During your Walt Disney World trip, crowd levels can make a huge impact on your overall experience. Many visitors find themselves inadvertently visiting during the worst times of the year and face limitations that make their trip less than magical as a result. If you’re in the know about the worst Disney World dates, you can avoid them and plan your vacation during a time of the year with lower crowd levels.
Below, we will share the top 5 worst times to visit Disney World during the year, taking into account crowds and weather, so that you can avoid these when planning your trip.
Avoid visiting during the last two weeks of December at Disney World. In general, Disney World tends to be busier during the holidays, with crowds rushing to enjoy seasonal experiences and schools on break. A particularly crowded time during the holidays is the last part of December from Christmas through New Year’s Day at Disney World, and New Year’s Eve is commonly one of the busiest days of the year that you will want to avoid.
You don’t need to miss Christmas at Disney World altogether (we recommend visiting in November to enjoy the festivities), but steer clear of Disney World during the last two weeks of December if you are looking to avoid the heaviest crowds.
Summer at Disney World can be incredibly crowded and hot, making this time of year a less appealing option for visitors. With kids on break from school, this is a popular time to visit the parks, with crowds increasing in mid-June and staying through the start of August. You’ll also want to watch out for crowds spiking during holidays like the 4th of July.
On top of the higher crowd levels, the brutal Orlando heat and humidity make these months even more unpleasant. You can also expect rain during the summer, so if you aren’t a fan of more intense weather, this is a good time to avoid Disney World. Especially at the peak of summer in July, it can be hard to manage the heat and crowds.
If you find that this is the only time you can visit Disney World, be sure to see our guide to summer at Disney World with our best tips for beating the heat.
Spring Break season at Disney World is also incredibly crowded, starting mid-March and running through April. The weather is milder than summer during this time, making it a popular time to visit, and holidays like Easter will cause crowds to spike. If you are not a fan of waiting in long lines, this time of the year is definitely one to avoid. April has had some of the heaviest crowds we’ve seen at Disney World in the last few years, and it stays consistently busy throughout Spring Break.
That being said, if you visit in early March, you may avoid the worst of the crowds while still managing to enjoy what Spring at Disney World has to offer!
Three-day holiday weekends are notorious for bringing in larger crowds to the Disney World parks. Crowds will always be the busiest on weekends, but holiday weekend crowds you’ll want to watch out for during the year are Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples’/Columbus Day, and Veterans Day.
These long weekends present ideal opportunities for families to travel or locals to visit the parks, so you’ll see crowd levels peak for these days, even if the month itself isn’t the busiest of the year at Disney World.
Especially if you’re planning on visiting during some of the best months of the year like January and February to dodge the crowds, make sure you don’t schedule your trip during three-day weekends.
Thanksgiving week is the most crowded week of November, and it will be the busiest on the day of Thanksgiving and the day after. While we’ve visited Disney World on holidays before, Thanksgiving takes the cake for one of the busiest times at the park out of the year. For both November and December visits to Magic Kingdom, be sure to plan ahead for the dates Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is happening, as if you’re not attending the party, you will need to leave the park early. You’ll also want to plan ahead for the new Jollywood Nights party at Hollywood Studios which will cause that park to close earlier this year also.
You can see our full breakdown of the worst months to visit Disney World in our guide, but know that if these are the only times you are able to visit, there are still ways to make the most of your trip by being mentally prepared for the crowds, prioritizing experiences, and having a solid strategy in place. Although these worst times of the year may seem like a lot, there are plenty of ideal months during which you can plan your Disney World visit if you have the flexibility to plan a trip during those times!
At Mickey Visit, we share the most important tips for planning your trips to Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Universal, and beyond. Each week, we’ll share some of our top tips here on Laughing Place.