In search of the most efficient and worst days of the week to seek advice from each and every park at Walt Disney International? This technique information covers Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, providing data about when the wait occasions are lowest and perfect, plus remark about weekdays vs. weekends, particular occasions, and extra. (Up to date October 12, 2024.)
Like lots of our making plans sources, it is a ‘educate an individual to fish’ somewhat than ‘giving an individual a fish’ publish. That is to mention that we spend a large number of time explaining the why of crowd patterns so you’ll be able to perceive what’s going down, how dynamics may range right through your dates, or if it’ll in fact topic to you.
This can also be overwhelming for some other folks, so we’ll get started with the 2 largest courses up entrance. First, each and every unmarried park at Walt Disney International is busiest on Mondays. If in any respect imaginable, you shouldn’t do any parks on Monday. In case you will have to, do Animal Kingdom on Monday because it’s the bottom stakes park.
2d, all of this issues much more from August via December than the remainder of the 12 months. That is because of Magic Kingdom final early for particular occasions. Skip all the way down to the ‘Celebration Season’ segment against the ground when you’re visiting right through this time frame. The zig after they zag recommendation there may be in point of fact necessary!
With regards to opting for the most efficient and worst occasions to seek advice from Walt Disney International, there’s so much to believe. In case you’re singularly excited by warding off lengthy strains, we suggest consulting our 2024-2025 Walt Disney International Crowd Calendar to select shuttle dates. That will get up to date moderately ceaselessly, with each and every person month receiving a refresh proper sooner than it starts for optimum accuracy.
In case you’re extra excited by the standard of the entire revel in, we even have one thing extra holistic and, frankly, sensible: our record of the 10 Absolute best and 10 Worst Weeks to Talk over with Walt Disney International in 2024 to 2026. While you slim down the week you wish to have to seek advice from Walt Disney International, it’s time to begin occupied with which days of the week to do each and every park.
That’s the place this publish and its updates come into play…
For far of the closing 3 years, typical day of the week recommendation for Walt Disney International was once flawed. Capability constraints and park reservations have been giant elements, Annual Go gross sales have been restricted to the bottom tier that blocked out weekends, and price ticket offers have been abnormal by means of historical requirements. All of this upended our customary suggestions up till 2024.
Fortunately, attendance and crowd dynamics have began to normalize. Park reservations went away for plenty of visitors, good-to-go dates have been added for Annual Passholders and Forged Participants, extra Annual Go tiers are actually being bought, and price ticket offers have no longer excluded weekends. As a result, conventional weekly attendance and crowds patterns some of the parks have additionally began to normalize.
The most important trade that we’ve seen all over 2024 is that the ‘wonky weekends’ phenomenon that we’d seen for the closing year-plus is now roughly a factor of the previous. All over this time, weekends have been the slowest days of the week at Walt Disney International and it was once a night-and-day distinction between weekends and weekdays. No longer solely was once the wait occasions unfold pronounced, yet this additionally subverted expectancies, because it was once just about the other of ancient norms.
Finally, ‘wonky weekends’ is now a factor of the previous. Sunday remains to be one of the crucial higher days of the week to seek advice from, yet Saturday has grow to be some distance worse. In truth, Saturday is these days the second-busiest day of the week on moderate throughout all of Walt Disney International after Monday. Sunday is tied for the most efficient, yet that’s seasonal-dependent. Simply sought after to proportion this replace to begin, because it’s a large one–and a go back to customary (for essentially the most section).
Accordingly, right here’s our new recommendation for absolute best days of the week at Walt Disney International in 2024…
Hollywood Studios
Ok, so we simply wrote that weekends are now not slower–yet that’s throughout all of Walt Disney International. Fridays via Sundays stay nice days to do Disney’s Hollywood Studios. That is very true when you do the weekends past due or early.
Sunday nights are the best possible time to seek advice from Disney’s Hollywood Studios. In case you’re arriving past due (after 4 pm), you’ll be able to accomplish a shocking quantity in that half-day at DHS. Frankly, it’s tricky to provide an explanation for the ‘why’ of that at this level. One chance is that locals nonetheless do Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Sunday, yet accomplish that right through the center of the day and go away early.
This reasons a large spike in noon wait occasions, leading to each the ones visitors and others bouncing early…and shorter wait occasions within the afternoon and night time. It’s additionally imaginable that locals are much less susceptible to do rides, particularly ones with upper wait occasions.
DHS is a foul possibility on Mondays and Tuesdays. It’s because it’s normally the #2 precedence park (after Magic Kingdom) for many visitors, so visitors finally end up doing Disney’s Hollywood Studios previous of their commute…which normally way Mondays or Tuesdays.
Objectively, Wednesday or Thursday are the best possible choices–the bottom wait occasions of the week at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If neither of the ones days paintings, Friday via Sundays are nearly as nice–doubtlessly higher when you arrive early or keep past due. Principally, crowd ranges get started out sturdy to start the week and drop considerably on Wednesday.
EPCOT
EPCOT is the worst select on weekends as it’s the most important “native’s park” at Walt Disney International, and EPCOT is extra well-liked by Floridians than vacationers. Despite the fact that the distance has closed a bit of with the debuts of Remy’s Ratatouille Journey and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, it’s nonetheless true.
That is an instance of the place examining wait time knowledge would get you into hassle, as you could (incorrectly) conclude that it doesn’t in point of fact topic which day you do EPCOT. That couldn’t be farther from the reality, and there’s arguably no park the place selecting the proper day of the week is extra necessary from a qualitative viewpoint, yet no longer a quantitative one.
Wait occasions don’t inform the total tale–and even the primary one–relating to EPCOT on weekends. Since locals are much less prone to do rides, they upload to ‘looks like’ crowds and congestion with out making enchantment wait occasions noticeably worse. That is nonetheless a adverse, as strains for meals cubicles are longer and International Exhibit is in most cases much less delightful at the weekends.
You’re additionally much more likely to stumble upon teams Ingesting Across the International on Saturday and Sunday. For the ones of you who wish to relive your glory days by means of attending an outdoors frat social gathering, this may sound interesting. We’re no longer teetotalers or the rest, yet this occasionally could be a tad an excessive amount of for a family-friendly theme park. Even supposing it doesn’t go the road (and it really well won’t for you), International Exhibit is considerably extra crowded and congested on Friday nights, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Once more, that is is a qualitative evaluation, and no longer a quantitative one. Wait occasions aren’t considerably worse at EPCOT on weekends. Since lots of the aforementioned target market is visiting to drink, they’ve minimum affect at the wait occasions for rides. (Traces for meals cubicles are a unconditionally other tale!)
As such, you may be able to “beat” the weekend crowds at EPCOT just by arriving early, doing International Exhibit first, after which doubling-back into Long term International (or no matter they’re calling the ones “neighborhoods” now) within the early afternoon. That’s a savvy technique, and one we suggest in our EPCOT 1-Day Itinerary.
Our exact recommendation is visiting EPCOT on a weekday. Wednesdays via Friday are all similarly nice. As EPCOT has added extra top-tier points of interest, it’s now additionally a high-priority park, and has the worst wait occasions Mondays and Tuesdays. Steer clear of the ones days.
Animal Kingdom
As a basic topic, Animal Kingdom is the park that calls for the least technique and is the perfect position to overcome the crowds in all of Walt Disney International. It doesn’t require purchasing Lightning Lanes, and is lovely simple to knock out the whole thing–after which some–when you keep for a complete day.
Objectively, the most efficient days to seek advice from Animal Kingdom are weekdays. Moderate day-to-day wait occasions are decrease Tuesday via Friday than they’re Saturday or Sunday. As soon as once more, Wednesday is the most efficient day of the week–yet you’ll be able to’t do each and every park on Wednesday, so Animal Kingdom is a great possibility on Monday or Tuesday, when each and every different park is considerably busier.
Weekend wait occasions are solely “worse” at Animal Kingdom because of the center of the day. In case you’re staying on-site and making the most of Early Access (and even going within the first couple hours the park is open), it’s lovely simple to overcome the crowds. Additionally, there’s a sexy steep fall off in wait occasions right through the closing couple hours Animal Kingdom is open. This one does range by means of season (right through the vacations, it’s much less prone to be true) yet is correct to some extent all over all of the 12 months.
That makes Animal Kingdom trickier than different parks at Walt Disney International relating to our advice. Statistically, it’s a “unhealthy” park to do on Saturday or Sunday. Alternatively, we don’t hesitate to seek advice from it on both of the ones days as a result of it’s really easy to outsmart the crowds–simply arrive early and/or keep past due, and do displays or animal shows noon when crowds height.
For this similar explanation why, Animal Kingdom is a high quality possibility on Monday or Tuesday when the opposite parks are busier. You could no longer have the ability to steer clear of each and every park at the present time, through which case Animal Kingdom is your absolute best (or least-bad) select. Even on crowded days, the tactic for Animal Kingdom is slightly easy, as lined in our 1-Day Animal Kingdom Itinerary.
In truth, our absolute best recommendation is to select your days for Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT first. No matter day is left over can also be “assigned” to Animal Kingdom. Don’t concern an excessive amount of about this park.
Magic Kingdom
Traditionally, the worst day of the week at Magic Kingdom is Monday, and by means of a large margin. Steer clear of Magic Kingdom on Mondays if in any respect imaginable.
Outdoor of Celebration Season, Magic Kingdom is a brilliant select Wednesday via Thursday. The most efficient day of the week in Magic Kingdom from an purpose viewpoint is Wednesday. That is true even with Prolonged Night Hours in Magic Kingdom, which don’t noticeably transfer the needle on daylight hours crowds.
Locals generally tend to seek advice from on weekends, with Saturday being much more likely than Fridays or Sundays. Then there are Southerners who take lengthy weekend journeys, impacting all 3 days (yet once more, Saturday disproportionately). Nonetheless, those demos are all smaller than vacationers, so none of them are really horrible.
After all, vacationers maximum incessantly get started their journeys at the weekend, and Monday is the most typical first day within the parks for them. In disproportionate numbers, out-of-state vacation-goers do the most well liked or their favourite park first, and that’s normally Magic Kingdom. They’re much less prone to seek advice from Magic Kingdom in the second one half of of the week.
This leaves Thursday and Friday because the least busy days of the week at Magic Kingdom right through customary occasions of the 12 months. Sunday has additionally emerged as an incredibly uncrowded day at Magic Kingdom. We’re hesitant to counsel visiting on Sunday as a result of ancient wait time knowledge suggests this may occasionally trade, however it has unquestionably been a nice possibility in recent years.
Magic Kingdom can also be more difficult when it’s busy, however it’s nonetheless imaginable to have a delightful and productive day within the park. We’d counsel purchasing Lightning Lane Multi-Go in Magic Kingdom, or no less than the use of Early Access. Apply our 1-Day Magic Kingdom Itinerary if you wish to beat the crowds with out both.
Celebration Season
Celebration season in Magic Kingdom encompasses early August via past due December–a fairly large bite of the calendar–when the Mickey’s No longer So Horrifying Halloween Celebration (MNSSHP) and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration (MVMCP) particular occasions are held.
On days when the social gathering is held, Magic Kingdom opens at 8 am or 9 am and closes to common price ticket holders at 6 pm. On non-party days, Magic Kingdom opens at 9 am and closes at 10 pm or 11 pm. In different phrases, the park remains open 5 hours later to common visitors when MNSSHP and MVMCP aren’t held.
Maximum guests behave accordingly, making the intuitive selection and visiting Magic Kingdom when they are able to spend 4-5 further hours within the park. That turns out just like the “evident” resolution, as extra time within the park–to not point out in fact with the ability to see the fireworks and Magic Kingdom at evening–is the smarter technique.
Sadly, that’s not true. Everybody making the intuitive resolution throws a monkey wrench into attendance and crowd dynamics right through the social gathering season. The outcome of that visitor conduct will have to likewise be evident: Magic Kingdom is considerably much less busy right through the day time hours on dates when events are held within the night time, and a lot more busy on non-party days.
To place this into context, Magic Kingdom ceaselessly has 9/10 or 10/10 crowd ranges on non-party days, with Mondays and Saturdays being the worst. Against this, Magic Kingdom in most cases has 1/10 to 4/10 crowd ranges on social gathering days. That quantities to a mean wait time differential of about 20 to half-hour consistent with trip, which provides up over the process the day to the purpose that you’ll be able to accomplish extra within the party-shortened days when Magic Kingdom closes at 6 pm.
Because of this, we strongly counsel doing Magic Kingdom right through the times shortened by means of the Halloween or Christmas, after which Park Hopping to every other park sooner than 4 pm. Visitors of the occasions can get started coming into Magic Kingdom at 4 pm, and this ‘mix-in’ time with common day visitors is when the park is going from blissfully uncrowded to busier. (We normally goal to go away by means of 3 pm.)
Despite the fact that non-party days be offering considerably longer hours, you’ll nonetheless pop out forward by means of warding off Saturdays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and different non-party days. Regardless of some distance few hours on a social gathering day, you’re going to nearly all the time pop out forward because of the time stored ready in strains.
There’s every other upside to visiting Magic Kingdom right through the day when a social gathering is held at evening: previous opening occasions on many/maximum dates. This can be a large benefit, as lined in Photograph Record & Technique: Magic Kingdom Early Access at 7:30 am. Suffice to mention, there’s a large distinction in crowds for Early Access on an afternoon when Magic Kingdom opens to the general public at 8 am v. 9 am.
The massive drawback to attending Magic Kingdom on a social gathering day is having to go away by means of 6 pm. This implies lacking the fireworks and normally night time within the park. The upside is that you’ll be able to see fireworks from out of doors the park–or you’ll be able to Park Hop again to Magic Kingdom on a non-party evening. Simply brace your self for considerably upper crowds than what you skilled at the social gathering day, as many of us could have the similar thought!
There’s additionally a turn aspect to all of this, which is that the opposite 3 parks are moderately much less crowded on non-party days and extra crowded on social gathering days. In case you consider it, this is smart–Magic Kingdom crowds don’t exist in a vacuum. If much less or extra persons are in a single park, the other is correct within the others.
Because of this, all 3 different parks grow to be higher choices on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays right through Celebration Season. We nonetheless don’t actively counsel doing Disney’s Hollywood Studios on a Monday–since that’s its busiest day of the week (see above), however it’s no longer as unhealthy on a Monday right through Celebration Season as it’s the remainder of the 12 months.
The communicate may be true: EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom are worse choices on days when the events are held in Magic Kingdom. None of that is as pronounced as it’s with the curler coaster crowds in Magic Kingdom, even though. With 3 different parks to soak up the displaced visitors, the affect is decrease on each and every of them than on Magic Kingdom itself.
All over Celebration Season, we’d counsel Animal Kingdom on Monday, EPCOT on Wednesday, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Saturday. That’s in point of fact the cleanest recommendation for navigating the complicated crowd dynamics of Celebration Season. This supersedes the entire park-by-park suggestions above.
In case you don’t thoughts extra congestion or a extra ‘full of life’ surroundings, do DHS on Wednesday and EPCOT on Saturday. That’s technically the moderately higher recommendation from an purpose viewpoint, yet we in point of fact don’t like EPCOT on weekends, particularly right through Meals & Wine (which is the very same time of 12 months).
If in case you have Park Hopper tickets, the most simple possibility is bouncing to Magic Kingdom on Monday evening after tackling Animal Kingdom. Once more, simply be warned that crowds will probably be heavier, particularly for fireworks viewing.
Apologies for this long clarification, yet that is the maximum necessary attention in opting for your day to seek advice from each and every park right through Celebration Season. Greater than anything, the group patterns this time of 12 months are essentially the most constant and predictable–this similar dynamic has performed out with MNSSHP and MVMCP for years.
It’s additionally the place maximum visitors ‘goof up’ and make a selection the intuitive-but-incorrect method. Whilst it doesn’t surround all of the calendar, it does follow to five months of the 12 months–when you’re visiting right through this stretch, we’d extremely counsel purchasing Park Hopper tickets and following this recommendation!
Absolute best & Worst Days at WDW Recap
We’ve lined a large number of floor and it may be overwhelming, so let’s attempt to spoil down the most efficient and worst days to seek advice from each and every park at Walt Disney International in a extra concise way:
Talk over with on Those Days:
- Wednesday and Thursday do Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Sunday may be nice at Disney’s Hollywood Studios if staying past due
- Thursday or Friday do Magic Kingdom
- Wednesday via Friday do EPCOT
- Any weekday do Animal Kingdom–when you will have to do a park on Monday, make it DAK
- Celebration Days do Magic Kingdom if ready to Park Hop somewhere else
Ok to Excellent Days:
- Fridays and Saturdays are high quality at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Sunday is nice at Magic Kingdom, with nights being absolute best
- Weekends are high quality at EPCOT if arriving and leaving early
- Saturday and Sunday do Animal Kingdom if arriving early or staying past due
Steer clear of Those Days:
- Saturday, Monday and Tuesday don’t do Magic Kingdom
- Monday and Tuesday don’t do Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Saturdays and Sundays don’t do EPCOT if staying all-day
- Saturdays and Sundays don’t do Animal Kingdom if arriving past due and leaving early
With it laid out like this, you will have to see that some days are persistently the most efficient and worst for more than one parks. Which means right through the process a mean trip, you could have no selection yet to do sure parks on days that aren’t objectively as nice. Don’t concern about that, as defined within the ultimate segment…
How A lot Does Day of the Week Topic?
Moderate wait occasions can range by means of 3 to ten mins on the most efficient as opposed to worst days of the week at each and every park. That won’t appear to be a lot, yet a ten minute distinction is in fact large. Over the process the day, that may way spending an hour (or extra) much less time ready in line if you select as it should be.
Alternatively, it’s no longer normally a ten minute distinction–that’s an excessive instance. You additionally most likely wouldn’t make a selection the worst days if choosing at random, nor would you unintentionally pass at solely the time of day when crowds are heaviest and the distance is perfect. So in follow, you’ll be able to most likely be expecting to avoid wasting only some mins consistent with trip by means of making nice possible choices with the day of the week you seek advice from each and every park. That’s no longer a ton of time, however it does upload up over the process a commute.
All over Celebration Season, opting for the most efficient days and warding off the worst issues much more than all different occasions of the 12 months. Particularly when you’re visiting right through the overall 3 months of the 12 months, selecting the correct day can also be make-or-break to your belief of crowds. Even then, there’s in most cases a lot more of a distinction in crowds between weeks somewhat than inside them.
Accordingly, opting for a great time to seek advice from Walt Disney International is considerably extra necessary than the way you allocate your days throughout the week. Much more necessary is arriving early and/or staying past due, which is the most simple option to beat crowds at Walt Disney International. Overdue morning to mid-afternoon is the busiest time of day at each and every unmarried park, and when wait occasions are the worst.
Simply as a very powerful is having savvy technique. Selecting a really perfect day or week to seek advice from could make traveling the parks considerably more straightforward, yet so can also having a nice itinerary that zigs when others zag. Then there’s the choice of shopping for your approach out of crowds with Lightning Lanes, which is every other nice fail secure possibility. Talking of which, we now have a complete Information to Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney International for many who wish to totally grasp the most recent technology of paid FastPass.
Opting for the most efficient days of the week–and warding off the worst ones–at each and every Walt Disney International theme park comes finally of the ones issues. To make sure, it’s a nice follow and value retaining in thoughts that Magic Kingdom is absolute best on Thursday or Friday, or that EPCOT will have to be have shyed away from on weekends.
It’s additionally helpful for the ones boxed into not up to best shuttle dates because of college or paintings schedules. Similar is going for someone who realistically received’t find a way to reach early or keep past due (there’s a explanation why the ones occasions are maximum fantastic–as it’s merely no longer possible for plenty of households with young children). Ditto someone who doesn’t wish to pay further for Lightning Lanes on concept, or as it’s no longer of their trip finances. For someone this describes, in moderation opting for days of the week for each and every park can relieve some power and lead to shorter wait occasions.
With that mentioned, we wouldn’t upend our previously-planned schedules to account for this. Previously, we’ve presented day of week suggestions and feature won frantic questions from readers who have already got their Advance Eating Reservations set, and feature made meticulous plans for each and every park, questioning in the event that they will have to throw all of it away and get started from scratch.
The solution, with out exception, is a convincing “no.” Day of the week issues, yet no longer that a lot. Additionally, day of the weeke suggestions are lovely simple to disrupt. All it in point of fact takes is inclimate climate (slightly common in Florida) or inordinate enchantment downtime. Both of the ones issues can also be sufficient to show a “unhealthy” day right into a “nice” one relating to wait occasions, or vice-versa.
In the end, just by distinctive feature of researching and studying a publish about the most efficient and worst days of the week to seek advice from each and every park at Walt Disney International, you’re higher provided to steer clear of crowds than 95% of visitors–yet since you’re nearly on no account studying simply this technique. Whilst the recommendation here’s theoretically helpful, it’s lovely some distance from make or spoil.
You’re a lot the use of the different sources in this weblog to select nice months or weeks to seek advice from. If that’s no longer an possibility (or despite the fact that it’s), bear in mind to reach early or keep past due. Failing that, use our itineraries to prioritize points of interest in the most efficient order. Don’t wish to do this for some unusual explanation why, spend the cash on Lightning Lane Multi-Go and purchase your approach out of strains. In case you’d somewhat no longer spend cash and glide right through a midday-only seek advice from…I suppose that is the most efficient recommendation for you!
Making plans a Walt Disney International commute? Find out about accommodations on our Walt Disney International Accommodations Opinions web page. For the place to devour, learn our Walt Disney International Eating place Opinions. To save cash on tickets or resolve which kind to shop for, learn our Guidelines for Saving Cash on Walt Disney International Tickets publish. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys publish takes a singular have a look at suave pieces to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney International Trip Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most efficient position to begin is our Walt Disney International Go back and forth Making plans Information for the whole thing you want to grasp!
Your Ideas
Which days are your favorites for each and every of the parks? Suppose it’s nice recommendation to steer clear of EPCOT on weekends, despite the fact that it’s no longer supported by means of wait occasions? What about weekends at Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Every other absolute best or worst days at each and every of the Walt Disney International theme parks? Do you compromise or disagree with our selections? Any questions we will mean you can resolution? Listening to your comments–even while you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please proportion your ideas underneath within the feedback!
