When can you book Disney for February 2023?

September 1, 2022

In this post, we discuss visiting Disney World in February. 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 in this once-quiet but now-complicated month! Read on to learn all about visiting Walt Disney World in February!

Quick Thoughts on February 2023

We’ll start with quick thoughts on February 2023before we dive into details like pricing, holidays, events, weather, and so on.

• Lowest prices of the year. Disney hotel prices for the calendar year tend to bottom in January / early February before spiking in the lead up to Presidents’ Day. Ticket prices are around their lowest during this time, too.

• 50th Anniversary Celebrations ongoing! The 50th Anniversary Celebrations will be wrapping up, with the celebration expected to end in March 2023.

• TRON probably won’t be open. TRON has now been confirmed for Spring 2023

2023 February 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.

February 17 - February 21. This is the weekend of Presidents’ Day with the holiday itself being Monday, February 20 in 2023. It’s usually a holiday worth avoiding.

February 20 will be the last day of Epcot International Festival of the Arts

February 23 to 26 - This is RunDisney Princess Weekend.

Disney World Crowds In February

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.

While February was at one time low-crowd season, those days seem behind us, and the last few years it’s actually been one of the busier months of the year. But there’s little to explain why this change happened [and thus it’s hard to forecast going forward].

February is relatively simple, with one holiday—Presidents’ Day. Because it’s situated nicely between winter and spring breaks, Presidents’ Day is a popular weekend for vacations, and one of the busiest weekends of the year. We don’t recommend visiting this weekend.

Otherwise, February is sort of “almost-spring” season. It seems we’re seeing crowds bump a little earlier than in the past, but they’re still not rising to the level of the sustained March / April Spring Break and Easter crowds.

Prices, discussed a bit below, pretty clearly reflect the increased popularity of late February.

Near the middle of the month is Presidents’ Day [Feb. 20, 2023], this Monday holiday will bring increased crowds Friday through Tuesday [but mostly Saturday through Monday]. Presidents’ Day is basically a major holiday at Walt Disney World in terms of crowds [the resort does nothing special to celebrate], and we advise avoiding this weekend.

The Disney Princess Half Marathon is currently scheduled for February 23 - 26, 2023. As discussed in the January post, race weekends tend to bring crowds down a bit. The half marathon weekends also shouldn’t significantly impact touring, though we admittedly have never paid much attention when we’ve visited during these weekends.

Overall February prices are average for the year, but that’s not at all the entire story. February has become a popular month in recent years, and you can see that as soon as the month starts, prices go up heading into Presidents Day weekend and then Spring Break season.

While prices briefly drop after Presidents Day, the bottom line is that earlier is better when it comes to booking in February. Here’s a graph of pricing within the month at All Star Movies, Port Orleans Riverside, Wilderness Lodge, and Yacht Club:

Refurbishments & New Constructions

February continues winter refurbishment season, and you will want to check our Walt Disney World construction / refurbishment calendar for the latest.

• TRON [confirmed for spring 2023] will likely not be open during February, though a debut late in the month isn’t entirely impossible.

• An open-ended refurbishment of The American Adventure [Epcot] starts September 19 and a reopening date has not yet been set.

• The Walt Disney World Railroad Refurbishment could still be ongoing, as a reopening date has not yet been set.

Not announced yet, but we also expect Splash Mountain to close in January [as it historically has for refurbishment]. Unlike previous closures this one may be permanent, as the ride is slated to reopen as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in late 2024.

It is also common for Kali River Rapids to close sometime in the winter, though nothing has been announced for 2023 as of this update.

Water Park Operations

In 2022, Typhoon Lagoon will be open through November 12. Beginning November 13, Typhoon Lagoon will be closed and Blizzard Beach will reopen.

The water park schedule has been tough to predict the last few years, but here’s our best guess of how it will shape up in the future:

• We now expect Typhoon Lagoon to reopen around March 2023. We expect both parks will remain open for the summer.

• Around September/October, it’s typical for one of the water parks to close. Since Blizzard Beach is getting a holiday treatment in 2022, we expect the same in 2023, so we expect Typhoon Lagoon to close for the end of the year.

• Then, sometime in January, Blizzard Beach will close and Typhoon Lagoon will reopen.

• They’ll both be open for the summer, and the cycle will repeat itself, with Typhoon Lagoon closing annually at the end of the year and Blizzard Beach closing annually at the beginning of the year.

Disney World Weather In February

December through February is the colder season at Walt Disney World. The average February high is 74F [23C] and the average low is 51F [11C].

Cold, Heat, and Rain

February is one of the few months you’ll encounter actual cold in Florida. And we think [and we’ve heard agreement from others] that Florida cold is a different type of cold.

We’re from Chicago and routinely [and happily] spend bulks of our winters in sub-zero temperatures. But something about the cold in Florida just bites a different way. Maybe it’s because we’re used to warmer temps during the day, so night feels colder. Maybe it’s the humidity. Maybe it’s just that you’ll be standing around so much [in lines, watching shows, waiting for fireworks].

In any case, if the forecast looks “cool” for your trip, pack an extra layer or two in case it gets “cold.” I can’t tell you how often I’ve been in Walt Disney World in November through February and been so glad I flew from Chicago and had some hardcore warming layers available.

Heat isn’t much of a risk in February, but if you’d like to prepare for it just in case you can hop back to October and read about our heat tips.

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, we also were on hand for the first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, which had almost every show rained out.

January / February / March

As a closing note, let’s compare February to its neighboring months.

Should I Visit Walt Disney World In January or February?

There isn’t a huge difference between these months. Late February has higher crowds and higher prices, so you’re best to try and avoid that time.

Otherwise, this choice just comes down to which month you can time better. Look at these two months as a whole with the combined major events—New Year’s, Marathon, MLK Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day—and visit whenever you can put yourself most clear of any obstacles.

Should I visit Walt Disney World in February or March?

2023 Note: Specifically in 2023, guests may want to wait until March if they’re hoping to ride the new TRON coaster at Magic Kingdom. As of this update on this post the opening date hasn’t been announced, but that link will be updated shortly after any announcement.

February.

Okay, fine. There’s more to it. March has high crowds, but it also has a lot going for it. Flower & Garden Festival typically starts early March, and the weather is more temperate and less cold in March compared to February.

And while March crowds are bad…February hasn’t been great recently, either. This is sort of “devil you know…” territory. If you [and Disney] go into March expecting high crowds, rather than dealing with the unpredictable nature of February, it might make for an overall better experience.

Should I visit Walt Disney World In February?

We don’t see a ton of appeal in February visits, if you have flexibility. If your trip has to be in February there’s not much to worry about, but if you can plan a different date you have better options.

The recent history of February has been that it’s one of the busier months of the year. While the weather might be appealing, it’s much easier to time a cool-weather visit with moderate crowds in basically any other cool month [October through January].

The only reason to pick a visit in February is if you’d like to try and gamble on catching low February crowds before March spring break crowds arrive…but that’s a risk.

Have you visiting Walt Disney World in February? 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.