Spring break is without doubt one of the busiest instances of the yr at Walt Disney World. Crowd ranges enhance in the course of the recess, culminating with peak weeks in March and April 2025. Easter is notorious for its excessive wait instances in Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. It’s not only one week of elevated attendance, however a season with totally different districts having weeks off in two months.
Spring break season kicks off within the first half of March with schools and universities, adopted by Ok-12 college methods that take their week-long breaks. However not all dates inside that vary are equally crowded, as evidenced by final yr, when the bottom low have been 1/10 crowd stage days (24 minute common wait) and the height was 10/10 (60 minutes). We don’t anticipate something that excessive in 2025. On the contrary, we’re going to clarify why this yr ought to be way more constantly crowded. It makes for way more boring predictions, however that’s been par for the course up to now this yr.
Our objectives with this are highlighting weeks that may have the very best wait instances and worst crowd ranges at Walt Disney World in the course of the spring break season. And maybe extra importantly, let when spring break crowds will finish and shoulder season will begin. In so doing, we’ll take a look at college schedules for among the largest districts that affect Walt Disney World, final yr’s crowd ranges, and extra to foretell which weeks would be the peaks on Walt Disney World crowd calendar for March and April 2025…
Let’s dig proper in with the kickoff of spring break season, which has already began. I’ve spent the previous a number of days within the parks, and due to Mardi Gras, EPCOT’s Flower & Backyard Competition, youth occasions at ESPN Broad World of Sports activities, and early spring breaks for universities and a scattering of faculty districts within the South, above-average crowds have arrived.
Maybe I’ve seen this to a disproportionate diploma since I’ve been spending a whole lot of time alternating between rides on Cosmic Rewind and consuming at EPCOT meals cubicles (all within the identify of Very Necessary Analysis), however I’ve been a bit stunned by the variety of faculty children at Walt Disney World on break. Not that it’s really busy at this level (it’s not), however this was once a lull–among the best stretches of the yr!
Whereas crowds are already average, spring break will unofficially arrive on March 14, 2025 and spike wait instances even increased. That is the Friday a number of college districts in Central Florida will begin their recesses. Not like final yr, when these Orlando-area districts have been unfold out throughout just a few weeks, they’re nearly all consolidated into March 14-23, 2025. (Some don’t embody the Friday beforehand–that’s about the one distinction.) This consists of Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Brevard, and Orange Counties.
Even when no different districts in your entire United States had spring break that week, it might be busy at Walt Disney World as a result of native college methods. This catches some longtime Walt Disney World followers without warning, as Floridians didn’t have such an outsized affect on park attendance a decade or so in the past.
Central Florida has seen a inhabitants explosion within the final a number of years, with these two counties specifically seeing an inflow of distant staff and higher center class households who go to Walt Disney World in sturdy numbers. As we’ve seen time and time once more in the previous couple of years, vacation breaks in Central Florida counties now have important impacts on attendance at Walt Disney World.
One mitigating issue for that week’s crowds is that the 2 lowest tiers of Walt Disney World Annual Passes might be blocked out March 15-22, 2025. Nevertheless, the 4-Day Uncover Disney Ticket for Florida residents isn’t (whereas it ended earlier than Central Florida’s spring break final yr). That ought to make it a horny time for locals to go to–simply to not the identical extent as it might be within the absence of the blockouts.
Past the Orlando space, there are a number of giant districts in Florida which are among the many largest within the nation and have an outsized affect on attendance at Walt Disney World. These districts have spring breaks throughout the next timeframes:
- Hillsborough County Public Faculties: March 17-21, 2025
- Palm Seashore County Public Faculties: March 24-28, 2025
- Duval County Public Faculties: March 17-21, 2025
- Miami-Dade County Public Faculties: March 21-31, 2025
- Broward County Public Faculties: March 24-28, 2025
- Volusia County Public Faculties: March 14-21, 2025
- Lee County Public Faculties: March 17-21, 2025
Listed below are different main college districts and their spring break 2025 dates that might considerably affect crowd ranges at Walt Disney World:
- Houston Impartial College District: March 10-14, 2025
- Dallas Impartial College District: March 10-14, 2025
- Gwinnett County Public Faculties: April 7-11, 2025
- Chicago Public Faculties: March 24-31, 2025
- Detroit Public Faculties: March 24-28, 2025
- New York Metropolis Public Faculties: April 14-18, 2025
- Fairfax County Public Faculties: April 14-18, 2025
Notice that some districts have ‘skilled growth days’ or flex dates off the Friday earlier than or Monday after their breaks start. These are sometimes used as make-up days within the occasion of snow or different weather-related closures, and it looks as if there have been a whole lot of these up to now in Winter 2025 (even in Florida!).
That is not an exhaustive record of spring break schedules. These districts have been chosen as a result of they’re among the many nation’s largest districts which are both close to Walt Disney World or feed closely into customer demographics. That’s why Chicago is listed however Los Angeles Unified, Clark County (Nevada), and Honolulu’s college districts will not be.
Clearly, there are greater than a dozen main college districts in the USA with breaks that contribute to crowds at Walt Disney World. Notably, there’s little or no illustration from the Northeast and Midwest. This isn’t to say that New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Indiana, and many others. don’t have a huge effect on crowds. They completely do!
From what we are able to surmise, districts within the Northeast and Midwest have spring breaks which are, on common, later than the South. It’s our assumption that it’s because many districts in chilly climate states are additionally extra prone to have a mid-winter break, and that normally coincides with Presidents’ Day. Accordingly, these districts don’t take one other week-long break lower than a month later–they’re extra staggered. These districts usually tend to have their spring breaks in April, particularly this yr when Easter is later. Talking of which, non-public faculties all through the USA are more likely to have spring break coincide with Easter week.
Moreover, our focus right here is on Ok-12 college districts, however universities have spring breaks that may trigger slight spikes to attendance. Schools normally have much less of an affect on Walt Disney World crowds because of age demographics, however they don’t have zero affect. Notable examples embody Florida State College (March 8-15, 2025), College of Florida (March 15-22, 2025), College of Central Florida (March 15-22, 2025)–you get the concept. Right here’s a complete record of faculty spring breaks.
Because of Orange County and different Central Florida college districts having their spring breaks, March 14-23, 2025 ought to be fairly busy. Nevertheless, the aforementioned AP blockouts for that date vary ought to assist to a minimum of partially offset that.
That week was truly the least busy of spring break final yr, however the distinction was that Central Florida breaks weren’t consolidated into that week and the Florida resident ticket deal ended simply earlier than spring break began. The circumstances are totally different this yr, so we’re forecasting one thing nearer to a repeat of earlier years (2022-2023) when Orange County’s break was among the many busiest of spring break.
As we’ve seen repeatedly, the absence or presence of a Floridian ticket deal has a huge effect on crowd ranges throughout native college breaks. Accordingly, you shouldn’t anticipate a repeat of final yr’s decrease crowds throughout Central Florida’s spring break. We can not stress this sufficient.
However, this timeframe does not make our record of the 10 Greatest & Worst Weeks to Go to Walt Disney World in 2025 & 2026. It’s shut, however the AP blockouts and earlier timing (when fewer out of state districts have breaks) bump it to “solely” worst 15 or so.
Crowds received’t let up the following week–on the contrary, they’ll doubtless worsen. Though it’s a much less frequent break for Central Florida college districts, many Midwest and Northeast faculties have the final week of the month off, as do the massive districts round Fort Lauderdale and Miami. On high of that, APs aren’t blocked out. Consequently, March 24-31, 2025 might be among the many busiest of the season. In all probability not Easter week unhealthy, however in all probability an 8/10 crowd stage or increased week.
Suffice to say, that two-plus week stretch from March 14 till March 31, 2025 might be actually busy at Walt Disney World. That is our first extended ‘peak’ of spring break.
The important thing variations from final March have been the timing of Easter, depth of Central Florida break blockouts, and early arrival of spring break (pushed largely by Canadians–we don’t anticipate a repeat of that this yr for causes past the scope of this submit).
With Easter a number of weeks later and the opposite components not in play, it’s cheap to anticipate a pair weeks of extra constant crowds within the second half of March 2025. The lows received’t be as low, however the highs received’t be as excessive. Our expectation is stable stretches of seven/10 and eight/10 days, with the occasional 6/10 or 9/10. After March 14, we don’t anticipate any common or beneath crowd stage days, however we additionally don’t anticipate 10/10 days. (There has not been a single 9/10 or 10/10 crowd stage date this yr for the reason that New Yr’s break.)
That is in distinction to final yr, when the primary 10/10 crowd stage day was March 11 (in the course of the tail finish of the Floridian ticket deal), and Easter week on the finish of the month had an uninterrupted stretch of 9/10 and 10/10 days. In between, there have been a number of consecutive 1/10 to three/10 crowd stage days as a result of aforementioned AP blockouts, early ending of the FL resident ticket deal, and unfold out Central Florida breaks. These lows and highs have been extraordinary for spring break season at Walt Disney World, and we’d be shocked if there’s a repeat of these extremes in March 2025. The circumstances are very totally different this yr–that can not be overstated.
As at all times, the second peak is Easter week. The worst week of your entire spring break season will in all probability be April 11-21, 2025.
This can be a pretty protected prediction yr in and yr out, no matter what else occurs. Easter week has been the busiest of spring break season for so long as we’ve been protecting Walt Disney World, with one massive exception. Again in 2022, Orange County’s spring break week in mid-March was busier than Easter week in mid-April.
That’s a really related setup to this yr when it comes to dates, however we’re nonetheless anticipating Easter week to be busier since that’s the development earlier than–and since. No matter whether or not Easter falls early or late, it’s at all times one of many 2 busiest weeks of spring break. It’s doable that we should always downwardly ‘alter’ the gang forecast for Easter occurring three weeks later than final yr, however not by a lot. Loads of private and non-private faculties will nonetheless have it off–sufficient to make this the busiest or second-busiest week. As such, we’re anticipating a crowd stage of 8/10 that week.
Though there are some straggler college districts, anticipate April 22, 2025 (Earth Day!) to be the unofficial finish of the Spring Break season. That might be partially–however not totally–offset by new ticket offers, however crowd ranges ought to nonetheless be trending downward for the rest of April 2025. We’d anticipate beneath common (4/10) crowd ranges that week consequently. The next week might be even higher, signaling the arrival of shoulder season.
The silver lining for these touring exterior of these twin peaks is that spring break crowds are (sorta) a zero-sum sport. Worse crowds due to extra breaks sure weeks means higher crowds due to fewer breaks different weeks. To make certain, we’re not suggesting that the primary two weeks of April 2025 might be sluggish, but it surely ought to provide a little bit of a breather from the height season weeks earlier than and after.
It’s laborious to know what, precisely, to foretell for the primary two weeks of April. Digging again by wait instances information to 2019, crowd ranges are really all over when there’s a lull between Orange County’s spring break and Easter. In 2022, they by no means actually let up. That was a streak of 8/10 and 9/10 weeks. However that was additionally the peak of pent-up demand, and Walt Disney World’s insurance policies have been totally different then in various methods.
Exterior of that, we’ve seen crowd ranges within the average vary. Given the final trajectory, that’s roughly what we’re anticipating–weekly averages of round 6/10. (This might be roughly on par with mid-winter break.) There are nonetheless tons of districts with early or late breaks, and it doesn’t take a lot in the way in which of faculty recesses to have an effect on crowds.
Earlier than you are worried an excessive amount of, let’s speak beating the crowds.
The primary bit of excellent information is that we strongly suspect that park hours might be prolonged for extra spring break dates quickly. We’re hoping for Magic Kingdom opening at 8 a.m. and shutting at 11 p.m., however up to now it’s solely 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. for mid-March dates. (Our concern is that these extra muted mid-March extensions are reactionary–based mostly on final yr’s precedent as is commonly the case, and are underestimating simply how busy it’ll be throughout Central Florida’s spring break.)
From late March by Easter week, we’re anticipating extra aggressive extensions. If final yr’s precedent is any indication, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios may also get longer hours. That is extremely advantageous–particularly the sooner opening instances since most vacationers don’t wish to do the early wake-up name on trip.
By merely arriving early or staying late, you possibly can beat the worst of the noon crowds. After all, that’s “easy” in principle however tougher in observe, particularly you probably have young children. That’s a giant purpose why wait instances are decrease very first thing within the morning and later within the evenings.
Past that, make sure to additionally take a look at our Walt Disney World Itineraries for step-by-step technique. Most of these plans have been–or might be–up to date for 2025 by the point spring break season rolls round. There’s nonetheless extra testing to be executed at EPCOT and Magic Kingdom now that Tiana’s Bayou Journey and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind have switched to standby.
Suffice to say, it’s fully doable to beat unhealthy crowds by using Lightning Lanes, Early Entry, Prolonged Night Hours, rope drop, and many others. We cowl the very best & worst method for every park in Greatest Time-Saving Methods for Walt Disney World. For those who’re solely going to learn one planning submit, make it that. There are nice methods to beat the crowds–even on busy days–with out shopping for Lightning Lane Multi-Cross or Single Cross.
Talking of which, we have now a ~4,500 phrase Information to Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World for many who wish to completely grasp paid FastPass. Weeks like this, it’s positively an excellent possibility for Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT. Possibly even Animal Kingdom when you’re not an early riser!
In the end, that’s about what you possibly can anticipate to expertise throughout spring break 2025 at Walt Disney World. To summarize, our prediction is twin peaks of heavy crowds March 14-31, 2025 and once more April 11-21, 2025. These ought to be the worst 3 weeks of spring break season, and the busiest of the yr till the ultimate three months of the yr. If final yr was any indication, it’ll take till Christmas week for crowd ranges as excessive as Easter.
In between, there might be a pair weeks of extra average crowds, however even these might be elevated as contrasted with something after Earth Day in April or Might 2025…or in all probability even June by September, for that matter. As such, there aren’t actually candy spots or decrease pockets inside the spring break season. The time to go to is after spring break ends, throughout shoulder season.
Inside these weeks, the busiest days are prone to be Mondays by Thursdays, with Saturday and Sunday being least busy. One development we’ve seen within the final yr or so is shorter journeys and fewer park days (doubtless because of increased prices), so crowds have a tendency to start out sturdy every week and fizzle out as individuals head residence earlier than the weekend (we’re nonetheless together with March 31 and April 21–each Mondays–in our ranges as a result of these are usually the worst day of the week).
This yr’s spring break crowds ought to be lots much less “thrilling” than final yr, when crowd ranges peaked at 10/10 with a mean wait of 60 minutes throughout all points of interest and bottomed out at 1/10 with a mean 24 minute wait. The most secure prediction to make is a narrower vary, with a better low but additionally a decrease excessive.
A peak wait time of 55 minutes (the low finish of 10/10 crowd stage) and a ‘valley’ of 35 minutes (5/10 crowd stage) wouldn’t shock me within the least. If something, I’d wager on a narrower vary than that–extra like an expansion of 17-18 minutes from mid-March by mid-April 2025. That’s nonetheless a fairly large vary, however clearly nothing like final yr’s curler coaster spring break crowds. Past the extremes, anticipate a whole lot of 7/10, 8/10, and 9/10 crowd stage days with day by day (and even weekly) variations of just a few minutes, quite than the huge swings of final yr.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you ever visited Walt Disney World throughout spring break season up to now? What did you consider the crowds? Are you visiting this yr for Easter or spring break? Every other main college districts having spring breaks throughout these home windows? Anything we missed that might affect crowds throughout March and April 2025? Do you agree or disagree with something in our crowd forecast for Walt Disney World? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even once you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!