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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We had a trip planned for March of this year and we had to reschedule for March of next year because of COVID. I am just wondering why March isnt a good month to visit ?
March is more expensive and crowded than my preferred times of year but is a beautiful time to visit!
Spring break occurs throughout the month of March, making it pretty crowded & more expensive
Hi Leah! Thanks for all the information! We are finally planning to go to WDW in Sept. 2021 ( after many years of Disneyand. I live in CA)! Do you have a list of days that are better to go into which parks? We will be there 8 days, so there will have to be a weekend in there. We plan on going 2 days to the Magic Kingdom, 1 day for Epcot, 1 day at Animal Kingdom and 1 day to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Or we can switch it up! We are all adults going, so it’s a little easier for us. Anyways, I would love to hear what you think! Thank you!
Hi Pamela! I suggest avoiding Magic Kingdom on Saturdays and Mondays. Also, the park with Extra Magic Hours tends to be busier than the others after 11 am or so when everyone arrives. If you will have a park Hopper ticket it’s fine to go the park with EMH, but if not I’d avoid them unless you are OK with only staying a half day. Hope that helps!
My husband and I would like to do a September 2021 trip celebrating 11 years marriage and empty nesters ! What weeks do you suggest ? Weather wise would we still get use out of pools at AOA ?
Yes! September is an awesome pool month. It is very hot so you will definitely want to cool off in those pools.
Why don’t you recommend going to Disney in March? We were thinking March 2021.
It is generally pretty busy and expensive. But the weather is excellent! So if you are willing to deal with crowds and higher prices it can be worth it.
Spring break occurs throughout the month of March, making it a lot more crowded & expensive.
Hi! Can you tell me if January/February is refurbishment season at Disney World like it typically is for Disneyland?
Hi Chrystie! Refurbishment takes place year round at Disney World. The only regularly scheduled closings that time of year are for the water parks which each close for a month or so in the winter (never at the same time, though).
I was planning to go to WDW 11-13 through 11-20. Veterans Day is on Wed, 11-11 this year – will this effect crowds then? My daughter really wants to be there for 11-16, her b-day.
Thank you for your help.
I think that’s a great time to go. Veteran’s Day only really affects crowds that day.
would the second week of march 2021 be a horrible time to go to disney world, my daughters birthday is the 5th and want to take her there for it. we were thinking sunday thru thursday. any suggestions?
greg alexander
I think that’s a great time to go in the spring. There will be higher crowds than February but not nearly as bad as April.
Be prepared for larger crowds & higher prices. That’s when spring break hits Disney
Thanks for the information. I seem to be getting a lot of conflicting info for Nov. My daughter’s Birthday in 11-16 and we are thinking of going to WDW this year – 2020 for her Birthday. Would this be a good time to go for prices and crowds? It would not be the week of Thanksgiving…if anything thing, we would be flying home the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Thank you for your time.
I think that’s a great time to go since it’s in between Veteran’s Day and Thanksgiving.
Let me ask you this…im thinking end of april/beginning of may 2021. What about the cheerleading competions/mcdonalds convention…will this cause it to be a bad time to go? Also I am weary of the lovebugs…How bad is it???? My son will destroy the vacation if they are flying in our faces…
Hi Kristine! I think that’s a great time to go. The cheer competitions really only affect the Value resorts and don’t impact the parks much at all. I’ve never even seen a lovebug at Disney World! I’ve been that time of year lots. Disney’s bug control is so good it’s kind of scary. I have only seen a mosquito a handful of times in 30 years and it’s basically built on a Florida swamp! So you definitely don’t need to worry about bugs.
I once went to Disney during Pop Warner week when all the cheerleaders & football players were there competing. BIG mistake & one we’ll never make again! Went to T-Rex at Disney Springs on Sunday. Place was packed with cheerleaders (with a line outside waiting to get in). Manager said it was worse the day before when he had 250 descend on the restaurant. Made the parks more crowded, too. Had a FastPass for Haunted Mansion & still had a 25 minute wait. If it were up to me, I’d go before or after they’re there, but not during.
As for the Love Bugs, we go every year & I have no idea what you’re talking about. We’ve never had a bug problem of any kind while at Disney.
Hi Leah,
Thanks for all the tips! How are the crowds M-F during the last week of August? I know most schools are back in session by that time…
Should be a great time to go! Just avoid Magic Kingdom on Monday and you’ll be great.
We went the last week of August back in 2017. The crowds weren’t bad, but it was HOT!