Guests Warned to Abandon Their Disney Vacations Next Month

Are you planning on visiting Orlando and the Walt Disney World parks next month? Here is our official warning on why you should possibly rethink those plans.

Now that the holidays have come to an end and the Walt Disney World Marathon weekend is over, Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom are starting to lighten up on the crowds. Annual Passholders are no longer blocked out, and without many special events coming up for the rest of the month, with the exception of Festival of the Arts beginning on January 12 at EPCOT, many are back in school or back at work.

Disney World is always busy; however, there are busier season than others, which include holidays and summer breaks — basically, whenever adults have extra time off of work or kids are out of school, the Disney parks become a lot more congested than usual. While February seems like it might be a lower crowd month, in theory, we are here to warn you on the multiple events going on within the month, that will certainly have guests traveling in all month long.

While many assume spring break to begin in March, for many schools, it begins as early as February 13. Canada, as well as some more northern states like Illinois and Michigan, begin their break in February, meaning thousands of Disney fans head to Orlando each February to enjoy the most magical place on earth.

Spring break crowds can cause the parks to feel very busy, as thousands of teenager and young adults are off of school for the week.

Additionally, beginning on February 1, for the first time in three years, the National Football League will return to Orlando for the NFL Pro Bowl Games. While the games will be held at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando and not the ESPN Wide World of Sports on Disney property, the event will certainly bring in some added guests to the city at the beginning of February.

Mardi Gras 2024 falls on Tuesday, February 13, 2024 this year, and while Disney does not hold massive celebrations for the event, the city of Orlando certainly sees more visitors come down to enjoy Mardi Gras celebrated at Universal Orlando Resort. Universal hosts an extensive Mardi Gras celebration, with shows, concerts, parades, and more, making it one of the must-do events of the spring in Orlando.

Then, at the end of the month, the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend will take place from February 22 – 26, 2024. So, not only will the parks be filled with students on their spring break, but additionally, the marathon runners will be in town. As we stated earlier, one marathon weekend has just come to an end at Disney World, and the massive crowds at the parks over the weekend were a testament to how many more guests the runDisney races are able to bring in.

On top of that, Valentine’s Day will certainly have the parks feeling a little more crowded than normal, being a popular date destination.

With all of that being said, as long as you are prepared for the crowds, there is never a bad time to visit Disney World, but if you have a loose schedule with flexibility, ensure that you are not traveling during holidays or any special events will likely result in shorter lines when you try to ride Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

Magic Guides created an in-depth crowd calendar, that can help you guess when would be the best time for your 2024 Disney vacation.

When do you think is the best time of year to visit Walt Disney World Resort?