Slowest times of the year?

[CampbellScot]

Is the week before Thanksgiving/after Thanksgiving still a historically slow time in park attendance? Just doing a little research!

Thanks!!

 

[nanhol]

Is the week before Thanksgiving/after Thanksgiving still a historically slow time in park attendance? Just doing a little research!

Thanks!!

The week of Thanksgiving is horrid, but the week before that and the week after is considered quite slow. There are a couple of crowd calendars out there--you can find them by googling Disney crowd calendar. I like https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/crowd-calendar/

 

[Miumiu4me]

The week of Thanksgiving is horrid, but the week before that and the week after is considered quite slow. There are a couple of crowd calendars out there--you can find them by googling Disney crowd calendar. I like https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/crowd-calendar/

I was at the Magic Kingdom yesterday and it was wall to wall people.

 

[MSSANDRA]

I really think that truly low crowds are pretty much a thing of the past. We have found mid-January, avoiding MLK to be slower than most times, and the week or two after Labor Day quite slow, but still very hot. We did the week after Thanksgiving several years ago and found crowds, not at their lowest, but manageable. This year however, we went at our favorite, mid-January time and it was much more crowded than we have seen it in many years of travel during that time. I like to check wait times on my WDW experience app at different times and last week tended to be pretty good, but yesterday was way more crowded, but it was a pretty day and a Saturday. Ill try to check throughout this week and report back.

 

[nanhol]

I was at the Magic Kingdom yesterday and it was wall to wall people.

Miumiu4me makes a good point, I would say that all bets are off on weekends, as you never know about local visitors--many of my Florida friends will make day trips to Disney on weekends. I think the crowd calendars are generally more reliable for mid-week.

I also like the crowd calendars for tips on which parks are likely to most crowded. For example, yesterday was a "red" day at MK, partly because of the evening extra magic hours (on-site guests who don't have park hoppers but want to use EMH are more likely to go to MK for the day). I try to avoid the red parks when I can.

We have visited a few times in the first week of February, which is similar (according to the crowd calendar) to the upcoming week before Thanksgiving or the week after Thanksgiving. The weekends generally do feel crowded, but the weekdays are better. In the morning the parks feel empty, but the parks do get more crowded mid-day--especially near the parade route and in quick-service restaurants.

 

[Miumiu4me]

Miumiu4me makes a good point, I would say that all bets are off on weekends, as you never know about local visitors--many of my Florida friends will make day trips to Disney on weekends. I think the crowd calendars are generally more reliable for mid-week. I also like the crowd calendars for tips on which parks are likely to most crowded. For example, yesterday was a "red" day at MK, partly because of the evening extra magic hours (on-site guests who don't have park hoppers but want to use EMH are more likely to go to MK for the day). I try to avoid the red parks when I can. We have visited a few times in the first week of February, which is similar (according to the crowd calendar) to the upcoming week before Thanksgiving or the week after Thanksgiving. The weekends generally do feel crowded, but the weekdays are better. In the morning the parks feel empty, but the parks do get more crowded mid-day--especially near the parade route and in quick-service restaurants.

Locals ( like me) probably do amp up the crowds on the weekends.

The only super slow day I've had at any of the parks in the last year was Epcot the day after the garden fest ended. It was dead.

 

[CampbellScot]

Thanks so much for the feedback everyone! I really appreciate it. My husband and I have run the Wine and Dine half marathon the last three years. Last year crowds were manageable. This year was just craziness. Wall to wall people. Stand by lines up to 90 minutes. It's becoming clear that "slow times" are beginning to be a very subjective thing. Depends on your version of slow. We may try after Thanksgiving next year.

I appreciate all the feedback!!!