The thought of a trip to Walt Disney World evokes images of long lines and wall-to-wall crowds. Thrill Data, a website that monitors theme park crowds using metrics like average wait times, shows Disney World’s peak busy seasons occur alongside those vacation periods, like summer. Rides across the parks post longer-than-average wait times during these months.
But Thrill Data’s crowd calendar also reveals mid-August through September, the time between when most students see the end of summer break and the start of the school year, as one of the few times with shorter-than-average wait times.
As schools head back into session, fewer families choose to travel. A trip to Orlando often comes with a considerable amount of sticker shock. As the school year looms, parents may hesitate to take a trip, especially as back to school costs mount.
But experts explain that while August and September yield better prices and lower crowds at Disney World, other times exist that are not as complicated to make work as orchestrating a vacation right before the start of a school year.
Fewer Crowds at a Lower Price
As more families prioritize affordability when traveling, potential savings trump keeping kids in school throughout those initial weeks. Travel experts agree the start of the school year offers Walt Disney World visitors numerous benefits, especially those looking to save money.
Mikkel Woodruff, co-founder and editor of Sometimes Home, highlights increased odds of saving on hotel accommodations during the off-season, including the start of the school year. “Because of the dynamic pricing model at theme parks, you’ll have a better chance to save on park tickets this time of year rather than peak summer time or school holidays.” Those savings add up, especially when traveling with a larger family.
Off-season monetary savings put summer travel decisions into perspective for Scott McConkey, founder of Miles with McConkey. “Now that our kids are adults, we prefer traveling in spring, fall, or winter due to lower prices and crowds,” he shares. “In hindsight, I would pull my kids out of school for a family trip.”
With fewer crowds, guests accomplish more in a day at Walt Disney World, adding to the value of a theme park ticket. They also feel less pressure to buy a Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Disney World’s new skip-the-line system, replacing Genie+ in July.
These marginal cost-saving measures make traveling at the start of the school year appealing. Many would not fault families for pulling kids from school, even at the beginning of the year, for a potential once-in-a-lifetime vacation.
Alternatives Exist
Regardless of potential savings, some families argue the start of the school year matters too much for students to miss. Fortunately, travel experts note other academic year periods with off-peak rates and lower crowds.
Jon Dulin, founder of Money Smart Guides, says other moments, such as right after Thanksgiving and early January, offer manageable crowds at Disney World before and after the holiday rush. “We avoided traveling at the start of the school year as we felt it was too important of a time to get back into a schedule, learn new concepts, etc. The weeks between the holidays were the perfect compromise,” he adds.
Families can also compromise and find other dates just before school starts. This scenario especially comes in handy if kids start school in September, like those in the Northeast. That applies to Delish Knowledge food and travel writer Alexandra Caspero, whose kids start school in early September. She notes this makes “late August one of my favorite times to travel as the crowds are often lighter, especially on weekdays.”
While other kids across the country return to school in August, families with later start dates can take advantage of those final few weeks of summer vacation. Conversely, school districts completing their school year in May gain the upper hand on early summer vacations before crowds increase.
While discounts appear more frequently during the off-season, Walt Disney World almost always offers a promotion or two consistently throughout the year. Savvy families stand to save money on a Disney World vacation any time of year as long as they shop around.
