I just received words from my family who are now vacationing in Disney: big mistake to take a vacation there in this time of the year (Thanksgiving). They went to Magic Kingdom today and they only rode 4 rides because of 3-4 hours wait in long line each. Wow! They have never seen so many people there. One of the water park is closed due to refurnishment. Weather there is hot and humidity. I knew there will be many people during holidays, especially Christmas. I usually make reservation when there's low peak season (January to April; August to October). I tried telling my hubby not to go there, but he insisted to go because they want to have a good time in Disney. Boy, he said he wished they didn't go.
Oh yes, I remember Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. It ran from 7pm until midnight. They have artificial snow in the air everywhere, free hot chocolate and cookie, pretty lights, and more. The ticket price was almost half than regular admission ticket. We enjoyed it so much then. I think the park is having it again this year.
I've never been, but I'd like to. When is the best time of year to go and not when its blistering hot.
We went mid-Sept. and waited no more than 20 minutes for most rides. We did not need to use Fast Pass because the lines moved so quickly. The only ride we waited about 40-45 minutes for was the safari in Animal Kingdom. Just an FYI .... if you go Aug.-late Sept. and stay at a Disney Resort, they often offer FREE meal plans. Each person in my family got a FREE sit down meal (or character meal), FREE quick meal and FREE snack each day. We had peanutbutter sandwiches for breakfast and ate really well the rest of the day. It saved us a ton and we got to eat at some places that we would never have spent the $ to go. One of our sit-down meals alone would have been over $75 for a family of 4. The meal plan includes tips, too. Watch for info. about this deal to start coming out around April.
Hey, thanks ncmom for that good info! I will most definitely remember about the meal plans to inquire of it if we get the chance to go next year.
The best time to go when it's not hot is between January thru March. Spring Breakers usually hit Disney around late March to April, so avoid that month. Like ncmom said on the previous post, late August thru end of September are good months to go to. It is mainly because alot of kids are back to school and they don't start their vacation until late October. The weather in FL during August to September still can be very hot, but you can always go to the pool and get cool off. Of course, there won't be any long lines which is a PLUS.
Our family has been 4 times and we LOVE it!!! We have been during the summer, over Thanksgiving, and in March. I will not ever go in the summer again if we can avoid it. IT IS SOOOO HOT you can hardly breathe. I usually look for info on a couple of websites wdwig.com and wdwinfo.com These sites are unofficial and offer lots of options. Birnbaums Official Guide is also an excellent information source. The Disney Store and Barnes and Nobles have the guide. Our family prefers to stay on site. We love the extra magic hours and character meals. The dining plan is great. There are 8 of us (all adults by Disney rules) and we can all have fun at different parks and just meet for dinner. We stayed at Old Key West in July, a 2 bedroom villa, and we'll always stay there if possible. My husband and I had our own bedroom, 4 of the children slept in the two double beds in the other bedroom, and the other 2 kids slept very comfortably on the sleeper sofa. The laundry room was a real plus. I love Disney World. We are going back between Thanksgiving and Christmas next year!!!
According to Disney: Disney states: The Lowest Attendance -- January (except New Year's Day) until just prior to Presidents' Week in February The week following Labor Day until the week prior to Thanksgiving The week following Thanksgiving until mid-December More Moderate Attendance: After Presidents' week in February through early March Late April through early June (except Memorial Day weekend) Columbus Day Weekend (October) The first part of Thanksgiving week Highest Attendance: Presidents' week in February Mid March through Late April ("Spring Break") Memorial Day weekend Mid June through Labor Day Thanksgiving Day and weekend Christmas week through New Year's Day
I had to agree with you. Staying on site is an excellent idea. You don't even need a car to get around. The bus, which runs every 15 minutes at stop, will pick you up and take you to any Disney parks, including Downtown Disney and waterparks. We stayed All Stars Movie/Sport resort (budget friendly), and Fort Wilderness Campground (my fav). We also stayed off site, which is about 10 minutes to Disney gate. Nickeleon Hotel is one that my son like, too.
we stayed at the all star music resort and loved it. had the meal plan so all we had to do was show up and eat and swipe our card. was cvery nice. jeust chose the wrong time of the year was way to c rowded. was beautiful though i will say that and we still had fun. We are planning ou r next trip now .
We usually go in the first or second week of November and we never had a problem. The weather was always perfect and really no wait in lines. We always stay at the allstar resorts. We didn't go this month, but we are planning on going in Febuary and this will be our children's Christmas present
I had a friend who took his family a few years ago. It happened to be Gay Pride day and he happened to be wearing the same color t-shirt as the Gay Pride participants. Too funny!!
WDW - buy this book next time The Unoffical Guide... Sorry if you had asked earlier, I would have given some advice. We moved here from FL a few years back, and that is NOT the time to go to Disney. Had I known, I would have recommended you purchase (or get from the library) this book. The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2008 by Bob Sehlinger, Len Testa, Len Testa (With) Paperback Write a review Details Usually ships within 24 hours ISBN-13: 9780470089637Sales Rank: 1793Pub. Date: August 2007 It has a wealth of information, how to travel within the park, etc.
I am so glad you posted this! We were talking about going down next Thanksgiving..guess we will think again!!! I went one year at the very end of October..no lines, the weather was PERFECT. I had such an amazing time!!!! Theres a website, something ears, that is really resourceful.
