When To Travel to Disney If You Hate Crowds

Imagine it… Walt Disney World, the place where dreams come true, filled with your favorite characters, fun thrill rides…..and crowds. If you are anything like me, being stuck in a throng of hot, sweaty people on a sweltering summer day is not your idea of a fun vacation. Don’t worry! There are lots of ways you can avoid crowds at Disney World. Check out the list below for tips on when you should travel to Disney if you hate crowds.

4. Go during off peak times

If you are specifically going to Disney to avoid the crowds, there is a bit of research you will have to do before deciding the best time to travel. An Authorized Disney Vacation Planner like Mickey Travels will be able to help you identify low and peak seasons at Disney parks. Their assistance is totally free and they’ll help you plan and book the perfect Disney vcation! There are also many websites out there that have crowd calendars that you can follow if you are looking to avoid crowds. Research those sites and use them! You will see that going off peak will lend for smaller crowds, less time waiting in like, and more time for rides!

3. Avoid holidays and Other Events

While Disney World always seems to have something going on, there are still times where it is slow and best to go. Avoid holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, and 4th of July. Those entire weeks are always massively crowded to the point where the parks often restrict any more guests from entering because they have reached capacity. You also will want to avoid Martin Luther King Day and Columbus Day. Those long weekends are when the kids are out of school so many parents will take the day off of work if they don’t have it off already, so the parks are always more crowded then. Try going the last week of January into the first week of February before Valentine’s Day. Crowds are low, the temperature isn’t overwhelming, and there are no major events going on!

2. Avoid marathon weekends!

This goes hand in hand with not going during holiday weekends. While marathon weekends are not as crowded as holidays, it definitely still brings a crowd! Not only that, but blockades are set up so traffic is usually redirected and there are certain areas in the park that you are not able to walk through. Crowds are drawn towards the runners to cheer them on and to see different characters cheer them on as well. If you don’t want to fall behind on your planned schedule, I suggest finding a time to go that isn’t during a marathon.

Bonus Tip!

BONUS TIP: Consider planning and booking your next Disney trip with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner you can trust like Mickey Travels. They’ll help you get the best Disney travel deal, share expert advice and their services are totally FREE! It’s genius! Discover More >

1. If all else fails, use your resources such as dining times, FastPass+, and Extra Magic Hours!

If for some reason you are unable to avoid going during a more crowded time, there are a few things you can do to avoid the crowds. First, eat at off times. Don’t go for the typical 12-2pm lunch block. Instead, eat lunch at 11am and try having dinner around 430pm. This allow you to avoid the mad rush of people looking to eat at the same time. Additionally, if you have to go to Disney during a crowded time, use your FastPasses effectively! The lines are going to be largest from mid-morning until early evening, so arrange to use your passes then. Get to the parks early for open, ride two or three rides with virtually no wait, then go to town on those FastPasses. Of course, this means you have to plan ahead, but if you are trying to avoid the crowds then planning comes with the territory, right? While you are planning, take into account Extra Magic Hours! These hours are available to guests staying at a Disney resort and allows guests to enter the parks an hour early or stay up to a few hours after the park closes. If you want, you can enter the parks early and ride a few of your favorite rides before the rest of the guests come in. Likewise, if you know a park is going to have late hours, you might want to visit it in the morning to avoid the guests who plan on getting there in the evening prepared to stay late. No matter what time of year you go, remember to plan ahead and try to stick with that plan as much as possible!

BONUS TIP: To discover just the right time for you to visit Disney, consider planning and booking your next Disney trip with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner you can trust like Mickey Travels. They’ll help you get the best Walt Disney World deal, share expert advice and their services are totally FREE! It’s genius!