When is the LEAST crowded time to go to the parks?

[ollyoops2002]

Are there any certain weeks when the parks are empty?

 

[DisneyPete]

From my personal experience, the week immediately following Labor day week was almost completely devoid of humanity. In fact it was sometimes eerie it was so empty.

 

[JamesD]

The two slowest months of the year are September and January. Even during these months the Magic Kingdom on Saturdays can still be busy.

 

[CheapMom]

right now is a good time

 

[AJKMOM]

Don't forget that September is hurricane season!

 

[crisi]

And January is often pretty cold.

There are reasons September and January aren't crowded. Kids are in school with few breaks. But that is true for other times during the year as well. The difference between September and October, for instance, is that October is still warm, but not HOT! and much less rain. Plus Disney has a lot of special events in October.

 

[2cutekids]

We're going Jan.29-Feb 2nd. Is that usually a pretty slow time? We can take the cold alot better than we can take the heat or the crowds !

 

[TeamMMouse]

We were there that same week year before last and it was great. The crowds were light and the weather was very nice. We wore jeans and short sleeves with a light sweater for in the early a.m. or evening. My sons wore shorts and long sleeve shirts....so, sunny and cool. It was one of our favorite times to visit. Hope you have a wonderful time!

 

[dvcgirl]

The absolute best times to go to the parks if you're trying to avoid crowds is definitely the two middle weeks of September and the first two weeks of January (as soon as the New Year's holiday is over). Keep in mind that the parks tend to close a bit earlier during these times. I live in Orlando and we just love the parks in September. There's still wonderful weather (well, unless there's a hurricane of course), and the parks are absolutely empty.

Someone mentioned that right now is a good time to go as the crowds are non-existent. Well, I don't think that's true any longer. It used to be that early December was *empty*. But early December is now very popular, especially with Disney Vacation Club members. It's not spring break or anything, but it's not totally empty either. But it's still a good time to come down because the parks are so beautiful and the lines aren't too bad. But if you're truly looking for empty, I don't think that's the case any longer in early December.

 

[Arielle22]

My dh and I are going mid Nov 2005 (20th anniversary). What are the crowds like then?

 

[ksc37]

We will be there 1/31 - 2/3. We were there last year and the weather was nice (light jackets in the morning & evening, shorts & tees in the afternoon) and the crowds were fairly light (no waits in the early morning and 10 minutes in the afternoon). The weather can be freezing (literally) this time of year as well... we were there in 1996 when the lows were in the 20's.

We were also there the week after Labor Day this year. The place was deserted (we were there squarely between Hurricanes Frances & Ivan). We were the only family on Dumbo for 3 consecutive rides at opening. We rode several rides consecutively without getting off. The only time we saw any sort of lines was right before SpectroMagic, as it was only running one time that week, so everyone went to the MK that night - which makes me guess that the other parks were empty at the same time.

 

[jmclester]

Mid-November is traditionally the last weekend of the Food and Wine festival which crowds up EPCOT and the Super Soap weekend which affects MGM. I would do some research and avoid that particular weekend and the days leading up to it. We were there 11/3-11/7 and the crowds were very manageable. Wait times were 0 to 30 minutes with average wait time 10-15 minutes for the whole week which was wonderful. (Proper use of FastPasses were a necessity though). Be sure to research when "Jersey Week" is too. This year it was our week but I still didn't consider it as crowded as summer or minor holidays (like Memorial Day).

Happy to entertain any questions.

 

[QuickGold]

You can find historical wait times at http://www.mgmstudios.org/wait.html

 

[shaq_d]

Be sure to research when "Jersey Week" is too.

Any suggestions where can I find this info for next year?

 

[cruisenewbie2004]

We went the 15 of December and it was empty last time. I find most people either go at Thanksgiving or wait till Xmas break. In between it was DEAD. We walked onto every ride multiple times.

 

[MrShiny]

Any suggestions where can I find this info for next year?

I believe "Jersey Week" is usually the week that includes Veterens Day (11/11).

 

[jmclester]

Any suggestions where can I find this info for next year?

Best way to be sure is to issue a thread asking our New Jersey friends. I have seen the definite date but don't recall. It comes from the school schedule.

 

[sters]

My dh and I are going mid Nov 2005 (20th anniversary). What are the crowds like then?

If you hit Jersey Week, it's likely to be more crowded than you would expect for that time of year. In 2005, that will be the second week of November, including Veterans Day.

 

[DizBelle]

I was wondering about Jersey Week 2005 also. The teachers conference is Nov 10 and 11 (Thur and Fri). Veteran's Day is Thur Nov 11. But election day is the Tuesday of the week before on Nov 1.

So I was wondering how crowded Jersey Week would be since Veteran's Day is the same day as one of the conference days and election day is the week before. Will the school only be closed on Nov 10 and 11 (Thur and Fri) next year? Could that make Jersy Week 2005 less crowded than other Jersey Weeks have been since the kids won't have as much time off from school?

 

[Pig Pen]

I am an off-season WDW visitor and these are my observations -

1st week of December 2001 - DEAD, weather was perfect
3rd week of September 2002 - DEAD, warm and humid
1st week of February 2004 - DEAD, cool
3rd week of May 2003 - Nicely busy, warm, a few showers
4th week of April 2004 - Nicely busy, warm, a few showers
1st week of May 2004 - Less busy, warm, sunnier
3rd week of June 2000 - Horrendously hot and crowded

I am going again Jan 19-26, then April 13-20 (this one may be a big mistake...we shall see).