When is the best month to go to Orlando?
Which months are best for smaller queues?
Just wondering when would be best to go to Orlando ?
Went last year and the year before in May (both times) and the queues werent too bad.
First week was great, hardly any queues. Then 2nd week was busy. This was 2nd week of May
Which months are best for smaller queues ?
Many thanks
3 years ago, My husband and I went to Universal Orlando on our honeymoon the first week of October. It was absolutely great. We went to IOA on Monday and we rode all of the big rides (Spider-man, Hulk, Dueling Dragons, etc.) by 10:30 AM. Everything! There were virtually NO LINES the whole week. And the weather was great, too. We didn't get rained on once - temps in the mid to upper 80's.
I had been to Orlando on 3 previous trips, all in the summer. This October trip was like nothing I'd ever seen. I would go back that week every year, if I could.
There are times in Sept. through October, but lots of special events going on also that could affect the operating hours and crowds. I'd say the couple of weeks in November that don't involve veterans day and thanksgiving, early to mid dec. and most of January and February. Just avoid any week surrounding a national holiday. Even the "smaller ones" like Columbus day. If the banks and govt. offices are closed.. that = millions of people taking vacations.
I recommend going towards the end of Jan. I have been in Jan, Feb, Sept., May, June, July, and Aug. Jan has the cooler temperatures and low crowds. Also the average for rainfall is less in Jan, than in Sept. Feb. was just a tad more crowded than Jan.
We've done Disney (and Busch Gardens Tampa in 2007) twice since 2004. I think it gets busy about a week before Christmas, so we went a week before that. Not bad at all. Very little waiting.
From Tony Duda
Posted April 11, 2010 at 3:29 PM
The first 2 weeks in December are really good. Most parks have all the Christmas stuff up and Holiday shows going on. You miss both the Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years crowds. Also September and October are good. The schools recently opened and vacationing families are less. Sep. can still be hot and rainy, Oct. a little better but both are still in hurricane season.
My wife and I always go around Halloween (since we're big HHN buffs) and into the first week of November. Lines are shorter and the weather is nicer. Universal and Disney put on great Halloween events and the Food & Wine Festival is still up and running at Epcot. A lot of Brits go around this time, so much so we feel like the foreigners. They're great. :)
Great, thank you all so much for your advice.
I would really like to try going end of Feb for 2 weeks as its my birthday. Cant think of anything better than to celebrate your birthday in one of the parks
cheers for the info TPI peoples
I went a few years ago the week after Presidents Day (end of February), and the parks were nearly empty. My friend and I managed to do everything we wanted to do in Epcot and Hollywood studios in one day. We really didn't have any lines at all. We didn't use a single fast pass the entire trip.
This was a question asked on the Backstage Magic Tour we took a couple of years ago.
According to the guide, who is a Veterian Cast Members, the best time is right after Thanksgiving apparently.
the week before thanksgiving week is great, no lines and all the christmas decorations are up. anytime in october is good to, i go every year for horror nights and i usually hit up ioa in the day time. january and february are pretty good for lines, but it is pretty cold, so snow birds might want to get farther down south. basically, just dont go during national holidays or summer time
SNOW BIRD'S THE WORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Frommer's Unofficial Guide, easily the best Orlando guide book I've read, recommends the time between American Thanksgiving and the second week of December. The Christmas decor is out, but the crowds are nonexistent.
I've also had tremendous luck with late January-early February and late April-early May.
From Rob P
Posted April 14, 2010 at 2:46 AM
I'm unfamiliar with the school / college timetables in the USA so I don't know if it's a regular time for them to visit the Orlando Parks or if it was simply a one-off.
But what I can tell you is that when we visited in the last 3 weeks of May 2006 the Parks were jam packed with large groups of uniformed school/college kids. Everywhere you looked the lines at the attractions and food outlets were really long.
I probably wouldn't make May my month of choice again until I found out if this was an annual event or not.
As a Brit, I can vouch for my preference to visit in early,/mid October. Lines are shorter, weather is cooler (but still hot compared to the UK!) and plenty of special events are taking place - HHN, MNSSHP, Food & Wine etc.
I've been 4 times in early summer and twice in October. October is easily my first choice.
From Scott B
Posted April 14, 2010 at 9:04 AM
I have been to Orlando during various times of the year, but last year just after Labor Day weekend was hands down the best time I ever had down there.
My wife and I went down there with our two year old daughter. The weather was amazing. Upper 80's everyday (one day it was in the upper 90's). No waits anywhere. Not even on Dumbo. My daughter and I just walked on.
I think because school is just starting in most places, parents don't want their kids missing the very first weeks of class. So that is why the amount of people in the parks isn't that great. We went to the Magic Kingdom, Blizzard Beach and Animal Kingdom that week. Not much of a crowd at any of them. It was so weird, walking around and seeing "5 minute wait" on all the queue signs. And of course they are only five minutes long because that is how long it takes to walk from the entrance of the queue to the ride itself.
We went first two weeks of November and it was wonderful - warm, lovely weather, short lines so easy to get on everything, and best of all no closures for rehab. We went again in January and were sorry to find several key attractions down.
I've found both Jan/Feb and Sep/Oct very nice. Do bear in mind that Sep/Oct is hurricane season, so you might consider buying trip insurance.
I'm going again in Sept. this year for my 12th visit. I have visited June, July, August, Sept. and Oct. before and prefer anytime between Sept/Oct. The kids have gone back to school, its lovely and warm for Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon (not to humid), you can walk onto most rides and they have all the decorations out for Halloween ready. Brilliant!!!!! Can't wait!!!
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