When Should You Visit Disney This Year?

We’re six weeks into 2025, and we’ve reached our third major holiday of the year, President’s Day.

So, you’re probably starting to think about your vacation plans this year.

When should you visit Disney this year? Here are a few of the least crowded times on the annual calendar.

Right Now

I’ll focus on eight enticing time periods from now through the end of the year, one of which is decidedly counterintuitive.

The rest make sense if you’re familiar with Disney and/or tourist patterns over the past decade.

One of them is that President’s Day Week marks a changing of the guard for tourists.

After the first few days of a new year, tourists return to their daily lives.

While Florida may seem appealing during winter weather, attendance data indicates that January remains the offseason.

Walt Disney World supercharged its January attendance by introducing the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts.

That exhibition has definitely helped, but it’s still a mostly slower season for Disney.

This trend remains for eight or nine weeks. Once the calendar reaches March, tourism picks up again.

So, you technically have a brief window to visit Disney when it’s less crowded if you can go right now.

The parks should pick up in attendance in a couple of weeks.

Early May

As parents of school-aged children know, March and April become the best times to visit Disney during the school year.

The obvious explanation for this behavior is Spring Break, which doesn’t have a set date anywhere in North America.

Just last year, I thought it was over. A couple of kindly MickeyTravels agents informed me their schools hadn’t done Spring Break yet.

One of them was…metro Atlanta. That was a fairly sizable market of potential tourists right there.

So, the Spring Break crowds will start in early March and last a while. Then, Easter becomes a factor.

In 2025, we don’t celebrate Easter until April 20^th, which is a bummer for Disney fans.

Ordinarily, the parks slow down a few days after Easter and remain that way for a while.

Due to this year’s late date, you should skip straight to early May for the next slow spot on the calendar.

Since many families cannot travel due to the school year, May is an ideal time for singles and non-parents to visit Disney.

Due to a combination of anniversary and birthday, this is when we frequently visit Disney.

I feel like we stumbled upon a hack in the process, as the parks are never as crowded as when we visit around Halloween.

July 4^th?

Okay, do you feel like taking a risk?

If I’d written this column a couple of years ago – and I probably did – I would have told you to avoid July 4^th at all costs.

Then, this happened in 2023. Walt Disney World’s crowds were so low on Independence Day that park officials faced pressure.

Critics capitalized on the low crowds as proof that Disney’s popularity was waning.

That statement proved laughable with the benefit of hindsight…and then-sight.

Instead, something else was in play. The calendar configuration placed July 4^th in the middle of the week.

Perhaps more importantly, that day was also the hottest of all-time, a record that has been broken multiple times since then.

Significantly, all those times happened in July. Tourists know how hot it is during the week of July 4^th.

So, some of them are skipping the week of July 4^th. With the holiday on a Friday this year, I doubt that will happen.

You never know, though. You can take a chance if you like, though. It’s definitely easier to visit Disney during a major holiday.

Mid-August

The school year generally starts in early to mid-August now, which blows my mind.

I don’t pull out the “in my day” card often, but my school generally started after Labor Day.

If I’d had to start midway through the summer, I might still be crying about it. Sorry, kids. It sucks.

Once again, this reality creates an opportunity for solo travelers and people without children.

Attendance craters at Disney once the school year begins.

I’ll add that there is, again, that uncertainty about the exact date since the school year calendar isn’t consistent in North America.

So, this is like another Spring Break situation where you must guess the cutoff date for when the crowds vanish.

In looking at this year’s calendar, you’re probably safe on August 11^th, but you may want to wait until August 18^th just to make sure.

September after Labor Day

Then, we have the extreme version of August in September.

Summer hasn’t ended in a lot of places in August. That’s still the tourist season for many.

September, on the other hand, is the month where tourism goes to die, which works out great for me.

Like a LOT of people, I was born in September. So, I can visit Disney on my birthday and face the least resistance.

September is the slowest month on the annual calendar…and by a fairly significant amount at this point.

Historically, January was slow as well, but Festival of the Arts created some distance between the two months.

I always say that Disney doesn’t really have an offseason per se, but January has sluggish attendance.

September makes January look like Spring Break. So, this is the best time on the annual calendar to visit.

Early October

While crowds start to pick up a bit in early October, the rush still isn’t noticeable until the latter half of the month.

As long as you plan to travel by, say, October 12^th, you should be fine throughout a weeklong stay.

Attendance will be higher than in September, but it’s still slower than most of the other dates I’ve listed here, save for May.

Mid-November

Okay, here’s another gamble, but I think you’ll be okay.

Generally, attendance at Disney theme parks rises as Halloween approaches.

Disneyland and Walt Disney World both host wildly popular after-hours events. Tourists also want to see the decorations.

Then, these vacationers often stay into early November to watch the Christmas lights replace the spooky décor.

While those holiday delights remain in place into early January, a couple of tourism slowdowns occur for whatever reason.

Sometimes, the crowds wait until the holidays. It often depends on the calendar configuration.

In 2025, Thanksgiving once again occurs later than usual on November 27^th.

So, I forecast a slight gap in the middle of the month when you should be able to sneak in a visit while avoiding the mobs.

Early December

Finally, we have a usually reliable strategy that may not be as safe this year.

Since Thanksgiving happens during the final weekend of November, the post-holiday crowds may remain the same.

Historically, the week after Thanksgiving features a sizable attendance drop followed by another one the following week.

Crowds pick up as the holidays approach. In looking at the odd calendar configuration this year, December 18^th is the turning point.

If you’re at a Disney theme park after that point, the swarm is coming for you.

So, you should target a Disney visit from December 4^th-18^th. That’s the sweet spot to avoid the crowds.

And there you have it. These are the best times to visit Disney this year to avoid the crowds.

You should speak with a MickeyTravels agent to figure out which one works best for you.

Remember that these Authorized Disney Vacation Planners offer their services for free, and they’re the best in the business.

They’ve got the multi-time Diamond Earmarked trophies to prove it. 

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