Find out the best time to go to Disney World if you want to save some money!
Planning your vacation during the cheapest time to go to Disney World is a great way to stick to a travel budget.
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Disney trips can be quite costly, but with a little planning and thriftiness, you can save hundreds on your Disney trip and still have a magical time.
Knowing the cheapest time to go to Disney World is the first step to saving money.
Avoiding the most popular times of the year allows you to take advantage of lower prices and discounts offered by Disney, which will help you save on the cost of a Disney vacation!
The Cheapest Time to Go to Disney
The cheapest time to go to Walt Disney World is between January 2nd and February 20th, after the new year but before President’s Day.
The second cheapest time to visit Walt Disney World is the week after Thanksgiving, usually around November 23rd, up until December 23rd.
Planning your visit on the cheapest days is one of the best ways to maximize your savings.
Why Is This the Cheapest Time?
These are the cheapest times because they are right around and in between the most expensive times.
Disney does most of its business in the summer and around special events and the major holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.
If you can plan your vacation to fit in between these dates, you can save yourself a lot of money and often avoid the massive crowds and long lines that Disney World typically has.
To help you understand how this works, I’ll explain how each aspect of your Disney trip could be less expensive when you book during this time.
Flight Prices
Flight prices skyrocket surrounding the holidays. But in between and right after major holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, you can save hundreds of dollars on your flight.
Unless you have your heart set on spending Christmas at Disney World, you can cut your costs by visiting at a different time.
Flights are often one of the biggest expenses, so saving money in this area makes a huge difference in the final trip cost.
Hotel Prices
When Disney is in its off-season, it will often create promotions and offer deals and discounts on its hotel stays to entice people to visit the park.
If your timing is right, you can take advantage of these deals and save heaps of money on your hotel reservation.
The best way to do this is to look at past hotel price trends and compare the different resorts you can stay at.
But trends almost always point to the most affordable time to book a hotel in Disney being the beginning of January. January 2nd to the 20th is where people see the most discounts and deals.
Booking hotel rooms at a Deluxe resort, such as one of the Disney hotels on the Monorail, will cost more.
Consider booking a value resort instead. You can compare the Art of Animation vs. Pop Century to learn more about a couple of our favorites.
Park Prices
When you visit the website, they make it seem like Walt Disney World tickets are a standard, fixed price that never changes.
But like the hotel prices, this is not the case, and park ticket prices do vary. They often have promotions and discounts available in the off-season.
If you want to save money on theme park admission tickets, you can find bundles that let you buy a package of Disney World tickets to various parks and use them within a particular time frame.
The only tricky part about this is that they wait to run these promotions until right before the off-season, making it difficult to plan your vacation ahead of time.
But if you think the risk is worth the reward, you can book flights and hotels and hold off on the park ticket purchase until you find the price you want.
Keep in mind you have to make park reservations along with your tickets, so you can’t buy the tickets and then go without a reservation.
So even if you get an awesome deal, if there are no reservations available, you’re out of luck. But Disney World parks are massive and rarely reach capacity in the off-season.
Plus, there are different parks to choose from. If Magic Kingdom has no reservations due to high crowd levels, you can go to Epcot!
Considerations for OFf-Season Disney Travel
While January to February and late November to mid-December are the cheapest times of year to go to Disney, there are other factors to consider when planning your trip, which may make these times less than ideal for you.
Before you jump the gun and book your trip in one of these savings windows, make sure you’ve weighed all of the considerations below into your decision.
Yearly Increases
Unfortunately, the price of a Disney vacation steadily increases year after year. You can blame inflation or greed or whatever you want, but sadly, it’s a fact.
So while January is often the cheapest month in the calendar year, waiting longer doesn’t mean you’ll save more money. Booking your trip for a sooner time rather than later will typically save you money.
So if it’s January and you think it’s a good idea to book your trip for the following January to save money, you could save more money by booking a different time of year, such as late August or late November.
Schooling
As mentioned, pulling your kids out of school at the beginning of September can set them up for an unsuccessful school year.
Many kids get new teachers at the beginning of the year, new routines, and sometimes a whole batch of new classmates. If they’re moving into middle school or high school, they may even have a new building to navigate, depending on how your school districts work.
While you can save money booking from late August to September, it may not be the best decision for your child’s education.
Family Holidays
Many people love to spend their Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday at the most magical place on earth. Others love spending Halloween at Disney.
But if you have recurring family holiday parties and other traditions, you may not find it feasible to book so close to the holidays.
Luckily, you can still book in January or late August and save a decent amount of money on your trip.
Crowds
You are likely not the only person trying to save money on their Disney trip.
While booking during the cheapest times saves you money, it could mean waiting in longer lines. This typically isn’t an issue, as the cheapest times are usually the least popular times to visit.
Sometimes booking in September is worth pulling your kids out of school so you can avoid the longer lines that may be there in August or mid-December.
Weather
If you’re booking your Disney trip to Disneyland, you don’t have to worry too much about the weather. California is almost always sunny and warm.
But when going to Disney World, it’s a bit more complicated. Florida’s hurricane season, when there can be strong winds and lots of rain, goes from June 1st to November 30th.
Booking between Thanksgiving and Christmas could mean you have lots of cloudy days and rain, which is not ideal for the outdoor fun you want to enjoy at the amusement parks.
If you don’t mind a little drizzle or muggy weather, you can book during the hurricane season and likely still have a wonderful time.
But for some, less-than-ideal weather is a deal-breaker for their dream Walt Disney World vacation.
Weather Tips for Disney World:
- How to Have Fun at Disney World in the Rain
- Visiting Disney World in the Winter
- How to Stay Cool at Disney
Tips For Saving Money on Your Disney Vacation
There are many ways to save money on your Disney trip to accommodate your budget. You can also utilize the Disney payment plan.
The number one tip is to search for discounted Disney World hotel reservations and park tickets as the off-season approaches.
But below are some more thrifty ways to save some cash on your Walt Disney World vacation.
Stay Off-Site
If you don’t mind sacrificing a bit of the magical Walt Disney World resort experience, you can stay off-site in another hotel or motel, which is often more affordable.
You won’t get the full experience of staying at a Disney resort hotel, like the Animal Kingdom Lodge, but you will still get to enjoy the parks.
And then you’ll have more money to spend on extras inside the park or shopping at Disney Springs!
Bring Your Own Food
While the turkey legs and cotton candy inside the park are tempting, they’re also super expensive. A soda at Disney World costs $4, compared to what you could spend at the grocery store.
Pack your own drinks, lunch, and snacks to prevent overspending on the pricey food inside the amusement parks.
As a bonus, bringing food to Disney World also helps you to eat healthy at Disney!
Take Layovers
This may not be the best option if you’re visiting Disney World with toddlers, but opting for flights with layovers can help you save money.
Most people don’t want to take these flights and extend their travel time, but if you don’t mind hopping from one plane to another or hanging in the airport for a few hours, you can save hundreds getting to Orlando International Airport.
If you’re not traveling with small children, consider saving money on your flights this way.
Skip the Extras
There are many opportunities inside and around the amusement parks to spend more money.
Special meetings with beloved Disney characters, certain boat rides, Disney Memory Maker, and even trips up to the magic castle can cost a bit extra.
Avoiding these activities and sticking to the rides and attractions included in your ticket price saves you money and maximizes the value of your admission ticket.
Disney World’s Cheapest Times
Disney travel is no cheap feat. But by booking your trip during off-seasons, you can save a lot of money.
Some strategic planning and a watchful eye on hotel and ticket price deals can help you save hundreds of dollars on your Disney park trip, leaving you more money to buy souvenirs and other things you want to prioritize.
When planning a Disney trip on a strict budget, you need to consider what the most important aspects of each Disney park are to you.
Only you can decide which Disney splurges are worth it!
If staying at a Disney resort hotel is a must for you, then do it! Whatever makes your Disney experience as magical as it should be!
So it’s okay to splurge on the turkey legs if that’s what you’ve been dreaming of.
FAQs About Inexpensive Disney Travel
For more information on the best and worst timing for Disney travel, check out the frequently asked questions below.
What’s the cheapest time to go to Disneyland?
Interestingly, the cheapest time to go to Disneyland differs from the cheapest time to go to Disney World.
Going to Disneyland between August 24th and September 12th will save you the most money, as this is when most kids are just starting the school year, and parents don’t want to interrupt that.
But early January to late February is also a cheaper time to visit Disneyland.
What’s the most expensive time to go to Disney World?
The most expensive time to go to Disneyland is typically in December and then the peak of the summer.
Many families love to spend Christmas and New Year’s at the most magical place on earth because the holiday festivities are extra special.
And in general, summer is the easiest time for families to travel and not have to pull their kids out of school.
What’s the most expensive time to go to Disneyland?
The most expensive time to go to Disneyland is the same as Disney World.
The weeks leading up to and including Christmas and New Year’s are often the most expensive and most crowded times because people enjoy celebrating the holiday there.
While the peak summer months at Disneyland are also expensive, the prices don’t skyrocket quite as much as they do at Disney World.
When is Disney World the least crowded?
There are three windows to take advantage of when Disney World will be the least crowded and you won’t have to wait in insanely long lines.
The first is also the cheapest, after the New Year but before President’s Day. The second is between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and the third is the time between Labor Day and Thanksgiving.
People typically plan a Disney World vacation to coincide with their children’s school breaks, so you’ll want to avoid long weekends like President’s Day, Memorial Day, spring break, and major holidays Like Christmas, New Year’s, and Thanksgiving.
Best Times to Visit Disney
Booking your trip to Disney parks during off peak times is a fabulous way to save some money, and enjoy fewer crowds in the parks.
Consider the needs of your own family, the specific dates you’re available to travel, and whether or not you can visit around the holiday season.
Skipping peak season is the cheapest way to enjoy the most magical place on earth!
More Helpful Disney Planning Resources:
- How to Pack for a Disney Vacation
- How to Get Last-Minute Disney Dining Reservations
- Must-Know Disney World Transportation Tips
- Top 10 Disney World Tips
Be sure to save this article to your Disney travel board on Pinterest!
