When to Visit Disney World in The Next 18 Months

In this post, we provide an outlook on the next one to two years at Disney World, with the goal of helping you pick when to visit during that time. Disney World is always changing—rides open, rides close, new “skip-the-line” systems debut and get changed…and changed again…and again. We’re here to help you navigate the upcoming major changes at the parks to make sure you can focus on planning the best trip possible. Let’s talk about the best times to visit Disney World in the next 18 months!

About This Post

This post gets updated every few months, though in the interim you may see updates near the top that provide some additional information we haven’t yet built into the rest of the post.

This post is specifically concerned with “when to visit.” As of this June 2026 update, we are focused on visits through the end of 2027. If you’re visiting after that timeframe, the context in this post is plenty to know now, there just aren’t any dates locked into the calendar yet for you to be concerned about. The end of this post lists the major future projects that we know about.

This post is not a planning guide. We have a Walt Disney World planning guide. If you want a more specific look at different months, we have a collection of Disney World Month-by-Month posts.

Other Factors to Consider

The bulk of this post is about major dates and changes at Disney World, but first—because I don’t want anyone to miss these—I want to mention some other factors that might impact when you want to visit Walt Disney World.

Should you wait and save for a better trip? Most of the time, if you can wait 6 months or a year and save enough to seriously upgrade your trip, I’d suggest doing it. Early May and early December are our favorite times to visit, and I’d happily push a trip from one to the other if it meant a serious upgrade (longer trip, upgrading to on-site hotel).

 

Are your kids growing? Check out our Disney World height requirements post. A kid who is on the cusp of 40 inches is set to gain seven rides including all stars like Rise of the Resistance and Tower of Terror. If you can wait until they hit that magic mark (for example) you’ll get more out of your trip.

Can you avoid being early adopter? In a broad sense, the worst time to go to Disney World is when anything changes. (This is sort of the theme of this entire post.) The first days or weeks that a ride debuts, or stops using a virtual queue, or changes its Lightning Lane tier—these are all difficult times to visit because we don’t yet know how it impacts touring strategy.

Major Dates and Changes at Disney World

This section is focused only on the most major events that we might plan trips around (mostly debuts of attractions or entertainment). You might also want to consult:

The most important of these items get discussed in this post, though. Here are the major recent and upcoming changes…

Recent Major Changes

  • May 26, 2026 — Start of Cool KIDS’ SUMMER; debut of Bluey’s Wild World, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, Soarin’ Across America

Upcoming Changes

  • September 8, 2026 — Last day of Cool KIDS’ SUMMER

Timing Your Next Visit to Disney World

Okay, let’s end by going through the next 18 months block by block to discuss the pros and cons of visiting during these times…

Visiting Disney World Through September 8, 2026

Disney World’s Cool KIDS’ SUMMER event ends September 8, 2026, so if you want to experience this event you’ll need to visit before then. After that date, GoofyCore (EPCOT), Jessie’s Roundup (Magic Kingdom), and other event-specific offerings will no longer be available.

We expect one of the water parks to close beginning September 9, and the water park check-in day perk will not be available for arrivals beginning September 9. Bluey’s Wild World (Animal Kingdom) will continue to be available after September 8.

Summer is low season in recent years at Walt Disney World, a trend that seems to be continuing in 2026. There aren’t any particularly good or bad days to visit, but there are a few things worth knowing.

  • July 4 will be celebrated on July 3 through 5 at Walt Disney World, with special nighttime shows at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. Magic Kingdom is open until midnight on July 4. You probably don’t need to avoid these days, but the nighttime shows will be particularly crowded.

  • The Magic of Disney Animation opens at Hollywood Studios sometime later in the summer. No specific date has been set, and this could debut in a week or in two months. If it’s something that interests you, later is better.

  • Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party begins August 7. This doesn’t have to impact your trip, but if you visit August 7 or later you’ll at least want to know which dates Magic Kingdom closes early for the party.

  • The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival begins August 27. This leaves a narrow window of August 27 through September 8 for foodies who like to stay cool.

  • Finally, hurricane risks increase later in the summer, with September being the most common month for closures.

Visiting Disney World September through December 2026

As temperatures cool and the school calendars take over, crowds will start to concentrate around holiday weekends. The major holiday dates to be aware of are:

  • Monday, October 12 — Columbus Day

  • Thursday, November 26 — Thanksgiving

  • Friday, December 25 — Christmas

No big changes to the parks are scheduled for this time, so picking a date September through December basically comes down to deciding whether you want to visit during the holiday season or not.

  • Dates for the 2025 holiday season were announced July 8, 2025, and we expect a similarly timed reveal in 2026. The 2025 holiday season at Disney World kicked off November 14, which would correspond to a November 13 kickoff in 2026 if the schedule holds.

  • Notably, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party typically begins earlier—about a week before the holiday season kicks off—and we expect an announcement around late June.

  • Conversely, EPCOT’s International Festival of the Holidays usually starts later than the other holiday festivities. With Food & Wine festival ongoing through November 21, it’s likely that trend will hold this year, too.

If we weren’t bound by the school schedule—or if we can find a way to sneak in a weekend trip—our favorite time to visit is early December, after Thanksgiving. You can be sure the resort will be fully decked in holiday gear, and you’re between Thanksgiving and Christmas crowds. You’ll also have tolerable temperatures.

Visiting Disney World January Through May 2027

The major happening at Walt Disney World in 2027 is the opening of the new Tropical Americas land at Animal Kingdom. There’s very little reason to think this will be even partially completed before Memorial Day, and even less reason to think Disney will rush anything before that date—they can already count on high crowds the first few months of the year!

January through April is high season at Walt Disney World. Temperatures are great and school calendars across the country are filled with days and weeks off. With Easter on March 28, 2027, we might see some concentration of spring break + Easter crowds in March, but some school districts (including New York City) have spring vacation in late April in 2027.

In essence, I’d most worry about high crowds in February and March, but January and April might be quite busy, too. Once May rolls around, crowds drop as kids tend to be in school most of that month. Early May is one of our favorite reasons to visit for this reason—you’ve got not-quite-summer weather and low crowds.

Crowds aside, January through May 2027 looks to be a very stable time at Walt Disney World. In recent years, big changes have been saved for a summer kickoff timeframe, allowing Disney to boost crowds in the low summer season. This kickoff tends to happen around Memorial Day, which will be May 31, 2027.

Finally, here’s the EPCOT festival calendar for this timeframe (Disney hasn’t given specific dates for this season yet):

  • (2026-2027 TBD) December 31, 2025 through January 15, 2026 - No Festival

  • (2027 TBD) January 16 through February 23, 2026 - EPCOT International Festival of the Arts

  • (2027 TBD) February 24, 2026 through March 3, 2026 - No Festival

  • (2027 TBD) March 4, 2026 through June 1, 2026 - EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

Visiting After Memorial Day 2027

Note: If you jumped down here because all you care about is 2027, you might want to read the above discussion, too. The same trends we discuss as to, say, holidays 2026 will be present in 2027, and we’re not going to simply restate it all.

Again, summer is low season at Walt Disney World, and Disney tends to take this opportunity to introduce new or temporary elements to boost crowds. In particular, we expect Cool KIDS’ SUMMER to return (probably June 1) in 2027. And the water park check-in day perk is already confirmed for summer 2027.

Unlike the first part of the year—where the crowds are tricky but the resort will be overall stable—specific dates matter a lot when it comes to these specific summer offerings.

There hasn’t been much discussion of what’s in the pipeline for summer 2027, and that’s probably because we already know the big project set for 2027 is Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom. If I had to guess—and it’s just a guess—the original plan was to open this land sometime in late May or early June 2027.

Is that still the plan (if it ever was)? Most rumors and speculation point to no. Disney hasn’t given any definitive information, but the rumor mills seem to believe the best case scenario for summer is that that part of the Tropical Americas opens—similar to Galaxy’s Edge opening without Rise of the Resistance.

Essentially—there’s little reason to be rushing to book 2027 visits now, but later is better if you hope to catch some or all of Tropical Americas.

Beyond that big unknown, your 2027 timing at this point comes down to crowd and event trends addressed earlier in this post, but here’s a summary:

  • January through Memorial Day has the highest crowds but typically few changes in the park. Expect Festival of the Arts in January-February, and Flower and Garden in March through May. Early May typically avoids high crowds and is still short of the worst summer heat.

  • June through August is low season due to high temperatures. Expect good offers, special events, and attraction debuts during this timeframe to boost crowds (they won’t get too boosted). Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween Party starts early August. Summer is typically festival-free, but Food and Wine festival starts late August. September is very low season. Crowds pick up in October, with at least one holiday on the calendar and temperatures beginning to lower.

  • November and December are holiday season. Disney World’s holiday celebrations kickoff mid-November, with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Jollywood Nights usually starting before then. Expect peak crowds around Thanksgiving and Christmas / New Year’s, but the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is often the best time of the year—low crowds, good temps, and holiday spirit.

Finally, here are things we definitely don’t expect in 2027, but that Disney hasn’t given any timeline for:

All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered

Don't be overwhelmed by Disney World planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll save big $$$ along the way.

Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.

When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!

Don't forget to master your Disney World Lightning Lane Guide and Strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy, Epcot Lightning Lane Strategy, Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy, and Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane Strategy.

Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.

Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.