Heigh-ho, Jaynee!
It's off to
Walt Disney World you go! You must be so excited that your summer vacation is just around the corner. My family and I frequently travel in August, and I'd be happy to share our experiences visiting during this month.
Guest traffic patterns frequently change, so it's hard to precisely pinpoint crowd levels for any given week, but I'll let you in on a few things I've noticed after my recent August trips.
Many families arriving from out-of-state this time of year use weekends as travel days, so you might find Saturday and Sunday mornings are less busy in the theme parks. The only exception to this is
EPCOT once the
EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival begins. Starting August 29, 2024, this seasonal event draws large local weekend crowds.
Because
Magic Kingdom Park closes early on
Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party nights, Guests without Park Hopper tickets often skip this park on days when a party will take place. Magic Kingdom Park will usually be less crowded on party days and much busier on non-party days during a week with several parties.
I do not purchase
Disney Genie+ Service when Magic Kingdom Park closes early for a special event since daytime crowds are typically lower. If you arrive and encounter longer standby lines than expected, Disney Genie+ Service will unlikely have sold out, so you can make a game-time decision based on your experience that day. Instead, I'd purchase an Individual Lightning Lane Entry for
TRON Lightcycle/Run or
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train to save time at these attractions.
Afternoon rainstorms occur frequently this time of year and typically wash away some of the crowds. If you can duck into an indoor show or restaurant and wait out the storm, you might emerge and find the park less crowded than it was when the rain began.
Finally, stay tuned to the
Disney Parks Blog and
our Instagram account for updates on accessing
Tiana's Bayou Adventure since this will likely impact your plan for Magic Kingdom Park. It's scheduled to open with options for a
Virtual Queue and Lightning Lane Entry, included with Disney Genie+ Service, but be prepared for modifications to this plan after the initial opening.
I hope this has been helpful and gives you some ideas for navigating crowds during your summer adventure. I think you'll find August to be a fantastic month to visit. Thanks for stopping by
planDisney with your questions. If there's anything else we can do to make your trip even more magical, don't hesitate to reach out again. We're all ears!
Betsy