Credit: DisneyPresident’s Day weekend arrives Friday, and Disney World is about to experience one of its busiest stretches of 2026 so far. With travelers taking advantage of the long holiday weekend away from work and school, all four theme parks will be flooded with people from Friday through Monday. For anyone considering a last-minute trip or locals debating whether to visit, fair warning: prepare for massive crowds and plan accordingly, or better yet, consider staying home until things calm down next week.
February has already been unusually busy at Disney World with cheerleader competitions happening each weekend at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, drawing thousands of athletes, families, and spectators who fill resort hotels and visit the parks between events. Later this month, another runDisney race weekend will bring even more crowds. The question becomes increasingly valid: has February become the month to avoid Walt Disney World entirely?
What the Disney World Wait Times Tell Us
Looking at wait times from Monday, February 10 provides a preview of what’s coming this weekend, and the numbers aren’t encouraging for anyone hoping for manageable crowds. At Magic Kingdom, TRON Lightcycle Run hit 80 minutes multiple times throughout the day, peaking at that level during mid-afternoon and evening hours. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure reached 105 minutes at 4 p.m., making it the longest wait in the entire park. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train consistently sat between 60 and 85 minutes for most of the day.
Over at EPCOT, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind started the morning at 90 minutes and fluctuated between 55 and 95 minutes throughout the day. Test Track peaked at 90 minutes during the 2 p.m. hour, demonstrating how waits build as the day progresses and more guests enter the park.
Hollywood Studios saw some of the most intense waits. Rise of the Resistance opened at 85 minutes and stayed between 60 and 85 minutes for most of the day. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run hit 95 minutes at 1 p.m. Tower of Terror reached 90 minutes multiple times during afternoon hours. Even Toy Story Mania, typically more manageable, peaked at 90 minutes.
Animal Kingdom remained relatively calmer, with Avatar Flight of Passage topping out at 65 minutes and most other attractions staying under 60 minutes throughout the day. But that’s Monday. President’s Day weekend will almost certainly see those numbers climb significantly higher across all four parks.
Why This Weekend Will Be Worse
President’s Day weekend is a busy travel time, as schools give students a day off and many adults have the federal holiday off work. This creates a three-day weekend that families take advantage of for quick getaways. Disney sees significant attendance during this period as families use it for winter vacations, especially since traditional spring break weeks are later in March and April.
Additionally, cheerleading competitions at ESPN Wide World of Sports attract large groups who stay at Disney resorts and visit the parks, further boosting attendance.
Strategies If You Must Go To Disney World
For anyone already committed to visiting this weekend with non-refundable reservations, a few strategies can help manage the chaos. Rope dropping parks, meaning arriving right when they open or even earlier, provides access to major attractions before wait times explode. The first hour or two of park operation typically offers the shortest waits of the entire day.
Getting in line during meal times, parades, or fireworks can also help since portions of the crowd disperse for those activities. Late evening, as people start leaving for the night, sometimes sees waits drop, though this depends on park closing times and whether special events are happening.
Disney resort hotel guests should maximize Early Theme Park Entry, which allows entry 30 minutes before official opening. Deluxe resort and villa guests also get Extended Evening Hours at select parks, providing extra time after regular closing when crowds thin significantly.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass and Single Pass services let guests bypass standby lines at popular attractions, though these cost extra beyond park admission. Disney recently introduced Premier Pass as well, offering even more skip-the-line access at a premium price. For President’s Day weekend specifically, these paid services might be the difference between experiencing major attractions or spending entire days in queues.
The runDisney Factor Later This Month
As President’s Day weekend crowds clear, another wave arrives with the upcoming runDisney race weekend in late February, bringing thousands of runners and their families to Disney World. These events fill hotels and often lead participants to add park days.
RunDisney weekends create unique crowd patterns: mornings see lighter park attendance due to races, but afternoons and evenings get crowded as runners finish and head to the parks. This year, February 2026 is set to be one of the busiest in recent Disney World history, as the typical breathing room between the holiday rush and spring break has vanished.
Is February the New Month to Avoid Disney World?
Historically, September and early December were considered ideal times to visit Disney World with lower crowds and pleasant weather. January after New Year’s and parts of February also offered relatively manageable attendance. But as Disney has added more special events, extended park hours, and marketed previously slower periods more aggressively, truly low-crowd windows have shrunk.
February now hosts regular cheerleading competitions, runDisney weekends, and benefits from President’s Day weekend, drawing families who might otherwise visit during more expensive peak seasons. The month’s transformation from sleepy off-season to legitimately busy period reflects broader changes in Disney World’s year-round attendance patterns.
For locals with annual passes or Florida residents who can visit anytime, avoiding February increasingly makes sense. Let the tourists have their holiday weekends and special events. Visit during random Tuesdays in October or the weeks immediately following Thanksgiving when schools are back in session and families have exhausted travel budgets.
The Honest Disney World Assessment
If you’re reading this debating whether to book last-minute President’s Day weekend reservations, the honest answer is don’t. Wait times will be brutal, restaurants will be packed, transportation will be crowded, and the overall experience will be far from magical for most guests. Disney World costs too much money and requires too much planning to settle for a mediocre experience during one of the year’s busiest weekends.
For anyone already locked into reservations who can’t cancel, set realistic expectations. You won’t experience everything. You’ll spend significant time in lines. You’ll need patience and flexibility. But with smart planning using Early Entry, Lightning Lanes, and strategic timing, you can still have decent days even amid the chaos.
The crowds are coming. Plan accordingly or stay home and save yourself the headache.