WDW Question: When Are The Best Times To Visit?

Looking back over the years, the most prominent questions that I get asked related to a Walt Disney World vacation are usually centered around when are the best times to visit?  So I am not sure why it has taken me this long to write a blog article related to the subject.  Nevertheless, here are my personal thoughts when it comes to the times of year that will make for a better overall experience during your stay at the "Happiest Place on Earth."

Naturally, the best times when it comes to crowd levels, are those times when the majority of kids are in school.  That means that spring break, fall break, the Christmas break and the summer months are never optimal times for those who prefer to spend less time in a line and more time on the actual ride.  But for a lot of families, they simply have no choice but to go during school breaks or in the summer between the end of May and the beginning of August.  If summer is your only option, I recommend going earlier than later.  The weather will generally be better earlier in the summer season than later during the times when the summer overlaps with the heart of hurricane season.  So maybe look at going as soon as school lets out in the end of May or very beginning of June.

But for those that do not have to worry about school schedules or holidays, here are my top choices of times to visit:

1)  Most of September.  Most everyone is back in school now by the beginning of September.  If you can wait until after labor day, you will hit a time of year that does not coincide with any holiday weekend and the weather can be a little better as you get further into September (I stress a LITTLE).

2)  The two weeks after Thanksgiving.  Again, most families that took an extended Thanksgiving Day holiday will be back home.  The weather is generally really good (low 80's, lower humidity etc), but be aware that this can also now correspond with the beginning of the summer break for some South American countries.  So crowd levels tend to be a little higher than September.

3) The second or third week of January or the first and second week of February.  Good weather and generally decent crowd levels, at least by Disney standards, make this a great time to visit as well.  If you go in January, you are more in the peak of the southern hemisphere summer break, but Disney still views this as a low period because this tends to also be a time when they are training a lot of new employees who are trying to earn their "ears."

There ya go.  There are my top 3 times of the year that I recommend to clients to book their WDW vacation.  Again, I make my recommendations based on crowd levels as well as factoring in weather.  But overall, I will go when the crowd levels are at their lowest even if it means the weather might be a bit more iffy.

Let me know if you have any questions related to crowds and wait times.  You can also feel free to either agree or disagree with my choices. What has been the times that you have found to be the best to visit WDW?