Hi Kim,
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! We're so glad that you stopped by for help with planning a magical Disney vacation!
While ANY time is a great time to visit the Walt Disney World Resort, you are correct that there are some seasons that are more popular than others. Generally speaking, holidays and seasons when most U.S. schools are on break tend to be the most popular times to visit. The period between Christmas and New Years will attract many visitors, as will Thanksgiving, spring break, and summer break. While you'll find numerous crowd calendars online from people speculating what the attendance levels will be like each day, Disney also offers some insight as to what it suspects crowd levels to be like. Last fall,
date-based pricing was introduced, so when you look through
ticket options, you'll notice that some days cost less than others. The lower the cost of the date, the smaller the anticipated crowd.
As for when to book your
Disney Resort hotel and purchase your theme park tickets, I believe that the earlier you purchase, the better. You'll lock in current prices and won't have to be concerned about price increases, plus if a better deal is announced, you'll be able to
apply the discount to your current reservation, as long as it fits within the terms of the deal.
I hope this helps, Kim. Please feel free to come back and see us again if we can help with anything else as you're planning your trip. I hope that you have a truly magical vacation!
Missy