Is there a "slow" time?

[bmdq89]

We are going to the park from late January to early February. Our thought was that this will be the "sleepiest" time at the parks. But I have been hearing there is no lull at the parks. It is always extremely busy, and the parks are only getting busier each year. What are your experiences? I don't want to be shoulder to shoulder with tons of people!

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We are going to the park from late January to early February. Our thought was that this will be the "sleepiest" time at the parks. But I have been hearing there is no lull at the parks. It is always extremely busy, and the parks are only getting busier each year. What are your experiences? I don't want to be shoulder to shoulder with tons of people!

During more typical times, this was probably true. But since Covid, things seem much less predictable. I expect if things are more positive this winter with Covid concerns, people will be more likely to travel and it could be busy. If there is a winter spike again, people might cancel and it might be quieter - very difficult to predict. Just my opinion. But this is a time of year we love to visit, and often do. We are not expecting it to be as quiet this year as in previous years. Pent-up demand, the 50th, and lots of extra DVC points have created a new paradigm....

 

[stinkpickle]

That time period was picking pre-Covid. Whether that happens in 2022 is a toss up, but I doubt it will be "sleepier" than a typical September.

 

[sponica]

I don't think anyone has a crystal ball. Until more people eaters are fully operational (parades, shows etc) there will be a "crowded" feeling on walkways because there's nowhere to divert people. Until restaurants are fully staffed, there are fewer tables available leading to more people on walkways, etc.

You figure 2022 still has a lot of people with deferred vacations, I'm not expecting travel to normalize until 2023/2024.

 

[bmdq89]

I just don't fully appreciate how busy Disney gets, since I haven't been in 30 years. Will we just be walking with a huge crowd the whole time?

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I just don't fully appreciate how busy Disney gets, since I haven't been in 30 years. Will we just be walking with a huge crowd the whole time?

Again, difficult to say for certain, but maybe? Probably? It's probably more likely to be busy than deserted.

 

[Karin1984]

You don't know till we get there. There is nothing to compare it with.

Yes, January/February will be quieter than Christmas or Easter, but can still feel/be busy. It also depends on what your definition of a crowd is. One who always goes at Christmas will think January is quiet. One who went in January 10 years ago will find it busy now.

If you haven't been for 30 years, go with that for your definition you will think it's busy. Best is to go look for how to handle crowd strategies.

 

[fhtpdw20]

Just saw on Allears the Flower Garden Festival is going to run from March 2 to July 4. The lengthen Food and Wine Festival this year to almost coinside with Christmas. I haven't seen any major announcement on the Arts Festival. Historically these were short run to draw in crowds for slower times. They have expanded Halloween to start in August too.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Just saw on Allears the Flower Garden Festival is going to run from March 2 to July 4. The lengthen Food and Wine Festival this year to almost coinside with Christmas. I haven't seen any major announcement on the Arts Festival. Historically these were short run to draw in crowds for slower times. They have expanded Halloween to start in August too.

Agreed. Festival of the Arts is 1/14 to 2/21 - kind of fills in between 2 of the big Disney running events. But it's to the point now there's pretty much some festival running all 12 months!

 

[stinkpickle]

I just don't fully appreciate how busy Disney gets, since I haven't been in 30 years. Will we just be walking with a huge crowd the whole time?

We will be there the same time, so it will at least be us.

 

[easyas123]

We'll be there then as well!

OP - we have traveled during this time period very successfully for about 15 years. We both like a break from the weather up north and found the crowds to be lower BUT we've set no expectations with this trip...not sure what we will find, but we are optimistic. I guess we will find out when we get there.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[bmdq89]

Is there a best time, other than September? And do you think my kids can swim? Be reference we live in Indiana, which is not the coldest or warmest area.

 

[easyas123]

"Best Time" is subjective to what YOU are looking for.

-lower crowds?
-holiday decor?
-running a race?
-want to attend a festival?
-want to stay at a particular resort that books up fast?
-can only travel when school is on holiday?


Are there traditionally times of the year where attendance is lower, yes. But at the moment it's hard to say if those will hold true in 2022 due to, as other posters have pointed out, delayed trips, extra DVC points to use up and changes in traveling attitudes. You will never encounter a time where you can just go and it's very very low attendance, and if you did there is most likely no way to predict it. As with most things, do your research, decide if it is for you and pick a time that works for you to go. Then go and enjoy yourself.

As far as swimming - only you know your kids and can answer that. When we had kids in town in January or February they almost always swam, but they were hearty boys who were finding the water and weather warm compared to home!

 

[Scalemaster34]

Festival Booths are now permanent fixtures at Epcot... give them a few weeks to change the decorations four times a year and it's a year round Festival.

I agree that slow time is relative - my book there isn't one anymore, just less busy than peak... but always busy. We went last May and it was REALLY nice, but short another EVENT of some sort, I don't expect to see that again.

 

[prestoncaldwell]

I just don't fully appreciate how busy Disney gets, since I haven't been in 30 years. Will we just be walking with a huge crowd the whole time?

There can be times you aren't even walking....

 

[parasail_of_congress]

I just don't fully appreciate how busy Disney gets, since I haven't been in 30 years. Will we just be walking with a huge crowd the whole time?

I would highly recommend checking out the numerous vloggers to assess how crowded the parks are these days.

 

[sponica]

Is there a best time, other than September? And do you think my kids can swim? Be reference we live in Indiana, which is not the coldest or warmest area.

Yeah "best" is relative.

Now that I'm more beholden to a school calendar, I like the April break (as long as it's not Easter). The weather is hot but the humidity hasn't caught up yet. The crowds are not bonkers through the roof like the other school breaks (as long as it's not Easter). I enjoy Flower and Garden.

I would do August in a heartbeat though, if my kids were a little older and my husband didn't whine about the heat so much.

 

[OhDannyBoy]

There isn't really a "slow" time.

Maybe a "slower" time, ok. It used to be Mid January to mid Feb.

 

[Shellyred8]

During more typical times, this was probably true. But since Covid, things seem much less predictable. I expect if things are more positive this winter with Covid concerns, people will be more likely to travel and it could be busy. If there is a winter spike again, people might cancel and it might be quieter - very difficult to predict. Just my opinion. But this is a time of year we love to visit, and often do. We are not expecting it to be as quiet this year as in previous years. Pent-up demand, the 50th, and lots of extra DVC points have created a new paradigm....

I agree with all of this, and I'll add that I think some people's new work situations are playing into this too. More people can now work from home (or anywhere there is an internet connection), so people are going to WDW during the times that used to be "slower" and thus those are no longer "slower" times. We've done several trips over the years during the first two weeks after Thanksgiving and they are usually pretty tolerable. But this year was a whole different ball game. I was really surprised at how busy it was. Who ever thought EPCOT would be so busy on a Tuesday the first week of December???

 

[Karin1984]

I agree with all of this, and I'll add that I think some people's new work situations are playing into this too. More people can now work from home (or anywhere there is an internet connection), so people are going to WDW during the times that used to be "slower" and thus those are no longer "slower" times. We've done several trips over the years during the first two weeks after Thanksgiving and they are usually pretty tolerable. But this year was a whole different ball game. I was really surprised at how busy it was. Who ever thought EPCOT would be so busy on a Tuesday the first week of December???

The thing with that is, we do not know how many of them were planned for that period already, or a trip that has been postponed several times and they don't want to postpone again.
Then we have people who haven't been on a holiday for two years and have saved up, maybe staying longer this time around.

It's going to take a few years before we might be able to establish some sort of pattern again.

For Disney World and Disneyland it's now: Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.