As we all plan our Walt Disney World vacations, it would be great to have an empty Disney Park to explore on our own. Since this won’t ever happen for most of us, it is important to be aware of when are the busiest times at Walt Disney World?
If you are one that can only travel during holidays and summer, you might hit some of these busier times. Don’t let that prevent you from going. We have a lot of tips and tricks on How to Disney to help you navigate a busy Disney Park. Use those to help you as you plan and learn how to manage the crowds.
Our goal in sharing these busy times at Walt Disney World is to help you be aware so you can use those tips and tricks to have a wonderful time. Some of the best times to be in Disney are these busier times- that’s why they are busy. As many say- a day at Disney is better than a day at home. Go in knowing it will be busier and have a plan to navigate those crowds.
Christmas to New Year
The busiest time of year for Disney continues to be Christmas to the New Year. Guests love to celebrate this magical time at Walt Disney World together.
The week between these two holidays is the busiest time of the year in the parks. If this is one of the only times you are able to go, know this and plan ahead for your trip.
Get to the parks early, stay out later or look into special events you could attend to get away from the crowds. Another great way to enjoy Disney World during this week is to visit the resorts and see all the holiday decorations. This is truly one of the most magical times of the year and if you go in with the right mindset you can have a fantastic time.
Spring Break
For those of us with kids, spring break has quickly become another popular time to travel to Walt Disney World. Spring break typically starts mid-March and runs through April.
Those living in the northern states are looking for some sunshine and warmth making Walt Disney World a great option for a trip. This time of year provides wonderful weather, a fantastic festival in EPCOT with the Flower and Garden Festival, and for many a much-needed break we see an increase in crowds during this time of year.
Easter Weekend
Another time of year that brings in crowds is Easter weekend. A lot of smaller schools in the USA provide both Good Friday as well as the Monday after Easter off giving a lot of families the option of a long weekend for a quick vacation to some sunshine.
If your spring break happens to back up to Easter weekend, be aware that you might see an increase in crowds during this time period. Schedule some time outside of the parks at your Resort, mini-golfing or shopping. These are ways to get out of the parks and away from the crowds.
Fall
A new time of year that is starting to become even busier in October. Schools have started to have more fall breaks giving families another opportunity to travel to Walt Disney World without pulling their kids out of school.
With fall decorations up, October is becoming extremely popular. Guests want to experience the fall in the parks. They like having the option to attend select Halloween parties, see the fall decorations throughout the parks, and enjoy EPCOT’s International Food and Wine Festival. This is a switch in our planning as October used to be a super slow month. It is still a fun time to go down but just plan accordingly.
runDisney Race Weekends
Runners are thrilled that we saw in-person races return to Walt Disney World this previous year. With the return of the races we also saw an increase in crowds during these events.
There are four major race weekends to be aware of at Walt Disney World throughout the year. Disney’s Wine and Dine Half Marathon is from November 3rd to 6th, 2022. The biggest race is marathon weekend which will be from January 4th to 8th, 2023. The other two races are Disney Princess Half Marathon and the new runDisney Spring Surprise Weekend. Those happen from February 23rd to 26th, 2023 as well as April 13th to 16th, 2023.
Although you might have larger crowds, the biggest thing to be aware of is that traffic is often impacted during the races. Roads are closed to accommodate the races and therefore transportation might take longer.
Runners often run to eat and this is the case in Disney. You might find that prime dining reservations are quickly snagged up for your dates so plan accordingly. The good thing about these weekends (besides seeing people accomplish great goals) is that typically runners are back to the resorts and in bed early making evenings less crowded.
If you aren’t participating in runDisney, but happen to be down there during a race, make sure to cheer on those runners!
Long Weekends
The final busy time we are going to share with you are those long weekends. Anytime there is a holiday that lands on Monday such as President’s Day or Martin Luther King Jr Day, those weekends tend to see higher crowds.
Families are able to get away and often use those days off to plan a quick trip to Walt Disney World. Know that the weekends before the holiday and a few days after will likely see larger crowds than the weeks surrounding it.
Walt Disney World has really seen an increase in crowds lately as more and more families head down to the magic. Don’t let this make you hesitant to visit. If you head into your trip knowing it might be busier you can have a plan. Knowing how to navigate the crowds, where to escape the crowds, and how to move around the Parks when they are busy will allow you to still have a magical time.
