Best Dates To Go To Disney World 2026 + FREE Printable Calendar
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The ultimate guide to picking the best time to go to Disney World plus a free printable calendar!
If you are planning a visit to Disney World you might be wondering what’s the best time to go for low crowds and great weather.
I have been to Disney World over 30 times in every season of the year and there are definitely some times of year that are better to visit than others!
In this post, I’ll share my picks for the best time to go to Disney World, but first be sure to fill out the form below so I can send your free printable calendar right to your inbox.
Best Time To Go To Disney World: Cost, Crowds, & Weather
The three factors to consider as you plan your visit are cost, crowds, and weather. Since I’m a cheapskate at heart, I’ll start with cost.
The price you’ll pay for a hotel room and tickets at Walt Disney World varies wildly depending on the time of year during which you travel.
For example, the “rack rate” for a standard room at Disney’s Pop Century Resort in 2026 ranges from $180 to almost $400 throughout the year.
Yep, that same exact room costs more than DOUBLE during peak travel season compared to other times of the year.
So we aren’t just talking about a few extra dollars – we talking about cutting the cost of your lodging almost in half by traveling at off-peak times!
The second reason I suggest planning your travel dates carefully is to avoid horrendous crowds at the theme parks.
Nothing ruins a vacation like shuffling through the parks at a snail’s pace surrounded by throngs of frustrated tourists. Or seeing 1+ hour wait times for all of the popular attractions.
The third reason you should plan your travel carefully is the weather.
Don’t underestimate the heat and humidity of central Florida in the summer months!
If your vacation plans include pool time, you might want to avoid a visit in January or February, when pool days are rare.
Also, traveling to Florida in hurricane season can be dicey, so all but one of my recommended times to visit fall outside of that time of year (roughly June until the end of October).
I’ll give you my four favorite times of year to visit the parks below, but be warned: all but one take place when kids are traditionally in school.
Your kids will get SO MUCH out of a trip to Disney World in terms of new knowledge and life experience that in my honest opinion it’s worth taking them out of school.
Ok now on to the details!
#1 Best Time To Go To Disney World: Late Summer Thru September
My first pick for the best time to go to Disney World is the beginning of August through the end of September.
While the summer USED the be a no-go time for me, crowds after July start to fall off considerably nowadays.
This crowd calendar from Thrill-data.com shows the average wait times at Magic Kingdom and September brings the lowest wait times of the entire year.
While it is VERY hot this time of year, the lower cost and crowds might make it worth it for you.
This is also hurricane season, so if you are making a large investment in your trip and don’t have flexibility I suggest cancel for any reason travel insurance.
I have visited Disney World during this time for five out of the last six years for the following reasons:
1) Awesome pool weather (we spend LOTS of time at the pool)
2) Relatively low crowd levels
3) Epcot International Food & Wine Festival!
4) September is one of the cheapest times of year to stay at Disney if you are renting DVC points.
5) Some of the cheapest dates for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party discount tickets
Folks sometimes ask me why I prefer this time to October. October brings somewhat heavier crowds thanks to the Halloween party and peak Food & Wine Crowds, plus slightly higher costs.
But overall, October is a great time to visit, too!
We love to rent DVC points this time of year for a stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge, our favorite resort.
We pay $200/night for a Deluxe Studio Villa which would cost over $500 if we booked it directly through Disney (read about how you can rent DVC points to save money on your trip, too).
It is pretty hot this time of year, with highs in the upper 80s, making it sometimes unbearable in the sun. But as long as you plan for a break in the middle of the day, the heat is manageable (at least for me).
If I want to stay in a Value or Moderate resort, then I book through Priceline to get additional discounts on top of Disney’s discounts.
#2 Best Time To Visit Walt Disney World: After Easter Until Memorial Day
My second pick for the best time to go to Disney World is the period after Easter up until Memorial Day.
The weather is the big draw this time of year.
Visiting the warm and tropical lushness of Florida after a cold, gray winter is just completely incredible. Plus no chance of a hurricane ruining your well-laid plans!
Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival takes place this time of year, adding more color and beauty to your trip. Crowds stay lowish, with averages of 4-5 out of 10 for the whole time period.
As far as cost goes, this is a more expensive time of year to visit compared to fall and early winter by about 25%. But it may be worth it to you for the fantastic weather.
If you want to rent DVC points, I suggest visiting in May as opposed to April for significant savings.
May is part of “Dream Season” which has rates only slightly higher than the two cheapest seasons. You will pay about 30% more in April, so wait for May if you can!
Spring is a busy time of year so you’ll want every advantage – click here for my guide to using the Disney World Lightning Lanes and get your free cheat sheet printable.
#3 Best Time to Visit Disney World: Early December
My third pick for the best time to visit Disney World is the period right after Thanksgiving through the first few weeks in December.
The main reason for a visit this time of year is to soak up the incredible Disney World holiday magic without paying any more than you would other times of the year!
This is one of the more affordable times of year to visit, whether you are booking a resort room with Disney or renting DVC points.
Crowds are around 6 out of 10, though they spike a little on the weekends with locals visiting for the holiday decorations and special events.
The weather starts to get unpredictable this time of year, so you could catch highs in the 70’s or you could need parkas.
But as long as you pack for anything, this is such a wonderful time to visit the parks.
Click here to get my ultimate guide to Disney World Christmas for details on the special holiday events plus tips for celebrating Christmas at Disney!
#4 Best Time To Visit: Early November
My fourth choice for the best time to visit Disney World is early November.
This time of year has fantastic weather, average crowds, and low room rates.
Plus you’ll catch the tail end of the hugely popular Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, my favorite event at Walt Disney World!
Average highs are around 80 degrees so you can likely still get some time in at the pool and it’s not scorchingly hot at the parks. Hurricane season is almost always over by now.
Crowds aren’t too bad (about 4-5 out of 10) and this time of year is part of the rate category Disney calls “Fall”, which is one of the lower-cost times of year to visit.
For comparison, a standard room at Pop Century costs $165 during the “Fall” season, which is second only to “Value” season in January in terms of affordability.
Note: There is a cost increase and increase in crowds associated with the Veteran’s Day long weekend, so avoid those few days if you can.
Runner-Up Best Time To Go To Disney World: January and Early February
I felt like I had to mention one more time of year to consider for the best time to go to Disney World.
January (after marathon weekend) and early February (up until President’s Day weekend) offer the lowest prices AND lowest crowd levels of the year. You’ll have to contend with “winter” in Florida, which is totally mild of course.
Keep in mind there is a surge in crowds that weekend before Martin Luther King, Jr Day.
But, if you aren’t concerned with visiting the pool and want to avoid crowds/save money, consider a trip in the first two months of the year! Plus, you’ll get to experience Epcot’s Festival of the Arts, which is included with park admission.
We love the warm weather and special events of the previously mentioned time periods, so we tend to avoid these months.
It is also important to note that resort hotel rooms are almost always cheaper Sunday through Thursday night.
If you are planning a 5-night stay and can make it happen with work schedules, go during the week to avoid the additional 10-25% cost increase of Friday and Saturday night stays.
I hope this post gave you some helpful hints for the best time to go to Disney World. Any questions? Please leave a comment below or join the discussion on my free private Facebook group!
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Thanks so much for these AWESOME tips!!!
Hello Leah, I am surprised that most of the crowd calendars, not to say all of them are showing Magic Kingdom January 12, 2020 in green as less crowded while this the day of the marathon, the “real” one with 20.000 runners going through all the theme park with some oh them finishing around 12 o’clock. Do you have an explanation?
Hi Patrick! The runners are all out of the theme parks before the 9 am opening time so the race doesn’t affect Magic Kingdom crowd levels at all. What is does affect is traffic trying to get to the parks in the morning! Some roads are closed due to the race. I think it will be fairly low crowds at MK that Sunday (Sunday is usually a good day there) but you will definitely want to leave extra travel time to get there in the morning. Traffic won’t be an issue in the afternoon/evening.
Hi Leah! I love your blog but I want to play teacher with a red pen and edit something you said for clarification. You said the #2 best time to go to Walt Disney World is after Easter, but you gave 2019 dates, not 2020. The only reason why I’m pointing this out, is because we ARE going the week after Easter 2020 — which is April 12, 2020 — and other WDW bloggers with Crowd Calendars agree that the week of April 13-19, 2020 will be lighter crowds. We are planning our Park days for April 13-17, 2020 and we are so looking forward to seeing less crowds as most kids will be back in school that week.
Thanks again for great information!
Steve
Thanks Steve! I caught it and it’s updated now.
Hi Leah,
We are possibly travelling to Disney World the third week of March 2020.
How busy should we expect the parks to be? We are thinking of visiting Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios.
I just discovered your site and I LOVE it! We are planning a trip for November 2020 and are debating between the 3-11th or the 10-18th. We will be celebrating my daughter’s birthday. Which do you recommend? Thanks for all your incredibly useful information.!
Was looking to go to WDW the week of June 14, 2020. In your opinion, is that a good time? Not too concerned about weather. Been there in Aug and Sept in the past.
Hi Mateo! Most schools are out by that time and many families have started their summer vacation. But honestly summer crowds have been totally manageable the last two years. As long as that pattern continues in 2020 I think it would be a fine time to visit.
Hi Leah, I just joined your podcast, it’s great! We are a family of 5, hubby and I, a 7 and 5 year old girl and a 1 year old boy. It’s our first time going to Disney and had some questions if you could help out.
1. Are the Deluxe/Moderate hotels worth it? For us ease of transporting kids is a must, and that’s why we may not want the value resorts. If so which ones are your favorite? Kids love to swim so a great pool would be awesome.
2. I noticed you went in May and mentioned it was HOT! Was this closer to June or beginning of May? We were planning to go right after February, so March or April. Any best weeks for this? We definitely don’t like super hot weather but enough warmth for the pools. School isn’t an issue.
3. We won 8 hopper tickets. We’re so you suggest we buy the rest from? Direct with a Disney or another site? We would like to go for 6-7 days but not spend all our days at the parks. Maybe 4-5?
Thanks in advance!
HI Mary! Sounds like a great trip! If you want easy transportation, the Value or Deluxe resorts will be best. Moderates are large and have many internal bus stops so it can add a great deal to transportation time. Here’s what to expect at the Values: https://www.thefrugalsouth.com/youll-find-disneys-value-resorts-wont/ And if you decide you want to go Deluxe I’d suggest renting DVC points (which is what we always do): https://www.thefrugalsouth.com/rent-dvc-points-save-70-disney-deluxe-resorts/ I think all Disney resorts have great pools but the Deluxe will have way more bells and whistles. March and April are awesome times to go but are popular due to spring breaks. I’d suggest early in March or the last week in April for the lowest crowds of that time of year. And here is my post on the best place to get the other tickets: https://www.thefrugalsouth.com/cheapest-way-to-get-disney-tickets/ Hope this helps! 🙂
Thank you for answering my question, So I was able to check the crowd calendar and it says that its EMH I believe. To confirm what I think this means is that people staying at the resort will have access to park 1hr earlier? We were planning on doing a character breakfast to get in early as well. Is it still worth it?
An pre-park opening character breakfast won’t help much if there are morning Extra Magic Hours during the time when you are eating breakfast. I’d use that time to tour the park with low crowds and eat your meal later in the day when the crowds have already built (say after 10 am).
Correction Disney date is Jan 10th, 2020
So we are planning a 1 day trip to Disney prior to embarking on a cruise. Our Disney date is Jan 19th, 2020. Now I see this is smack in the middle of marathon weekend how will this impact me and do you have any tips and tricks. Also keep in mind I’m travelling with my husband, my 3yrs old and 5yrs old, and then grand parents 65 and 77yrs old.
Thank you so much for this very informative info. Julie
Hey Julie! I think you will be totally fine visiting on the 10th. The race that morning is the 10K and it’s prolly the least popular of all of the races. The race will be over before the parks open so the only issue might be traffic in the morning. Just leave some extra time to get to the park and you’ll be fine.