In this post, we discuss visiting Disney World in May. We cover weather, crowds, holidays, events, refurbishments, and anything else you’d like to know if you were planning a visit to Walt Disney World Resort as summer starts up. Read on to learn all about visiting Walt Disney World in May!
Related Posts
If you’re considering a visit in the next two years, our Disney World Two-Year Outlook focuses on when to time your visit in light of major changes around the resort. It’s less focused on details like prices, crowds, and weather and more about the can’t-miss things like new attractions. Our Disney World Planning Guide and 80+ Tips for Planning Your Walt Disney World vacation discuss all aspects of planning your Disney World vacation.
If you’re primarily interested in starting your analysis with price, you’ll want read our post on the cheapest times to visit Disney World, though that topic gets a lot of discussion here, too.
Here are the other month-by-month posts:
Disney World in May (you are here)
If you’ve read our other month-by-month posts, you might notice similarities between this post and some of those. For example, the weather in July and August is basically the same, so our weather sections in those posts are basically the same.
QUICK THOUGHTS ON May 2024
We’ll start with quick thoughts on May 2024 before we dive into details like pricing, holidays, events, weather, and so on.
Average / below average crowds and prices. With Spring Break and Easter behind us and Memorial Day not until the end of the month, the bulk of May is average or below average crowds and pricing.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure won’t be open. The new ride debuts June 28, 2024 at Magic Kingdom. We have a short post outlining what we know and how this will impact touring at Magic Kingdom.
2024 May NOTABLE DATES IN DISNEY WORLD
We’ll talk more specifically about crowds and events below, but we like to start with some dates to flag. If you’re thinking about these dates for your visit, keep in mind that normal rules might not apply.
May 23 - May 28. This is Memorial Day weekend, with Memorial Day itself being Monday, May 27. Memorial Day is the traditional kickoff for summer vacation in the United States.
Once Memorial Day weekend hits, crowd levels are higher—as they are throughout June. Prior to Memorial Day weekend, crowds are below average and May is one of the more appealing months to visit.
Will Tiana’s Bayou Adventure open Memorial Day weekend 2024?
No. It will debut June 28, 2024, with previews earlier in the month.
Disney World Crowds In May
Our position on Walt Disney World crowd calendars is that people often put too much weight into them, but that’s it’s still good to know general trends as well as specific events that impact crowds. The bulk of May, prior to Memorial Day weekend, sees average to below average crowds.
The end of May marks the start of summer vacation, but prior to Memorial Day most kids are still in school. It’s also clear of spring break season (March and April), making it similar to September (the least busy month of the year) in bookending the school year.
Summer temperatures start to arrive in May, but you’re still a few degrees shy of the brutal July and August temperatures. The month is overall quite pleasant, but most families won’t be able to justify a trip until later in the month, keep crowds moderate most of the month.
If you must see a crowd calendar, the one we trust most is over at WDW Prep School.
Disney World Events In May
ESPN Wide World of Sports hosts a few athletic events in May, marking the end of spring athletic season. In particular, the Summit cheerleading competition is typically held in early May (May 2-5, 2024 and May 10-12, 2024). The Disney Memorial Day Soccer Tournament is also being held May 25-27, 2024.
These crowds aren’t any reason to avoid Walt Disney World, but these events bring increased crowds to the value resorts, particularly All Star Sports.
At Epcot, May is usually part of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. In 2024 the festival will begin February 28 and end May 27. Flower & Garden is a fun festival that brings some beautiful touches to Epcot. You can see the Epcot Festival Calendar here.
Memorial Day Weekend
If you can avoid visiting during Memorial Day weekend, you should, particularly if you can visit earlier in May. Memorial Day is a bit of a spike, but the high crowds tend to linger around as June goes on, so you’re not seeing a huge advantage pushing a trip later into June.
Disney World Prices In May
Disney World’s hotel and ticket prices vary throughout the year. For a more comprehensive look for pricing throughout the year, check out our post on the cheapest time of the calendar year to visit Walt Disney World. You can also visit the 2024 hotel rate table at MouseSavers. Here’s a table showing how hotel prices at All Star Movies, Port Orleans Riverside, Wilderness Lodge, and Yacht Club fluctuate throughout the year:
In line with the mostly average crowds, May has mostly average pricing. If you’re looking at the first half of the year, May actually has some of the lowest prices. Notice that if you wait until June you’ll find better prices on the non-value resorts but worse prices on the value resorts.
Within the month, prices in May are pretty steady and see only a Memorial Day bump before early summer pricing sets in. Here’s a graph of pricing within the month at All Star Movies, Port Orleans Riverside, Wilderness Lodge, and Yacht Club:
Disney World May Deals and Discounts
May typically sees a small spring discount. The deals are typically announced near the beginning of the year and range from 10% to 25% off rooms, depending on a variety of factors. In 2024, a room only discount including May was announced at the start of the year.
Discounts will vary by hotel, room type, and availability. You can see current Disney World offers here. If nothing is available yet, you might also want to check out historical Disney World discount information here.
Refurbishments & New Constructions
Splash Mountain (Magic Kingdom) closed permanently beginning January 23, 2023. The ride is slated to reopen as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure on June 28, 2024.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (Hollywood Studios) will close for refurbishment beginning January 8, 2024. It’s expected to be closed until “summer” 2024.
Country Bear Jamboree (Magic Kingdom) will close for refurbishment beginning January 27, 2024. It’s expected to be closed until “summer” 2024.
Check our Walt Disney World construction / refurbishment calendar for the latest.
Water Park Operations
Disney World has two water parks, Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, neither of which is open the entire year. After some years of uncertainty, the schedule has seemingly settled down so that each year we have:
Typhoon Lagoon opens / Blizzard Beach closes mid-March
Blizzard Beach opens / Typhoon Lagoon closes early November
This schedule is subject to change (and Disney only announces specific dates about a month in advance, in any case). Most recently, Disney confirmed that Typhoon Lagoon will reopen on March 17, 2024. Blizzard Beach will begin its annual refurbishment closure on that same day. This means we expect Typhoon Lagoon will be the only water park open for the entirety of May.
Disney World Weather In May
May less pleasant than the months the preceded it, but you’ll mostly avoid any of the brutal heat you’d find in July or August.
The average high is 88F (31C) and the average low is 66F (19C). May is also the last relatively dry month before summer hits, with an average of nine days of rain. We have a post that talks more broadly about weather at Walt Disney World.
The temperature differences between May and July/August are only a few degrees on paper, but they do feel significantly more different, maybe because of humidity.
Heat
As it is still relatively hot, we’ll talk a bit about heat. There are two aspects of this to consider. First, take note of the health risks and be prepared for them. Read up on heatstroke and dehydration.
You can stay hydrated at Disney World easily. There are plenty of drinking fountains, and any quick service restaurant will happily provide you a free cup of water. There are also water bottle refilling stations in all four parks.
The second part of this analysis is how heat will impact your touring strategy. There are a few things to keep in mind.
Rope drop (the start of your day) and Lightning Lanes are more important in the heat because you really don’t want to find yourself standing in an outdoor queue at 2PM. At that hour, you want to either be inside or seated in the shade at an outdoor show.
If you have to wait in line, you prefer to do it at an attraction with a mostly inside queue. Space Mountain, Toy Story Mania, Soarin’, and DINOSAUR are probably the best options in each park.
If you’re staying hydrated (you should be), don’t get into line for a ride with a two-hour wait without confirming with a Cast Member that there’s a restroom in the queue.
Our places to escape the Disney World crowds post might be of interest, because many of those places are also shaded and indoors.
All About Rain
We don’t let rain forecasts bother us at Disney World anymore. We prepare for rain—bringing the right shoes and maybe a poncho—but we don’t plan trips around it. Even in months with less rain, you’ll see short spurts of it, and the occasional downpour.
We were at Fort Wilderness during a severe thunderstorm that kept us inside all day (though people who braved the parks got tremendously short waits). This was the relatively dry month of February. And in November 2019 and 2023—also relatively dry time—we also were on hand for very rainy editions of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, with almost every show rained out.
April / May / June
As a closing note, let’s compare May to its neighboring months.
Should I Visit Disney World In April or May?
Temperatures might be a little better in April, but the unpredictable nature of spring break and Easter crowds in April makes May the better month to visit.
This is similar to how we compare October to November. Given two similar months, it’s easier to plan a trip in the more “stable” month. The bulk of May is uneventful, while April crowds will fluctuate as spring breakers and Easter vacationers come and go.
Should I Visit Disney World In May or June?
Except for Memorial Day weekend at the end of May, May is the better month to visit. It has lower crowds than June because most kids are still in school, and the weather is a bit better (particularly earlier in the month, farther from Memorial Day weekend).
Should I visit Walt Disney World In May?
May is one of our favorite months to visit Walt Disney World. We can easily avoid Memorial Day, and we find it a good way to “kick off” the summer without enduring the heat you’ll find later in the summer. The only real downside to May is that the weather isn’t even better, but in terms of Florida weather it’s far from the worst.
Have you visiting Walt Disney World in May? What did you think?
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Disney World planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll save big $$$ along the way.
Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Don't forget to master your Disney World Genie+ and Lightning Lane strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Epcot Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Animal Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and Hollywood Studios Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.