Best time to visit Disney World in 2026

New year, new trip to Disney World? Obviously!

If you’re starting 2026 off by planning a trip to Disney, you’re in good company. I travel to Disney every single year and my last trip during Jersey Week was simply not enough, I’m already planning to head back for a RunDisney event in April.

Keep an eye out, because I’ll be reviewing David’s Vacation Club Rentals. I’ll breaking down everything you need to know about Disney Vacation Club and how you can stay a luxury Disney World resort on a major budget.

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EPCOT and Hollywood Studios lovers need to check out this resort situated right between the two, with easy walking paths to both theme parks.

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READ MORE: I just stayed at the Dolphin resort for 5 nights, and found it has a ton of secret deluxe Disney perks

When planning a trip, you’re probably looking for the best time to travel to Disney World, so, here’s a quick look at which months are best for traveling.

Almost equally as important is deciding how long to travel for. If you’re unsure of how many days to book for your trip, I personally recommend between four to eight days for a Disney World trip.

I have two months that I highly recommend traveling to Disney World after going during every single season. I recommend traveling to Disney World in February or November. Some highlights for both months include:

• Mid-to-moderately warm temperatures (November is warmer than February), but no blisteringly hot heat
• Limited rain days and lower humidity
• Manageable crowd sizes (the week of Thanksgiving being an exception, crowds are higher at that time)
• Festivals and themed events in the parks

The best time to visit Walt Disney World

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the best time to visit Disney World is any time. It is magical, and truly, even with crazy crowds, you can always have fun. But obviously, no one actually wants to deal with two-hour lines in 100-degree heat.

Disney currently has an offer that incentivizes travelers to go during the summer, which might be perfect for you but a non-negationable travel time for others. You can get two days for free when you buy a four-day standard ticket for travel dates between May 26 and September 15. That means a six-day ticket comes out to $500, which is a savings of $150 to $300 depending on when you travel.

But, you’ll run the risk of rain every day during your trip and 100+ degree days when you go to Florida in the summer. If you don’t care about that at all, summer is the time of year to go to Disney World then in 2026.

Which Disney Parks are the busiest?

When planning your trip, you’ll also want to keep in mind, some Walt Disney World parks are busier than others. Magic Kingdom is by far the busiest park among the four main theme parks. According to trusted Disney sources, like WDW Prep School, Mondays tend to be the most common day people begin their trip at MK.

On the flip side, Animal Kingdom tends to be the least busy of the four parks, though it does have one of the hardest rides to get on in under two hours (Flight of Passage).

EPCOT tends to be busiest on weekends, so you’ll want to try to visit that park between Tuesday to Thursday. The same goes for Hollywood Studios.

Disney World ride closures in 2026

When planning your Disney trip, you’re going to want to be mindful of ride closures. If riding a certain Walt Disney World ride will make or break your trip, check to make sure it is not closing permanently, like DINOSAUR, or going under refurbishment for months, like the Frozen Ever After ride.

• DINOSAUR (Animal Kingdom) – Closing permanently on Feb. 2, 2026
• Frozen Ever After (EPCOT) – Closing for refurbishment Jan. 26, 2026; set to re-open sometime in February 2026
• Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster Starring Aerosmith (Hollywood Studios) – Closing for a reimagining in Spring 2026 (exact date not yet confirmed); set to reopen sometime in summer 2026 as Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster Starring The Muppets
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Magic Kingdom)– Currently closed, set to reopen in Spring 2026 (Official reopening date not yet confirmed)
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (Magic Kingdom) – Currently closed, set to reopen in Spring 2026 (Official reopening date not yet confirmed)

Crowd calendar Disney World

Disney does not officially release a crowd calendar. Many dedicated Disney websites like Magic Guides, Disney Tourist Blog and Undercover Tourist spend hours creating calendars with the busiest times of the year in the Disney Parks.

You can get a sense directly from Disney’s website of when the parks are going to be busy, because the tickets cost more during peak times. Disney World tickets start at $119 per day, but can spike up to $174 for a single-day ticket.

Late August through September is typically referred to as quieter months at Disney World. During the week in August, compared to weekends, has seen lighter crowds as of late, according to Undercover Tourist.

Mid-September is a really good time to book, as the people who are traveling for the Halloween overlay often wait until the end of September for cooler temps. People also think that because it is closer to October, it is more festive. But Disney is decorated for Halloween starting in August!

However, in Florida, those months are still very hot, and Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party kicks off in August, so some days might be very crowded due to guests planning trips around this event.

Late January into early February is also a quieter time in Disney. You’re going to want to look for that time window right after the January holidays have passed, but before everyone takes advantage of having off for President’s Day weekend. Once you get close to spring break time, the crowds will begin to peak again, and spring break can be some of the most crowded days at Disney World.

Another surprisingly quiet time in 2025 was May, particularly during the week. This WDW Prep School graphic shows low crowds during the week every single week in May. Even the week of Memorial Day wasn’t too crowded.

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Least crowded day at Disney World

Some of the least crowded days in Disney World in 2025 were during the week, which isn’t surprising. The week of May 5 to 9 and May 12 to 16

September 2025 so lower crowds the week of September 4 and again the following week on September 9 and 10. This makes sense, as people who used summer vacation time probably are scheduled to leave on or the day after Labor Day. This was during hurricane season, so lower crowds aren’t that surprising.

During the week in August was been slower crowd-wise, but the average temperature in August has been 92°F, with an average of 14 days of rain in the month and 77% humidity.

Most crowded day at Disney World

On any given year, the most crowded day at Disney World could be either Easter, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day or Thanksgiving. Those weeks are the most expensive for 2025, with the average single-day ticket costing $174. Easter 2026 will cost even more, with tickets costing $179. Disney World ticket prices are set to increase by $5 to $6 in 2026.

But the holidays can be beaten. Spring break travel dominated the 2024 Disney World crowd calendar, according to this Reddit thread.

Crowd level 10 in 2024

• Spring Break: Mar 11 (Mon)
• Easter Week: Apr 4 (Thu)

Crowd level 9 in 2024

• New Years Week: Jan 2-5 (Tue-Fri)
• Presidents Day Weekend: Feb 16 (Fri), 19-20 (Tue-Wed)
• Spring Break and Easter Week: Mar 12 (Tue), 25-27 (Mon-Wed), 29 (Fri), Apr 2 (Tue)
• Christmas Week: Dec 27-28 (Fri-Sat), 30 (Mon)

Disney World ticket prices for the rest of 2025

The cost of single-day tickets for September through December ranges between $119 and $174. The most expensive week to visit Disney World in 2025 looks to be the week of Christmas and New Year’s. The daily ticket cost will go down marginally when you buy a multi-day pass.

• September: For a single-day pass, tickets are averaging around $122 per day
• October: For a single-day pass, tickets are averaging around $150 per day
• November: For a single-day pass, tickets are averaging around $160 per day
• December: For a single-day pass, tickets are averaging around $160 per day

Orlando Weather

Of course, while it looks like September is a really good month crowd-wise, how does it look temperature-wise in Orlando, Florida?

The average temperature in the month of September is 90°F. For some, that might be worth it, but for others, that could be a no-go. Especially given that September is also a peak month during hurricane season.

February has much cooler days, with average temperatures around 75°F and only four rain days.

September might be the lowest crowds and the least expensive time. So if those two things are your top priorities, you’ll want to book for mid-September. Even late August (but not too close to Labor Day weekend) is a great time for both crowds and cost. Just prepare to be hot! And buy trip insurance. Hurricanes can delay your travel and impact your trip greatly, so you want to prepare as best you can.

If you can make February work, but not during Presidents’ Day weekend, that is my personal recommendation to beat the heat and the crowds. The prices are not the cheapest in January and February (average single-day ticket costs between $149 and $179), but the crowds are not as bad.

You won’t get any exciting holiday overlays like for Halloween and Christmas, but you can go to a fun festival. Typically, the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts occurs in February. This festival is a great way to enjoy vibrant artwork, dazzling entertainment and palate-pleasing cuisine.

Final Tip: If you’re planning to walk around Disney World, you’ll want a good pair of shoes. These HOKA sneakers are my top recommendation!