Hollywood Ride Guide

The Disney parks year, at a glance

Every seasonal event at both US resorts on one timeline, with the confidence level shown in the colour. Nothing here asserts a date nobody has announced.

Both resorts, twelve months

Event JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Mardi Gras Both

HHN Orlando Both

HHN Hollywood Both

Universal Orlando Holidays Both

Grinchmas Both

Confirmed Expected Last confirmed cycle

Month by month

January A- From the second week onward this is the best-value month at both resorts. You trade long days and a complete ride list for low crowds and low prices, which is a trade most visitors should take. Low crowds Low cost February A Low crowds, low prices, the most comfortable Orlando weather of the year, and Mardi Gras running at no extra charge. Avoid the Presidents' week and this is the month we would book. Low crowds Low cost March C Excellent weather, heavy crowds, and no reliably quiet week to escape into. Go in March if the school calendar decides for you, and buy Express Pass rather than hoping for a gap. High crowds High cost April C+ Avoid the fortnight bracketing Easter and April becomes a good month, with warm weather, moderate crowds and Orlando prices stepping back down. Inside that fortnight it is as bad as July. High crowds High cost May B+ The best month of the first half of the year that is not February. Long hours, warm weather, crowds that have not yet turned over to summer, and prices that step up only at the very end. Moderate crowds Moderate cost June D+ Long hours are the only thing June does better than May. Orlando becomes a morning-and-evening destination, Hollywood fills up from the first week, and prices reach summer level at both. High crowds High cost July D- Peak prices, a flat four-week crowd plateau, and an Orlando heat index over 100 most afternoons. Go only if the school calendar leaves you no choice, and plan fewer park days than you think. High crowds Peak cost August C- The last two weeks are one of the best-value windows Universal sells, and the first two are July. The whole month is hot, and Orlando adds hurricane risk to the deal. High crowds Moderate cost September A Empty daytime parks, cheap hotels, and the year's best event running at early-season prices. The costs are Orlando heat that has barely broken and the peak of hurricane season. Moderate crowds Low cost October B- The best weather and the best event of the Universal year, sold at the worst prices and the longest queues. Take a weeknight in the first half and October becomes a very good month. High crowds High cost November B+ The first two weeks are close to ideal in Orlando: low crowds, low rates, and the best weather of the year. Thanksgiving week undoes all of it, and the holiday layer arrives only in the second half. Moderate crowds Moderate cost December C- Book the first ten days and December is excellent. Book the Christmas fortnight and you get the year's worst queues at the year's worst prices, with parks reaching capacity on several days. Peak crowds Peak cost

Reading this calendar

Bands show the window an event typically occupies, not its exact run. A green band means the current cycle is officially announced; amber means the pattern is strong but nobody has confirmed this year; grey means we are showing the last cycle we could confirm.

Windows shift by a week or two between years, and the last week of any band is the one most likely to move. If a trip hinges on catching an event's final night, treat the band as an indication and check the operator before booking.