Disney in May?

dmleblanc1971

Member
Original Poster
I'll be attending WDW in the month of May for the first time. Just looking to start a thread for people to share their experiences of going at this time of year, right before the hustle and bustle of summer but also after spring break and such. Seems like crowds will be "lower" on a normal year but obviously unpredictable with COVID times since WDW is in such high demand. It will be a three day trip, which I am also not extremely used to rather than having much time to spare. Any tips or advice would be appreciated since this will be somewhat of a new experience! As many times as I’ve been, it’s always during a holiday time or in the heat of summer.
 
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"El Gran Magnifico"

Bring Me A Shrubbery
Premium Member
I always go the weekend before Memorial. Usually a Sunday - Thurs type deal. It's hard to compare the past with now due to COVID. So I can't gauge what the Park Res system will be like nor can I wager a guess on what will and will not be open from a dining/entertainment standpoint. Traditionally though, it is a lower crowd and you can pace yourself a little better. It will be hot and it will more than likely rain.
 

John park hopper

Well-Known Member
We have been in the first part of May in 2017 and 2019. Both times the crowds were light during the week and then on the weekends were heavy. The weather in our 2017 trip was perfect a cool front came through on Monday and temps were in the 70's during the day and 50's at night no humidity and no rain by the weekend it warmed up to high 80's low 90's. 2019 trip it was hot low 90's and humid same light crowds during the week and heavy on the weekend, to be honest the heat was unbearable for me. Had rain one night. Don't know with covid how the crowds will be now.
 

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
Make sure your phone can handle multiple interactions with the My Disney Experience app across an entire day in the parks -- you'll want to have sufficient battery power to sign up for boarding groups, check ride line times, order and report for your counter service meals, check in for your table service meals, and maybe even open the door to your resort room.

If not, take an extra battery or battery pack to juice your phone up when needed.
 

WondersOfLife

Blink, blink. Breathe, breathe. Day in, day out.
I went Mid-May of 2017 and no other trip has beet that week by far... It was mostly the weather that made it amazing. There was no rain, and it wasn't too hot or too cold. Crowds weren't too bad either. It was a perfect medium.
 

Chi84

Premium Member
We take a trip to WDW in early May every year (except 2020, of course). The crowds are manageable and the weather is usually very good. Mornings are generally sunny and warm, and it tends to cloud up in the afternoon. If it rains at all, it's usually just for a short time and then clears up.

We're planning a trip for this May because we have expiring DVC points; it will definitely be interesting to see how Disney is handling things right now.
 

dmleblanc1971

Member
Original Poster
We are going May 7th-14th this year. I am nervous for crowds and wait times especially without fastpasses and a 2 year old with us as well.
My girlfriend and I are going May 14-16 and I'm nervous too.. we are so used to having a week to do all we want and having to crunch a lot in 3 days with unpredictable crowds makes me nervous
 

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
Weve been at WDW on multiple May trips. The F&G festival makes it very enjoyable with the brilliant colorful flowers, the topiaries, the various events, and the food booths. It is wise to plan EP on days other than the weekends to stay away from the park going locals. Overall weve found the weather very hospitable, the crowds reasonable ( there will be some backups and waits at certain food booths) and able to get so much more accomplished than in other months. We will be there May 5 - 18th.
 

pixie225

Well-Known Member
We are going May 1-6, and are hoping for smaller crowds, even though we are arriving on a Saturday. Have reservation for MK, but Won't be there (staying at CR and will walk there) until early afternoon, so are hoping the crowds lessen a bit by then.
 

Smiley/OCD

Well-Known Member
As you can see in my countdown ticker, we will also be there May 18-25...this s actually the latest in the spring we have been there (usually week after Easter or Oct-thru the end of the year...My only concern is the warm temps with the masks...we were there in December and it was cool for Disney....had a great time you will too! Just remember, if you go in optimistic, you'll have a good time...if you enter the gates pessimistic, you've already lost half the battle.
 
I can’t speak for May specifically but we have visited last October (Columbus Day Weekend), December 18th-23rd and just got back from a trip last week. During all 3 trips, multiple parks on most days showed no availability in the Park Pass calendar. The longest wait time out of all trips was in October for Flight of Passage at 80 minutes. For the most part the posted wait times are now the actual wait time. We did have a few occurrences last week where the wait time was about 15 minutes shorter though. Be prepared as the lines can seem overwhelming but move quite quickly. I’ve found the slowest lines are 7 Dwarfs, Slinky Dog and Splash Mountain. That being said we never waited more than an hour for either on any of our 3 trips.

If you start at park opening you should be able to get most if not all done. The only kink now is if a ride goes down after you have waited a while. No fast pass given unless you are nearing the loading area.

Just want to give you an idea with some of the busiest times as we were able to do a lot of things. Hope you enjoy!
 

dmleblanc1971

Member
Original Poster
I can’t speak for May specifically but we have visited last October (Columbus Day Weekend), December 18th-23rd and just got back from a trip last week. During all 3 trips, multiple parks on most days showed no availability in the Park Pass calendar. The longest wait time out of all trips was in October for Flight of Passage at 80 minutes. For the most part the posted wait times are now the actual wait time. We did have a few occurrences last week where the wait time was about 15 minutes shorter though. Be prepared as the lines can seem overwhelming but move quite quickly. I’ve found the slowest lines are 7 Dwarfs, Slinky Dog and Splash Mountain. That being said we never waited more than an hour for either on any of our 3 trips.

If you start at park opening you should be able to get most if not all done. The only kink now is if a ride goes down after you have waited a while. No fast pass given unless you are nearing the loading area.

Just want to give you an idea with some of the busiest times as we were able to do a lot of things. Hope you enjoy!
How was park hopping in the trip you took last week? Did you guys get to hop as you wanted or were most parks at capacity? I just ask because you'd mentioned the part about multiple parks showing no availability in park pass calendar
 
We went from Animal Kingdom to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios to EPCOT. The second hop over to EPCOT on that day showed no availability in the morning but we were able to get in around 2:30 with no problem. Supposedly the app will send a notification if Park Hopping is not available and we never got one for any park so that’s good. Seems most people park hop to EPCOT as it was very very busy in the afternoon.
 

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
May is a really good month..as far as “advice”
Goes...it’s hard to give any..because the place will still be limited and a lot of the “normal” hasn’t returned.

As much as I appreciated tales of 2017, 2019, etc from my fellow debutants...not sure it applies?

Stop and enjoy the scenery...it’s a “theme” place more than a ride place. That always applies.
 
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macefamily

Well-Known Member
Congrats on your upcoming trip. We've been down three times since July and we are going back in five days. This upcoming trip will be our longest stay at five days. Like you, our other trips have been three days. Now that the parks have opened for hopping, you can make the most out of a short stay. On our last day of the last trip, we did MK, HS, and EP. Started at 9:00 AM and finished at 9:00 PM. We logged 14 miles on foot that day. You picked a great time to go to the parks. We went once in May about five years ago and it was perfect. Crowds, weather, dining were very nice. Enjoy your trip, and who knows, maybe we'll see you in May. Depends on the airfare deals ;)
 

spock8113

Well-Known Member
There used to be times like May, mid-October, late November-early December when it would be a joy.
With the pandemic it will probably be mildly quiet but pre-pandemic there really weren't any quiet times anymore.
 

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