When is the best month to go to Disney World?

Question

I have kids in school and we have never been, I would like to go in the summer, does anyone know what is the cheapest and less crowded of the summertime months between May-August? Any advice about it would be great too!!!

Answer 1

I have been to Disney many times with my child (at various ages) and lots of nieces and nephews. I suggest you take the kids out of school and go in January or February when everyone goes back to school after Christmas break OR in late September, early October. It sounds crazy but we have done this several times and never regretted it. Most schools are good about it and will either help the kid cover the work before they go or give ample time after to make it up. Certainly you would have to consider your children's ability to deal with that.

The pros for a visit at these times of year are: The crowds are smaller. You often don't wait in line for anything--even the most popular rides or the wait is very minimal ( once my son rode the same ride 5 times in a row and it took less time to do that than we have spent waiting in line for the same ride in the peak visitor season!); It's easy to get in and out of the retaurants, including the character breakfasts and the shows; you may get some great deals on hotels in the park.

The cons: the parks close earlier at less packed times of the year, the weather, especially in January can be unpredictable. One year it went down to about 45 or 50 degrees but my kid swam anyway!! And he had a blast! He had the attention of the lifeguard all to himself and the guy was really great to him. My son loved it but if you are looking for warm weather January can disappoint at times.

The month of May might also be OK if your school gets out earlier than others-- just ask when you book if the dates of your vacation will be at the same time as any of the Grad nights--Disney does some special thing for Florida high school seniors-- and all those rowdy teens could really have an impact.

I feel that the Summer and Holiday times are so crowded it can be kind of unpleasant especially if you are with little ones. The wait for an attraction can be 60, 90 or more minutes--excrutiatingly long for a kid. Also the summer heat can make these waits really uncomfortable too.

I would make a few other suggestions, especially if you are travelling with smaller kids: 1) stay in a hotel within WDW if you can afford it,. When you are all exhausted or some of you are crabby) you can easily get back to the hotel for a quick nap or a swim which can do wonders for everyone's mood. 2) If at all possible have one adult for each kid. That way if someone is having a meltdown, or gets sick or is too scared or too small to go on an attraction, the other kids (and adults) can still continue. The adults can take turns with kid assignments and the adults can switch off with kid duty and going on attractions the kids or some of the kids won't like. Or the adults can take turns going back to the hotel early if some of the kids need a break. We have travelled with lots of family and lots of kids and I swear this makes the whole trip so much better for everyone. 3) Don't expect anything, don't over plan. Disney can be very expensive, the park tickets alone are a huge expense. I think it makes people work so hard to get their moneys worth or justify the costs that tempers flare and no one has fun. (I have witnessed this in the parks many times) When my son was young ( 4 or 5) although he seemed to have an OK time, there were other times when he looked unhappy. And while I was so excited at meeting the characters he was frightened by many of them and wanted to see them only from far away. When you have spent so much money on this great trip a kid's lukewarm response can be really a let down. It can even make you kind of mad---Try to avoid that. Relax and enjoy each moment, don't over plan. You will all have a better time. And by the way, a few weeks after we got home he couldn't stop talking about the trip! It was as if we had brought adifferent kid home!!! 4) Finally if you must go in the summer try to stay on the grounds if at all possible then go to the parks early, go back to the hotel in the afternoon for a nap and/or cooling swim and then if you want back to the parks in the evening this will help you beat some of the crowds and deal with the heat. We also always brought a bathing suit/towel to the park if we were going to be near any of the dancing water sidewalk fountains. The kids can't resist, especially if its hot. And playing in the water was a great way to spend the wait time for the fireworks show on a warm summer night.

Answer 2

My boyfriend and I go to Walt Disney World every summer and everyone always tries to convince me it's going to be miserable because of the crowds and weather. We're young and still in school, so this is just the most convenient time for us to go. However, I have absolutely no problem with going in the hot summer months. The past two years we've gone in August. The first year it was very humid and muggy. This year was hot, but not bad at all compared to the year before. The weather doesn't bother me at all, though. It's hot, but it's enjoyable for me. We're from New Hampshire and not used to the heat, but we love it. Now, people always say it rains a lot. Just about once a day, but only for about a half an hour, or so at a time. We've barely encountered any rain on our vacations. The first year there was one burst of rain on the day we were at Downtown Disney, but it didn't last long. That was the only rain we've ever had during a Walt Disney World vacation, and we always go for at least 10 days, so one short burst of rain in that amount of time is not bad at all. People in Florida make it sound like something you need to dread, but I no longer worry about it. I also don't find the crowds to be that bad. For the majority of the attractions we didn't wait in line any longer than a half an hour, or so. And that's really not bad. When you're at Walt Disney World there's so much going on and so much to look at, time goes by quickly while you wait in line.

Of course, you could go in May and it would likely be slightly less crowded and slightly cooler. I just knew that everyone would say May, so I thought I'd just let you know that if you go later in the summer, it's okay. It's not as bad as other people assume it will be. That's when I always go, it's when I will continue to always go, and I love it. The best part is that since July to June are some of the busiest times, almost all of the attractions are open. In other seasons some attractions are closed, and the least crowded seasons are when they refurbish most attractions.

Anyway, I love going in the summer. I just booked our next vacation for July and I can't wait.

You'll have great time, no matter when you go!

* Mid-July to August is part of the value season, so it's fairly cheap. That's another reason that I go during this time of year.

Answer 3

The ticket prices do not change depending on the "season". The thing that changes is the other items such as the Resorts and other extras they include, such as the Dining Plan. The "value" season will be the time of the cheapest rates. It is the time basically when kids are in school. The general periods are: January - Mid February Mid-August - October Early December Just be aware that Late August/September is the "Tropical" Weather season also. So if you go during this time, seriously look at travel insurance and their policies about cancellations due to Hurricanes or Tropical Storms. The link below shows the remaining dates for 2009. For 2010 you can use this as a guide, but would need to check on specific dates.

Answer 4

I have always gone in November and it is a great month. Lines are moderate to very small and the weather is usually perfect despite a short late afternoon thunderstorm. Try going on a friday to a thursday so your kids can miss the least amount of school days as possible. In the summer it is just unbearable with the heat and long lines.

Answer 5

The least crowded will be May, then the beginning of June, then the end of August. If the kids are in elementary school, then you could pull them out for a week in Septmber to November. We did this and it was great, and they didn't miss much work.

Answer 6

If you can go at the end of May or right at the beginning of June it will be a little bit less crowded. Since most east coast schools don't get out until the middle of June, you might avoid some of the crowd.

Answer 7

I do not know about the summer but I love to go at x-mas b/c there is a whole bunch of people but since you want a non crowded month I am guessing at the beginning of may

Answer 8

live there and there is not anytime other that late january to about beginning of march. those other months have biker week, gay week, college breaks, etc. so it is extremely crowded! if your worried about kids and school, there is an easy way to deal with that. it's called an educational field trip release form. you can get the form from your child's school and then request the school work and take it with you. if you drive it kills the time well and if you fly you still have down time at the airport, airplane, hotel rooms, rainy days, etc.

Answer 9

try to go in MAY -- it gets real hot after that and yes- Disney is very busy in the summer. I've been in July and waited in LONG lines. Oct- Nov is a great time --cooler.

Answer 10

OCTOBER- it's 2 hot during the summer