Disney World Crowd CalendarMagicGuides Staff2024-03-04T11:39:39-05:00
Our Disney World Crowd Calendar helps you find the best times to visit Disney’s theme parks in 2024 and 2025. Lower crowd levels mean less time waiting in line and more time enjoying your vacation. Walt Disney World crowds fluctuate throughout the year, so it’s really important to choose your dates carefully.
We’ve designed our crowd calendar to show you just how crowded Disney’s theme parks will be each day of the calendar year. We predict Disney’s theme park attendance for the next 12 months so that you’ll be able to narrow down the months, weeks, and days of your next vacation. Our Disney crowd calendar updates on a monthly basis and currently features all of 2024 and portions of 2025. Check back frequently!
How do we forecast the crowds at Disney World? Our methodology tracks past attendance data in order to predict future crowds at Disney’s four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. Hopefully, these estimates will help you focus on the dates that best suit your Disney vacation goals in the coming year. So let’s begin!
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Calendar updated through February 2025
Notes:
* Guests ages three and up with certain ticket types may be required to have a park reservation in addition to valid admission for the same park.
** Advance Dining Reservations become available to book starting at 6 AM on the date indicated.
*** COVID-19: Disney has taken enhanced health and safety measures during the pandemic. Reservations are may be required to enter a theme park (depending on ticket type), and hotel resorts, restaurants, and other features may be subject to modification and capacity limitations. Face coverings are optional for Guests in both outdoor and indoor locations and on Disney transportation. Face coverings are not allowed while Guests are in the water or on water slides.
The Disney World Crowd Calendar provides information on crowd sizes, updated information regarding the average daily temperature ranges for Orlando, and when you are eligible to make your Advance Dining Reservations. Let’s review some background information so that you understand how our crowd calendar is organized.
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What is a Crowd Calendar?
The best time to go to Disney World depends on many factors, including the weather, which time period fits into your busy schedule, and, of course, how crowded the theme parks will be. After all, who likes waiting in long lines when you could be enjoying the rides?
Crowd calendars predict how busy a theme park will be on any given day of the year. By using data compiled from recent years, Disney crowd calendars help us determine which theme parks will have the shortest lines and which parks will have the longest lines. While not every traveler has the flexibility to plan their trip around the least-crowded dates, this can still be a valuable tool. Knowing what to expect will allow you to plan accordingly and help you to maximize your Disney experience.
Rating System for the Disney World Crowd Calendar
Our Disney World Crowd Calendar uses a rating system from 1 to 5 for each of the Walt Disney World theme parks. We compile this information using historical data from the past several years. Our rating system also takes variable factors (like seasonal events and new in-park openings) into account.
Please note that past attendance figures are not always reflective of future attendance, and there may be slight differences between our prediction and the actual crowd sizes. We do our best to give you the most up-to-date and accurate predictions so that you may know what to expect when you arrive at Disney World.
Ratings based on Park Attendance:
1 = Light Crowds (minimal lines)
2 = Below Average Crowds
3 = Average Crowds
4 = Above Average Crowds
5 = Heavy Crowds (long lines)
How the Disney Crowd Calendar is Organized
Let’s look at how we’ve set up this valuable trip planning tool.
Crowds at each Disney Theme Park
Our Disney World Crowd Calendar predicts the crowds at Walt Disney World for every day in the next 12 months. Our estimates are broken down by Disney World theme park: Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom.
Weather at Disney World
Orlando, Florida is known for its nice weather. That said, there are some seasonal differences that you may want to take into consideration when booking your Disney vacation. For example, August is historically the warmest month while January is the coldest. July is typically the wettest month and June has the most sunshine hours.
We list the average temperature range for each day of the calendar year. This will give you an idea of what to expect (and what clothes to pack) when you vacation at Walt Disney World.
Dining Reservations
Our Disney Crowd Calendar lists the specific date you will be eligible to make your Advance Disney Reservations.
Guests can book their dining reservations up to 60 days in advance (starting at 6 AM on the date indicated in the calendar). The Disney Crowd Calendar lists the specific date you should start booking your Walt Disney World dining reservations.
Newbies are often surprised by the lack of dining availability once they get to Disney World. You shouldn’t expect to just walk into a full-service restaurant at Walt Disney World and get seated right away. It usually won’t happen.
It’s why it’s imperative to book your reservations well in advance to ensure your spot at some of Disney’s outstanding dining establishments. Certain restaurants are more difficult to book, and traveling at peak times means there will be more demand for full-dining options. We recommend that you book your Advance Dining Reservations as soon as you are able (60 days out).
The Disney Reservation Calculator is another tool you can use to find the dates you will be eligible to make your dining reservations.
Do you need help booking your Advance Dining Reservations? How about some advice on where to eat? Contact the Disney travel agents at The Vacationeer today. There’s no charge to use their planning services!
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When is Disney World Least Crowded?
Walt Disney World’s parks are typically least crowded:
- January 2nd until just prior to Presidents’ Day week (third Monday in February)
- The week after Labor Day until just prior to Thanksgiving week
- The week following Thanksgiving weekend until the week prior to Christmas.
The reasons for this are that parents typically plan Disney World vacations around two major factors, school schedules, and Summer heat.
Labor day is typically around the time U.S. schools get their year started, so the month or so after that is the least crowded time of year.
July and August can also be good times to go if you don’t mind the typically higher heat and humidity.
When is Disney World Most Crowded?
Walt Disney World parks generally experience their highest attendance around:
- Presidents’ Day week (third week in February)
- the Spring Break period from mid-March through late April
- Memorial Day weekend, Summer (mid-June through Labor Day)
- Thanksgiving week
- Christmas week through January 1st
- Weekends are typically more crowded than weekdays
- When it comes to weekdays, Mondays and Fridays tend to be slightly more crowded than Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
How bad are the crowds at Disney on a “most crowded” day versus a “least crowded” day?
The difference between a “least crowded” day and a “most crowded” day can be significant.
What are crowds like on Least Crowded days?
On the least crowded days at the parks, you might find that you’re able to walk straight through the line for at least a few of the rapidly-loading rides in the parks. Many middle-tier rides will have waits around 10-15 minutes, with the most popular attractions like roller coasters having waits of around 30 minutes. Dining is usually easy to obtain, with short waits for quick service dining and even the ability to get same-day reservations at some table service locations.
What are crowds like on Most Crowded days?
During the parks’ most crowded days, even quickly loading rides routinely show wait times of 15-45 minutes. 60+ minute waits for the most popular rides are not unheard of. Fortunately, the implementation of theme park reservations and other entry restrictions has eliminated many of the nightmare scenarios we used to see, such as 3-5 hour waits on Christmas Day or New Years Eve. Dining can also be a bit more challenging on crowded days, with longer waits (and occasionally having to “hover” to snag an empty table) at some quick service restaurants during peak lunch and dinner hours. Same-day reservations at table service restaurants may not be available.
Should I avoid the parks on Most Crowded days?
All of the scenarios listed above are just representative samples. Individual days have their own individual quirks; you might have shorter than expected waits on a “most crowded” day or longer than expected waits on a “least crowded” day.
It’s obviously best to plan your trips during less crowded times whenever possible, but we all know that it’s not necessarily possible due to work and school schedules. If you do find yourself traveling during a more crowded time, you’ll still have a good time on vacation. You’ll just want to plan ahead and take advantage of all the tools at your disposal – extended park hours, advance Park Pass reservations (when required), advance dining reservations, Genie/Genie+, our Disney World Crowd Calendar, and the like – to make the most out of your time in the parks.
If you need help planning and booking your magical Walt Disney World vacation, then please contact the Disney Travel Agents atThe Vacationeer. Their services are always helpful and totally free of charge.Call 833-4MY-TRIP (833-469-8747) or click HERE for a free, no-obligation price quote today!
When are the best days to visit Walt Disney World?
Our Disney travel planning experts regularly analyze past park attendance data, special events, attraction openings/closures, travel trends, weather, and many other elements in order to forecast and predict future crowds at Disney World’s four theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios.
Below, we’ve taken some of this data and compared the average temperature predicted on each day to the predicted crowd level. The best days to visit each park between August 2023 – June 2024 were determined based on the combined score.
The best time to visit Disney World depends on many factors, including the weather, each traveler’s busy schedule, and, of course, how crowded the theme parks will be.
According to the crowds-to-weather score, there are a few particular days to visit each park at Walt Disney World over the a 12-month period of August 2023 – June 2024. The data revealed that Magic Kingdom, for example, has three days to visit for the best crowds-to-weather ratio: October 26th, 31st, and November 1st. In comparison, Epcot has six perfect days, Hollywood Studios has 6, and Animal Kingdom has the most, with 12. Interestingly, the dates are similar for each park, highlighting that the last week of October 2023 is the best week to visit Disney World.
The study ranked the following days as the best to visit each park:
Note: Temperature range (F) and average crowd levels were converted to scores between 1-5. Temperature and crowd scores were then weighted and converted to a total score out of 100 to reveal the best days to visit each park.
Magic Kingdom
| Month | Day | Year | Score /100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | 26th | 2023 | 100 |
| October | 31st | 2023 | 100 |
| November | 1st | 2023 | 100 |
EPCOT
| Month | Day | Year | Score /100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | 24th | 2023 | 85 |
| October | 25th | 2023 | 85 |
| October | 26th | 2023 | 85 |
| October | 31st | 2023 | 85 |
| November | 1st | 2023 | 85 |
| November | 2nd | 2023 | 85 |
Hollywood Studios
| Month | Day | Year | Score /100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | 24th | 2023 | 85 |
| October | 25th | 2023 | 85 |
| October | 26th | 2023 | 85 |
| October | 31st | 2023 | 85 |
| November | 1st | 2023 | 85 |
Animal Kingdom
| Month | Day | Year | Score /100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | 23rd | 2023 | 85 |
| October | 24th | 2023 | 85 |
| October | 25th | 2023 | 85 |
| October | 26th | 2023 | 85 |
| October | 27th | 2023 | 85 |
| October | 30th | 2023 | 85 |
| October | 31st | 2023 | 85 |
| November | 1st | 2023 | 85 |
| November | 2nd | 2023 | 85 |
| November | 3rd | 2023 | 85 |
| November | 7th | 2023 | 85 |
| November | 8th | 2023 | 85 |
Why pay attention to these scores? MagicGuides Editor Jaimie Michaels explains:
“By using data compiled from recent years, Disney crowd calendars help us determine which theme parks will have the shortest and longest lines, to discover the best times to visit the parks for fewer crowds and beautiful weather. While not every traveler has the flexibility to plan their trip around the least-crowded dates, this can still be a valuable tool for all, as knowing what to expect will allow you to plan accordingly and help you to maximize your Disney experience.”
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The MagicGuides Walt Disney World Crowd Calendar keeps you updated on all the special events happening at Disney. Check back often so you won’t miss out!
If you enjoyed our Walt Disney World Crowd Calendar page, be sure to check out our other articles like our Disney World Cost Calculator, Disney Dining Plan Calculator,Disney Dining Plans, Disney World Free Dining, Disney World Planning Timeline, Disney World Map,Tips and Tricks, Disney Travel Planners, How To Become a Disney Travel Agent, and our Secrets and Reviews pages. Also check out our in-depth article on the Best Days to Visit Magic Kingdom.
Thank you for reading our page, and we hope you have a magical Walt Disney World vacation!
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