What is the Best Season at Walt Disney World?

We wanted to dedicate this post to a question we get all of the time - when is the best season to go to Walt Disney World? And for the purpose of this post, let's all be comfortable with "any season" being an unacceptable answer.

For a lot of families, we know the decision of when to go to Walt Disney World is the first step to planning. Between festivals and special events, each season at Walt Disney World has unique experiences that aren't offered all year around. Crowd planning is also something that can play into this decision, but since COVID we feel like this is becoming less important (we will expand on this later). So, here we go, this is our guide to which season is best at Walt Disney World.

Spring

We love visiting Disney in the spring - the weather has generally been favorable for us and we seem to get a good mix of Florida sunshine (and heat) without too much rain. Although the experiences are fairly standard at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, Epcot has the Flower and Garden Festival which is our second favorite festival in Epcot. If you haven't been to the Flower and Garden Festival, think of a scaled back version of Food and Wine with some impressive flower arrangements and topiaries on display. With the exception of spring break, the crowds are generally manageable this time of year and we have been lucky to experience some spring weeks where we had extremely low crowds.

Summer

The best way to describe central Florida in the summer is HOT. Having been on this planet for 36 years, there is nothing that feels hotter than a summer day walking around Walt Disney World in 100 degree heat. (PSA - Honestly the heat in the summer there is no joke. We see people getting sick over and over because they seem to push themselves too hard. Stay hydrated and take breaks!) There are also no real special events to enjoy - and before you say Food and Wine Festival starts in July, try "enjoying" different foods from around the world while getting melted by the sun and dripping in sweat. Food and Wine is a fall festival for us.

The crowds in the summer are generally increased as well, mainly because kids are out of school and it is the time when a lot of families take their vacations. In our opinion, this has become less of an issue since the park reservation system has been in place because it seems the crowds are managed better and spread more evenly throughout the year. We could be way off on this, but that is how it feels for us.

Fall

This is the time of year when a lot of things come together at Disney: the festivals, the special events, the weather, the crowds. This used to be our favorite season at the parks, and if you go this time of year there are a lot of awesome things you can explore. Let's start with the Food and Wine Festival - one of our favorite things to do at Epcot is explore the different offerings while walking around the World Showcase. There is generally live music, an energetic crowd and if you are there in the evening you won't be melted by the Florida sun. Over at Magic Kingdom, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) is taking place and is an amazing event to experience at least once in your life. Even if you skip the Halloween event, Magic Kingdom still showcases its fall decorations and generally offers different deserts fitting for the season.

This has historically been a less-crowded time in the parks as well. As we mentioned above, we feel like this is becoming less important but still something that should be considered. One of the downsides to fall at Walt Disney World - all of the fun at the Food and Wine Festival, MNSSHP and some of the seasonal offerings come at a price - and those can add up if you're trying to "experience it all" when you visit.

Winter

As someone who doesn't live in Florida, we have to remember that Florida doesn't actually have winter. We are coming from piles of snow and freezing temperatures to watch the great citizens of Florida wear winter coats when it is 65 degrees outside. To us, this weather is perfect because the days get hot - but not too hot. The nights get cool - but not too cool. It is the perfect time to experience the parks in long sleeves or pants, and not be sweating every minute of the day.

During the month of December, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is happening over at Magic Kingdom. Although we don't enjoy this event as much as MNSSHP, it is still a great experience for families and should be on your to-do list. Over at Epcot, the Festival of the Arts begins in January, which is an extremely under-rated event. It brings in some of the elements of both Food and Wine and Flower and Garden festivals, while showcasing Disney art and artists throughout the park. (This is the time in this post where Paula interjects and wants to say the Festival of the Holidays is also a great event at Epcot. It is an ok festival, but you certainly shouldn't plan your vacation around it.)

Probably the most intriguing aspect of this season is the crowds. The lowest crowds we have ever experienced at Walt Disney World were during the winter months, with the exception of Christmas and New Years. If riding rides is your main goal, this is definitely the time of year for you!

So, now that we went through our thoughts on each of the seasons at Walt Disney World, which is our favorite? Currently, it is winter - the combination of weather and crowds coupled with festival and special event offerings fits our family perfectly at the moment. There have been times when we would have said spring, and times we would have said fall (sorry summer) and we imagine that as our family continues to grow all of our opinions may change.

Have a magical day!