Walt Disney World Resort in May 2012 - Crowd Warnings, Special Events, and Closed Rides

1. Most of May has great weather and moderate crowds - this is a fantastic time of year to visit Walt Disney World. It's always smart to use good touring techniques for the headliners, even in moderate crowds.

2. 2012 Star Wars Weekends - (Disney's Hollywood Studios) . (Friday - Sundays) - May 18 - 20 / May 25 - 27 / June 1 - 3 / June 8 -10, 2012. This is a fun event for Star Wars fans and most of the activities occur near the Star Tours attraction but it does cause an increase in crowds so non-Star Wars fans may prefer to visit Disney's Hollywood Studios on a weekday.

3. Epcot Flower and Garden Festival - March 7 - May 20. This beautiful festival doesn't cause huge spikes in the crowds but weekends due tend to be busier as locals and annual passholders come to see the displays. Mondays are always a good day to visit Epcot.

3. Memorial Day Weekend - A 3-Day weekend and the beginning of the summer travel season means that we'll start to see the crowds building towards the end of May. This is still a good time to visit - just use a good touring plan and you'll be fine.

4. Fantasmic! (Disney's Hollywood Studios) - For several years, Disney did not offer This great show every night but we're pleased to report that you can see Fantasmic! every evening in May. Fantasmic is being offered twice on May 5, 7, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26, 2012 - the second showing will be less crowded than the first. Check the Disney Hollywood Studios Times Guide when you arrive for changes to the schedule. Warning: This show is excellent but it does feature villains for a good 8-10 minutes. The scene is fairly intense and can be frightening to small children.

5. Main Street Electrical Parade (Magic Kingdom) - This classic nighttime parade is also being offered every evening in May. The Main Street Electrical Parade is being offered twice on May 3, 4, 5, 12, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, & 26, 2012 - the second parade (typically at 11:00PM) will always be less crowded than the earlier parade. Check the Magic Kingdom Times Guide when you arrive for changes to the parade schedule.

6. Extra Magic Hours - (Special hours only available to Disney resort hotel guest)! We recommend that everyone avoid the Extra Magic Hour park of the day. Disney has 33,000 hotel rooms and no one goes to Disney alone - that means too many people are pointed in the same direction at the same time. You'll have a much nicer time by going to a less busy park. This is doubly important to pay attention to Extra Magic Hours if you are not staying at a Disney resort - you don't want to get to the theme park and find a bunch of Disney guests in line in front of you.

1. Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival ~ March 7 - May 20, 2012. The landscaping at Walt Disney World is always beautiful but everything is even more amazing during this festival (included in the cost of admission). Gardeners will find tips, displays, and special events just for them. Those who don't sport green thumbs will also enjoy the beautiful topiary, Bambi's Butterfly House, and the popular "Flower Power" concerts.

Flower Power Concerts:
March 9 - 11: Jose Feliciano
March 16 - 18: Starship starring Mickey Thomas
March 23 - 25: The Guess Who
March 30 - April 1: The Spinners
April 6 - 8: Chubby Checker & The Wildcats
April 13 - 15: Paul Revere & The Raiders
April 20 - 23: The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie
April 27 - 29: Chuck Negron, formerly of Three Dog Night
May 4 - 6: The Orchestra Starring Former Members of ELO
May 11 - 13: Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone
May 18 - 20: Mickey Dolenz
Dates & performers are subject to change.

The Following HGTV celebrities will make presentations during the festival:

March 9 - 11: John Gidding, from "Curb Appeal: The Block"
March 16 - 18: Sabrina Soto, from " The High/Low Project"
March 23 - 25: Jason Cameron: "Desperate Lanscapes" and "Man Caves"
Mar 30 - Apr 1: Camille Styles, HGTV.com
April 6 - 8: Dan Faires, Season 6 of "HGTV Design Star" and HGTV.com's "DanMade"
April 13 - 15: Brandon Johnson, "My Yard Goes Disney"
April 20 - 22: Meg Caswell, "Meg's Great Rooms"
April 27 - 29: Monica Pedersen, "HGTV Dream Home Tour 2012" and "Designed to Sell"
May 4 - 6: Antonio Ballatore, "The Antonio Treatment"
May 11 - 14: Carter Oosterhouse, "Million Dollar Rooms"
May 18 - 20: Genevieve Gorder, "Dear Genevieve" and "HGTV Design Star"

2. 2012 Star Wars Weekends - (Disney's Hollywood Studios). (Friday - Sundays) - May 18 - 20 / May 25 - 27 / June 1 - 3 / June 8 - 10, 2012. No extra charge - included with the cost of admission. TIP: Non-Star Wars fans may prefer to visit Disney's Hollywood Studios on a weekday.

4. Expedition Everest Challenge - May 5, 2012. Nighttime 5K adventure Run with obstacles followed by a scavenger hunt. Special advance registration required. This takes place after regular park hours so the event itself will not impact your visit; however, event registration does include a 1 day Theme Park ticket so that participants can scout out the course prior to the event so that may have some impact on Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park on the day of the Expedition Everest Challenge, or even the day prior.

Disney's major expansion on Fantasyland has begun and there are some construction walls in the Fantasyland Area.

Mickey's Toontown Fair (Magic Kingdom) closed on February 11, 2011, along with Pooh's Playful Spot, Scuttle's Landing and Ariel's Grotto. A new area is being constructed in this space, as part of the big Fantasyland expansion projectl The Walt Disney Railroad will continue to run but the Toontown station will be closed during construction. The Disney Princess, Mickey Mouse, and Minnie Mouse Meet-and-Greets are now offered at the new Town Square Theater. FASTPASS tickets available. TinkerBell & Friends are currently meeting guests in Tinker Bell's Magical Nook in Adventureland in the Magic Kingdom theme park.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Magic Kingdom) is closed for refurbishment January 9 - May 27, 2012.

Liberty Square Riverboat (Magic Kingdom) is closed for refurbishment April 16 - May 20, 2012.

Fantsy Faire (shop) closed May 7 - 17. 2012.

Snow White's Scary Adventure (Magic Kingdom) -- Last day of operation is May 31, 2012. A Disney Princess Meet-and-Greet area will be put it this space.

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular Show (Disney's Hollywood Studios) - closed May 16 - 17, 2012

Honey, I Shrunk The Audience 3-D Movie (Epcot) has been replaced by "Captain EO" - starring Michael Jackson.

Affection Station at the Conservation Station area of Rafiki's Planet Watch (Animal Kingdom) will be closed May 3 - June 8, 2012.

Test Track (Epcot) will be closed April 16, 2012 - Fall 2012.

Magic Kingdom Express Monorail and Resort Monorail (Grand Floridian, Polynesian & Contemporary Resorts) will not be in service from 11:30AM - 6:00PM beginning Monday, April 30. Service should return to normal by the end of the week. Buses will be available. The Epcot Monorail is NOT affected by this closure.

Disney's Magnolia Golf Course - Closed April 30 - May 2, 2012

Disney's Oak Trail Golf Course - Closed May 3 - 4, 2012

Disney's Palm Golf Course - Closed May 7 - 9, 2012

Disney's Lake Buena Vista Golf Course - Closed May 14 - 23, 2012

Disney's Magnolia Golf Course - Closed May 29 - June 4, 2012

Disney's Old Key West - Pool near building 55 (leisure pool) - The feature pool and other leisure pools will remain open. Closed May 21 - 25, 2012

Disney's Port Orleans Resort - Riverside. Lobby/Atrium refurbishment - April 9 - June 10, 2012

Disney's Magical Express (Airport Shuttle Service) - New luggage procedure for late night arrivals. Luggage service will no longer be available for arrivals to Orlando International Airport after 10:00PM. Collect your luggage at baggage claim and take with you to the Disney's Magical Express check-in desk.

There are a few promotions for 2012:

Disney has once again offered reduced room rates for active duty United States military members & their families.

AAA discounts may still be available for the room portion of your Disney vacation.

Contact us today to book your Disney Vacation:

Build A Better Mouse Trip
Toll free: 877-815-6515

At Build A Better Mouse Trip, we are convinced that everyone can benefit with good touring plans - this is even more important during holiday travel seasons. During busy times, a good plan will absolutely keep you ahead of the crowds and out of the lines - our clients typically wait less than 20 minutes for rides, even thrill rides and headliners. During less crowded times, a good plan factors in shorter park hours and fewer performance times. But the most important benefit of a good plan is that everyone gets to ride and see the things that they are looking forward to because everyone's priorities are included in a plan that tours the parks efficiently and effectively.

We offer three great options for touring plans at no extra cost to you when you book your Disney vacation through Build A Better Mouse Trip:

1. The Unofficial Guide To Walt Disney World is an excellent guide book with great standardized plans. A great resource.

2. Tour Guide Mike Subscription - this fantastic website is a great option for anyone who loves travel planning.

3. TouringPlans.com subscription - the online side of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. This is the best option for busy people who need something quick and easy. The printable theme park touring plans are excellent.