As a local who holds annual passes to Disney World, people often ask me "When is the best time to visit the parks?" They expect some magical answer when they'll find fewer crowds and lower wait times.
In reality, there's no set best time to visit Florida's Walt Disney (DIS) theme park concept. Back in the 1980s, the Christmas season was actually a slow time and now Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks are the busiest of the year.
DON'T MISS: Disney's Epcot Revives Huge Attraction for a Limited Time
The same might be said for the summer months. People used to avoid the four Disney World theme parks in June, July, and August because it's unbelievably hot and humid in Central Florida in the summer. 90-degree days punctuated by skin-soaking thunderstorms are common, but kids are out of school, so the parks are full for most of the summer.
In reality, there's no consistent slow season for Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. The Disney World parks are global and, well, it seems like it's always school vacation somewhere. That does not mean, however, that you have to settle for parks packed to capacity.
There may be no "best" time to visit the parks, but there are "better" times (like right now) and there are some ways to keep track of when you should either plan a visit or jump on a plane.
Image source: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Watch the Disney World Price Calendar
Disney World uses dynamic prices for its theme parks with single-day one-park tickets ranging from $109-$159 for an adult ticket (10 and older) and $104-$154 for children 3-9 (kids 2-and-under are free). Prices can vary by park, but if you see more than one park at the low end of the range -- something you can see a few months out -- that's a good sign that this may be a less crowded period at Disney World.
Now, recognize that the farther out you are, the more things can change. And, it's important to realize that the goal of dynamic pricing is to pull people from the busier times into the less-busy ones by offering them a lower price.
There's never a guarantee of a less-crowded park, but when prices are at their peak, it's pretty much guaranteed that you will experience peak crowds.
Pay Attention to Disney's Actions
To enter one of the parks at Disney World, you need two things -- a valid ticket and a theme park reservation. It's generally easier to get a reservation for the park you want each day when you're booking a visit and staying at a Disney-owned resort property (or partner property). That's because the theme park company has different "buckets" of reservations for day visitors, people staying on property, and annual passholders.
If the company makes it public that it has made "extra" reservations available, that's usually a sign that the business is weaker than it usually is. That's exactly what the company is doing right now.
The news, however, is mixed because the bonus offer does not include Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, arguably the two most popular parks at the moment.
"Over the next seven weekends in a row, Disney World Annual Passholders will find Bonus Reservations for Animal Kingdom and/or Epcot. The only Bonus Reservation date that doesn’t have both Epcot and Disney’s Animal Kingdom is April 22, which is Animal Kingdom’s 25th Anniversary and it is excluded from the Bonus Reservation opportunity," Blog Mickey reported.
Magic Kingdom is likely drawing capacity crowds because of the just-opened "Tron Lightcycle / Run" roller coaster. Hollywood Studios has been steadily popular because of the presence of "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge."
