Walt Disney World Vacation Tips & Pointers: Planning Your Trip and General WDW Tips

Best times to go.

The best time to go is when kids are in school, during school vacation times can be a bit more expensive and definitely more crowded, it is worth it, in the long run, to pull the kids out of school. Remember you can always have the teachers give the kids homework to take with them, if you go during school vacations, it will be more crowded in the parks and everywhere in general. Going during the summertime, well that is on you, if you love the heat and don’t mind large crowds in that heat, then enjoy the summertime. We have figured that going during the school year while kids are in school it is less crowded in the parks. You will need to do your research to make sure other events aren’t going on that may drive the crowd up.

Here is a list of some months with some tips on how crowded it can or can not be; please remember to do your research for the week and the month you want to go.

1. January – Typically, January is one of the least crowded months of the year at Walt Disney World, but there are a couple of things to consider. The temperature is the coolest of the year with a few rain showers, so bring a lightweight jacket; and since the crowds are down, Disney takes advantage of this and schedules some ride and attraction refurbishments. You will want to keep an eye on Marathon schedules during January, they will have their Run Disney Weekends, so keep that in mind.

2. February – February is another least crowded month. The temperatures begin to warm up, with a few rain showers, so bring that lightweight jacket, sweater, or hoodie for those cooler evenings. Crowds in February are generally lower just before President’s Day weekend and most weekends are busier. During the week is an excellent time to visit the parks (the first and last weeks of the month are the best). As crowds begin to pick up a little, especially on weekends, the refurbishments are fewer.

3. March – The first week in March is the least crowded of the month. Since March is a “Spring Break” month, you can expect larger than average crowds after the first week. Crowds are lower during the earlier part of the month. The crowds in March are still below the average, the temperatures are warmer with fewer rain showers, and ride refurbishments are very few if any.

4. April – The first two weeks in April are the busiest, mainly because it is normally the “Easter Season”, and draws more crowds. Usually after Easter Week, the crowds taper off. The weather during April is usually the best of the year, with temperatures in the low 80’s during the day and lows in the mid to upper 60’s in the evenings, with minimal precipitation. Also, most of the parks have extended magic hours for resort guests.

5. May – Crowds in May are generally average to above average during the first three weeks. Between May 1-15th would be the best time to visit. Not only are the crowds the lowest of the month, but you can enjoy Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival. Temperatures are warmer, with highs in the upper 80’s and lows in the ’70s with fewer than normal rain showers. Also, during the month of May, all four parks begin opening earlier and staying open later, with more frequent magic hours. Very few, if any, refurbishments take place during the summer months.

6. June – The first and second weeks of June are the best times to visit if you are trying to avoid the largest crowds. Even though there will be above average attendance, the first week of June is the least crowded of the summer months. June can be a hot month with highs in the 90’s, but the evenings are pleasant, with lows in the 70’s. There is a slightly higher chance of afternoon rain showers, but during the heat of the day, these showers can actually be quite refreshing.

7. September – There are just a few really busy days in September and those are generally around the latter time of the month when “Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party” begins. The temperatures normally remain relatively hot but begin cooling down by mid-September. Rain showers are not as common in September, so you might not need those ponchos after all.

8. October — October is a great month to visit Disney World, as far as crowds are concerned. The Columbus Day weekend is generally busier than the other weekends, and the best time to attend the Halloween Party is mid-week when attendance is lower. You can expect cooler temperatures, especially in the evenings, and moderate rainfall mostly in the afternoons and lasting for short periods.

9. November — After the first week of November and Thanksgiving week, this is also one of the better months to visit Disney World. The crowds are low, the weather is pleasant, and all the parks begin their transformation into a Christmas wonderland, complete with Holiday decorations, Holiday parades, and the “Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party” celebration. Avoid the mid-November weeks, they will tend to be more crowded.

10. December – The first two and a half weeks of December are the best time to visit Walt Disney World. The Holiday spirit can be found everywhere on Disney property, and “Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party” is a must-do, with crowds being lower during mid-week. The weather during December is pleasant during the day and can get quite cool in the evenings. A Disney hoodie or sweater would be a great souvenir! Mid-December is a great time to visit when the crowds are the lowest of the month, after that it’s going to get really busy there for the holidays and through the New Year.

Booking your Trip

You can go to https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/ and compare up to 3 different quotes. Quotes are good for around 30 days.

Booking through https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/, you can book your trip with just a small percentage for a deposit and make payments. Your trip will need to be paid in full 45 days prior to your arrival date. This is our favorite way to book our trips, you can make payments whenever you want and stay apprised to special offers that come up.

Once you book your trip, pay attention to any deals that may come around, and make sure to check the dates of the deals. If any deals come around that are in line with your vacation schedule, make sure to check out the qualifications for the deal, if you qualify, make sure you call Disney and speak with a vacation planner, and they will credit or refund the cost back towards the price of your trip. This will save you money in the long run, so it’s good to pay attention for those deals.

Park Passes

Regarding park passes, if you book your trip through the WDW website and pick the package deal, then by default you will get 1 ticket per person per day of your stay. This will be why the cost of your trip will seem expensive at first, so to bring that cost down, plan on 1 ticket per park per day on average. So that is only 4 tickets you will need, if you want the option to go between the parks on the same day then you will want to add the park hopper option, this will bring the cost back up a little, but gives you the option to go from Hollywood Studios to Magic Kingdom in the same day. Also if you want you can always keep what they give you for ticket options during booking, so if you want to go back to any other park during the rest of your stay you can. Once again here is where you are going to want to plan out what rides you are really going to want to go on. It really helps to plan for Disney, it is no longer a park to just hit and fly by the seat of your pants, not unless in Orlando and are an Annual pass holder it’s gonna get pricey.

Staying on Property

If you are staying on property, I recommend you take advantage of the extra magic hours. Extra magic hours mean that certain parks either open early or stay late on certain days for those staying on Disney property. Also another huge advantage of staying on property (aside from the incredible sites at the hotels), you can have any souvenirs you get sent back to the resort for you to pick up later, so you won't have to carry everything with you around the park. There is a slight downfall for those that choose to drive or have a rental, they have started to charge at the resorts for parking, and it’s on a daily basis. So that is something you will want to budget for, to find out the rate you will need to ask once you book, the rate increases as the cost of the resort go up, in other words, the cost per day for parking at All-Star Music will be a cheaper rate than say parking at The Grand Floridian.

Parking in the park for those staying in the resort is still free, but if you are staying inside the park, they have their own bus system, highly recommend using it. Also, they have the Magical Express for those of you that fly down into Orlando Airport. They will grab your checked bags, and take you to whatever resort you are staying at, and when it comes time to leave they will bring you back to the airport. Disney has also recently added the addition of their own ride-sharing, called Minnie Van, which will run the Lyft app service.

When you check into your hotel, make sure you grab a map for each park so that you can figure out what you would like to see at each park so you can plan out your day systematically. This is the best way to see everything you want to see during your trip.

***Download the app “My Disney Experience” on your Smart Phone. It is very helpful! It includes wait times, character locations, maps of the parks, making dining reservations, making Fast Pass + reservations, etc…