Is There A Slow Time At Walt Disney World?

[DVCOwner]

I just returned from Walt Disney World and the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. It got me thinking. I have been at Walt Disney World the first weekend after the New Year before and there was almost no one in the parks. This weekend the hotels where full, the parks where full and the restaurants where booked. With the Flower and Garden, Food and Wine, etc., is there every a slow time at Walt Disney World?

 

[seafoodbuffet]

If you search online, there's quite a few Disney crowd calendars.
Here's one:
http://www.dadsguidetowdw.com/disney-world-crowd-calendars-2014.html

I think there is a "slower" time at WDW but rarely a time when it's totally slow.

 

[wdwmagic]

I just returned from Walt Disney World and the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. It got me thinking. I have been at Walt Disney World the first weekend after the New Year before and there was almost no one in the parks. This weekend the hotels where full, the parks where full and the restaurants where booked. With the Flower and Garden, Food and Wine, etc., is there every a slow time at Walt Disney World?

Right now is about as slow as it gets.

 

[disney4life2008]

I am here now. Crowds are higher than normal but I think there is a certain expected increase by year anyway. As opposed to maybe over 5 years ago - the amount of tour groups with hundreds of people in them is what makes the parks crowded. Today at Epcot - waits were low. I noticed the tour groups arrived a little before noon and they dispersed and future world was crowded. But again - waits are still minimal. I did the entire epcot in a few hours.

 

[Mukta]

I go the week after Labor Day almost every year and it is very slow. Crowds are light and I don't use FP at all.

 

[Clamman73]

I just returned from Walt Disney World and the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. It got me thinking. I have been at Walt Disney World the first weekend after the New Year before and there was almost no one in the parks. This weekend the hotels where full, the parks where full and the restaurants where booked. With the Flower and Garden, Food and Wine, etc., is there every a slow time at Walt Disney World?

It might have been where New Years fell and kids having the whole week off and then the marathoners arriving not too soon after all the New Years crowd left.

 

[deanaandrich]

September is generally less crowded. I went 3 weekends in a row last September and never had a wait more than 20 minutes.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

Also you have to remember MLK Weekend is upon us as parents would take kids out prior to the weekend or of the weekend of said holiday just to squeeze in as much as possible..Besides the Marathon guests there is always an abundant amount of Brazilian Tour Groups and first 2 weekends of February 1-2 & 8-9th DHS gets really busy as the Cheerleaders take over the Indy Stunt Show arena. So if your hoping to see the Stunt show those 2 weekends if your out there. Your pretty much SOL on that until the weekday shows. They start coming in about mid week as well..I should know as it is going to be happening the same time I will be out there like last year..
http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/events/cheer/varsity-national-dance-team-championships/
http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/events/cheer/uca-highschool-national-championships/

 

[jimbo mack]

I'm going in May 8th-22nd, I expect it to busy but hopefully not overcrowded.

 

[tecowdw]

Years ago (7+) I remember going to Epcot in late January and the park was dead. Cast Members were desperate to talk to anyone that walked by - and not many were walking by. It stuck in my head because it was the first time I'd experienced coldish weather at WDW. Mid September also use to be slow (but not THAT slow).

However, it' been years since I've gone at those time frames and experienced parks that slow. I would suspect they are busier than what I recall because it seems WDW is busier in general for the last 5 years.

 

[Sparkle81]

We'll be going from 4th-14th Nov this year, and now I'm reading about something called 'Jersey Week'. Coming from the UK, I have no idea about this at all. Are the parks really going to be crazy busy? Have I totally screwed up by booking this time of year?!

 

[stevehousse]

I'm going in May 8th-22nd, I expect it to busy but hopefully not overcrowded.

The first 2 weeks of May are a great time to go with minimal crowds! Once Star Wars weekends start though the crowds start to come out and before you know it June hits an all schools are out and the parks fill! We always go the first or second week of May and have a great time with barely any crowds!!!

 

[Figments Friend]

I have had great luck in mid to late January, and the second week in September.

January has more tolerable weather if you are not a fan of sweltering FL temps.
The cooler temps keep the locals away ( too cold for them..) so the Parks are rather sparse.
Only *tourists* are there...and not many of them.
Stay away from the early part of the month ( New Years/Holiday crowds still dispersing ) and Marathon weekend the following week and you are good.
Late in the month you may run into tour groups/cheering comps so beware of that last week.
Only downside to visiting in January is the cooler temps mean the Water Parks are usually closed for refurb or weather related, and *Splash Mountain* is almost always down for it*s yearly refurb.
Also like any other non-Peak time, the Park Hours can be shorter.

September is quite humid in comparison, with HOT weather. Great for the pool and Water Parks.
Crowds can be slightly higher however when compared to January due to the usual *Free Dining* offers that are run, and later in the month, Halloween Parties.
Later in the month once the Food & Wine Festival begins over at EPCOT crowd levels rise, especially on weekends which draw in the locals big time.

 

[pixiesteno]

I think that really slow periods are getting few and far between with WDW offering resort specials and "free dining times". When we went in early Dec in 2004 and 2005 family members could not get over the lack of people in my photos of the parks - then some of us let the secret out and they started that "free dining" thing and our Dec trip in 2008 it was significantly busier. I can't tell you how many times I heard on that trip "if it wasn't for the free dining we would not have come" So from WDW's stand point it is a good promo to fill the parks and rooms. And after all if it were never busy then it would have to close.

 

[Hot Lava]

I think that really slow periods are getting few and far between with WDW offering resort specials and "free dining times". When we went in early Dec in 2004 and 2005 family members could not get over the lack of people in my photos of the parks - then some of us let the secret out and they started that "free dining" thing and our Dec trip in 2008 it was significantly busier. I can't tell you how many times I heard on that trip "if it wasn't for the free dining we would not have come" So from WDW's stand point it is a good promo to fill the parks and rooms. And after all if it were never busy then it would have to close.

I agree with this. The promotions are filling up the resorts at "odd" times. Not sure how bad this makes the crowds in the parks themselves, as you are likely not getting any more locals or off site tourists than previous years. Obviously more people, but how many more, I am not sure.
Add in foreign tourists (esp large groups) whose vacation schedules are different from the US, I think a lot of the empty times have been filled in a lot more.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

The slowest times I've experienced were...
1. January...things pick up a bit around MLK and marathon, but most of the times after New Year's are quiet
2. early to mid-September- after Labor Day but before Food & Wine

 

[rob45]

The only slow time I witnessed was the end of June 2010 when Universal opened the Harry Potter section.

 

[PHS79]

We were at WDW the second week of February of 2013 for 8 days/7 nights, prior to that my last 3 trips were over Christmas and New Years, so it was almost like a ghost town in comparison. LOL... But although I wouldn't say that it was "slow" at the parks it was by no means crowded, there were lots of cheerleader groups there and with all the LSU shirts I would have swore that 3/4 of Louisiana was at WDW (we found out it was because of schools being closed for Mardi Gras). The highest wait times that we saw were 60 mins for Space Mountain, Soarin and Test Track were both 60-90 during the middle of the day but were under 60 by 5-6 at night. Otherwise virtually all the rides were 20-30 min waits.

We were in the parks for 6 days and only used FassPass once during our trip. One night we were at MK and a rain shower came through about 4 pm, it rained for about 30 mins and the park totally cleared out! The longest line we had that night was about 15 people deep, it was GREAT!!

Because of the lack of crowds, and also my wifes work gets really slow for 2 weeks in February, we are planning a trip the 2nd week of February 2015.

 

[Hot Lava]

(we found out it was because of schools being closed for Mardi Gras).

Yet another thing to consider when making plans. Easter (and thus MG) is pretty late this year, so it will bump up against some Spring Breaks.

 

[luv]

The cooler temps keep the locals away ( too cold for them..) so the Parks are rather sparse.
Only *tourists* are there...and not many of them.

I'm not sure where you got that info, but many locals prefer to visit during the less crowded, cooler time of year.

For many of us, going to a theme park when it is so hot and crowded seems less preferable than when it's cooler and less crowded. Lots of locals use passes that have blackout dates, too, so they can't go when it is crowded (not that they want to, lol.)

I am not a fan of July, August and September in the parks, lol. But now? Now is good.