Need input on when to go

[Mama Steph]

Dh and I were supposed to leave tomorrow for an anniversary trip to Chicago. Neither of us has ever been there, parents were taking all the kids and we were going to get away from Wednesday to Sunday. Hotel was paid for and we were all set. Well, long story short, we have a lot to do around the house to get ready for Xmas since we will be hosting 3 different parties/get-togethers. Dh half jokingly suggested that we stay home and work on the house instead of taking our trip. It got me to thinking and, being the mature, responsible adult that I am, I agreed to give up this trip if he would promise me a Disney trip in 2010. He agreed very willingly!! We usually go to FL and/or Dis in April for spring break but will be using my uncle's condo in Destin this year-his gift to us.
So, now I have to figure out when to go! We both want to stay for a week, stay onsite this time (never done before) and have the meal plan. I am a teacher and have 5 schoolage kids so we really have to minimize the amount of time we miss from school.

My options and what I see as the pros and cons as well as cost are:

August 21-28
Pros: Value season, possible free dining, cheap airfare, we have extra time to stretch out the trip (and or drive). I would likely get 10 day base tix and add a few extra days at a cheap hotel so we wouldnt feel bad about doing shortened days. Not have to pull anyone out of school.
Cons: WEATHER
Cost: $3090 (assuming free dining) + about $1200 for airfare or $600-$700 driving costs

November 21-28
Pros: Weather, get to see holiday decorations
Cons: Have to miss school for 4 days, cost, pay for dining, less flexibility in amount of time, crowds the 2nd half of the week
Cost: $5138 (with meal plan) + guesstimate of $2000 for airfare or $600-$700 driving costs

December 19-26
Pros: weather, holiday decorations, Xmas at DIS!
Cons: Cost, crowds(though I'm OK, with crowds since we usually go at Easter)
Cost: $5752 (with meal plan) + guesstimate of $2000 for airfare or $600-$700 driving costs

Any input would be greatly appreciated. I'm just so excited to be able to plan another trip!!!

[Nancy for Disney]

I would pick August. We went in Aug 08 and maybe I am just tough but I didn't think it was too bad. Unless your other concern is that it is hurricane season. I don't think I would be able to wait a full year. LOL.

[Safari Queen]

I hate the heat, but you're going to be able to do a lot more in August. The crowds around Thanksgiving and Christmas are unbelievable. As long as everyone stays hydrated -- plenty of water! -- you'll have a more relaxed time and enjoy a lot more attractions in August. Second option would be November. It'll be busy but the Christmas decorations will be up and that's very special.

[Jaymie]

I'd say August too. Much cheaper and less crowded. With the cost savings, you could stay somewhere with a nicer pool and spend the afternoon around the pool. We went in July twice. One year it was hotter than the surface of the sun and the next year it was cooler in Florida than it was at home in Ontario. So you just never know.

[JOEYDIS]

Originally Posted by Mama Steph

Dh and I were supposed to leave tomorrow for an anniversary trip to Chicago. Neither of us has ever been there, parents were taking all the kids and we were going to get away from Wednesday to Sunday. Hotel was paid for and we were all set. Well, long story short, we have a lot to do around the house to get ready for Xmas since we will be hosting 3 different parties/get-togethers. Dh half jokingly suggested that we stay home and work on the house instead of taking our trip. It got me to thinking and, being the mature, responsible adult that I am, I agreed to give up this trip if he would promise me a Disney trip in 2010. He agreed very willingly!! We usually go to FL and/or Dis in April for spring break but will be using my uncle's condo in Destin this year-his gift to us.
So, now I have to figure out when to go! We both want to stay for a week, stay onsite this time (never done before) and have the meal plan. I am a teacher and have 5 schoolage kids so we really have to minimize the amount of time we miss from school.

My options and what I see as the pros and cons as well as cost are:

August 21-28
Pros: Value season, possible free dining, cheap airfare, we have extra time to stretch out the trip (and or drive). I would likely get 10 day base tix and add a few extra days at a cheap hotel so we wouldnt feel bad about doing shortened days. Not have to pull anyone out of school.
Cons: WEATHER
Cost: $3090 (assuming free dining) + about $1200 for airfare or $600-$700 driving costs

November 21-28
Pros: Weather, get to see holiday decorations
Cons: Have to miss school for 4 days, cost, pay for dining, less flexibility in amount of time, crowds the 2nd half of the week
Cost: $5138 (with meal plan) + guesstimate of $2000 for airfare or $600-$700 driving costs

December 19-26
Pros: weather, holiday decorations, Xmas at DIS!
Cons: Cost, crowds(though I'm OK, with crowds since we usually go at Easter)
Cost: $5752 (with meal plan) + guesstimate of $2000 for airfare or $600-$700 driving costs

Any input would be greatly appreciated. I'm just so excited to be able to plan another trip!!!

I just returned from Disney Nov 17 -21 and it was really great. Very small crowds and holiday decor is up already. Mild weather as well. Rides were practically walk on. Aug is extremely hot and prone to hurricanes, I live in Louisiana so I know what I am talking about. 2009 was a quiet hurricane season, but so was 2007 then we had Gustav and Ike and Faye in 2008. So you just never know about whether the hurricanes are going to impact a trip that time of year. We have also travelled the last week of Aug and at Easter and in late May, but I think by far this Nov trip was my favorite. But this is JMHO of course. But no matter when you go to Disney it is fantastic.

[Mama Steph]

Thanks for the input. I am leaning towards August with the huge hope that they will be offering free dining again. I would love to do November but am concerned about crowds since we can only go during Thanksgiving break. If we could choose any time at all, I would probably go between Thanksgiving and Xmas to get the best of both worlds but with our situation it's just not possible.

I REALLY want to go when I can see all the Xmas decorations but am thinking that would be a great trip for dh and I to tak alone one year so we can focus less on rides (even tho I luv em too) and more on taking everything in.

If we go in August, I would love to do a week onsite with the meal plan and then a few days at a cheaper hotel to use the last few days of a 10day pass. Also considering a 7 day wpm ticket if we go in August.

[BradyBz12]

Christmas week will be magical, but the crowds will be INSANE. If you and the kids can be happy scaling back your expectations of what you can actually *do* in the parks that week, and just enjoy the whole "Disney at Christmas" experience, then it could still work.

November - the week before Thanksgiving is a super time to go. We just got back and the crowds were crazy low and it was such a nice, relaxing, fun time. That said, the weekend and days before Thanksgiving start filling things up pretty quickly, so keep that in mind depending on when T-day falls next year. Oh and as a bonus, during this time you'll still get to experience a lot of the Disney holiday magic as well!

I can't really speak to August - you truly couldn't pay me enough to be *anywhere* in that kind of heat.

[TinkerbellinLouisian]

August Vote...BUT I am a southerner...and August is not a hot month for me...(no months are).....

Southern kids are in school in August...so it's not an option for us...hence perhaps less crowds for you?

I highly recommend BC for deluxe on-site accomodations!

Have a magical visit!

Mary

[DenverDave]

A couple people have mentioned that the week before Thanksgiving was not crowded, which is correct, but your dates are for Thanksgiving week, which will be crowded. If you can take the heat, I would lean toward August.

[Mama Steph]

I think we've decided that August will be best for us. It gives us more time to play with dates and is less expensive. If we had flexible dates I would go during the holidays but I just don't think it's the plan for 2010. Hopefully we can do it another year (or if I win the lottery we'll add another trip, lol). Of course we are now considering adding a 3 day Carnival Cruise to the end of our August trip!!

[cel_disney]

We were at Disney this year in September during the insane 90-100 degree heat wave...it REALLY wasnt that bad!! And being able to take advantage of parks in the mornings with pool time in the afternoon would be perfect! Prepare to be a little flexible with 10 days and if the weather is cooler than planned - stay all day at the parks and if hotter than planned and the group is cranky - head on back!

We brought a small cooler type BAG with us and put it in our backpack. I brought a gel ice pack that I would freeze each night to put inside and had a few misters, and some wet washclothes that had also been chilled in the fridge nightly in it. (PACK ZIPLOC BAGS!!!!) They were great at cooling us down and helping us to get the sweat off during the day so we wouldnt feel too sticky.

You will need to budget for LOTS and LOTS of water - we had a case for our room, but most of the time purchased at the park because it was colder that way and they had 'SmartWater' so we got some electrylites too!

It looks like the Christmas week you are suggesting is probably the slower of the 2 weeks at that time (I would think the 24 - 2nd would be busier?) and just might be less crowded than Thanksgiving, but I think you might enjoy the holiday decor without the kids and with the 2k you'd save going in August, you can plan that trip for 2011!!

[Mama Steph]

Funny yopu should say that about enjoying the decor without the kids, dh and I just talked about that last night. I'd like to focus on all the decor rather than rides and don't think the kids would get as much out of it.
We still take a stroller and like to bring a big cooler bag with us so I think I would freeze and bring as many bottles as we can fit and refill at counter service restaurants as needed. With 7 of us, we could easily go through a case a day!!

[cel_disney]

Originally Posted by Mama Steph

Funny yopu should say that about enjoying the decor without the kids, dh and I just talked about that last night. I'd like to focus on all the decor rather than rides and don't think the kids would get as much out of it.
We still take a stroller and like to bring a big cooler bag with us so I think I would freeze and bring as many bottles as we can fit and refill at counter service restaurants as needed. With 7 of us, we could easily go through a case a day!!

The refill water thing is not a bad plan if you like the taste of Florida water...its very minerally which wasnt helping us drink ENOUGH of it to stay hydrated...I do understand that its quite the expense for a group your size though!

Regarding the freezing water bottles...we tried that but had some issues..I'm sure you can work around them if you know about them!! 1) they didnt melt fast enough in our cooler bag! they were still ice blocks at 4pm so we'd have to leave them on top of the stroller for a bit to melt before drinking them! 2) the condensation got EVERYWHERE - would recommend lining the cooler bag with a towel or something??

Knowing that you go at Easter time, the lower crowd levels of August will make all of the weather related issues (heat and rain) a NON-issue! Bring some ponchos from the dollar store, lots of sunscreen, and have a blast!

[Mama Steph]

Last year I brought Crystal Lights drink packs to add to the water and that helped. Good call on the towel! I'd imagine that in that heat there would be a lot of condensation. Have you been Easter week as well? I'm looking for a crowd comparison. The week we were there were all 9s if I recall correctly.