When is the best time of year to visit Walt Disney World... or Universal Orlando, or any of the other attractions in Central Florida?
For years, the summer vacation season brought the most visitors to the Florida theme parks. There would be another big surge during the week between Christmas and New Year's, as well as around various holiday weekends. But the big takeaway was, if kids were out of school, that's when people headed to the parks.
These days, Disney and Universal have found multiple ways to keep their parks filled throughout the year. EPCOT food festivals and runDisney weekends help drive crowds at Walt Disney World, while seasonal events such as Mardi Gras and Halloween Horror Nights have extended the high season at Universal. Conventions, music and cheer competitions, and other corporate events also help fill the parks as they fill hotels and their meeting facilities.
But, out of all the months in the year, when do you most prefer to visit Florida? If you have kids in school or work in education, do you still hold to the traditional vacation calendar? If not, is there another time of year you prefer to visit?
Weather, of course, provides a deciding factor for many visitors. Heat and humidity rise in late spring, making the summer oppressive for many. Hurricane season offers a persistent threat in late summer and the early fall. That has helped drive more crowds toward the spring break season in recent years. But is that your favorite time to come?
Let's put this one up for a vote. I also have left options in the poll for Florida residents, since you are always in the state, as well as those who prefer not to visit Florida for whatever reason.
In the comments, we would love to hear why you picked the season for which you voted.
January. Best month for the major theme parks, especially Disney
For me, it's typically been September/October not only because the weather is typically pretty favorable - warm enough to enjoy some of the water rides, but not stifling like it is during July/August - assuming you can thread the needle between hurricanes/tropical storms. The early fall months also have the advantage of some of the best seasonal events in the park calendar with HHN, MSSSHP, and the EPCOT F&W Festival.
However, the last few years we've also visited in the early spring January/February/early March, and it has been great weather wise. Also, because there are fewer special events, crowds tend to be a lot lower even during the holiday weekends (minus Spring Break of course).
Early May or Middle of October..
Really, your best bet is between November and early spring, outside of hurricane season.
My family enjoyed going in January.
In this day and age....never
All of my visits have been in the second half of the year, and from that timeframe I would say September/October is my preference. Crowds generally haven't been too horrible at that time of year, and it's also when most of the major seasonal events happen, adding even more to do than just see the standard stuff at the parks.
I still stick with July/August. You'll get to see the parks in full force with long operating hours and extra entertainment options compared to slower times of the year. And if people are skipping summer because of the heat, that's even better.
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Third week of October due to weather starting to cool, less crowds at WDW, and there is HHN to go to.
Any week of February other than President’s Day. Crowds are down and it can be cool but not cold.
Early November is kind of awesome as well.
I have always wondered if the weekend of the Florida/Georgia football game would see slightly less crowds?