Visiting Walt Disney World in February 2024
February can be a wonderful time to visit Walt Disney World! For those who struggle with the heat and humidity during the summertime in Florida, this month provides cooler, more manageable temperatures. And with the exception of a holiday weekend or two, the crowds tend to be lighter as well. But when it comes to visiting Walt Disney World in February, you’ll want to keep a few things in mind as you begin planning.
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Planning a Disney World vacation in 2024? Be sure to check out our guide to all that the Walt Disney World Resort has to offer this year including the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the return of the Disney Dining Plan, and more! (You can also find our 2023 guide here!)
News and Updates for 2024
- Beginning on January 9, 2024, theme park reservations will no longer be required for date-based tickets. Reservations may still be needed for non-dated tickets and other admission types (student group tickets, sport and convention tickets, annual passes, etc.)
- Good news for Annual Passholders… Disney is introducing “good-to-go days” in 2024. These are select days when guests can visit the theme parks without needing a reservation. (Details from Disney will be released at a later date.)
- Disney Dining Plans are returning to Walt Disney World beginning January 9, 2024, with bookings opening on May 31. Two plans will be offered – the Disney Quick Service Dining Plan or the Disney Dining Plan.
- Although this isn’t a change, Disney has announced that Disney Resort hotel guests will continue to enjoy early theme park entry for visits through 2024. Those staying at a Disney Deluxe Resort or Deluxe Villa will also continue enjoying extended evening hours at select parks on select nights.
- Disney has announced that they will be simplifying the Disney Genie+ experience allowing guests to plan their visit ahead of time. While details have yet to be announced, this is a very exciting change for those who don’t enjoy scheduling their Lightning Lanes inside the park on the day of their visit.
February At-a-Glance
- Prepare to wear layers! February temperatures tend to be a bit cooler. Typically, you will want to layer up as mornings and evenings are cooler and afternoons warm up a bit. (On a brighter note, February tends to bring less rain than other months!)
- While some days are warm enough to swim, others are not. And sometimes pools, as well as water parks, are closed due to cooler temperatures. Water parks tend to take this time to refurbish as well.
- February prices tend to be less overall. Park prices, hotel prices, and airfare prices are typically lower in February as it isn’t a peak travel time. Disney is also known to offer discounts and incentives for February, so be on the lookout for these when planning your vacation!
- There will most likely be refurbishments. Because February sees fewer crowds, Disney often uses this time to refurbish certain attractions. This includes some of the bigger water attractions like Splash Mountain.
- The end of February could be busy. If you’re visiting in February to avoid the crowds, you may want to avoid President’s Day weekend as well as the final weekend of February due to the Disney Princess Half Marathon. These two weekends tend to bring in crowds and were quite busy in previous years.
February Events
Disney Princess Half Marathon will take place February 23-26, 2024. This runDisney event brings out the Disney royalty in all who participate! Newly added in 2022, “Disney Princess Sunrise Yoga” took place in Magic Kingdom in front of Cinderella’s Castle prior to the park opening. The weekend usually features a 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and the Disney Fairy Tale Challenge (10K and Half Marathon).
The Epcot International Festival of the Arts will be back in 2024, and this year’s event takes place from January 12 through February 19. This event boasts some of the best activities of all the Epcot festivals. In addition to all of the artistic culinary creations, you will find animation classes, a paint-by-number mural, workshops (for an additional fee), photo ops throughout the park, and must-see galleries as well as artwork available for purchase. It also features the Disney on Broadway Concert Series on select nights throughout the festival.
*Epcot festivals tend to bring more local crowds on evenings and weekends, so plan on visiting Epcot during the week if crowds are a concern.
ESPN Wide World of Sports typically hosts several athletic events each month. These events don’t usually have a major impact on crowds in the parks, but they can affect resort availability and crowds at Disney’s value resorts. Here are the events scheduled so far in February:
- 2024 USA Competitions Presidential Classic – February 16-19, 2024
- Disney Presidents Day Soccer Tournament – February 17-19, 2024
Holidays to consider would be Valentine’s Day (February 14) and Presidents’ Day (February 19). Valentine’s Day falls on a Wednesday this year and shouldn’t have much of an impact on crowds. Presidents’ Day weekend, however, will undoubtedly be busy.
February Refurbishments & Closures
*We’ve included all current refurbishments here on this list… even ones that may be open in time for February 2024. (Please note that this list could change at a moment’s notice.)
Magic Kingdom
- Tron Lightcycle Power Run is now open!
- Splash Mountain closed permanently on January 23, 2023, to become Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The newly rethemed attraction is scheduled to open in 2024.
EPCOT
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is now open!
- EPCOT Forever returned on April 3, 2023 (replacing Harmonious which permanently ended on April 2, 2023)
- Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana opened on October 16, 2023!
- Luminous: The Symphony of Us, a new nighttime spectacular will be debuting on December 5, 2023.
Hollywood Studios
- Voyage of the Little Mermaid is temporarily closed with no reopening date yet.
- Jedi Training Academy: Trials of the Temple has permanently ended.
Animal Kingdom
- Primeval Whirl is permanently closed
- It is anticipated that Dino-Rama, as a whole, will likely close at some point to make way for a major expansion. Disney has shared plans for potential replacements, such as a Moana Mini-Land, which includes detailed concept art. Additionally, there is the possibility of a Zootopia Expansion beyond Dino-Rama. Although these proposals are promising, it should be noted that they have not yet been approved or funded by Disney. Therefore, the fate of Dino-Rama remains uncertain, but it is evident that its days are limited.
Other
- Blizzard Beach closed on March 19, 2023, for refurbishment, and it will reopen on November 6, 2023.
- Typhoon Lagoon will close on November 6, 2023, for winter refurbishment. No opening date has been announced.
- Disney Skyliner Gondolas will experience closures in mid-to-late January 2024. This will be a phased closure that will occur first with the Disney’s Hollywood Studios side of the routes, followed by the Epcot side.
February Weather
Overall, the weather in Orlando is quite pleasant in February. So if you’re looking to visit Disney World without the heat, this may be the perfect time to go. The average high is 75 degrees and the low is typically around 54 degrees. It is also typically a dryer month in terms of rain. All that being said, February can be a bit unpredictable at times (although not as unpredictable as January) when it comes to random chilly days. You will definitely want to check current temperatures when packing and be prepared to wear layers.
February Disney World Crowd Calendar
Crowd calendars are very popular, but they can also be a bit unpredictable. It’s best not to completely rely on them when making your Disney World vacation plans.
While crowd calendars can be a big help in knowing what to expect, keep in mind, they are predictions at best. When designing our calendars, we take a look at events, school calendars, ticket prices, park hours, holidays, and typical monthly patterns. But unfortunately, our crowd calendars cannot predict other things such as weather, travel advisories, pandemics, or last-minute openings or closings of shows and attractions.
On top of that, many are choosing to travel differently these days. Quiet months have become popular due to runDisney events as well as other Disney events and promotions, while busier seasons have seen a downward trend in the last couple of years.
Overall, most weekdays in February are going to be fairly low in terms of crowds. If crowds are a concern, you may want to avoid President’s Day weekend as well as the final weekend of February due to the Disney Princess Half Marathon. These two weekends were very busy in 2022 and 2023, so it is likely they will be busy once again in 2024.
Ready to start planning your visit to Walt Disney World in February?
Here are some resources to help you get started!
Walt Disney World Resort Guides:
Walt Disney World Dining Guides:
Walt Disney World Attraction Guides:
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Attraction Guide for Magic Kingdom
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Attraction Guide for Epcot
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Attraction Guide for Hollywood Studios
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Attraction Guide for Animal Kingdom
There’s nothing better than knowing what to expect on your Disney World vacation. Our monthly guides can help you visit with a plan!
January | February (you are here)
March | April
May | June
July | August
September | October
November | December
Planning your first Walt Disney World vacation? Be sure to visit my step-by-step guide to get started!