When are the slow times?

TheBigErn

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 2, 2016
I remember when there were definite slow times at DW when the lines were short and the crowds low. You could bank on certain times of the year being low crowds. Seems that due to various marketing ploys etc. implemented by Disney those days are gone or at best few and far between. So to the extent they still exist, when will they be in 2020 and 2021?
 
We went during pretty much every season last year. The lowest crowd time was January, but it was by no means slow. Spring break was crowded but nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be. It was kind of a weird Easter this year (late April) so I think that helped scatter crowds a bit in the spring.
 


I went for the last two weeks of September, and couldn't believe how quiet it was (no wonder with the heat and humidity though). For 8 years we arrived around 9th December until 26th, and in the beginning, 2010 to 2015, the first week was so quiet, then around 16/17th onwards it got busier and busier. I'd say the last 2 years we went though (2016 and 2017) it was definitely busier in our first week :sad:
 
Sept 17 9-11a, 2 Tuesdays before Thanksgiving, and a handful of hours Mid winter :D Kidding

MK was empty last Monday because they were closing at 4:30p for private function. Full days during party season at MK have been packed.
 
First 2 weeks of November have always been pretty good. Used to go the 2nd week of December and it wasn't bad. We went in December 2018 from the 10 to the 19th, and it was good. Not low crowds but manageable and the Christmas lights and decorations were great! those are my favorite times to visit WDW.
 


Years ago when asking when the slow times were - there were some standard answers we all remember fondly. Then there was the internet, and eventually Disney related message boards, and Google and Facebook and iPhones and now Alexa and the like. I did a quick search experiment in Google and just typed in the phrase "when is the best time to go to" and a list pops up and one of the prefilled entries is "disney world". That means that there are a lot of folks doing a search to find out the same answer. You can guess the answers because they've been the discussed for many years - but those ranges they give have been shrinking at an alarming rate and the old "slow" was a lot less crowded than the new "slow". I even asked Siri on my iPhone and got the same sites. Make me wonder how Alexa or something similar would answer.

The short answer is - between Disney marketing and staffing changes, along with the easy availability of the answer to your quest for many thousands of potential WDW visitors via the internet, the likelihood of finding a truly "slow" time at WDW is dissappearing fast. If you do happen to visit at a time when it is truly "slow," just count your lucky stars.
 
I found when I went in early May 2018 to be incredibly slow. No to very low waits for everything, including the big ticket rides. I also found this past early November (W&D weekend) to be very slow with low wait times (walked on to BTMR 3 times in a row at 2pm).
 
Unfortunately from what I can see (and I have been tracking wait times with the WDW app) there doesn't seem to be slow times anymore. :(
 
Unfortunately from what I can see (and I have been tracking wait times with the WDW app) there doesn't seem to be slow times anymore. :(
I strongly disagree based on recent personal experience in the parks. Early May 2018, late June 2019, and early November 2019 were all very low crowds IMO. But we do all have different opinions on slow. Less than 30 min waits for most headliners, some walk on, is a win in my mind.
 
I think the cool thing to say these days is that there are no slow times. If anyone expects Main Street to have the same amount of people walking around as a small town does, then they are misguided. But in Disney World terms there are definitely slow times

The slow times I have personally experienced are mid January, early March, and late September. My parents are retired and get to spend more time in the parks, and they say that early May, early November, and early December are also pretty nice.
 
Merely asking the question "when are the slow times at WDW" virtually assures there will be no slow times because the one thing the internet promises is thousands of answers to every question thereby effectively ending the slow times.
 
I strongly disagree based on recent personal experience in the parks. Early May 2018, late June 2019, and early November 2019 were all very low crowds IMO. But we do all have different opinions on slow. Less than 30 min waits for most headliners, some walk on, is a win in my mind.
Maybe the app exaggerates wait times.

We were there in late May 2018 and waits were 60 minutes for even minor attractions.
 
Even low park attendance doesn't necessarily mean low waits for everything. With date-based tickets, not to mention resort reservations, Disney can estimate how many park guests they'll have and can adjust CM staffing and attraction capacity accordingly. Fewer guests = fewer CMs, fewer ride vehicles, etc. = lines almost as long as during "busy" times.
 
Maybe the app exaggerates wait times.

We were there in late May 2018 and waits were 60 minutes for even minor attractions.
Yeah. We’ve been the first week of May for the last 4 years. We didn’t see headlines at 30 or less minutes past 10 am. Yes, there are other times when you don’t see 30 minutes past 9:05. It’s slower than other times but you aren’t going to see 30 min headliners in the afternoon or evening. Especially now with adjusted staffing. And by headliners I mean things like EE and BTMR. Things like FOP and 7DMT are 60-120 minutes at 9:05 like any other time of the year.
 
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