What are the best months to visit Disney World? If you are dreaming of a magical vacation to Disney World in 2023, you probably are wondering when you should plan your trip to Orlando. Guide2WDW is here to help. We’ve been to Disney World countless of times over the past few decades, so we’ve visited pretty much every single month of the year. Also, we’ve gathered years of crowd data and looked at upcoming events and attraction openings to give you an idea for the best months to visit Walt Disney World.
In this part of our When To Visit Disney World Guide, we’re comparing each month of the year, considering factors including the Orlando weather, crowd history, special events, seasonal deals. This guide will give you the information you need to find that balance between short wait times, reasonably cool temperatures, and holidays and festivals that make a trip even more memorable.
Whether you’re a thrill-seeker looking to conquer Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Expedition Everest or a princess-in-training searching for the perfect spot to meet Cinderella, this guide will help you find the perfect month to visit the most magical place on Earth.
So, grab your Mickey ears and get ready to plan the vacation of a lifetime!
Which months will let you have the best Disney World vacation? Here are the main factors you should consider.
Weather at Disney World By Month
When planning your visit to Disney World in 2023, it’s important to consider the weather throughout the year. Orlando, Florida can be quite hot and humid in the summer and early fall, with temperatures often reaching into the 90s. You’re also more likely to experience thunderstorms these months.
Generally, late fall, winter, and early spring are the most pleasant times of year to visit Orlando. However, remember to pack a jacket or sweater, as it can get quite chilly in the morning and evening during these months.
Here are the average temperatures by month for Disney World, according to Weather Spark.
| Average High | Average Low | |
|---|---|---|
| January | 71° | 52° |
| February | 75° | 56° |
| March | 80° | 61° |
| April | 84° | 66° |
| May | 88° | 72° |
| June | 89° | 75° |
| July | 90° | 75° |
| August | 90° | 76° |
| September | 86° | 72° |
| October | 80° | 64° |
| November | 75° | 58° |
| December | 71° | 53° |
Disney World Crowds by Month
Let’s face it: nobody likes waiting in line. The parks tend to be most crowded during holidays and school breaks, which means longer lines for everything during your Disney World vacation. In order to maximize your experience at each theme park, you should try to plan your visit for one of the less crowded times during the year.
Using data from Thrill-Data.com, lets compare wait times by month to see which months are the most crowded and which months are the least crowded. This is an average of Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.
Here is the average wait time at Disney World by month from 2019-2022:
- January: 37.75 minutes
- February: 42 minutes
- March: 42.75 minutes
- April: 39.33 minutes
- May: 35.33 minutes
- June: 38 minutes
- July: 34 minutes
- August: 29 minutes
- September: 25.75 minutes
- October: 34.75 minutes
- November: 38.25 minutes
- December: 41.5 minutes
However, there is a big outlier here: 2020. Disney World was closed from the middle of March through part of July. Since capacity was limited, wait times were much lower than typical in the second half of 2020. So, let’s remove that year from the data.
Disney World Average Wait Time by Month 2019-2022 (Removing 2020)
- January: 35 minutes
- February: 39.33 minutes
- March: 43.33 minutes
- April: 39.33 minutes
- May: 35.33 minutes
- June: 38 minutes
- July: 40.66 minutes
- August: 32.66 minutes
- September: 25.66 minutes
- October: 35.33 minutes
- November: 40 minutes
- December: 43.33 minutes
Now, let’s rank this list from lowest wait times to highest.
- September: 25.66 minutes
- August: 32.66 minutes
- January: 35 minutes
- May: 35.33 minutes
- October: 35.33 minutes
- June: 38 minutes
- February: 39.33 minutes
- April: 39.33 minutes
- November: 40 minutes
- July: 40.66 minutes
- March: 43.33 minutes
- December: 43.33 minutes
Disney World Average Wait Time By Month 2022
Since the most recent past is the best predictor of the immediate future for Disney World, here is the wait time data from
- January: 38 minutes
- February: 45 minutes
- March: 46 minutes
- April: 44 minutes
- May: 38 minutes
- June: 44 minutes
- July: 41 minutes
- August: 36 minutes
- September: 31 minutes
- October: 42 minutes
- November: 41 minutes
- December: 46 minutes
Here are the 2022 months, reordered from lowest to highest:
- January: 38 minutes
- May: 38 minutes
- August: 36 minutes
- September: 31 minutes
- July: 41 minutes
- November: 41 minutes
- April: 44 minutes
- June: 44 minutes
- October: 42 minutes
- February: 45 minutes
- March: 46 minutes
- December: 46 minutes
Conclusions: January, May, August, and September have consistently had the lowest wait times at Disney World over the past few years, and that stayed true in 2022.
March and December are the two most crowded months at Disney World. This makes a lot of sense when you consider that March is typically when schools let out for Spring Break in the US. And December features the two most crowded weeks of the year around Christmas and New Year.
There is one caveat: wait time data isn’t perfect, as it doesn’t consider factors like EPCOT Festivals, repairs that cause reduced capacity, or rides with Virtual Queues like Guardians of the Galaxy. But it does give a general baseline to compare each month to each other.
Disney World Special Events and Attraction Opening Calendar – 2023
Another factor when picking which month to visit Disney World are the special events happening at each park. Disney World has several seasonal events that happen every year, like the EPCOT Festivals and the runDisney races. For specific dates and details, check out our Disney World Events page.
2023 will also have a few attractions opening or returning at Disney World. The Tron Lightcycle Run roller coaster will open on April 4 in Magic Kingdom. Both the Happily Ever After and EPCOT Forever fireworks shows will also be returning on April 3.
EPCOT has a new things slated to debut in late 2023, such as the opening of the new central plaza and the Moana Journey of Water attraction.
| Month | Magic Kingdom | EPCOT | Hollywood Studios | Animal Kingdom | Across Disney World |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Disney After Hours Party | EPCOT Festival of the Arts | Disney After Hours Party | Holiday Decorations Still Up During The Beginning runDisney WDW Marathon |
|
| February | Disney After Hours Party | EPCOT Festival of the Arts | Disney After Hours Party | runDisney Princess Half Marathon Weekend | |
| March | Disney After Hours Party | EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival | Disney After Hours Party | ||
| April | Tron Opening
Happily Ever After Returns Disney After Hours Party |
EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival
EPCOT Forever Returns |
Disney After Hours Party | runDisney Springtime Surprise | |
| May | EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival | Memorial Day | |||
| June | EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival | ||||
| July | July 4th Fireworks | EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival
EPCOT Food & Wine Festival |
|||
| August | Halloween Season begins
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party |
EPCOT Food & Wine Festival | |||
| September | Halloween Season
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party |
EPCOT Food & Wine Festival | |||
| October | Halloween Season
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party |
EPCOT Food & Wine Festival | |||
| November | Holiday Decorations
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party |
Holiday Decorations
EPCOT Food & Wine Festival EPCOT Festival of the Holidays |
Holiday Decorations | Holiday Decorations | Holiday Decorations
runDisney Wine & Dine Weekend |
| December | Holiday Decorations
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party New Year’s Eve |
Holiday Decorations
EPCOT Festival of the Holidays New Year’s Eve |
Holiday Decorations | Holiday Decorations | Holiday Decorations |
Disney World Deals
Another factor to consider when planning your Disney World vacation is if Disney World is offering any special deals. Usually, if Disney World is offering a deal on a vacation package, it coincides with a time that they are expecting to be in lower demand – aka have lower crowds.
For 2023, Disney has already announced a few deals.
- The Disney Dining Promo Card, which gives you up to $150/night to spend on food at Disney World restaurants. Runs June 25 – September 14, 2023
- Save up to $700 on a 2-Night Stay at a Disney Resort when combined with select Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser voyages, February – August.
- Save up to 25% on rooms at Disney Resorts most nights April 10 – July 10.
- Save Up to $400 on a 4-Night, 4-Day Room-and-Ticket Package at Select Disney Resort Hotels – January 2023 – March 2023
For the latest deals, check out Disney World’s Special Offers page.
Money Saving Tip: For access to the best and most up-to-date deals, get in touch with an authorized Disney travel agent like our friends at Vacationeer. They know all the best ways to maximize savings for your vacation, and they can apply new promotions even after you’ve booked your trip. And the best part? They will help plan your trip with no extra cost to you.
The Best Months to Visit Disney World in 2023
January probably has the best blend of low crowds and nice weather at Disney World. Crowds will spike a bit on MLK Weekend, and you do run the risk of encountering a cold snap, like we had in 2023.
May is another great time to visit, especially before Memorial Day Weekend. Crowds are among the lowest of the year, and while temperatures can get warm, it’s not quite the sweat box that Orlando can be in the summer.
Speaking of getting sweaty: If you want the low crowds and don’t mind heat, August and September can be a good time to go to Disney World. Just be sure to pack plenty of items to stay cool and hydrated.
There are several great events during that time, including EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Plus, Magic Kingdom will feature its Halloween decorations.
Personally, I love visiting in October because of all these events, but with slightly cooler weather. The one tradeoff is that the crowds are a bit heavier, but I use tactics like our Time Saving Tips for Disney World to make sure that I avoid the long lines as much as possible.
As we mentioned above, April 2023 will feature several attraction openings. Unless you’re the type of person that has to experience something as soon as it opens, I’d avoid the first week of April. But the end of April / early May should be less crowded, and the new attractions will still be open.
And even though December has some of the longest wait times, going to Disney World during the first two weeks of December can be delightful. You’ll be able to experience the holiday decorations and special events without having to deal with the onslaught of massive crowds of the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
How to plan a magical Disney World vacation.
Planning a trip to Disney World? No matter which month you go, Guide2WDW has you covered to make sure it’s the best trip possible. We have hundreds of Disney World tips and free Disney World guides, which help you learn the basics of planning a WDW vacation. Our Guide 2 Disney Genie and Lightning Lane Guides will help you spend less time waiting in line for the most popular attractions.
Get in touch with our friends at Vacationeer for free Disney World vacation planning. Their travel agents can help you plan your vacation for no extra cost, including helping get park reservations and dining reservations.
Don’t miss the other entries in our When to Visit Disney World Guide.
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