Hi Brendan!
Thanks for bringing this question to planDisney!
You’ll find that the quietest times of the year to visit Magic Kingdom are weekdays during a typical school year that are not around any major holidays. Some of my favorite times to visit are late April/early May, late August, most of September, and early December.
As far as when to purchase your Disney World tickets, since it sounds like you're planning to visit during a quieter time of year, I would base that decision on whether or not you plan to purchase
Lightning Lane services. If you’re planning to use Lightning Lanes, make sure you purchase your tickets before your Lightning Lane booking window opens. That way, you can link your tickets to your My Disney Experience account and be ready to book as soon as it’s time.
That booking window will open at 7 AM Eastern, 7 days prior to your resort check-in date if you’re staying at a Disney World resort or select good neighbor hotel. If you’re staying off property, your booking window will open at 7 AM Eastern, 3 days prior to the start date of your ticket for date-based tickets.
I highly recommend checking out the
Special Offers page and the
Florida Resident Offers page to see if any of those deals will work for your family.
Before your park day, make sure to check out the
list of attractions and shows and choose your priorities. I always like having each person in my family choose one thing that they would love to do. Then, beyond that, come up with a nice-to-see list that you can work on after everyone’s priorities have been met.
On our most recent trip, my boys’ absolute favorite attraction was
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train! If your kids are thrill seekers, you can purchase Lightning Lane Single Passes for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and
TRON, pending availability. Those two attractions usually see long wait times, no matter what time of year you visit, so purchasing the Lightning Lane for those is something to consider.
Another highlight of our time at Magic Kingdom was going to
Beak and Barrel, the new Pirates of the Caribbean-inspired lounge. My kids got such a kick out of the whole atmosphere there. And if your kids can hang out later into the night, don’t miss the
Happily Ever After fireworks to close out your time at the park.
It’s good to note that if you visit Disney World from August through December, Magic Kingdom hosts
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on select nights. When those parties are being hosted, Magic Kingdom will close early to regular park guests. Just something to think about as you plan your trip!
I hope that helps! If you have any other questions as you continue to plan, feel free to come back and visit us!
Jenn J.