiple prices for the same room the same night e.g. for non-refundable stays, stays by folk with AAA, etc. are common.  Discounts and deals are also routine, and these hotels commonly show up on the various hotel deal sites.

Pricing for most of them is also obscured by mandatory “resort fees.”  Resort fees are a mandatory extra cost added every night of your stay, whether you like or not. I personally find mandatory resort fees a misleading and unethical practice.  A fee that is mandatory, and charged each night, should simply be rolled into the nightly room price.

The Wyndham resort fee for either room type is (after tax) $28.12 per night–in the middle range among the Disney Springs Resort Area fees.

Prices for Wyndham Garden rooms at the Wyndham (before any discounts you might find, but including resort fees and taxes) are generally among the lowest among the seven Disney Springs Resort Area hotels, and are typically about five to ten percent more than what you would pay for a Disney-owned value resort.

Prices for tower rooms at the Wyndham are much higher, typically a bit more expensive than what you would pay for a Disney-owned moderate resort.

For families on a tight budget who can fit into full beds, the nice amenities here make Wyndham Garden Rooms a reasonable alternative to Disney value resorts. The value of the Wyndham rooms, which are much more expensive, is a little less clear cut, but if you can get them on a deal they may represent a reasonable alternative to Disney moderates. Transportation will be an issue in either offering.

Kelly, the long-time travel agent partner of this site, can book your Disney World vacation at either Wyndham offering–or at any other Disney World hotel!  Contact here using the form below.

PHOTO TOUR OF A WYNDHAM ROOM

This review continues here.

MORE ON THE WYNDHAM AND WYNDHAM GARDEN LAKE BUENA VISTA

• Overview and summary
• Photo tour of a Wyndham tower room 
• Photo tour of a Wyndham Garden room
• Dining and amenities
• The pools

OTHER KEY PAGES FOR WHERE TO STAY AT DISNEY WORLD

• Where to stay–the Basics
• Where first-timers should stay
• Reviews of all the Disney World resorts, based on my 160+ stays in them

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