When Should You Visit Disney in 2023?
Are you ready to plan your Disney vacation? Of course, you are! After all, The Walt Disney Company only celebrates its 100th anniversary once!
Here are the best times to visit Walt Disney World in 2023.
I Want to Visit When the Parks Are Empty
I know you’ll have short notice for this trip, but late January and early February provide ideal times to vacation in Orlando.
The four theme parks will require some of their lowest wait times of the year.
Meanwhile, Disney hosts the ascending EPCOT International Festival of the Arts. This still-new event wasn’t even daily a few years ago when it started.
Now, fans sell out every performance of DISNEY ON BROADWAY and buy the shiniest Disney merchandise of the year.
The festival starts this week and will remain open through February 20th.
Spring Breeeeeeeeeeeeeak!
Parents with school-aged children don’t have many options for when they can visit. Junior’s educational demands must take precedence.
First, thank you for being such a caring, dutiful parent and role model!
Second, you should know that Disney crowds swell during Spring Break…but that’s okay!
Everyone stays in a euphoric mood all week since they don’t have to go to school.
Yes, the wait times will rise to the longest times until Memorial Day, but that’s a trifle of aggravation.
As I tell friends, you never remember the crowds and the wait times, only the memories and keepsakes of your trip.
I Like a Little Risk
The last week of March qualifies as taking a chance at Disney. Let’s say that you want to ride Magic Kingdom’s newest attraction, Tron Lightcycle Power Run.
However, you don’t want to show up during the opening month due to the likely massive crowds.
A risky approach involves a visit the week before the attraction opens. Disney often does unannounced sneak previews during this timeframe.
Also, some groups like annual passholders and DVC members can usually schedule an early booking window.
I stress that Disney guarantees none of this. So, if Tron is important to you on this trip, you should just bite the bullet and go opening week. Speaking of which…
I Need to Be Part of the Action
I have vivid memories of a friend and their small child visiting EPCOT on the opening day of Frozen Ever After.
The two of them stood in line from the park opening until almost closing time. They never got to ride it due to a series of technical issues.
That’s my only warning about the vacation you’re likely considering right now.
Disney just confirmed that Tron Lightcycle Power Run will open on April 4th, 2023. That’s a Tuesday in less than three months.
Disney resorts still offer plenty of availability for that week, but they won’t forever.
If you want to say you were there on day one, you should speak with MickeyTravels NOW!
I’m Fine with Waiting for the Crowds to Shrink
Of course, if you are one of those parents we just discussed, early April won’t work as a vacation date unless that’s your Spring Break.
So, you’ll probably visit Walt Disney World this summer instead. My guidelines here have remained the same for many years now.
If at all possible, choose June, not July. You’ll love either month since you’re at Disney. However, July is hotter and more crowded.
I Love Halloween and Can’t Wait for the Actual Date
Then again, you’ll find a third option in mid-August. In 2022, Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party opened on August 12th.
Presuming a similar timeline this year, you can visit Disney in mid-August as long as the school schedule allows.
In this eventuality, you will relish the opening night festivities of Disney’s best after-hours ticketed event!
Plus, the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival will be available to satisfy all your foodie desires!
I Want to Visit When the Parks Are Empty Part II
Okay, here’s the deluxe version of a January vacation, at least in 2023.
Everything I said about August applies to September as well. You can still enjoy Food & Wine and the Halloween party.
Also, the January slow season is, if anything, more crowded than September. Disney doesn’t experience a true off-season anymore.
September represents the closest applicable time, though. And you can ride Tron, too!
I MUST Be at Disney on Halloween Night
You are my people!
I attended Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party on several of the most recent Halloween Nights. No, I’m not counting the Disney After Hours half-measures!
I’m a firm believer that Halloween is better at Disney, and I took it personally when Halloween Night 2022 sold out before I could buy tickets.
Yes, we still got to spend October 30th at this Halloween party, and it was magical. But I could feel the asterisk the whole night.
Similarly, we were at Disney in 2020 on Halloween Night. We visited The Edison, and it was pretty great.
So, even when you’re not at the party on Halloween night, simply being at Disney on October 31st remains an exceptional way to spend the day.
I Believe That Christmas Starts on November 1st
You are also my people! And that’s the hidden benefit of visiting Disney at Halloween!
The last thing you’ll see before you go to bed are Halloween decorations throughout the parks and resorts.
The following morning, only a few hours later, cast members have already decorated these same locales with Christmas decorations.
MickeyBlog had our staff bouncing around the parks and resorts on the morning of November 1st to highlight all the changes in place.
Quite randomly, I bumped into other people from MickeyBlog, as we were all doing the same thing. We were relishing the magic of Disney on November 1st.
The Halloween-to-Christmas overnight transformation embodies the greatness of Disney vacations!
I Love the Holidays at Disney…But Not the Actual Holidays
One of the challenges of a late-year visit comes down to choosing the best dates.
In calendar 2022, Disney analysts tracked a growing anomaly at the parks. Crowds increased more the week before Thanksgiving than the holiday itself.
Similarly, the Christmas holiday unofficially started in the middle of December and then grew that much more crowded in late December.
A contrarian approach is to spend the first few days of the month at Walt Disney World. Cast members have finished with the holiday decorations by then.
Even better, Disney records many of its holiday concerts during this timeframe. You could feasibly watch famous musicians during your visit!
Also, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is well underway and includes a few unique attraction overlays like Space Mountain and Mad Tea Party!
I Spend Christmas at Disney Every Year. It’s a Family Tradition!
I’m not one to mess with family tradition. I’ve spent Christmas Eve the same way for more than 90 percent of my adult life.
So, if you’re a Disney person and need to be at the parks during the holiday season, I’m happy for you!
You’re getting some of the best possible amenities, too. Some of the shows and parades from Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party become free during Christmas Week.
Disney breaks out some unique character greetings this time of year as well.
Yes, the parks will be the most crowded of the entire year, but who cares? That’s more holiday-loving Disney fans just like you!
They’re new friends whose names you don’t know yet!
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Feature Photo: Disney