Is Disney Ever Off Season?
As every money-conscious family knows, if there’s a will to save money, there’s a way. While you are likely clever at strategizing coupons, knowing the best days to scour the internet for online deals and how to make household materials stretch, you might not know the most impactful ways to get more out of your vacation for less. Making the pivotal first trip to Walt Disney World with your children is a moment all parents remember, but it can come without the stress if you choose the right time of year to visit. A specialized Disney travel agent can help navigate the bookings for you – and of course! – throw in some surprises that up the magical ante for your getaway, but before you dig in, here’s a crash course on the off-season to most wonderful place on Earth:
What Does ‘Off Season’ Mean?
Try this test to fully understand what an off-season vacation looks and feels like: close your eyes. Good? Okay, now pick a season. When you visualize that time of year, what sights, smells, weather and memories come to mind? If your imagination goes straight to the sticky, vitamin-D filled days of summer, you probably taste ice cream cones and picture yourself in a bathing suit, doing laps in the pool and catching fireflies as the sun sets. Or, if you’re more into a wintry mix, you hear the stillness the freshly-fallen snow and feel the gush of wind that fills your jacket when you swoosh down a hill. These dream-worthy visions are quintessential to the time of year they take place. When you think of the opposite, that’s how you discover the off-season: visiting a ski lounge in the summer to go hiking and ziplining instead, or trekking to the beach in the fall, trying your best not to be fearful of hurricane season.
During the less-peak times, you can expect smaller crowds and more opportunity to explore, instead of being corralled into lines. This is also when typical resort or hotel stays lower their rates since the rush from travelers dwindles. Hard-to-get dinner reservations? The slowest seasons gives you the opportunity to knock off places on your bucket list that would usually be near-impossible.
What Does ‘Off Season’ Mean For Disney?
Because of Walt Disney World’s location in the Sunshine State, you can depend on the weather to be manageable and enjoyable no matter what month you select. But what dictates the on-and-off of Disney’s season is tied to – you guessed it! – the school year. The dog days of summer when children are out of class and free to roam is usually when families make the journey. Even though it happens to correlate with super-high temps and humidity, families often use the opportunity to request paid-time-off without having to pull their children out of the classroom. The same goes for any sort of break – holidays, spring, fall, you name it. That’s why the off-season of Disney is typically right after school goes back in session mid-September and right after the mad dash of the holiday season in early January and February. Travel pros, like our agents, also, note for a happy middle ground, your family can consider early May and October. Though these times won’t be quite as off in terms of cost and crowds, they will be much less jampacked than June, July, August and early September.
Not a first-time Disney visitor? You can save on expenses by giving Autumn a chance. While there are definitely events like ‘Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party’ and the ‘Food and Wine Festival’ – if you plan your days around huge attractions, you’ll bank more in the long run. Especially with perks like free dining, the deals themselves can convince you to change your dates.
How to Decide When to Go
No matter if it works best for you in the on or the off season, our friends at MickeyTravels work tirelessly to meet your goals. Because every vacation should be one that your family treasures and remembers for years to come, you shouldn’t worry about budget and spend more time savoring every smile and wonder your child experiences. Ready to knock out a New Year’s resolution and book that trip? Let us know today – and we’ll make magic in the off – or any! – season.