The Absolute Best Times of the Year to Visit Walt Disney World (FREE Printable Crowd Calendar for 2020-2021!)

Hey friends! One of the questions that I get asked the most is, “so what exactly is the best time to visit Walt Disney World, Becca?”

So, in this post, I’ll be sharing the three major aspects to consider when planning, how to avoid peak travel times, special Disney events that you won’t want to miss, and my top three recommendations for the best time visit.

Let’s go! Oh, and don’t forget to snag your FREE Walt Disney World Crowd Calendar to help you plan your trip!!

There are three major aspects to consider when planning your vacation to Walt Disney World as either of these can make or break your trip…and they are:

1.crowds

2. pricing

3. Weather

Avoid Peak Travel Times

Disney World can be absolutely magical! I’ve been to both Disney World and Disneyland almost a bazillion times, or so it feels that way, and the number one variable to a great trip for me is always dependent on the crowd levels.

Disney has become increasingly popular, and for good reason, however, when planning your trip I would highly recommend avoiding the peak travel times.

When crowds are at their highest it can be a HUGE nightmare. Lines are long, seating at dining establishments can be hard to find, and you won’t be able to see and do as much because you are fighting the crowds the entire time.

The two most popular and high-crowd times are during Christmas and Spring break. The week of Thanksgiving, plus the January and February holiday weekends also tend to drive in large crowds. The summer months when the kids are out of school are also busy times throughout all of the parks.

Travel During the Off-Seasons

I highly recommend that when you plan your trip to take advantage of Disney’s off-seasons.

From my experience, there are typically two of these with the first one starting mid/late August through the beginning of November. Families with kids are usually back to the business of school and work schedules. If your kids start back to school after Labor Day, late August would be a great time to go. If you don’t mind taking your kids out of school for a week or so, planning for late September into early October is really an amazing time!

Also, keep a lookout as Disney typically offer their free dining plan and special resort pricing during this time.

The second off-season is after the Christmas and New Year holidays have passed. From mid-January through the beginning of March, minus Martin Luther King Day and President’s Day, these make for a really great time to visit.

Disney typically offers a lot of hotel discounts and promotions during this time to encourage families to visit. These usually run through the beginning of April.

If you loathe hot weather, visiting Disney during this time are really nice! There’s still lots of sunshine, but it’s not unbearably hot and humid like in the summer months.

Pricing

As you’re planning your Disney trip, you might have noticed that pricing can be considerably variable throughout the year. Resort and ticket prices rise during the peak travel times by much as 30% or more. Disney is smart and takes advantage of the holiday and coveted school break travel times.

Spring break, Christmas season, winter holidays, Summer months = Higher ticket and resort prices.

Back to school months, fall, mid-January through the beginning of March = Lower ticket prices, plus specials and incentives to promote visitors during slower times.

If saving money is your goal, and who’s isn’t, I recommend using this information before purchasing your tickets.

Also, consider using a third-party authorized Disney discount ticket broker such as Undercover Tourist. Undercover Tourist tends to have the best discounts that we’ve been able to find. Tickets that are bought today will be good until the end of the year or as specified. Tickets purchased from Undercover Tourist can still be linked to your My Disney Experience account. Once you’ve booked your resort stay, they will be also linked to that as well.

Another amazing benefit to purchasing with Undercover Tourist is that their pricing already includes any fees, and taxes so there are no surprises when it comes to the cost of purchasing your trip.

Timing, or how many days you plan on visiting, also factors into the cost of your tickets. The more park days that are purchased, the cheaper your ticket prices will be per day. Disney is able to lower the price of the tickets because they know you’ll be in the parks spending money on food and merchandise.

For example…a four-day park pass from MouseSavers, another amazing and legit discount ticket broker, is about $320, averaging about $106 per adult each day.

A five-day base ticket price is around $416 or only $83 dollars per day for each adult. And a seven-day park pass costs $492, which racks in at only $70 per day. This discount continues to improve up to a ten-day pass, with a daily price of $55 per day!! Wow! So if you have the time and want the best bang for your buck, it’s certainly worth it to stay as long as possible.

Weather

If you know anything about me, you know that I love Florida weather! Why do you think I made it a point to live here? Sunny, warm, and balmy…ahhhhh, it’s a southern gal’s dream. But, even though I happen to love it, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Sometimes the heat in Florida can be brutal!

Florida is known for its crazy and sporadic weather. Summer can bring record-breaking temperatures with heat indexes reaching past the 100-degree mark. Spring through summer also marks the rainy season and we can get some serious “God-fearing” storms throughout the Central Florida area.

Fall weather can still be very hot (This past October was a scorcher!) and the threat of hurricanes can really dampen (pun, totally intended!) planning a Disney Vacation. 😃

Winters can be dry, sunny, and overall very beautiful! However, don’t underestimate Florida. We can get some serious cold snaps here, with temps reaching down into the ’30s. Brrr! If your goal is to hang out by the resort pools while on vacation, booking your trip during January through February probably won’t work for you!

As far as weather goes, my two most favorite times to visit Walt Disney World is during the spring…think late February into May and late fall…think November into December when the heat is tapering off and the hurricane season is just about behind us.

My Top Three Recommendations

My Top Three Recommendations for The Absolute Best Times of the Year to Visit Walt Disney World are:

Mid-January through the beginning of March. (Minus MLK and President’s Day weekends)

Park crowd levels really die down after the Christmas and New Year holidays are over. Ticket prices are also fair during this time. Disney also has some really great incentives and resort specials that can really work to your advantage during this time. The weather can be a little unpredictable, but most days are really lovely, with sunny skies and temperatures in the ’70s. I would make sure to watch the weather closely right before your trip so you know how to pack accordingly. You’ll be able to catch Epcot’s Festival of the Arts. This is a newer festival that has a lot of fun things for the kids to enjoy.

If you’re after lazy days lounging at the pools, this may be the only drawback during this time.

Late Spring (After Easter) through the end of May

This can be a really exciting time to visit Walt Disney World. The weather is absolutely perfect-not too hot, relatively low humidity, the rainy season typically hasn’t begun yet. There’s no worry of hurricanes either. The weather is warm enough to enjoy time at the pools and waterparks, too!

Park crowds are low to moderate as most families with kids are still wrapping up school schedules for the year. Some weekends can be a bit busy as the locals and Passholders like to take advantage of the nice weather during this time.

Park prices and low to moderate during this time. You’ll be able to take advantage of Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival. It’s such a fun festival and Epcot’s character topiaries are absolutely breathtaking!

And My Number One Absolute Favorite Time to Visit Walt Disney World is…Early September through Mid November!

While the temps can still be a bit warm during this time, it also means that it’s hot enough to chill by the pool and enjoy any of the three waterparks. The morning and evening can be quite pleasant and if you plan your park touring accordingly, it can be really great weather! Hurricanes can be an issue, so keep an eye out and have a backup plan as needed.

Historically speaking, this is the best ticket pricing you’ll find throughout the year. Disney also typically offers its free dining plan during this time. Uh, hello! Free dining…YES!! There are also resort discounts and specials that are offered around this time of the year.

While you’ll probably have to take the kids out of school, which seems inconvenient as the new school year has just begun, it’s a also great time because Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival is full throws. (It’s AMAZING!) Not to mention, but all of Walt Disney World is decorated for the fall season. If you arrive after November 1st, you’ll also catch the Christmas decorations at Magic Kingdom.

If you are interested in attending any of Disney’s special ticketed events, such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, late August and early September are the cheapest times to purchase those tickets.

Free Crowd Calendar for 2020-2021!

To help with your planning and as a quick reference guide to the absolute best time to plan your visit to Walt Disney World, sign up below to receive our FREE crowd calendar for 2020-2021!

You can snag it here for FREE!

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Hopefully, this information was helpful to you, and if you have any other questions feel free to drop me a comment below or reach out to me on any of my social media channels.

Do you have a trip coming up or a favorite time of year to visit Disney World? Let me know below! I can’t wait to see when you all are planning your trips!