When is the best time to go to Walt Disney World?...

[Pat in MI]

We would like to avoid heavy crowds, but still have decent weather. (if possible) I was thinking the first part of Feb. before Spring Breaks begin. We are planning a trip for next year. Any other advice you might have? We are leaning towards camping at Disney. Would we be able to get around to the different parks easy enough from the campground? Well, I'm sure I will have a lot more questions in the future if you don't mind?

Blessings,

Pat

[Karenciavo]

The day after Labor Day. Seriously. Here is a picture that was taken mid afternoon:

 

 

as you can see there are hardly any people. We've gone that week 4 times and it's always the same.

 

Karen

[momofkhm]

We've been in October and January. Both are good and both have times to avoid. In October, go after Columbus Day weekend. It is wall-to-wall people that weekend, but there was a significant difference by Tuesday. In January, go after marathon weekend. Unless someone in your group is running, you don't want to be there. (I ran.) In October, it is plenty warm enough to swim. IN January, the kids and dh went but it was too cold for me. We were still in shorts and t-shirts, but not warm enough to swim for me.

 

As to the campground - we stayed in the cabins one year. They were fun. Once you get the internal and external understood, it's not a problem getting around. I understood and was able to apply the buses in a day. It took dh until mid-week. The only time we got in our car that week was when we wanted to go to Beaches and Cream for ice cream. The logistics of leaving the campground ad going to another resort and back were just too much for my vacation brain to handle.

[Volty]

Since you're in Michigan, the best time is winter to enjoy the nice weather. Also, since you're a HSer, you can should avoid the holiday rush and go some time when school is in session.

 

Mid-January thru February.

[Jennifer in MI]

We went in January of this year. We went the week before the marathon and the week after. Both were great weeks!! (And seeing the runners was inspiring!) The longest we waited for a ride was 20 minutes and that was the Dumbo ride. Anything that had a wait longer than 10 minutes, my kids got Fast Passes so there was no wait. The crowds were minimal - really! I remember the fireworks at Epcot. I thought we'd be fighting crowds and it was practically clear! We had an awesome view and the kids were able to wander a bit. We swam the first week we were there. The second week, we wore shorts and sweatshirts most of the day. So, no swimming for me!

 

We were also there one October. It was a while ago, but I do remember it being good as well.

[lynn]

Jan, February, sept, Oct

[Mom2jnb]

We too are from MI.

 

We went in late October to early November. We were able to see the shows/parades/ get autographs/ and ride rides over and over without much of a wait.

 

The weather was in the mid 70s and it was great!! I went in February about 8 years ago and the weather was nice (a little rainy) but I don't remember the crowd level. Sorry

 

PM me and let me know if you are near SW Michigan. I have a book I am more than willing to give you that will help you with crowd levels.

 

Alison

[Georgie]

We went in May and had a great time. Their wasn't a huge crowd as most of the public school kids can't take off so close to the end of the year because of graduation and such.

[abbeyej]

We've gone the second week of December for the last two years, and I absolutely *love* it!!! They put all the Christmas decorations up and start the Christmas shows, etc, right after Thanksgiving, so you get all that extra fun stuff, but the crowds are *nil*. (Don't go till after Thanksgiving weekend and leave by December 20th though, or you could hit major crowds.)

 

The only problem for some people would be that the weather can be cool for swimming. Our kids have gone swimming a fair amount both years, but dh and I were chilled. If your kids are dying to go to one of the waterparks, it's a little hard to predict which days would be best.

 

Avoiding "spring break" is tough because so many schools take it at different times. Two years ago we went March 10-15, and that worked out well for us, but I wouldn't want to go much later than that. This year we'll be there (with my in-laws, um, eek!) in mid-May, which should be after the spring breaks, but before the Memorial Day / summer crowd hits. The crowds will be higher than our December visits, but the in-laws really wanted to plan a family vacation, so this will do.

 

"The Unofficial Guide to WDW" has a fabulous section where they tell you the predicted crowd levels (on a scale of 1-10 -- I think 4 may actually be as low as it ever gets though) for *every* *day* of the year. They're pretty darn accurate. They also recommend the best and worst parks to visit within WDW for each day of the year. This can be *very* helpful in planning when to go.

 

As you can see from the other posts, there are a number of fabulous times to visit WDW each year. :) But I still looove going for all the Christmas stuff. (For two years now, I've barely missed Steven Curtis Chapman as the reader at the Candlelight Processional at Epcot -- makes me crazy! lol... Of course, if one had gone at the height of the crowds last year, one could have seen Edward James Olmos read... "So say we all!")

[Remudamom]

We went in early November and it was good.

[Janet in WA]

There's a reason that it's deserted like that mid-afternoon the day after Labor day. It's because it's so hot and humid, nobody else can stand to be there. I'm not kidding. If you aren't VERY familiar with central Florida heat, DON'T make the mistake of planning a very expensive vacation there until at least October, and even then it can still be very hot. I'd suggest November-April if you don't want to deal with crushing heat.

[HootyTooty]

We went last year mid-September and it was empty. It was perfect for us! We are thinking about going again this year at the same time. The only thing that put a damper (no pun intended) was that it rained more than usual, but it is to be expected that time of year. With that said bring rain ponchos- they are quite costly at the park.

 

The bus service from the campground is great. The buses are on a schedule and the only time we ever used our car was when were going to an activity in a park before the buses were the daily rotation. When it would rain we would find an indoor activity. When the sun was high, we would head back to the resort and to the pool.

 

If you haven't checked out disboards.com it a nice place to poke around for some ideas on what to do on your vacation.

[CarolinaHomeschooler]

Janet is right, it's hot Labor Day week. I organize a homeschooling group who has gone the past two years during that time. We go for the free dining, and because we're an educational group, we get tickets at around half the usual cost, even with extras.

 

The weather was fine the year before last (except for one day when humidity was high). Last year there were about 3 days that we felt we were going to melt. That's when we decided to come back to our rooms during the middle of the day and nap or swim. We would head back out once it cooled down and we were fine.

 

The crowds during that time are very, very low. There was no need for fast passes for most of the attractions - we could walk on (or wait less than 5 minutes) almost every ride until noon or 1 pm. Then there would still be relatively short waits after that.

 

We save so much money going during this time (with free dining - if they offer it again this year - and going as a homeschooling group), that it makes the weather more bearable. (See my Disney World trip page for more info -- http://www.carolinahomeschooler.com/travelwdw.htm -- all homeschoolers are welcome to join us.)

 

If you didn't want the free dining, I would suggest going in December - not the week leading up to Christmas (that's very crowded), but the week before that. The weather is usually heavenly, the decorations and lights are beautiful, and the Christmas spirit abounds. The crowds are also very, very low. If they ever discontinue the free dining, I'll be switching my group over from Labor Day week to December.

 

I don't usually recommend January and February because that's when Disney does most (but not all) of the maintenance on their attractions and there seems to be more closings. The weather is great, though.

 

I hope this helps! :001_smile:

 

Dianna

[Tess in the Burbs]

It's one of the least attended weeks in the year! it's still warm enough for shorts(although some mornings require a sweatshirt) but not too hot! We did use the hotel pool one day. We had a fantastic trip...plus it's decorated for the holidays and many other special events are going on during that time.

[justme]

We have gone twice in February. By late Feb. the weather is lovely and warm enough for swimming. Early Feb can still be iffy. Just avoid the weekend before/week of President's Day. One year we were enjoying a blissfully crowd-free week until that weekend when we realized that almost the whole east coast has a winter break during that week every year! It wasn't terrible, but noticeably more crowded and we did avoid it next time.