These are the best times to visit Disney World in 2025
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. While it’s fair to say there’s really never a bad time to visit the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, some times are better than others if you want fewer crowds, cheaper prices or special events. The predictable “slow season” that …
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
While it’s fair to say there’s really never a bad time to visit the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, some times are better than others if you want fewer crowds, cheaper prices or special events. The predictable “slow season” that guests enjoyed five or so years ago is a thing of the past, and Disney continues to add more (and longer) festivals and separately ticketed events that make the parks popular year-round. That said, there are still ways to plan your trip to avoid crowds and make the most of your time at Disney World.
Related: 19 Disney World secrets that can add ‘pixie dust’ to your vacation
Here’s when to plan your Disney World vacation to take advantage of better prices, moderate temperatures and fewer crowds.
Best weather at Disney World
This will shock absolutely no one, but Orlando is hot, humid and stormy in the summer, specifically from June through August. Temperatures typically sizzle in the 90s during the day, and humidity is through the roof. Those factors combine to create a heat index that can easily exceed 100, according to Weather U.S. You’ll get a break from the heat most afternoons for an hour, but only because you’ll be weathering showers and thunderstorms.
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When to visit Disney World for festivals and special events
Plan your visit around your favorite Disney World activities. Disney’s water parks are most appealing during the hot summer months when you’d rather not sweat it out in the theme parks all day. Golf is best in spring and fall — unless you’re an early bird who likes hitting the greens as the sun rises. If you want to see live entertainment like Cirque du Soleil’s “Drawn to Life,” you’ll want to check the performance days and times while you are planning your trip. (The theater is usually closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.)
Here are some of the other special events and festivals you can look forward to during your visit.
Spring events
Learn new gardening techniques, see detailed topiaries that resemble Disney characters, dine on fresh and flavorful foods, and enjoy free concerts from some of your favorite bands from yesterday and today at the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. It runs for four months, from early spring through the start of summer.
Summer events
Disney World has fewer summer events. In recent years, Walt Disney World has added more separately ticketed after-hours events — such as H2O Glow After Hours at Typhoon Lagoon and Disney After Hours events at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot — that let you enjoy more time in the parks with fewer crowds. Check Disney’s website for a full list of dates and ticket prices.
The LGBTQI+ community holds its Gay Days gatherings in Orlando each June. This is not an official Disney event, but it does draw tens of thousands of excited visitors and increases daily attendance at the Orlando theme parks.
Fall events
Culinary enthusiasts should time their visits with Epcot’s annual International Food and Wine Festival. This festival features global food and drink stands, free concerts and more. It spans nearly four months, starting in late July and ending in mid-November.
Over at Magic Kingdom, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party runs from August until Halloween. This after-hours, separately ticketed event can sell out, especially for opening night and dates closer to Halloween; don’t wait to get tickets if you want to see Mickey and Minnie in their spooky costumes.
Winter events
Starting the day after the final Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Disney magically transforms overnight from a spooky destination to a winter wonderland. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom is a great way to get into the holiday spirit.
This party is a ticketed event at the Magic Kingdom that runs from early November through Christmas. Disney also embraces the holiday spirit at the after-hours Disney Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios. Additionally, the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays offers several global incarnations of St. Nick, plus a nightly Candlelight Processional.
As the holidays start to wind down, you can visit the Epcot International Festival of the Arts. This is Epcot’s shortest festival, usually running from mid-January through late February. You can experience art in many forms, including musical performances, lifelike chalk drawing, an art fair and interactive photo ops.
Disney World crowd calendar
It’s impossible to completely escape the crowds at Disney World. Its four theme parks received roughly 48.7 million visitors through the turnstiles in 2023, according to the Theme Index and Museum Index of the Themed Entertainment Association. That’s not even including folks who show up only for the golf, water parks, shopping, dining, spas, entertainment and conferences. The Orlando area, in total, received approximately 74 million visitors in 2023 alone.
Related: Is a Disney World annual pass worth it?
On big holidays — such as Christmas, Independence Day and New Year’s Eve — Disney World gets so packed that the Magic Kingdom (the most iconic of the theme parks) can reach maximum capacity. The sister parks — Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Epcot — draw hordes, too, though not to the same extent. You’ll likely wait longer for rides, food and character encounters.
If you do visit on a holiday, try to visit a park other than the one where the main celebration is being held. For example, the Magic Kingdom and Epcot hold special fireworks shows on the Fourth of July; if you visit Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios on those days, you will probably see fewer crowds and shorter wait times.
Although it isn’t always feasible, try to visit when most kids are in school to avoid the biggest crowds.
The ideal times are weekdays after Thanksgiving break and before families descend for winter break in the week or two before Christmas. The weather will be cooler, and the lines will be shorter than at other times of the year. Also, the weeks after Labor Day but before school breaks begin in the fall can be good times to avoid crowds. (Just know that September weather is still steamy in Orlando.)
Other less-busy times can be in late January and early May — again, especially during the midweek days before and after most school spring breaks.
Cheapest days to go to Disney World
Disney World ticket prices vary by park and date. If you visit during the week of Christmas, you’ll pay between $174 and $199 per person for a one-day ticket to Disney World. If you visit in August or September, you’ll pay significantly less. On several dates from mid-August through late September, tickets to one of Disney World’s four theme parks range from $119 to $154.
Related: These are the cheapest days to visit Disney World in 2025
Other times of year when you can find ticket prices in this range include most of January and February (minus any school holidays) and late April and early May before school gets out for summer break. These aren’t quite as cheap as August and September, but there are days when you can visit Animal Kingdom and Epcot for less than $160 per day. Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios are typically a bit more expensive.
Cheapest times to fly to Orlando
It’s not shocking that the cheapest times to fly to Orlando coincide with the cheapest days to visit, according to statistics from the flight search engine Skyscanner. You’ll find the cheapest fares from March through August, with prices jumping in September and throughout the fall and winter holidays.
Related: 11 strategies to find cheap airfare
When hotel prices are lower
Disney has more than 25 resort hotels that offer perks, such as extended theme park hours and complimentary transportation to and from the parks.
Walt Disney World’s value hotels, such as All-Star Sports or Art of Animation, offer prices that can start at or around $200 per night during the slower season when you take advantage of seasonal hotel discounts. Even those value resorts can see rates climb higher than $350 per night during peak season.
If you have your eye on a deluxe resort — such as Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, the Contemporary or the Riviera Resort — prices start at around $400 per night during the slow season; they can soar to more than $1,000 per night during peak periods. You can save as much as 40% or more if you rent Disney Vacation Club points to book your room, though.
Bottom line
You may not have total control over when you visit Disney World. However, if you can factor in Disney’s slower and less expensive times as well as the special events you want to experience, you can enjoy a magical vacation with fewer crowds and more money in your pocket.
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