Many factors go into planning a Disney World trip, including planning hotel stays, dining reservations, and Lightning Lanes, but it all begins with choosing what time of year to go!
Happy Holidays from Magic Kingdom!
Over my 30+ years of visiting Disney theme parks, I’ve been at all different times of year, and some are definitely better than others. And, despite what the perception may be, it’s not simply a case of “the summer is busy” and the “winter is an offseason” anymore. Like many elements of the Disney experience, the question of when to visit has become more complicated.
*A caveat before we begin: Obviously, in some cases, professional, personal, or scholastic responsibilities may make visiting at certain times of year impossible for some guests.*
With that out of the way, let’s look at the times to visit Disney World from “Worst” to “Best”…
July & August
July and August are the traditional summer vacation months in the U.S., meaning that the crowds are HUGE many days. On top of that, this time of year features blistering heat, with the Orlando sun beating down on guests for the majority of the day… except during the near-daily mid-afternoon monsoon rainstorms.
A busy summer day at Magic Kingdom
November & December
While the final two months of the year do offer cooler weather than the summer, they offer equal if not larger crowds thanks to the Holiday season! Unless seeing Walt Disney World decorated for Christmas is a MUST, it’s probably best to skip.
EPCOT Christmas Tree
March & April
Visiting Disney World in March and April can be an issue thanks to two words: SPRING BREAK. This annual school break — the timing of which varies around the country, but is pretty much guaranteed to be somewhere in these two months — draws HUGE crowds to the resort, and can lead to crushing waits.
Spring Break crowds
September & October
While the weather has cooled down somewhat during these early fall months, the Atlantic Hurricane Season makes the weather in the Central Florida area completely unpredictable and threatens potential travel. Plus, the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival and Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party schedule can lead to weird crowd patterns at EPCOT and the Magic Kingdom.
Halloween
January & February
Coming out of the Holiday season, there are pros and cons to visiting during the early months of the year. The weather is still (comparatively) cold, and crowds are much smaller than in December right up until President’s Day weekend towards the end of February. However, this time of year often sees rides closed for seasonal refurbishment. Furthermore, February 2026 will see the permanent closure of Dinosaur, which will limit the number of rides at Animal Kingdom even further.
Dinosaur in Animal Kingdom
May & June
That leaves us with May and June. These two months tend to capture the best elements of summer (the weather is heating up, the resort is in peak condition with reopening refurbishments and even new attractions debuting, and outside of the Memorial Day Holiday, crowds are usually manageable) while missing the worst (the weather is not blisteringly hot, the crowds are overall lower).
The Dapper Dans in their Memorial Day outfits
The time of year you choose to visit Disney World could have just as much of an effect on your trip as where you stay or what parks you visit. Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney travel tips.
Every Disney World Change I’m Not Prepared For in 2026
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We have generally favored January in our most recent visits, but another thing to watch in January and February is that there are events like marathons that you should plan around when you visit. The temperatures are the best in Jan and Feb. If you can visit at those times and normal Florida temps are rough for you, then these are the times to go. We are torn on when our next trip should be. We can’t make it January 2026, but I don’t want to wait another whole year! 😂