Our May 2024 Walt Disney World crowd calendar provides a information to the month, weeks to go to & keep away from, climate, new attraction openings & closures, and the kickoff of summer time. Plus, different information & ideas for Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. (Updated April 28, 2024.)
We just like the month of May at Walt Disney World. For most individuals, earlier within the month goes to be higher. However, even proper round Memorial Day, crowds at Walt Disney World aren’t almost as dangerous as you may count on for a vacation weekend at Walt Disney World. We’ve had great visits throughout May by way of climate, crowds, and leisure.
The different excellent news is that May sees a lowered slate of refurbishments, longer park hours, and solely reasonable crowds. Most faculties are nonetheless in session throughout May, so crowds are sometimes pretty uniform for many of the month. While some issues are nonetheless up within the air for May 2024 at Walt Disney World, we do have a reasonably good concept of what to anticipate…
There’s really much more upside to May, particularly as in comparison with different summer time months…
May Weather at WDW
Our expertise has taught us that the most important make or break for May is the climate. I believe that’s true when touring to Walt Disney World throughout this time of 12 months, typically. Low temperatures for May vary from 64 to 70 levels, with highs averaging 85 to 89 levels. Those are simply averages–temperatures within the 90s and excessive humidity aren’t remarkable.
As demonstrated by the “comfortable” band on this web page for May, climate is usually on the higher finish of good (such as you chilly climate local weather people count on from a Florida trip). It can creep into “unpleasant” territory with some regularity, with it being heat and above 64% of the time in May.
The potential for unseasonably sizzling climate in May is demonstrated with climate forecasts from final 12 months that frequently topped out above 95 levels and 75% humidity. Days like like make May a little bit questionable by way of climate, however if you happen to’re taking a look at a summer time trip and it comes all the way down to May versus June, July, or August, May is by far the most secure possibility. So there’s that upside.
While not technically climate, May is the primary month of the 12 months which you can get your cash’s price if you happen to’re staying at Yacht or Beach Club. Technically, it’s a must to spend 22.7 hours per day in Stormalong Bay (sorry, we don’t make the foundations) to get applicable bang in your buck, so at the least the warmer climate helps with that!
May Special Events at Disney World
Throughout May, you possibly can benefit from the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival; this annual occasion will run till May 27, 2024. Flower & Garden Festival options market meals cubicles, gardening leisure, and delightful ambiance to Epcot. While it’s not for everybody, it’s considered one of my favourite occasions of the 12 months at Walt Disney World…and I don’t even take pleasure in gardening.
There are not any runDisney races in May, because the working ‘season’ is over till October. It’s additionally the tail finish of the youth occasions season at Walt Disney World. As you possibly can see from the ESPN Wide World of Sports calendar, the Cheerleading Worlds and Dance Worlds happen on the finish of April, with the Cheerleading and Dance Summits being the primary two weekends in May.
These are main dance and cheerleading competitions that enhance attendance on the parks and occupancy on the resorts, often the All Stars and Coronado Springs. However, the impression on crowd ranges within the parks isn’t vital as an entire–and tends to be overblown based mostly on anecdotal experiences, which can be fairly dangerous.
On the flip facet, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is getting comparatively unprecedented 10pm closings on these weekends in May 2024. I don’t suppose that has something to do with the cheer and dance occasions–but it surely needs to be nice for late nights at DHS!
That’s not all. As you possibly can learn in 9 Big Things Happening in May 2024 at Walt Disney World, there are a number of issues taking place, altering, or coming to Walt Disney World within the month of May. The highlights, from our perspective are the “Disney Dreams That Soar” drone present, Disney’s Hollywood Studios thirty fifth Anniversary, VIPASSHOLDER Days, and May the Fourth.
Normally, Memorial Day weekend is the official kick-off of summer time for Walt Disney World. It’s doable that would be the case for the primary time in a very long time in May 2024, however nothing has been introduced and it’s a bit late for that, so we doubt it. More possible, the summer time season kickoff will occur in two phases. First on June 10, 2024 with the debut of CommuniCore Hall and extra; then at any time when Tiana’s Bayou Adventure debuts.
May REFURBISHMENTS & NEW ATTRACTIONS
In phrases of different points of interest that might be closed throughout May, test the Walt Disney World Refurbishment Schedule. Just a heads up: that may be a bit misleading by way of precise building work. There’s going to be loads of ongoing building all through Walt Disney World, and might be for the subsequent a number of years.
The largest building challenge in Walt Disney World proper now could be Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which is the reimagining of Splash Mountain. It’ll open in Summer 2024–in all probability late June or very early July.The building challenge that has had probably the most noticeable impression on the visitor expertise is the huge reimagining on the entrance of EPCOT, however even that’s largely completed at this level–solely CommuniCore Hall stays behind partitions.
EPCOT can be dwelling to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which is now a pair years previous however nonetheless extremely standard. Other much more latest additions to EPCOT embrace Moana’s Journey of Water (water exploration path) and Luminous: The Symphony of Us (nighttime spectacular). Both are price testing.
Then there’s the most important new attraction at Magic Kingdom: TRON Lightcycle Run. This continues to be the most recent main attraction at Walt Disney World (for now), and is now one 12 months previous. See our Virtual Queue Strategy Guide for TRON Lightcycle Run for particulars, ideas & methods for fulfillment, and extra (Cosmic Rewind additionally makes use of a VQ–apply the identical recommendation to each rides).
Another various for Cosmic Rewind or TRON Lightcycle Run is shopping for line-skipping entry by way of the Individual Lightning Lanes. Those posts clarify every possibility, their professionals & cons, and every little thing else you might want to know. Suffice to say, don’t simply present up anticipating to hitch the standby line–as there isn’t one for both experience.
For an summary of what’s on the horizon, see What’s New & Next at Walt Disney World in 2024 & Beyond. Sorry, however nothing new is opening this month. The subsequent spherical of additives all open in June 2024.
May 2024 DISNEY WORLD CROWD CALENDAR
We’ll begin this free May 2024 Walt Disney World crowd calendar part with the identical preface as different months–skip forward just a few paragraphs if you happen to’ve already learn it. There’s no color-coded crowd calendar right here as a result of they’re unreliable at this level. If we simply had a visible crowd calendar graphic right here, lots of you’ll solely take a look at that and never learn the accompanying rationalization that covers what you may really count on. That’d be doing you a disservice.
Disney doesn’t launch official attendance numbers, so crowd calendars use issues like college schedules, airport visitors statistics, lodge pricing & occupancy, and different indicators as proxies for crowds. For years, this strategy labored and made crowd calendars dependable. Walt Disney World attendance adopted an identifiable sample that tracked with the aforementioned proxies.
More just lately, wait occasions don’t at all times mirror precise crowds as a result of Disney has develop into adept and extra subtle at manipulating each attendance and crowd movement. Think of this because the distinction between the precise temperature and the “feels like” temperature, however with crowds. We can nonetheless precise crowd and attendance patterns, however not wait occasions. The latter are what most of you possible care about (the “feels like” crowds), but it surely’s tougher to precisely forecast wait occasions by way of Walt Disney World crowd calendars.
In a standard 12 months, May is the shoulder season at Walt Disney World, a slower time between the height journey seasons of spring break and summer time. Crowds sometimes are at their highest ranges firstly and finish of the month, and even then, not often go above 5/10. The final two years, May has been one of many 3 slowest months of the whole 12 months.
Early May 2024 needs to be an extremely engaging time to go to, with below-average crowds. Crowds till round May 12, 2024 needs to be fairly low. That date isn’t listed as a result of it’s Mother’s Day (though it’s), however moderately, as a result of that’s when the Summit 2024 Championship, Dance Summit, and D2 Summit all finish. These occasions are held May 2-5; May 3-5; and May 10-12, 2024. Typically, members arrive within the days and week main as much as these cheer and dance occasions.
As famous above, these wouldn’t have a lot impression on general crowd ranges for Walt Disney World as an entire. There merely usually are not sufficient members with park tickets to maneuver the needle in a significant manner. However, they will contribute in a significant approach to localized congestion and crowd ranges, spiking wait occasions at varied points of interest. if you happen to go to the identical park as their total (or giant parts of) their group attends your notion of their impression may be very totally different.
Meaning that you probably have the misfortune of getting in line for Haunted Mansion behind an enormous group of cheerleaders, dancers, flag soccer gamers, and many others., it might spike each the wait time for that exact attraction and really feel disagreeable for varied causes. (Ask us how we all know!!!)
Once the cheer and dance occasions finish, you possibly can count on much more of a constant and predictable lull from round May 13-21, 2024. It’s very tough to foretell crowd ranges for these dates with precision, however there’s each cause to count on this to be the slowest stretch of the month–and one of many least busy of the 12 months–based mostly on historic precedent and a scarcity of occasions.
Last 12 months’s shoulder season ran from roughly April 15 till the Friday earlier than Memorial Day. That was the Slowest Six Week Stretch for Walt Disney World Crowds Since 2021 on the time (August and September went on to surpass these weeks with decrease crowd ranges). That was a extremely large deal then, because it signaled the tip of pent-up demand and was a dramatic drop as in comparison with 2022 by way of mid-April 2023.
For reference, each single week in May of final 12 months noticed beneath common crowds (together with these coinciding with cheer and dance occasions), with the three weeks main as much as Memorial Day being the slowest and having 1/10 to 2/10 crowd ranges. Crowds rebounded the final week however had been nonetheless nicely beneath common (3/10).
It’s unimaginable to say with any diploma of confidence whether or not the 2024 shoulder season might be slower than final 12 months (to this point, mid to late April 2024 has been barely busier). I’m inclined to foretell that it’s going to not. Last 12 months, Walt Disney World received caught flat-footed by the tip of pent-up demand and scrambled to launch offers, lots of which didn’t launch till later in summer time.
This 12 months, these had been launched in early April. That alone is an enormous distinction, and could possibly be sufficient to buoy attendance in May 2024. The excellent news, although, is that none of those offers finish in May. The final week or so of ticket offers is at all times busy, as Floridians and different followers rush to make use of their tickets earlier than they expire.
Between higher offers and final 12 months providing such a low baseline, it looks as if the good cash is predicting on greater crowd ranges for the 2024 shoulder season. With that stated, “higher” is a relative time period. The stretch main as much as Memorial Day ought to nonetheless be fairly gradual, with crowd ranges beneath 5/10 for the overwhelming majority of days.
In a nutshell, 1/10 to three/10 days are more likely than 5/10 to 7/10 days throughout May 2024. Lower crowds may be anticipated by way of mid-June, as there’s a slight spike for Memorial Day after which often one other drop thereafter. Even Memorial Day isn’t dangerous by vacation weekend requirements–it’s not on par with holidays like Presidents’ Day, Columbus Day, or Veterans Day. Those holidays are arguably “lower profile” however find yourself being larger attendance boosters.
For day by day park suggestions, we’d direct you to Best & Worst Days to Do All Parks at Walt Disney World. Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT sometimes comply with patterns and choosing the right (and avoiding the mistaken) days could make an enormous distinction, it doesn’t matter what time of 12 months (uncrowded or crowded) that you just go to.
Beyond all of that, conventions and group occasions are one other issue, however none of this actually strikes the needle on crowds or wait occasions in a significant manner. In quick, the whole thing of May 2024 ought to see below-average crowds, with the center of the month being an particularly nice time to go to.
May PRICING & DISCOUNTS
In phrases of promotions, there are room-only reductions for Annual Passholders, Florida residents, and most of the people in May 2024. See All Current Discounts at Walt Disney World for the assorted resort offers.
Otherwise, on the subject of pricing, May is pretty common previous to Memorial Day weekend. For 1-day park tickets, May is “regular” season previous to the vacation weekend (learn our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets submit for multi-day ticket suggestions to keep away from having to cope with seasonal pricing). For resorts, pricing can be sometimes on the “Regular Season” charge.
Overall, the month of May at Walt Disney World demonstrates that every little thing is relative. From our perspective, it’s a reasonably interesting time to go to Walt Disney World in lots of regards. Yes, the climate is usually worse than February by way of April, however park hours are longer, summer time leisure begins to start out, new additions have debuted, fewer refurbishments are occurring, and crowds are nonetheless manageable.
Plus, if you happen to’re evaluating climate to the summer time months that comply with, May is definitely considerably higher. (See, it’s all relative.) For this cause, if you happen to’re taking a look at visiting throughout the summer time (Memorial Day to Labor Day), the tip of May is definitely considered one of our prime picks. In different phrases, if you happen to’re restricted to touring throughout the summer time and May is an possibility, it’s after we suggest visiting Walt Disney World then!
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Learn about resorts on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To lower your expenses on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips submit takes a singular take a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the very best place to start out is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for every little thing you might want to know!
Your Thoughts
Do you agree or disagree with our ideas on the month of May at Walt Disney World? Are you trying ahead to Summer 2024 at Walt Disney World? Do you want to go to in May? Any questions we may also help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!