What is the Best Time to Visit Disney World?

While the Best Time to Visit Disney depends on a lot of different things we wanted to share several things that could help you make the most of your vacation. From What happens each month at Disney World, to the crowds you can expect, and even how the costs change throughout the year. Okay, thinking about the time of year you will want to go to Disney World is often limited to when you can take vacation from work, or how much you can afford. As certain time of year at Disney World are just cheaper. Let’s give you a breakdown of the best time to visit Disney World based on certain factors. Planning a great time to go to Walt Disney World doesn’t have to be confusing. While we try to answer a lot of questions in this post, here are the main things to remember.

The Best Time to Go to Disney World

• Disney World Parks are always the Least Crowded on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
• The best months to visit Disney World are January, August and September, based on cost, crowds and weather. 
• If you’re traveling on a budget, and who isn’t, Disney World is the Cheapest in January, and September.
• For the most Mild Weather aim for November- February. 

This quick roundup of the Best Time to Visit Disney is a snapshot of everything in this post. But, since your vacation is sure to include more than just two days, and may not be possible within those months, we’re sharing all the options in this post, including Monthly WDW Crowd Calendars for 2025, to help you plan your best Disney Vacation. Whether you’re planning for an EPCOT Festival Vacation, or just need to see Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, here are all the things we could think of that may help you plan a better trip to Walt Disney World. 

Overall Best Time to Visit Disney World

What’s the Overall Best time to visit Disney World? The overall best time to visit Walt Disney World is in Late January, August and September. Both months offer fewer crowds and lower costs. As such you’ll find fewer sports competitions, fewer traveling groups, fewer vacationers, and cheaper resort rates in January and September, than during any other time of year. And if you’re visiting next year, be sure to check out the 2025 Disney Calendar of Events to get a handle on things that may affect your vacation. 

Season

Visiting Walt Disney World during certain seasons, allow you the chance to take part in special experiences that are season specific. Things like H20 Nights at Typhoon Lagoon, for instance only happens in the summer in June and July. While things like Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party happens only August- October. We’ll share what happens in each month, so you can choose the best time to visit Disney World. 

Cost

Believe it or not you have more control over how much you spend on a Disney World vacation than you think. Simply things like choosing January instead of May could affect your ticket prices by $70. With ticket ranges from $119- $189 throughout the year, you can also easily glean when the cheapest and most expensive times to visit Disney World are. 

Crowds

Another big thing that determines the best time to visit Disney World are the crowds. While there are almost ALWAYS crowds at Disney, there are certain times of year that are just better. For instance, if the kids are “in school’…the crowds are typically lower. Holidays, Weekends, and special openings are another time when there are always crowds at Disney. Additional times of year like Summer Vacation, Spring Break, and Winter Break are also busy. In fact, so much so the we almost always recommend you skip the weekends and holidays when choosing the Best Days to Visit Each Disney Park. 

Weather

Another major factor for many when they visit Disney World is the weather. If you’ve never visited Walt Disney World, consider this your friendly reminder that it’s in Florida. As a place,  Florida is hot and rainy. It is a swamp after all. That said here are a few things to remember if your Best Time to Visit Disney involves good weather.  As you can see from Florida’s weather chart above, the times of year for the most mild weather are November- January. The hottest times of year are May- September. And Hurricane Season is June- November. 

Winter – November, December and January

When we talk about winter at Disney World, know that not only are you getting the better weather, and lower costs, you are also getting holiday decorations, ECPCOT festivals and special events. It’s one of the best times to visit Disney World. Here is what you can expect.

Events

Filled with festive fun throughout the holidays, you can find decorations across all the parks, and resorts, as well as Disney Springs. Add in specialty events like Mickey’s Christmas Party, the glitz and glam filled Jollywood Nights Party, and the Festival of Holidays, and you’ll find more to do than you can actually fit in. And of course as soon as the holiday season wraps up, you can look forward to the slowest time of year with the Festival of the Arts in January. 

• Festival of Holidays
• Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
• Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios
• New Years at Disney World
• runDisney Marathon
• Festival of the Arts 

Crowds at Disney in the Winter

A great time to visit Disney World is during the winter months. While the early December weeks means you get holiday activities and fewer crowds, January offers fewer crowds and even better weather.

Least Busy

• Weekdays in November, with the exception of Thanksgiving week and weekdays in December with the exception of Christmas and New Years Weeks.
• The third week in January until the end of the month tends to be lower crowds and the Best Time to Visit Disney if you’re not there for the holiday fun. 

Busiest Times

• Veterans Day — Nov. 11
• runDisney Wine and Dine Weekend
• The week of Thanksgiving
• The week of Christmas through the week of New Year
• WDW runDisney Marathon Weekend
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day 

Cheapest Time to Visit Disney in the Winter

• Nov. 1-3, 2024; 2025
• Dec. 10-12, 2024; 2025 
• Jan. 5-7, 2024; 2025 

Spring- February, March, April

Disney World in the spring offers some of the best vacations, with the help of special events, the Flower and Garden Festival and weather that is not quite as bad as summer. And if you’re traveling in February you can still see the Festival of the Arts at EPCOT too. Springtime at Disney also sees limited events like Disney After Hours pop up across the parks. For an extra cost of course, After Hours events offer an opportunity to stay in the parks extra late to make the most of your Disney World vacation time. Spring is, however, also one of the most expensive times to visit Disney World. And while it may be the Best Time to Visit Disney based on when your Spring Break happens, it’s also quite busy. 

Events

• Flower and Garden Festival 
• Easter at Walt Disney World
• Star Wars Day 
• runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend

Crowds at Disney in the Spring

During the spring season crowds at Disney World get busiest around Easter and Spring Break. And since colleges and high schools take spring break at different times, this is sometimes hard to call. However, remember that Easter falls on April 20, and so the time leading up to that date will most likely be the most crowded. And don’t underestimate the power of a long weekend at Disney World. During minor holidays like presidents day there are still heavy crowds in the parks. 

Least Busy

• Feb. 3-6, 2025
• March 3-7, 2025
• April 7-11, 2025

Busiest Times

• Feb. 14-24, 2025
• March 14-31, 2025
• April 12-27, 2025

Cheapest Time to Visit Disney in the Spring

• Feb. 26-28, 2025
• March 1-4, 2025
• April 28-30, 2025

Summer- May, June, July

While Disney’s  Summer months have been seeing fewer crowds due to the excessive heat in Florida, those families and tour groups bent on experience summer at Disney World still show up. For us the summer months are NEVER the Best Time to Visit Disney. But for many, it’s the only time they can vacation. And even while summer is not the best time to visit Disney World for a variety of reasons like weather, cost and lack of special events. Here’s what you can expect at Disney World if you’re visiting in May, June or July. 

Events

As noted the summer events at Disney World are sparse. With a few annual events like the foodie festival at Disney Springs, and the Water Park after hours party, the summer months typically offer Disney experiences at their most basic. You can still meet characters, ride rides and grab awesome food and Disney Snacks. 

• Flavors of Florida at Disney Springs
• H20 Glow Nights

Crowds at Disney in the Summer

If you’re visiting in June and July, you’ll be surprised by how “average” the crowds are. But chances are you will also be quite miserable in the heat. Here are the details on the crowds at Disney during the summer months.  

Least Busy 

If you’re visiting Disney World in between May- July, then there are a couple times with fewer crowds to consider.

• The first half of May, minus the weekends, are typically okay crowd wise. With kids not yet out of school you’re only competition for park time is from the emerging locals, who tend to come out on the evenings and weekends in May.
• The first week of June is also typically less busy, as high school senior trips to Disney World are usually finished by then, and the summer crowds have not yet arrived. 

Busiest Times

The busiest time at Disney World in the summer include all the holidays, and the weeks smack dab in the middle of Summer vacation. While Florida locals will typically fill the parks on weekends in May, they’ve usually retreated to the air conditioning of their own homes by the time of the second week of June rolls around. 

• Weekends in May
• Memorial Day
• July 4th
• Second week of June- third week in July

Cheapest Time to Visit Disney in the Summer

• May 2-6, 30-31, 2025
• June 1-4, 2025
• July 21-25, 29-31, 2025

Fall- August, September, October

By far our favorite time of year to visit, and the Best Time to Visit Disney World, fall is so magical, that you get not only decorations, events, and seasonal snacks, but also lower costs, fewer crowds and cheaper prices. 

Events

By far the best time to visit Disney World is in the fall.  The combination of the Food and Wine Festival plus Halloween and decorations, new snacks and slightly better weather, makes spending time in the parks easy, and fun. It’s also a slower pace as you take in the scents of pumpkin spice, and stroll the parks. We love it! 

• World Princess Week
• Food and Wine Festival
• Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
• runDisney Wine and Dine

Crowds at Disney in the Fall

Generally September through December tends to be the slowest time of the year at Disney World with the exception of holidays, and weekends. With kids back in school, heading to Disney World means fewer crowds, and less tour groups, so you get more of the parks to yourself. 

Least Busy

• 2nd- 4th weeks in August
• September
• Most of October, minus the 3rd week, holidays and weekends. 

Busiest Times

• Labor Day
• Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Cheapest Time to Visit Disney in the Fall

• Aug. 20-23, 2024
• Sept. 10-13, 2024
• Oct. 1-2, 27-31, 2024
• Aug. 19-22, 2025
• Sept. 2-5, 11-15, 2025
• Oct. 1-4, 2025

Best Time to Visit Disney World For Low Crowds

The best days of the week to visit Disney world parks are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, for low crowds. But since vacations are typically longer than 3 days, it pays to know when is the least crowded time at Disney Parks. Whether you’re looking for the least crowded time to go to Disney World or even just the best time to visit Magic Kingdom, we’re going to break it all down in the post so you can make the best Disney itinerary for your trip. The Lowest Crowds at Walt Disney World are typically found on the following dates throughout the year. Note that these are typically off-season dates. We’ve added what Disney World Events are happening during each date range, so you can see what things may be happening during your trip. For LOWEST Crowds at Disney visit between these dates. You’ll note that the date ranges typically avoid weekends and holidays. 

• January 26-30| Festival of the Arts, runDisney Marathon
• February 3-6 | Festival of the Arts
• March 3-7 | Flower and Garden Festival
• Apr 7-11 | Flower and Garden Festival
• May 6-22| Flower and Garden Festival
• June | H20 Glow Nights
• July | H20 Glow Nights
• August 5-28 | Food and Wine Festival
• September 3- 30 | MNSSHP, Food and Wine Festival
• October 1-9 | MNSSHP, Food and Wine Festival
• November 12-21 | Food and Wine Festival, Holiday Decorations
• December 1-12 | Festival of Holidays, MVMCP, Jollywood Nights

Worst Time to Visit Disney World 

The worst time to visit Walt Disney World can be based on crowds, costs, and weather. Holiday Weeks and Spring Break months are the worst times to visit Walt Disney World. And every weekend is typically busy at Walt Disney World. While we always aim for a vacation including nice weather, Florida weather includes a hurricane season from June through November. As such experiencing Disney in the Rain is usually a necessary evil, unless you’re traveling outside of these times. Here is a list of the worst times to visit Disney World.

• Worst Crowds: The Worst Crowds at Disney World are in Late March, Late April, Late June and Early July, Middle of October, Late November and Late December. Other times of the year like Spring Break in March and April, the Weeks of Christmas and New Year’s Eve, and all major holidays are equally bad to visit. Strangely, even holidays like Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Columbus Day are also notably crowded and expensive.
• Worst Weather: Disney World is Hottest in June, July and August. With last-minute summer vacationers, groups, and the arrival of Halloween events the parks are crowded and resort prices are higher than average.
• Highest Costs: The Most Expensive Time to Visit Disney World is April and December. As you can see, the months with the best chance of being cheaper, with fewer crowds, and better weather, are January, February, and September.

When to Avoid Visiting Disney World Parks

• All Holidays: Including New Year, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, etc. 
• Spring Break: Running from mid-March- April, spring break crowds are worse than you can imagine. Causing long lines at rides and restaurants as well as filling resorts to the brim with families, sports competitors, college kids, and more. 
• Late October: A fun month to visit, it’s also becoming one of the busiest due to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party crowds and cooler weather that hits later in the month.
• Christmas Week: While early December tends to remain mild, the week of Christmas at Disney World is busy, busy, busy. And gives guests the chance to see the Once Upon a Christmas Disney Parade without the cost of a Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party ticket. 
• Weekends: All year long you can expect weekends at Walt Disney World to be busy simply because of the HUGE local fan base. Combining Disney Season Passholders and Disney Bloggers, Vloggers, and Influencers, added to regular vacationers, the parks are usually bursting. This means hard to get Disney dining reservations, long lines at rides, and crowds.

At the Start of New Rides, Lands, Parties, Festivals

• First Week of a Party: Like everything the opening of all the holiday parties including Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios all see huge crowds the first few party dates. Heavily due to those eager to kick off the season, as well as bloggers, vloggers, and media. 
• First Week of a Festival: EPCOT has 4 Annual Festivals, and the kickoff week for each is always extra busy. Partly due to the locals, it’s also due to the blogger/ vlogger/ media crowds, so lines at the booths are typically longer those first few days of  each festival. 
• Opening Days: Opening days are always busy. Additionally, the days around opening day are usually busy as well. With soft openings and passholder previews, there are more people in the parks for the New Things Coming to Disney Parks. 

Best Time to Visit Disney World for Events

Planning a Disney Vacation for the perfect time is tough. As a result, it’s important to know the best times to visit to give yourself your best chance. We’ve pulled together a list of all the Disney Festivals and Parties that happen annually so you can choose the best time to visit. Here are also the major holidays and runDisney events causing the busiest times to visit Walt Disney World.

January: runDisney Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend, Festival of the Arts
February: Valentine’s Day/President’s Day Weekend, runDisney Princess Half Marathon, and Mardi Gras Week, Festival of the Arts, Disney After Hours 
March: Spring Break, Flower and Garden Festival, Disney After Hours 
April: Easter, runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend, Disney After Hours, Flower and Garden Festival 
May: Dapper Day, Memorial Day Weekend, Flower and Garden Festival, Star Wars Day, Cinco de Mayo
June: H20 Glow Nights, Summer Vacation
July: Fourth of July Week, H20 Glow Nights
August: Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Food and Wine Festival
September: Labor Day Weekend, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Food and Wine Festival
October: Columbus Day Weekend, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Food and Wine Festival
November: Wine and Dine Half Marathon,  Thanksgiving Week, Food and Wine Festival, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
December: Christmas Week, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios

A Reminder

Now, since there’s a good chance you planned your vacation because you had time off at work or were working around a child’s school schedule, the crowd-level info in these guides can only get you so far. To get a glimpse as to what you’ll be seeing at Disney while you’re there, regardless of when you go, here’s the rundown of yearly Disney festivals and activities. Check out our Walt Disney World Events Calendar for a List of ALL THE EVENTS at Walt Disney World throughout the year. 

Best Months to Visit Disney World

We won’t pretend that the Best Time to Visit Disney is black and white, some weeks in certain months are simply busier due to certain events. But if you’re looking at costs, crowds and weather here is a quick snapshot of the Best and Worst Months to visit Walt Disney World. We’ll go into the events in each month below and which days each week are best per park. 

• Best Months to Visit Disney: January, August, September, November

Worst Months to Visit Disney World

• Worst Months to Visit Disney: February, March, April, May, June, July, August, October, December

If you’re tied to a certain month when you’re planning a Disney Vacation, take a look at the events in each month and the Best Weeks to Visit Disney World for your best chance at lower crowds, and costs.

January Crowds at Disney World

January at Walt Disney World is one of the best times of year to visit. With the weather mild and prices and crowds low, overall, you will find this to be a great time to visit. The second week of January through mid-February is usually best. Lowest Crowds: January 26-30. Best Week to Visit: 4th Week. 

• runDisney Marathon
• Festival of the Arts Begins
• Martin Luther King Day Weekend
• Cheerleading and Dance Competitions
• South American Tour Groups on winter break

February Crowds at Disney World

February hosts a variety of high school, college and national competitions at Disney World, making it busier than years past. In addition, the runDisney Princess Marathon, Valentine’s Day and Mardi Gras all bring additional crowds on the cusp of Spring Break. Lowest Crowds: February 3-6 Best Week to Visit: 2nd week

• Festival of the Arts
• Princess runDisney Half Marathon
• Valentines Day 
• Mardi Gras Week
• Cheerleading and Dance Competitions

March Crowds at Disney World

Expect Spring Break Crowds to be heavy starting the 3rd week in March through the 2nd week in April. The beginning of the Flower and Garden Festival tends to have moderate crowds, which are the lowest all month. Lowest Crowds: March 3-7. Best Weeks to Visit: 1st Week

• Flower and Garden Festival 
• Cheerleading/ Dance Competitions
• Spring Break
• Easter at Walt Disney World
• Disney After Hours Events

April Crowds at Disney World

Many could argue that the Best Time to Visit Disney is in April. Disney in the springtime brings spring breakers, events for Earth Day, and competitions. While typically a moderate crowd month, the third and fourth weeks of April sees heavy crowds as a result of Easter Vacationers. Lowest Crowds: Apr 7-11, 28-30 Best Week to Visit: 2nd or 4th Week

• Easter at Disney World
• Flower and Garden Festival
• runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend
• Dapper Day Spring Event

May Crowds at Disney World

The first three weeks of May are typically the last chance you have with non-sweltering weather and manageable crowds. While prices and crowds are moderate this time of year, they get noticeably worse at the end of the month. Plan to visit early in the month for your best vacation. Expect high school Senior Trip Crowds the 3rd and 4th weeks of May. Lowest Crowds: May 6- 22, avoid weekends Best Weeks to Visit: 2nd- 3rd weeks

• Flower and Garden Festival
• Star Wars Day 
• Memorial Day
• Mother’s Day
• Cinco de Mayo

June Crowds at Disney World

The summer at Walt Disney World is probably the worst idea ever. BUT, we respect that people have schedules, and school to work around. That said, expect June through Early August to be extremely hot and very crowded. Plan to be in the park early, take a break from 12- 4 pm when the heat and crowds are heaviest, and then head back to the parks for the evening. Expect lots of summer heat at the start of Hurricane Season at Disney World. It’s pretty much the reason why we’d recommend visiting any other time of year.  Best Week to Visit: 1st- 3rd weeks. Avoid weekends.

• H20 Glow Night at the Water Parks

July Crowds at Disney World

Summer Vacation at Disney World overflows with vacationers, annual passholders, and traveling groups. All of which can make lines longer, costs higher and transportation slow. If you’re traveling this month, aim for weekdays in the parks. Avoid weekends, and instead use that time to explore your resort, have pool time, or play mini golf. Best Week to Visit: 2nd- 4th weeks, Avoid weekends. 

• July 4th
• H20 Glow Night at the Water Parks
• Flavors of Florida at Disney Springs

August Crowds at Disney World

Walt Disney World in the fall is extra fun with special events, snacks, and decorations. Plan on visiting from late August through September for good prices and decent crowds. It’s still very hot in August and September in Florida, but if you can stand it, it’s worth it. Lowest Crowds: Aug 5- 28. Best Week to Visit: 2nd- 4th Weeks

• Food and Wine Festival
• Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Begins
• World Princess Week

September Crowds at Disney World

September is one of the Cheapest Times to Visit Disney World, offering up fall decorations, MNSSHP, and better weather in Florida. And the overall Best Time to Visit Disney, in our opinion. Lowest Crowds: Sept 3- 30 Best Weeks to Visit: After Labor Day, all weeks are fairly good:)

• Food and Wine Festival
• Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
• Labor Day
• Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month

October Crowds at Disney World

Oddly, October is very crowded and pretty pricey! With Fall at Walt Disney World being a favorite of many and a great time for an annual trip as the weather starts to cool, we recommend going early in the month for your best vacation. Lowest Crowds: October 1-9 Best Week to Visit: 1st Week

• Food and Wine Festival
• Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party
• Columbus Day
• Rosh Hashanah
• Indigenous Peoples’ Day
• Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month

November Crowds at Disney World

While Thanksgiving week sees an uptick in crowds in the parks, there are many reasons Thanksgiving at Disney World offers a vacation filled with extra fun without the holiday crowds. Christmas Decorations at Disney World go up the week of Thanksgiving. And it’s one of the best times to visit Disney World for the holidays. Lowest Crowds: Nov 12- 21. Best Week to Visit: 2nd and 3rd Week

• Food and Wine Festival
• Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
• runDisney Wine and Dine
• Veterans Day

December Crowds at Disney World

Christmas at Disney World takes over the parks, resorts and Disney Springs in December with Gingerbread Displays, Decorations and holiday events. By far the Best Time to Visit Disney if you’re looking for extra holiday fun. Crowds throughout the late part of the month remain high, but the early part of December offers fewer crowds and better prices. Lowest Crowds: Dec 1-12. Best Week to Visit: 1st and 2nd Week

• Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
• EPCOT International Festival of Holidays
• Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios
• Dapper Day Winter Event
• New Years Eve at Disney World

The Best Time to Visit Disney World 

While it may seem like there’s a lot to consider here, know that Disney is magical, no matter when you go. We hope this gives you a little more information than you had before and some good tips to make sure you make the most of your Disney vacation. The Best Time to Visit Disney means a lot of things to a lot of people. Are you prioritizing weather, cost or events? Pick one and go from there. Happy planning!