What Is the Cheapest Time of Year to Go to Disney World?

Walt Disney World admission tickets use a variable pricing model, with one-day ticket prices ranging from $109 to $189, depending on the timing. When Disney World adopted this pricing model, it effectively eliminated the "slow season," but it also created the ability for people with travel flexibility to save money on their Disney World vacations by going during the slow times.

Similarly, on-property Disney World hotels also tend to be less expensive during the same times when tickets are toward the low end of the range mentioned above. But when are the best times of year to take advantage of the lowest prices?

When is the cheapest time of year to go to Disney World?

You can browse ticket prices for specific days and lengths of stays on the Disney website, but for planning purposes, here are some guidelines to keep in mind.

If kids are out of school, Disney World is going to be expensive. This includes all of summer break, popular spring break weeks, winter break, as well as around holidays throughout the year where schools have three- and four-day weekends, such as Presidents' Day.

Even when kids are not in school, the weather matters. Slow times are when it can get cold in Orlando (for the northern readers, yes, this happens) and times when there's a possibility of a hurricane.

With that in mind, some of the best times to go to Disney World to save money on tickets and hotels are:

• January, after kids are back in school
• February, before Presidents' Day weekend
• May, until Memorial Day weekend
• The second half of August
• All of September, except for Labor Day weekend
• October, until schools start fall breaks
• The period between Thanksgiving and winter breaks

Within all of these windows, weekdays (especially Monday through Wednesday) are typically the cheapest dates for both theme park tickets and hotels.

Note that these are just guidelines, and pricing can vary considerably within each of these periods. But if you're looking to go to Disney World at a typically cheaper time of year, these time windows are a good place to start your search. It can also help to use the right credit card to pay for expenses on your trip.

Book early for maximum hotel savings

The hotel you choose, and when you choose to stay there, is likely to have just as much (or likely even more) of an impact on your total trip cost than the Disney World tickets themselves. As a frequent Disney traveler, I've seen differences of $250 or more per night at the same Disney hotel just a few weeks apart. Plus, Disney offers various hotel deals from time to time, so be sure to check Disney's website, as these often have specific booking windows.

To be clear, you can save a ton of money by staying off property when you visit Disney World. I know this firsthand -- I own a vacation rental about five miles from the resort and get average nightly rates roughly one-third of the typical mid-range Disney World hotel, and with much more space.

However, I completely understand that staying in a Disney hotel is part of the experience for many people. And if this is the case for you, it's smart to book as early as possible. Not only do rates tend to be significantly cheaper the further out you are, but Disney hotels book up quickly -- if you wait until a few months before your trip, you might miss out on getting to book any of the hotels in your price range.

Just one piece of the puzzle

There are other factors to consider other than maximizing your savings when planning a Disney World vacation, such as crowd levels, weather, how much school your kids will need to miss, etc.

Keep in mind that the cheaper times are cheaper for a reason. Take September for example. Not only is September (especially weekdays) one of the cheapest times to visit Disney World, but it's also one of the best times to avoid crowds. The trade-off is that September in Orlando is hot and humid, it tends to rain for at least part of every day, and there's a strong possibility that a hurricane could derail your plans.

The bottom line is that it's entirely possible to time your Disney World trip to make it significantly cheaper than going over spring break or your next three-day weekend. But be sure you weigh all the pros and cons before you book at a particular time of year.