Least Busiest Time of the Year?

[AckermanPartyof6]

Hello Disers!

Last year our family went for 10 magical days in the middle of the summer which meant tons of people. This year we are planning on a 5 day trip. We are flexible in regards to dates and therefore thought to consult the experts.

 

[mesaboy2]

Mid to late September gets my vote.

 

[Maleficent's Dad]

Mid January to mid February. I don't think there's any question nowadays. September used to be great, but with promos ("free" dining, etc.), it's just not as good as Mid Jan- mid Feb.

 

[tinkerbell313]

I have been the last week of January, the first week of June and the last week of September.

The last week of September gets my vote by a long shot. It was noticeably less crowded then the other times I have visited the World.

 

[kaligal]

I dont know. Im guessing here.

Late January / early February.

 

[jojomoore]

I have been the last week of January, the first week of June and the last week of September.

The last week of September gets my vote by a long shot. It was noticeably less crowded then the other times I have visited the World.

Ive been trying to decide between the last week in Sept and the week before thankgiving in Nov this year and am still undecided. In my search i have found that Free dining is still available for September this year for some resorts. You would need to check on availability of dining reservations though if you decide to go in September.

 

[Coach81]

Jan /Sept.
Good luck!

 

[Missyrose]

It's generally a choice of weather extremes, you can either go in mid-to-late September when it's as hot as the face of the sun. Or you can go in late January or early February when there's a decent chance it will be freezing (but could also be quite pleasant).

 

[kmk1180]

Hello Disers!

Last year our family went for 10 magical days in the middle of the summer which meant tons of people. This year we are planning on a 5 day trip. We are flexible in regards to dates and therefore thought to consult the experts.

http://**************.net/

Use this site to help find the week you want.
They rate weeks by crowds, price,
Rate best week to go, worst week.
They'll have an answer for you.

 

[TiggersBuddy]

Mid January to mid February. I don't think there's any question nowadays. September used to be great, but with promos ("free" dining, etc.), it's just not as good as Mid Jan- mid Feb.

Would have to agree 100%. The September Secret is no more. Free Dining promo's and tour groups have caught onto this time of year. MNSSHP starts mid-Sept. EPCOT Food & Wine Festival and Tower of Terror 10 Mile Run weekend at DHS (Sold Out) make the last weekend in Sept more crowded than it used to be. Don't get me wrong, September is still a fraction of the peak period crowds, just not what it used to be.

For absolute lowest crowds, I'd say the Jan-Feb off-peak dates. You just run the risk of experiencing the most ride closures for refurb's and 'too cold to swim' temperatures.

 

[RMulieri]

January( though you will see alot of tour groups ), then September..September used to be a ghost town but has since gotten busier thanks to Free Dining and other promotions designed to bring the crowds in.If I had my choice and didn't care about the possibility of cold weather I would go in Jan.If swimming and heat is important to you than September.

 

[FosterA]

I'm no expert and we've only been once....but I thought the week before Thanksgiving was spectacular. Most of the time we just walked-on to everything and didn't need to grab a FP very often. We did the Tues-Tues before Thanksgiving and we're flying out just as everybody else was coming in. I remember one day we entered MK at noon and were able to do Space MT. over and over without a line. This was at noon.
The other nice things were that it was decorated for Christmas and the weather was GREAT!

 

[Too Far From Home]

http://**************.net/

Use this site to help find the week you want.
They rate weeks by crowds, price,
Rate best week to go, worst week.
They'll have an answer for you.

It is a solid site as long as you know what makes for a perfect WDW vacation for you. I only state that because they state that the #1 criteria is lowest crowd, but their three lowest crowd weeks are ranked in the 20s as the best weeks to go. Why? Because the writers don't like the heat.

 

[CarolineB]

When you visit during some weeks in January, you need to carry a sweatshirt or jacket with you -- the tram operators even will remind you to have something warm for the evening. Sometimes you even need gloves.

 

[suzimar57]

my DH and i used to go the 2nd week of september years ago (for several years) - we have photos showing the parks literally empty - fantasyland, with NO ONE IN THE PICTURES! (at 10am) - walking thru world showcase, feeling like it was a "private" event (no people!!)

BUT also during that time of the year (before free dining...) there was also the oppressive heat, daily rain, lovebugs, hurricane warnings...

as well as the best-ever rates we EVER had then at the CR for a MK view tower room! (odd-numbered, bed facing the castle!! - oh, the pictures from that balcony....)

(sigh)

promos and FD have changed september - not as empty as then anymore

 

[TinkerMarie]

Being obsessive, I actually went through crowd calendars and averaged out the crowd levels for many weeks that I was considering. The lowest were mid-late September, early January, and late February. They didn't vary much from each other, but were definitely the lowest of the low, 2s and 3s when averaged for the week.

Whether free dining has truly made September as popular as many here say, I don't know. Some days in late September were 1s on the crowd calendar. Maybe people go for free dining and don't go to the parks all day, but crowd up the restaurants, so ADRs are packed full? And on MouseSavers' historical discounts calendar, January and February had free dining this year too. Will more people go then next year if they hear about the free dining or how uncrowded it was when their friends went?

We just might have to make three trips so I can post my comparison.

 

[VAfamily1998]

I'm no expert and we've only been once....but I thought the week before Thanksgiving was spectacular. Most of the time we just walked-on to everything and didn't need to grab a FP very often. We did the Tues-Tues before Thanksgiving and we're flying out just as everybody else was coming in. I remember one day we entered MK at noon and were able to do Space MT. over and over without a line. This was at noon.
The other nice things were that it was decorated for Christmas and the weather was GREAT!

I agree. I've only been 3 times (as an adult where I am old enough to notice crowds!)--once in late January, once in early january, and once the week before thanksgiving . I'd say the crowds were pretty comparable for all 3 times (hardly any!) but i liked the week before Thanksgiving best because of the Christmas decorations/festivities. The early January trip we took, there were some Christmas decorations still up when we first arrived, and slowly throughout the visit they were taken down.

All three times, we've pretty much walked on to most rides. I think the longest we ever waited in line was about 20 minutes. We're going in about a week and I know this time is going to be a lot different!

 

[kateybee]

In 2011 we went in both January (5-15) and ten days end of September/start of October. January was far less busy! However, a number of rides were closed (Splash Mountain and Kali River Rapids) for refurb. The weather was fine, coldish but we're from Maine soooo... not that bad! Haha. September was busier, yes, but not by a drastic amount. All the rides were open and though it was hot as heck it was still tolerable. (And there was only about one hour of rain the whole time so that was nice!) This year we're doing the Sept/Oct trip again. For us the slight increase in people was worth it for such great rides to be open! But if you're looking for only the least busy- I vote January, right after the marathon. (Although we were there during the marathon and didn't see a huge difference honestly.) Enjoy!!

 

[Mikeheidi2]

Late January was nice, but the weather was too variable. We're trying early November this year!!

 

[hulagirl87]

I've been pretty much every month of the year and for the people saying that September isn't crowded I don't understand that at all! I went in September 3 years in a row and each year got more and more crowded. Plus the humidity was enough to make you bonkers. And don't get me started on the love bugs needless to say, September does not get my vote. Late April into May was awesome. The weather was nice, the crowds were not awful, definitely enjoyable. June is brutal. Late January was nice too. The weather was awesome. Not too hot, not too cold. But anything coming from NY in the winter is ok by me! I think one of our favorite times was the week before Thanksgiving. A lot of the Christmas decorations were up, or being put up while we were there, and we just missed the Thanksgiving crowds. This one would probably get my vote.