The absolute least crowded time to go.

[Monykalyn]

Considering FoP has ranged between 60-95 minutes past couple days-I'd say now is a slow time (if using FoP as barometer of park business LOL)

 

[TCRAIG]

The week after Labor Day is very very slow. All schools back in session.

Early May is also very very slow. I have heard it's mostly walk on. Plus weather is great.

That said, there really is no slow time. Just busy and really busy. Disney is purposely evening out the crowds so there is no slow time. This year, all bets are off with opening of Toy Story.

We go every May (2nd week or so) and no - it’s not walk on and the weather is usually very hot during the day - pleasant at night though so that helps! We also go every Sept and every Dec - the last 3 years - there’s been a huge increase in crowds with each year getting progressively worse - that being said - we always have a great time - when it gets crowded - we leave the parks and enjoy the resort.

 

[isabellea]

Also, low crowds don't mean low waits anymore since Disney are not running the attractions at full capacity, have less staff, shorter hours and have some rides in refurbishment.

 

[missbrooke06]

We started Park time the Sunday after Thanksgiving and left that Friday this year. It was fantastic crowd wise other than the night we were in MK (our five nights contained 3 MVMCP and one 4:30 MK closure so everyone was there that one night. But since we had PH, it wasn't a big deal).

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Probably not. Because Disney is now staffing down during slower times so it still feels busy.

Also, low crowds don't mean low waits anymore since Disney are not running the attractions at full capacity, have less staff, shorter hours and have some rides in refurbishment.

Welcome to the post MB and FP+ WDW. They now have more data for staffing and capacity control and the ability to spread crowds with FP+ availability.

It reminds me of the weather you can have a low crowd day but still "feels" busy like a wind chill factor.

 

[bryanb]

Disney has always staffed down during slower periods and staffed up during busier periods. I would agree with @MaryKatesMom that they are probably more precise about it now.

The absolute slowest time to go is right before a hurricane hits. Or on a macro level, when the economy hits a major problem like a housing crisis.
Barring those things, the least crowded I've seen recently, ironically, was the last week of August, the day when school started for many people. I guess people were in back-to-school mode, and not pulling kids out of class for vacation.

For the most part, a crowded WDW is probably the sign of a confident economy and good things for America (and possibly the world). So at the moment, it's probably better that WDW is never deserted.

 

[mommycal]

Welcome to the post MB and FP+ WDW. They now have more data for staffing and capacity control and the ability to spread crowds with FP+ availability.

It reminds me of the weather you can have a low crowd day but still "feels" busy like a wind chill factor.

Silly ? But I’m curious. Did you fly or drive? Wondering if flying the Sunday right after thanksgiving is outrageous for airfare

 

[cmurray234]

I second whoever said the second week of November. It was the best trip we've ever had. The crowds were manageable but better, the weather was INCREDIBLE.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

No offense to anyone but to me going in the summer is just crazy. If it were reversed and Disney was paying me to go to their parks during that time I would say no. Standing in line for 3 hours to go on Space Mountain is not fun for me.

We always go in the summer as the operating hours are longer than most other times. On our last visit, we rode Space Mountain 4 times in 35 minutes just by waiting until near the end of the day.

I can’t imagine waiting 3 hours either, but that’s not necessary if you have a good plan and know how the crowd patterns flow.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

The week after Labor Day is very very slow. All schools back in session.

Early May is also very very slow. I have heard it's mostly walk on. Plus weather is great.

That said, there really is no slow time. Just busy and really busy. Disney is purposely evening out the crowds so there is no slow time. This year, all bets are off with opening of Toy Story.

Another May visitor to say that it's not walk on or very, very slow. The middle of the week is on the slower side of moderate so quite nice but around the weekends it's on the high end of moderate. I like May weather because it's not usually as humid (although it can be hot). Weather-wise I love Nov but I can't speak to crowds then (we've been going to Universal).

The last two weeks have generally been very good for wait times but with Easter even later next year, that may not hold true beyond this year.

 

[hereforthechurros]

Right after spring break (when kids are back in school until summer, mid-April) and early May (before schools are out) seem to be good bets for lower crowds but not slow. WDW has done a great job at spacing out promotions, events, discounts, etc. to ensure things are always busy. I’m sure their goal is 7-8 crowds everyday rather than 3-4 crowds some of the time and 9-10 others.

 

[StageTek]

This year it was even super crowded the entire month of January and early February.

Crowds certainly are a matter of perspective, aren't they? We were there the last week of Jan/first week of Feb and found it to be very low crowds.

 

[Shanti]

No offense to anyone but to me going in the summer is just crazy. If it were reversed and Disney was paying me to go to their parks during that time I would say no. Standing in line for 3 hours to go on Space Mountain is not fun for me.

There are no 3-hour lines for SM in the summer. Summer is a relatively slow time at WDW.

 

[DisneyFive]

The week or two after labor day.

Dan

 

[Haley R]

We’ve gone the last three years during the last week of feb and first week of March and the crowds have been great every year. It’s in between Presidents Day and spring break crowds.

 

[Micharlotte]

The few days before and after a hurricane were great crowd wise, but we paid the price by being locked in our rooms for two days. We always go the very beginning of September and the crowds are getting worse every year, I was shocked by the difference between 2015 and 2016.

 

[NMAmy]

We started Park time the Sunday after Thanksgiving and left that Friday this year. It was fantastic crowd wise other than the night we were in MK (our five nights contained 3 MVMCP and one 4:30 MK closure so everyone was there that one night. But since we had PH, it wasn't a big deal).

We were there that same week and I agree, it was a great time to go. DH and I flew in on Thanksgiving which was awesome--the airports were SO quiet and there were extra seats on the plane. Then we just did stuff around the resorts and Disney Springs until the Sunday after Thanksgiving when the crowds went way down.

We go again for a long weekend May 16-21. I've been at that time before and it was good for crowds but it has been several years, so we'll see. Dining reservations and fast passes were easy to get. There's still 7DMT and FoP fastpasses available at less than 30 days but they did lengthen the open hours. We'll be traveling with an infant and a toddler so we're already planning on going slow and lots of breaks. Can't wait!

 

[disneyvoice]

We have been to WDW several times during the past year, all for 7-8 days stays. Our trips in June (the end of June heading into the week of July 4th) and July (the middle) were BY FAR the lowest crowd times with the shortest waits. Our trips the middle of October and in January (week right after the marathon) we BY FAR the most crowded. In fact, our trip in January was the most crowded trip with the longest waits. Compared to many previous years, as others have pointed out, there just aren't any low crowd times anymore. I no longer feel comfortable recommending "least crowded" times to anyone as there seem to be many more variables these days that are affecting crowds at all times of the year. We simply plan for ANY trip to be extremely crowded and then, if the crowds are lighter than we feared, we are pleasantly surprised.

 

[disneyvoice]

I kid you not when I say on a 2+ week summer trip, we will never wait in a line more than 20 minutes for any ride (shows not included). Summer is the best time for us to get FP+ after FP+...one right after the other, all day. If we feel like it, we literally hop from ride to ride.

This was exactly our experience last June and July. Both trips we did FEA in the middle of the afternoon stand-by with 15-20 minute waits. We are rarely willing to wait more than 30 minutes for ANY ride at WDW, but in June and July we were able to ride everything we wanted with easy to obtain FP+ and no waits more than 20 minutes. In both October and January we ended up skipping several attractions because the waits were close to or over an hour or longer.

 

[Delirium]

During a hurricane.