These free 2025 Walt Disney World crowd calendars charge dates so you may select finest weeks to go & keep away from the worst, skipping lengthy strains and excessive wait instances. We cowl seasonal occasions, climate, park hours, Orlando journey traits, and components impacting when to go to Florida’s theme parks. (Up to date March 1, 2025.)
Let’s begin with a blunt actuality: Summer season 2025 and past goes to be a wild time for crowds at Walt Disney World. The final couple years have seen normalizing attendance patterns, throughout which era it grew to become a lot simpler to foretell crowd ranges and wait instances. To the extent that crowd calendars have been inaccurate, it was typically only a matter of across-the-board overestimates–the final development strains have been correct, simply too excessive.
That’s not what we’re anticipating with our 2025 Walt Disney World crowd calendars beginning in late Might. We’ll be brutally sincere: Walt Disney World crowds are most likely going to grow to be much less predictable once more this summer season, to the purpose that we’d warning towards over-reliance on this or some other crowd calendars. (Particularly the automated AI ones that simply take historic wait instances and spit out future predictions with out clarification.)
The most important issue is Epic Universe, Common Orlando’s third theme park that opens in late Might 2025. Earlier than it formally opens, Epic Universe could have prolonged previews earlier than that beginning in April. Common’s third theme park is the elephant within the room in relation to nearly any dialog about 2025. It calls into query historic patterns–and never simply with crowds, but additionally reductions, seasonal occasions, launch dates, and far more.
That is each as a result of attendance will change organically because of a brand new theme park and as a result of Walt Disney World might want to alter with the intention to lure visitors to go to because it makes an attempt to compete with Common Orlando. Nothing is immune from the potential impression of Epic Universe. A number of previous precedent might exit the window as Epic Universe opens.
Sadly, we’re not seeing any indicators that Walt DIsney World goes to lure visitors to go to within the second half of 2025. On the contrary, closures and development are already kicking into excessive gear and extra are on the horizon in mid-to-late 2025 with Muppets Courtyard, Tom Sawyer Island, the Rivers of America, and extra. It appears nearly like Walt Disney World is falling by the wayside on the subsequent two years, and aiming for 2027 and past to be a interval of massive development.
Formally, this isn’t Disney’s place. For its half, the corporate has been wishy-washy concerning the impression of Epic Universe on Walt Disney World. At one level, Disney’s CFO mentioned that Epic Universe is “Truly Optimistic” for Walt Disney World Attendance in 2025. Through the firm’s most up-to-date earnings name in 2025, the CFO mentioned that Disney had constructed “some damaging” into its monetary steerage on account of Epic Universe and expects it to have a “small impression” into its enterprise projections.
Decoding Disneyspeak, it appears like the corporate has gone from anticipating Epic Universe to be barely optimistic to barely damaging for Walt Disney World. They usually normally attempt to paint as rosy of an image for buyers as doable on earnings calls, so our precise expectation is that what they’ve seen from bookings since Epic Universe began promoting tickets and trip packages is extra damaging than they’re letting on.
Up till just lately, Disney’s perspective with regard to Epic Universe has been: a rising tide lifts all ships. They now sound extra bearish. No matter what occurs, it’s nearly sure that the impression–optimistic or damaging–is not going to happen evenly all year long or throughout the board in any respect 4 Walt Disney World theme parks.
Simply so we’re on the identical web page, the true vary of potentialities is a slight lower to a slight enhance in attendance–Walt Disney World is not going to be an enormous spike or catastrophic drop. Averaged per day throughout the entire parks, even this vary of outcomes for 2025 crowds would look fairly negligible as in comparison with this yr. You would possibly wait a couple of minutes much less per attraction, once more on common throughout all 4 parks.
Nevertheless, that’s not the way it will occur in follow. The adjustments is not going to happen evenly throughout all 4 parks. Vacationers have finite trip time and budgets, and including Epic Universe means sacrificing visits to different parks. However even then, there are unknowns.
Will Common’s current gates be cannibalized to a larger diploma than Disney loses market share? Which Walt Disney World parks will take the most important hit? What is going to Disney do to counter Epic Universe in 2025? Once more, these questions are inconceivable to reply with a excessive diploma of confidence at this level as a result of there merely just isn’t precedent.
What I can provide is my instincts as to what’ll occur. First, Magic Kingdom have wait instances on par with final yr in Summer season 2025 and larger seems like crowds. That is due partly to Magic Kingdom being Walt Disney World’s flagship park, so it’s the one vacationers flocking to Florida for Epic Universe are more than likely to add-on throughout their go to if doing Disney as a diversion as an alternative of vacation spot.
The upper seems like crowds or congestion can be attributable to the debut of Disney Starlight Night time Parade. That can draw extra locals, Annual Passholders, and different followers to Magic Kingdom all through the summer season. It’ll additionally hold folks within the park later, making wait instances much less prone to drop on the finish of the night time.
An analogous dynamic would possibly play out at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. These have grow to be the highest 2 parks at Walt Disney World when it comes to vacationer drawing energy, so if the inflow of holiday makers for Epic Universe are doing any Walt Disney World parks, it’s one in all these two–or each. Disney’s Hollywood Studios received’t see as a lot of a bump as Magic Kingdom, even with two new stage exhibits, as a result of these received’t be as a lot of a draw as Starlight parade.
Third, Animal Kingdom and EPCOT will take successful. EPCOT will possible be down barely yr over yr, particularly because it has nothing new to supply. Final yr, World Celebration and CommuniCore Corridor have been model new, with different sights being new-ish. This yr, there’s nothing brand-new, and there are indicators that Check Observe 3.0 received’t debut till the tip of summer season or early fall. (It received’t be a giant driver of attendance when it opens–nevertheless it might hold folks away whereas it’s closed.)
Animal Kingdom will most likely be down considerably. Animal Kingdom is already the park folks with restricted time in Central Florida are more than likely to chop, and this can be exacerbated by Epic Universe and the park being within the midst of development and having a number of sights (of an already restricted trip roster) down consequently. Animal Kingdom is already the “best” park at Walt Disney World from a method perspective, and barring a significant shock (e.g. drone present), it’s going to get even simpler in Summer season 2025.
How the remainder of 2025 performs out rely upon components that aren’t but identified. This contains what number of new guests will Epic Universe draw to Central Florida, whether or not folks really postpone visits throughout opening season for worry of upper crowds (that don’t materialize), what Walt Disney World will provide as counterprogramming, how aggressive Disney will get with reductions, ongoing seasonal traits, and extra. We might see main shifts within the second half of 2025 crowd patterns–or comparatively minor ones. Suffice to say, there’s a vary of outcomes!
The excellent news is that even with this uncertainty, the contours of crowd calendars ought to stay correct, roughly. Easter will nonetheless be worse than the weeks after Spring Break; August and September will nonetheless be low season; Jersey Week will nonetheless be busier than the week that follows; Thanksgiving 2025 can be worse than the week after that–which can stay our favourite week of the yr to go to Walt Disney World.
There can be some factors the place this breaks down a bit, however when you’re on the lookout for the perfect dates to go to inside April 2025 or November 2025, I nonetheless have a reasonably excessive diploma of confidence in our predictions. No less than, to the extent of which units of dates can be higher or worse. (Relative assessments like which are simpler to make, particularly inside timeframes of a single month or two.)
The identical can’t be mentioned for the numerical crowd stage scores. I’d take these quite a bit much less critically, if I have been you. And that goes for all crowd calendars, not simply ours. Once more, there’s an absence of precedent right here that makes this inconceivable for anybody to foretell with a excessive diploma of confidence–that’s doubly true for the assets that simply take historic information and spit out predictions with none important thought put into the “why” of it.
To this finish, you would possibly as an alternative need to seek the advice of our lists of the 10 Greatest and 10 Worst Weeks to Go to Walt Disney World in 2025 & 2026. When you’re on the lookout for a handy useful resource for planning a weeklong or so trip to Walt Disney World and need to know when to go to or keep away from primarily based on crowds & congestion, climate, particular occasions, and extra–look no additional, and take a look at that checklist as an alternative of studying the month-by-month calendars beneath.
To be fully sincere, I like these lists greater than these crowd calendars and ship family and friends that submit versus this when they need assist selecting dates. From my perspective, it’s silly to rely solely on quantitative measures (that is likely to be flawed!) when qualitative components may be extra make or break.
These have already been up to date for 2025 as soon as following the discharge of resort and ticket reductions by way of September 2025. They’ll be revised once more as soon as Walt Disney World publicizes debut dates for Starlight, new stage exhibits, and no matter different surprises is likely to be in retailer. All of these dates ought to be very coming quickly–subscribe to our free e mail e-newsletter for updates.
Turning again to those crowd calendars, we’ve got a pair extra notes. Crowd ranges are calculated on a rolling foundation relative to the prior one year. They’re not anchored to 1971 or 1993 or 2008 wait instances. In different phrases, a 1/10 at present just isn’t the identical as a 1/10 in September 2012 or October 2015. At present’s 1/10 is likely to be nearer to a 5/10 from 5 years in the past.
Just about each single day this yr could be 10/10 if we used 2008 or earlier because the baseline. When you final skilled Walt Disney World a number of years in the past, your expectations and expertise most likely differ from somebody who visited over vacation weeks in 2022 when pent-up demand was working sizzling.
Not solely that, however a ‘low’ crowd ranges doesn’t imply that in absolute phrases. Even on 1/10 days, the parks is not going to be ghost cities permitting you to do snow angels on the bottom. You will see rides with 60-90 minute posted wait instances. You will encounter areas of congestion. “Uncrowded” at Walt Disney World means one thing completely different than it does on the American Dream Mall or Wyoming in The Final of Us. The most well-liked rides, particularly in the course of the center of the day, will nonetheless have lengthy strains.
The underside line is that below-average crowd ranges doesn’t imply each trip is a walk-on. You could be disenchanted to see 60 minute waits on a supposedly low-crowd day, and conclude that it really isn’t sluggish. Simply remember the fact that it will get a lot, a lot worse. Whereas I don’t relish hour-long waits, they’re higher than 2-hour ones! Furthermore, these numbers are averages, so it additionally means larger peaks and decrease lows. Avatar Flight of Passage would possibly peak at a 300 minute wait on a ten/10 day when its common wait time is 140 minutes.
We’re not making an attempt to be debbie downers. Our aim is to supply life like expectations and preparation for crowds. And when you learn experiences of the parks being empty, ghost cities, or lifeless…nicely, you may need be stunned to come across “solely” an hour wait time for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. (Sure, that’s quite a lot of ready–however that posted wait time can be inflated and nonetheless far decrease than it’d be throughout peak season.)
There are nonetheless undoubtedly large variations in crowd ranges, and it is best to plan accordingly. Regardless of how arduous Disney would possibly attempt, there are specific instances that journey is slower. Faculty schedules, climate, seasonal festivities, youth sporting occasions, conventions, and different components all play an enormous position in crowd ranges at Walt Disney World.
If all of this sounds overwhelming or imprecise, the excellent news is that it’s fully doable to beat dangerous crowds. The truth is, we suggest savvy technique over selecting the “finest” days to go to!
By using Lightning Lanes, Early Entry, Prolonged Night Hours, rope drop, and so forth. We cowl the perfect & worst strategy for every park in Greatest Time-Saving Methods for Walt Disney World. (When you’re solely going to learn one planning submit, make it that!)
If you wish to learn a number of extra posts–all extra helpful than crowd calendars–you’ll want to additionally try our Walt Disney World Itineraries for plans of assault, with choices now with and with out Lightning Lanes.
Truthfully, following a very good itinerary and using sensible technique is far more necessary than selecting the “proper” dates. There are some exceptions to this, corresponding to occurring December 29 (common wait time final yr of 70 minutes) as an alternative of October 1 (common wait time this yr of 18 minutes), however by and huge, utilizing sensible technique will put you in a greater place than selecting the least-busy days and doing zero strategizing.
Ideally, you’d go for a better of each worlds strategy–selecting good dates in addition to using savvy technique, however that’s not all the time doable. In spite of everything, there’s a motive most households go to Walt Disney World throughout faculty breaks. When you don’t have any alternative however to journey throughout busier dates, you may nonetheless beat the crowds.
With that mentioned, listed here are extra detailed solutions for whenever you ought to and shouldn’t go to Walt Disney World…
2025 Disney World Crowd Calendars
When you’ve already narrowed down a season or vary of dates throughout which you need to go to Walt Disney World, we’d suggest forgoing the rest of this submit. As a substitute, discuss with our particular person month-to-month guides, which provide free crowd calendars and canopy climate, seasonal occasions, refurbishments, and what’s new & subsequent.
These 2025 Walt Disney World crowd calendars provide extra granular particulars for every particular month. We’d recommend studying all months for the time of yr you’re contemplating. For instance, when you’re pondering of a summer season trip, learn the Might by way of August month-to-month guides; when you’re contemplating Christmas, seek the advice of each November and December.
These Walt Disney World crowd calendars are most dependable about 6 months prematurely. It’s nonetheless too early to make dependable predictions for summer season and past. As a result of, once more, Disney nonetheless hasn’t introduced opening dates and the impression of Epic Universe is hazy. With that mentioned, a number of the identical basic patterns play out yr out and in, so later months are helpful for broader weekly traits–fairly than particular dates to go to.
For these crowd calendars, we mix regular information like wait instances and different information that serves as a proxy for crowds with our in-person observations and anecdotal experiences. From all of this, we’ve realized to identify patterns and spot issues about wait instances and attendance at Walt Disney World, which we share with you in our crowd calendars.
Observe that the above crowd calendars don’t, for essentially the most half, provide park by park crowd ranges. On a calendar day foundation, that’s far too granular and now not doable to foretell. Nevertheless, we’d direct you to Greatest & Worst Days to Do All Parks at Walt Disney World for recommendation on selecting which day to do every park. Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT sometimes observe patterns and selecting the correct (and avoiding the improper) days could make a giant distinction, it doesn’t matter what time of yr (uncrowded or crowded) that you simply go to.
Having a little bit data concerning the ebb and circulation of attendance all through the day may also put together you to keep away from crowds and zig when others zag. Some parks and sights see customer numbers and contours spike throughout sure components of the day, and it’s necessary to know the why of this, so you may plan across the peak crowds.
This isn’t to say that there’s no strategy to keep away from the crowds anymore–there completely is–and crowd calendars will assist with that. The slower dates are nonetheless noticeably slower than the busier dates. All we’re saying is that crowd calendars will not be some ‘magic bullet’ that you should use with out doing some other analysis to have an excellent journey, strolling onto each attraction. Over-reliance on Walt Disney World crowd calendars (together with ours!) will result in disappointment.
When you’re making an attempt to find out when to go to, we suggest beginning by selecting seasonal occasions and the kind of climate that attraction most to you, after which narrowing your dates inside these broad parameters primarily based on what crowd calendars establish as the perfect and first weeks to go to. Walt Disney World crowd calendars are nonetheless a useful gizmo, however they’re not a planning panacea.
Selecting which days to go to Walt Disney World is only one side of planning a visit. To be sure you sort out every little thing, be sure you learn our Information to Planning a Walt Disney World Journey, which covers the entire necessities. With that mentioned, right here’s what else to contemplate…
Climate
If climate is a vital consideration, we extremely suggest heading down from in late September, October, early November, late February, March, or April. These are best from a climate perspective. That’s, assuming you need extra temperate climate, fairly than excessive warmth and humidity or extra chilly climate. When you like your garments drenched in sweat from excessive temperatures, Might till late-August are the good instances so that you can go to.
Late summer season and early fall are the peak of hurricane and storm season, which have grow to be more and more related. We extremely suggest consulting our Visiting Walt Disney World Throughout Storm Season article earlier than reserving a visit this time of yr. The most effective case state of affairs is navigating the afternoon showers with out them placing an excessive amount of of a damper in your journey. Worst case, an approaching hurricane forces you to cancel your journey or be at Walt Disney World whereas the parks shut as a result of storm.
When you should go to between the late spring by way of early fall, simply bear in mind to pack accordingly, bringing the Frogg Toggs for the humidity…and ponchos for the rain so that you don’t spend $179 on them at Walt Disney World. Learn our Distinctive Disney World Packing Listing for some gadgets you won’t in any other case consider taking.
Whereas early December and January are nice instances to go to to keep away from crowds, our expertise has been that these are the worst two months when it comes to climate. Not solely does it get extraordinarily chilly (nicely, comparatively talking–it’s Florida in any case), however there are substantial swings in temperature. You would possibly end up desirous to put on shorts within the morning however by late afternoon it’s denims and sweatshirt climate. Because the night time rolls on, you would possibly even end up desirous to placed on a parka.
When you journey throughout these seasons, count on to convey extra baggage and make extra stops at your room to alter clothes (or not less than plan on renting a locker to retailer extra layers of clothes every day). You could be fortunate and discover comparatively constant temperate climate throughout these timeframes, nevertheless it’s finest to arrange for the worst so that you simply don’t should buy a bunch of $50 sweatshirts from the Emporium on Primary Road. These $50 sweatshirts can add up rapidly! Try our Winter Packing Suggestions for Disney submit for extra perception on what to take in your winter journey to Walt Disney World.
Park Hours
In speaking to others, we’ve discovered that that is the one space that individuals think about the least when planning their journeys, which we expect is not less than a small mistake. It’s necessary to notice up entrance that, sometimes, much less busy seasons have shorter park hours and busier instances have longer park hours.
It thus stands to motive which you could principally get the identical quantity accomplished in a shorter day throughout a much less busy time than you might throughout a busier time. Nevertheless, this isn’t all the time true. When you use an environment friendly touring plan (see our Itineraries for Walt Disney World), you have got a very good probability of getting extra accomplished throughout a busier time of yr than throughout a slower stretch.
That is very true when you get to the park early and keep late. Typically throughout particularly busy instances, Magic Kingdom will open at 8 am and can shut at 11 pm. Whereas we’ve taken benefit of those hours with out taking a break in the course of the day, we notice a few of you’re mere mortals.
A fantastic technique to make use of throughout days with working hours corresponding to these is to get to the park shortly earlier than opening, keep till round 11 a.m., return to your resort to nap or calm down, and return round supper time to remain till park shut. Whatever the time of yr, the parks will all the time be pretty sluggish in the course of the first couple operational hours, and can all the time be pretty abandoned late at night time. Journey as a lot as you may early within the day and do much less fashionable sights because the day wears on.
Equally, park hours ought to be taken under consideration primarily based upon your sleep habits. When you’re a late-to-rise night time owl, the Fall and late Winter/early Spring months could also be a foul thought, as these entail many early closing instances. When you’re not going to get to the parks till midday anyway, your day is likely to be solely 7 hours or so.
Conversely, when you get up early and usually name it a day by 5 or 7 pm or so, these midnight closings aren’t going to do you any good. Be sure you test Disney’s park hours calendar when planning your journey. It’s necessary to notice that this calendar is commonly inaccurate far prematurely (Disney posts hours conservatively, then extends them as bookings enhance).
Particular Occasions
It is a large one for us, as we’ve been to Walt Disney World so many instances that it’s good to go to throughout completely different instances of yr to maintain issues different. Even when it’s your first go to to Walt Disney World, if in case you have explicit pursuits, you would possibly need to think about planning your journey round these particular occasions. The schedules for these varies, as does the worth (if any), so please seek the advice of the respective web page for every occasion when doing all of your planning and budgeting.
Halloween and Christmas occasions within the Magic Kingdom are individually ticketed, that means you may’t use your commonplace park tickets for them. Not like common park tickets, you can also’t buy these tickets at a reduction from approved distributors (which may prevent some huge cash on common tickets). Regardless of this, each occasions are a ton of enjoyable and nicely value experiencing. As you may learn in our Final Information to Christmas at Walt Disney World, it’s our favourite time to go to the parks!
We’ve written ideas & methods for nearly each seasonal occasion at Walt Disney World, as a result of most aren’t merely a matter of “present up, have enjoyable.” We encourage you to click on these hyperlinks (they may open in a brand new tab) and skim the guides. Like all issues Walt Disney World-related, you’ll have a significantly better time and see extra that the occasion has to supply when you do some advance planning…
Winter
- Walt Disney World Marathon – The flagship runDisney race weekend is held in early January, normally the weekend after New Yr’s. It sometimes happens whereas faculties are nonetheless out for winter break, successfully extending the vacation season crowds into early January.
- EPCOT Worldwide Pageant of the Arts – This is without doubt one of the highlights of January and February at Walt Disney World for us. Actually captures the essence of old style EPCOT Heart.
Spring
Summer season
- 2025 EPCOT Worldwide Meals & Wine Pageant – Starting in late summer season, that is EPCOT’s flagship culinary occasion. Need to know what to do–and extra importantly what NOT to do? Learn our information. It’ll provide you with an thought of what’s not definitely worth the cash, and what’s value doing.
Fall
- 2025 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Social gathering at Magic Kingdom – Presumably greater than some other particular occasion at Walt Disney World, it’s essential do advance planning for this. Character meet & greets can kind hour-plus lengthy waits, and there’s a lot to do which you could’t accomplish every little thing in a single social gathering. We extremely suggest studying this information!
- EPCOT Meals & Wine Pageant – Similar as above normally continues by way of mid to late November.
Holidays
Faculty Schedules
If faculty schedules are one thing round which you have to plan, likelihood is you’re going to go throughout one of many busier (or not less than not one of many least busy) instances of the yr. Faculty schedules are the paramount consideration for a lot of different households planning journeys, too.
It could appear handy to go to throughout one of many ‘holidays’ your children have off from faculty, nevertheless it’s necessary to contemplate whether or not different faculties have these identical dates off, as nicely. Of the normal faculty holidays, solely Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends are good instances to go to.
As a result of most faculties have the week earlier than Christmas till the shortly after New Yr’s off, that is an particularly crowded window to go to. Likewise, the identical goes for President’s Day weekend, Easter week, Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day week, Veterans Day week, the whole thing of the Summer season, and Thanksgiving week.
Though faculties do fluctuate their Spring Break schedules, don’t count on the parks to be any much less busy due to staggered Spring Breaks. Mid-March till mid-April are additionally extremely busy dates for the parks due to Spring Breaks, with the 2 weeks abutting Easter being absolutely the worst (since most faculties nonetheless use Easter as a proxy for Spring Break).
Some folks don’t have many different choices, so it’s going throughout a college break or nothing. In that case, it’s not the tip of the world. As we’ve burdened above, crowd calendars will not be as necessary as they was. Merely pack your endurance and have a very good touring plan (which is way extra necessary than selecting dates primarily based upon a crowd calendar, anyway). For assist with this, discuss with our Free Walt Disney World Park Itineraries & Touring Plans. We now have the right technique for enjoyable, environment friendly, and memorable days within the parks!
When you don’t have children or aren’t in any other case pressured to journey round holidays or conventional trip durations, we’d extremely suggest avoiding them. Not as a result of we’ve got something towards children, however as a result of crowds and costs can be larger throughout these breaks. Plan round them and save each money and time! As we regularly say, pack your endurance and arm your self with savvy technique when you’re visiting Walt Disney World and also you’ll do exactly superb, no matter crowds.
If you’re not sure of when visiting Walt Disney World is likely to be finest for you–or want customized assist with any side of your journey from lodges to the Disney Eating Plan and extra–we suggest contacting a no price “Licensed Disney Trip Planner” (principally, Disney’s time period for a journey agent) to get a quote and that can assist you plan. They get their fee from Disney, so not one of the approved (key phrase) planners will cost you for reserving their journey and serving to. Right here’s one such Licensed Disney Trip Planner that we suggest!
Hopefully it is a worthwhile primer that can assist you select whenever you need to go to Walt Disney World. Determining when to go to is a vital first step, however there’s far more to know. You’ll additionally need to learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets submit to purchase the most affordable tickets from authentic sources. To determine the place to remain, our Walt Disney World Resort Evaluations web page is a good useful resource. Need to know the place to eat or if the Disney Eating Plan is best for you? Our Walt Disney World Eating Sources will assist! For plenty of different Walt Disney World journey planning ideas and complete recommendation, make certain to learn our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information.
Your Ideas
Visiting Walt Disney World throughout the perfect dates to keep away from crowds might be some of the necessary facets of journey planning. What season, month, or week do you typically go to WDW? Do you go to at instances when you already know crowds can be mild, or do you go to when faculty is out of session? Do you agree or disagree with our recommendation? Any questions we may help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!