Does the concept of "off-season" still exist at WDW?

[Tink9721]

So it's February. Every kid on earth is in school, and there's a rut of major time off now between New Year and spring break

Basically all of New England is off the whole week of President's Day.

 

[amilli12]

We have arrived on Labor Day for the last 3 years in a row for 10-12 day trips and had excellent success with lower crowds. I know its hot but for my boys and I it's worth it for the crowd trade-off!

 

[Freshman]

I’m taking my 3rd grader out of school next week(only a 4 day week) for our trip. We went Feb 2017 and crowds were light. Hoping for the same next week.

 

[LSUmiss]

Basically all of New England is off the whole week of President's Day.

And at the end of this month most of Louisiana will be off for Mardi Gras. I’ve learned years ago that just b/c our schools are in or out at certain times doesn’t mean this translates to the rest of the country or the world.

 

[StageTek]

We have arrived on Labor Day for the last 3 years in a row for 10-12 day trips and had excellent success with lower crowds. I know its hot but for my boys and I it's worth it for the crowd trade-off!

I usually arrive the Tuesday after Labor Day and find that first week fairly slow. 2019 was an anomaly because of the Dorian threat. I actually added four days getting to The World the Thursday before Labor Day. It was empty and the the hurricane never hit.

But the last four years that first week after the holiday was very manageable.

 

[confetti]

We have been here since Sat 2/1 and it's way more crowded than it was the last time I was here. I went in mid/late Jan in 2012 and early March 2005. Both times crowds were so light. Not just wait times but just less people in the park. Pictures i took have hardly anyone in the background. This week it's felt kind of nuts here. I can't imagine what a holiday crowd would look like. Thankfully we are working the fastpasses and haven't waited in line for more then 20-30 min. But navigating around with so many people is a bit stressful. Trying to get a picture with other people everywhere is hard. Even Universal in the HP areas felt packed today, but we did well there too by getting on Hagrid's first thing, we waited 20 min for Gringotts and 30 for FJ. It's definitely not a slow season right now.

 

[DisSurfer878]

I’m taking my 3rd grader out of school next week(only a 4 day week) for our trip. We went Feb 2017 and crowds were light. Hoping for the same next week.

Unlikely. The next two weeks are mid winter break for schools across the country. Some lead up to President's Day, some start President's Day, but there will be tons of overlap that weekend starting Thursday or Friday

 

[mamamelody2]

We did Labor Day week 2019 and 2018. Crowd levels were great. Especially last year due to the threat of Dorian that never materialized. We've gone later in September two other times and were happy with crowd levels then, too. Last week was my first January trip and crowds were significantly higher. With a good plan and FP, we did great, though, and really enjoyed not sweating my face off. LOL.

 

[Manifestbarn]

Further, not every kid is in school right now. Many schools get time off for President's week, others are now on non-traditional schedules, many kids are home schooled, or are preschoolers.

This is a really good point. For example, my son will be on Winter break starting the week of February 17. Plus, WDW obviously attracts an international audience. In other parts of the world, this is their “summer”. Case in point: when I was at WDW a few weeks ago, there were many Brazilians visiting.

I do find that if you avoid Marathon and MLK Weekends, the crowds are very manageable in January. Late August / early September is reasonable too.

I was also there last Christmas, one of the busiest times of the year, and we still had a great time. My idea of crowd management often involves booking tours and hard ticketed / limited capacity events, or going back to my resort for a nap when or pool time when it gets too crowded midday.

 

[babydoll65]

Nope. It used to be but in recent years theyve done the free dining promotion

I have gone during this time every year and though crowd levels have definitely risen, it's still the best time to go. As far as fd, it's been offered during this time since the dining plan started in 2005, so not exactly a big secret anymore. Most people still hate Sept for the heat, humidity and peak hurricane season

 

[disneygirlsng]

Several of my recent trips have been very low crowds! Early May, late June, and early November.

 

[Mome Rath]

The earlier bit of July is now one of my favorite times to go, especially July 5th. If you get there before the 15's it is really surprising how light the crowds are; EPCOT was a ghost town in the mornings especially.

 

[Jonfw2]

Point of order: Yes, I'm aware that "the week of _______ is basically a holiday for ________". I get that. That's missing my point.

RIGHT NOW has historically been what was universally agreed upon as a slow period. And it's not. This is what leads into the discussion.

 

[disneysnob]

We just got back last week and the crowds were ridiculous! Been there 10-12 times, always between June and August, and they crowds/wait times were not as long as they were last week. I was so excited to finally go during "off season", not having to deal with the heat/humidity/daily thunderstorms....but I was so dissappointed with the amount of people and the ridiculous lines for everything! Every park was over crowded. Hollywood Studios was beyond crazy....the whole process for boarding passes is cut throat. Lines were crazy just to get in the park 90 min before opening. Then once we got out boarding pass, and were finally called, we STILL waited over an hour in line! Magic Kingdom....A 40 min wait for People Mover!? 60 min for Small World?! Even Hall of Presidents was at full capacity. It was insane. To pay about $100/day and only get on 3-4 attractions......not happy. I also believe that the rides are not running at full capacity during certain times of the year which causes the backups. This trip really put Disney in a new light for our family.....very discouraging, and probably won't be back for a while.

 

[yulilin3]

Point of order: Yes, I'm aware that "the week of _______ is basically a holiday for ________". I get that. That's missing my point.

RIGHT NOW has historically been what was universally agreed upon as a slow period. And it's not. This is what leads into the discussion.

yeah, no more slow season.
Many people had their first experiences during the decade after Sept 11, the parks were dead for about 8 years, people thought that was the norm, Disney started with their promotions, Year of a Million Dreams, free dinning, etc and that started bringing people back. Additionally newer deals with South American travel makes travel from Brazil and Argentina that much cheaper,the economy is stable for now so that increases domestic travel, adding to an increase number of visitors coming every year. More kids being homeschooled, or parents not really worried about taking the kids out of school to come in the "slower season"
I can tell you from living here for 23 years, the crowds have increased tremendously, the "crowd calendars" are not accurate. If you want an empty-ish park experience, rope drop.
I was at MK on Dec 25th at 6am when the park opened and could've done half of the park in 2 hours, it was that empty.
Have a realistic plan and expectations, visit whenever the calendar allows you to and you'll have a wonderful time

 

[ABE4DISNEY]

We typically go twice year and have done so for 10+ years. Our typical months are May and October. In the past five years the crowds have continued to grow, and it doesn't feel that there is an off time. However, we did an impromptu mid-July trip in 2018; we were super concerned about the weather and crowds but decided we needed a break so let's go. It was the least crowded trip we have taken in the past 5 years and the weather was great--it was in the 80's the entire trip and dipped into the 70's a few nights. I am one who believes that those hot summer months are a little less crowded, but we did get lucky with our weather.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Point of order: Yes, I'm aware that "the week of _______ is basically a holiday for ________". I get that. That's missing my point.

RIGHT NOW has historically been what was universally agreed upon as a slow period. And it's not. This is what leads into the discussion.

I think people are trying to answer your question and also add their own experience.

Half of the posts on this board are about crowd levels. When should I go? When is it slow? Not 2 weeks ago I replied to one of those threads saying it is always busy and had people jump on me for it.

I stand by what I said. It is ALWAYS busy. Yes, there are times were it's not AS BUSY, like Labor Day week. Maybe the 1st week of May, but there will still be waits and crowds on the walkways and crowded pools. Unless a hurricane is threatening the area it's going to be busy in spots, if not the entire resort. However, if it's a busy time and early EMH is offered I will take advantage. 7am EMH at HS during Thanksgiving week was one of the best experiences I have had and cost me nothing extra.

 

[Jonfw2]

yeah, no more slow season.
Many people had their first experiences during the decade after Sept 11, the parks were dead for about 8 years, people thought that was the norm, Disney started with their promotions, Year of a Million Dreams, free dinning, etc and that started bringing people back. Additionally newer deals with South American travel makes travel from Brazil and Argentina that much cheaper,the economy is stable for now so that increases domestic travel, adding to an increase number of visitors coming every year. More kids being homeschooled, or parents not really worried about taking the kids out of school to come in the "slower season"
I can tell you from living here for 23 years, the crowds have increased tremendously, the "crowd calendars" are not accurate. If you want an empty-ish park experience, rope drop.
I was at MK on Dec 25th at 6am when the park opened and could've done half of the park in 2 hours, it was that empty.
Have a realistic plan and expectations, visit whenever the calendar allows you to and you'll have a wonderful time

Well said!!!

 

[MomOTwins]

Point of order: Yes, I'm aware that "the week of _______ is basically a holiday for ________". I get that. That's missing my point.

RIGHT NOW has historically been what was universally agreed upon as a slow period. And it's not. This is what leads into the discussion.

I think the responses you are seeing is because this is sort of "old news" now. Talking about what conventional wisdom was for WDW historically ago feels odd because to me, it is no surprise that January and February have seen high crowds and long waits--that has been the case in recent years as people go for the better weather, steeper discounts, and to escape winter weather (or on their summer break, in the case of South America). Conversely, mid-to-late summer through september which used to be "peak" season due to school being out are now shunned due to heat and rain.

WDW is constantly changing, and information 5 years old is no longer relevant. I still sometimes see people here talk about the Disney Junior lunch at Hollywood & Vine, or how a PPO ADR at MK gets you empty park photos, or who are shocked that rider swap now has a 1 hour return window.

 

[Gentry2004]

Parents (myself included) are pretty willing to pull kids from school. So you have to look at when parents might be reluctant to do so. So for example I’m not going to have my kids miss the first week or two of school. Also January after all the school districts go back, which this year wasn’t until the 6th or 7th but well before MLK. I’ve also hear late April/early May is decent, after all of the many spring breaks are done but before the early schools start breaking for summer.