Best time to visit WDW

[ELG13]

Mid January is awesome, usually with minimal crowds. If I did not have to deal with kid's school schedules I would always go in mid January. No (or at least only short) lines and comfortable weather. The week after xmass/NYE was also been a good one for us in the past.

Ours are 6 and 3 right now so missing school is no big deal...I'm trying to take advantage of that while we still can...I figure maybe another year or 2. Once the oldest is in third or 4th grade I think we might need to be a little more cautious of missing days during the week.

 

[networkpro]

To be more general the best time to visit WDW would have been 1989. But, never in the summer.

2008 and 2009 were pretty sweet times as well.

 

[ELG13]

2008 and 2009 were pretty sweet times as well.

That's when we took my stepdaughter for her 6th bday. It was pretty sweet!

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

Mid January is awesome, usually with minimal crowds. If I did not have to deal with kid's school schedules I would always go in mid January. No (or at least only short) lines and comfortable weather. The week after xmass/NYE was also been a good one for us in the past.

Yes, but aren't there a lot of BTG's at that time of year, and cheerleading events? We've always avoided January and early Feb because we didn't want to be there with all those tour groups.

 

[ELG13]

Is there somewhere I can find a list of events to know what will be going on down there?

 

[jimbojones]

Yes, but aren't there a lot of BTG's at that time of year, and cheerleading events? We've always avoided January and early Feb because we didn't want to be there with all those tour groups.

I've been there in mid January probably 4 or 5 times and neither of those things made for any inconvenience. As much as I love Disney under no circumstance will I wait more than 30 minutes or so in a line for a ride. Life is too short and WDW too expensive to spend hours and hours standing around for 10 minutes of entertainment, I'll happily deal with Cheerleaders and BTGs if it means the parks are otherwise uncrowded.


All that said, from these boards and other sites it seems to be that "slow season" at WDW is becoming vanishingly short

 

[jimbojones]

2008 and 2009 were pretty sweet times as well.

For obvious and sad reasons so was a visit in 2002, no waits on any rides, steep discounts on hotels...

 

[ELG13]

Yes it seems to be quickly vanishing. We we're looking at pictures frombour 2006 trip and it was JUNE and looked like the crowds we see in October and Jan. It's crazy. That being said we didn't wait over 30 minutes this time for anything. We could have for Peter pan and thunder mountain and mine train but with 2 littles, no with for little mermaid and minimal for Pooh is just fine!

 

[G8rchamps]

Has it ever been cold????

Been in FL all my life. Jan, Feb, and early March can be cold if you hit a front. Worst case would be like 30 overnight with highs in the upper 40's or 50's. They usually blow through in 1-3 days. We love the parks that time of year.

If we are going to do 2 trips is it better just just get Florida annual passes? We were considering the silver pass.

The "math" is usually somewhere around 10 days. So 2 trips inside the 52 weeks would prob pay off. Wait to buy and watch for the 13th month free if they do it again this year. We are AP's - if you get a pass remember to use the discounts for everything, they do add up.

 

[ELG13]

Been in FL all my life. Jan, Feb, and early March can be cold if you hit a front. Worst case would be like 30 overnight with highs in the upper 40's or 50's. They usually blow through in 1-3 days. We love the parks that time of year.

Yeah I live in Florida as well but in the panhandle. We can get cold (by Floridian standards lol) but I figured down there it's not as bad.


The "math" is usually somewhere around 10 days. So 2 trips inside the 52 weeks would prob pay off. Wait to buy and watch for the 13th month free if they do it again this year. We are AP's - if you get a pass remember to use the discounts for everything, they do add up.

So we totaled up the cost of our two trips we want to do and for 7 park days we would actually come out $600 ahead if we did APs. DH wasn't sold but I told him for quick trips we could stay off property or in DTD . When do AP holder get fast passes etc?

 

[G8rchamps]

So we totaled up the cost of our two trips we want to do and for 7 park days we would actually come out $600 ahead if we did APs. DH wasn't sold but I told him for quick trips we could stay off property or in DTD . When do AP holder get fast passes etc?

Fast passes at 30 days out and free parking if you stay off property is worth $20/day

 

[ELG13]

Fast passes at 30 days out and free parking if you stay off property is worth $20/day

Awww snap!! That makes it worth it for sure! DH has gotten spoiled staying in property and I love it but for a 2 night trip I don't see the point. Also, I just realized that with the AP we could still go to parks the day we arrive. We never have before bc we don't want to pay that price for a full day if we are only gonna get a few hours. If we purchase today, are they active today or do they get activated on your first magic band scan??

 

[G8rchamps]

Awww snap!! That makes it worth it for sure! DH has gotten spoiled staying in property and I love it but for a 2 night trip I don't see the point. Also, I just realized that with the AP we could still go to parks the day we arrive. We never have before bc we don't want to pay that price for a full day if we are only gonna get a few hours. If we purchase today, are they active today or do they get activated on your first magic band scan??

They are active the first day you enter the park. We love being able to pop in and out. we will often do a weekend and catch fireworks and a snack Fri night if we get there in time.

 

[Texas84]

May, after spring break and before summer break is not bad. But it can get hot.

 

[TXDisney]

We used to go the week after thanksgiving every year and it was great with low crowds. But over the last 4-5 years it’s been a lot more crowded. Still lower than a high season but not as empty as you’d think. We are going 2 weeks after thanksgiving this year, maybe that will be better. But I’ve heard that the reason for high crowd times in that time range is bc of blackout dates. Normally the 1st couple weeks after thanksgiving are one of the last weeks for blackout dates. Meaning locals who have those APs want to go one last time while it’s decorated for the holidays and all.

 

[CynBeth]

Even with slightly higher crowds than in years past I would go the beginning of Dec to experience all of the holiday stuff.