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Best Day To Visit Disney World

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Best Day To Visit Disney World

What is the best day to visit Disney World? And what is the worst? Ideally of course you want to visit Disney World when the least people are there, and the most rides are open. But how do you work out how to get this balance and visit at the best time?

There are ways to predict how busy a Disney World park will be at a particular time of the year, so you can look at this and see how it fits with when you are able to visit.

The very easy answer is that major holidays and school holidays are the worst times. Early January, the first 2 weeks of February, September and early December are the best times.

But of course it is a little more complicated than that – so read on!

Most Crowded Days At Walt Disney World?

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The most crowded times of the year are Christmas, New Year and the 2 weeks around Easter break. As you would expect, July 4th weekend is also one of the most popular times to visit Disney World.

Summer Vacation for US schools falls from mid June until mid August so these are busy times. Also the weather is very hot in Florida at that time of the year.

The later weeks in August tend to be much less crowded although there are many British visitors as their school break extends into late August/early September. So if you are arriving from the UK those last 2 weeks in August are a much better choice than the first 2 weeks.

Just because you are going at a busy time doesn’t mean that you won’t have a great time at Disney World. At busy times the park opening hours will also be extended with extra parades and fireworks scheduled. A great idea is to go back to your hotel at mid day for a rest, and then go back out to the parks in late afternoon.

Remember also that even if you do have to visit at the busiest times of the year then advance planning can go a long way to enhancing your Disney experience. Simply having an idea of the layout of the parks and which rides that are on your must see list will mean that you see a lot more and get more out of your visit.

photo by expressmonorail

Moderately Crowded Times At Disney World

The parks are also likely to be busy during other major school and college breaks.

Spring Break is often around the same time at Easter break so the parks will be busy from mid March until mid April.
President’s Day until the end of February
Memorial Day Weekend
Thanksgiving Week is usually very busy.

Quieter Times to Visit Disney World

The first 2 weeks of February are good up until mid February.
The final 2 weeks of April right up until mid June tend to be good. If Easter is late then try and delay your visit in April until after the school vacation is over.
October until the week before Thanksgiving

The Quietest Best Times to Visit Walt Disney World

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The quietest times are in January after the first week following New Year is over and the kids have gone back to school.

The first 2 weeks of December are a great time to visit. Not only are the crowds low but you also get to see all of the Christmas and Holiday decorations. The one downside can be the weather. It can actually get pretty cold sometimes in the winter!

Another downsides is that the Disney parks will tend to close much earlier than at the busy times. All in all though this is a great time to visit if you want to beat the crowds.

Which are the Best Days to Visit Disney World?

Once you have decided the time of year that you are going to visit then you should be aware that certain days are more likely to be busy in certain parks.

These are the busiest days in each park:

Magic Kingdom – Saturday, Sunday and Monday
Epcot – Wednesday and Friday
Disney Hollywood Studios – Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday
Disney Animal Kingdom – Monday, Tuesday and Friday

You do need to know that lots of factors come in to play though rather than just these broad recommendations. They do tend to be a good indicator but this is not an exact science.

How Extra Magic Hours Affect Disney World Crowds

Disney resort guests are allowed into the parks earlier and later on select days than the general public. These Extra Magic Days have a big effect too.

If there is an Extra Magic Hour then if you are not staying at a Disney World Resort Hotel you should avoid this park.

Special Events At Disney World Affect Crowds Too

Another factor to look at is scheduled events. So for instance if the Disney World Marathon is being held on that weekend then you will find more guests in all of the parks. Or if it is a Star Wars Weekend at Disney Hollywood Studios then that park will be much busier than it usually would be at that time of year.

Which do you think is the best day to visit Disney World? Have you visited at very busy times and still had a great vacation?

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