Walt Disney World was a popular vacation destination the last two years thanks to Florida’s accelerated reopening. There are contributing factors, to be sure, but this is largely a story of the backside of “revenge travel.” Disney CEO Bob Iger and Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro have both directly addressed the lower attendance, and that’s the main explanation. There are a number of reasons for this, but the simplest and most straightforward explanation is an exhaustion of pent-up demand. However, crowds are lower and lines are significantly shorter than at the same time the last two years! If you’re expecting nobody else in the parks or no waits at the big rides, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Some media reports have characterized the parks as dead, ghost towns, or totally empty–none of which are accurate.

Much has been made of the summer slowdown at Walt Disney World.

Wait times rose gradually between the week before Memorial Day and the last week of June, before dropping sharply over the Independence Day holiday weekend.

This started the week after Easter, and the second half of April through late May ended up being the slowest stretch at Walt Disney World since Fall 2021. Let’s start with the good news, and that’s that crowds are down significantly year-over-year. We cover seasonal events, weather, park hours, Orlando travel trends, and factors impacting when to visit Florida’s theme parks. These free 2023 Walt Disney World crowd calendars rate dates so you can choose best weeks to go & avoid the worst, skipping long lines and high wait times.

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