Hi there, John! This is a great question, because there are a lot of people, especially those without school age children, who have the flexibility to travel whenever they'd like, and they want to go to
Walt Disney World when it's likely to be less crowded.
Historically speaking, the lowest crowds can usually be found right when kids go back to school. The end of August into early September, for example, is usually a pretty good time to go in terms of crowds. Just after Christmas and New Year's vacations, in early to mid-January is usually another good time. Spring break varies in a lot of the country, but I've always found if I go after the week after Easter until mid-May, the crowds are fairly manageable.
I can also look when the
free dining plan special offer comes out. The dates that they offer are historically less busy seasons, so it may be a great time to visit and take advantage of a good deal.
Things that may influence crowds include long weekends, like Martin Luther King Day weekend or Presidents Day weekend, so even though these are during lower crowd seasons, these weekends might be busy. You can also look at the
Special Events and Tours page of the websiste to see when there are events, such as a RunDisney race, that might influence crowds.
Happy planning, John!
Anna