Just starting to plan---Help!!

[Micelf33]

We are thinking about going to Disney end of March or in April.
I am worried about it being overly busy.
Has anyone been during these times.

We decided we want to stay on site and i am pretty sure we are booking through CAA.
For me, there are no flight deals. I am flying out of Winnipeg.

 

[Disney5Mom]

We have been three times during march break and went this year after Christmas. From our experiences and what we read here it is always busy at Disney. If you go at a slower time the parks are open less hours so the effect is the same. We like to plan our days. We use fast passes (don't wait in line more than 15 min). We go early in the morning ,take a break and go back at night. We have always been able to do all the rides we wanted to and also enjoy the resort. Don't worry you will have a great time! The weather in March is usually nice.

 

[NikP]

My DH and I have been around the middle of April and October aswell. April is busier that October, but Disney seemed to handle people better when there was more of us. More buses were available and wait times didn't seem as long in April. One reason we would not return at this time again would be Grad night in the parks. April is the month where Disney closes some of its parks early for Grad nights. Hundreds of teens ... I think we would much rather go in March, or May.

 

[hockey mom]

We went last March break and the crowds were not all that bad- but that might have been because of the lousy weater. We had lots of rain.

April is beautiful but Easter week can be busy.

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

I agree most times are busy. March for the Northern breaks and many schools in the Southern US has their spring break around the first week of April. Alot of people head to Disney during that time because it is relatively close.

I'd pick whichever is better for your schedule and plan around the crowds.

 

[redman group]

We just got back jan 12th. The parks were supposed to be quieter this time of year, but honestly, there's always something new going on at Disney. They added the marathon in January right at a quiet time to bump up the season i guess. I spent time worrying about when was a good time to go, but if you stay in a Disney resort, then you have the advantage of the fastpass. It really is the best new thing disney has provided since my last trip there 15 years ago. I could not believe the number of people waiting to go on Soarin' or the Kali River Rapids. We just walked right past them all and got on the rides. It may make for a little bit of planning, but after a day of it, we got the hang of it and enjoyed ourselves. Any time is a good Disney time from what i can see. The only time I personally wouldn't consider going is in the high heat of the year late june to late august.
happy planning!! you'll find lots of good advice on this board.

 

[ferris198]

Hey Redman,
We just got back on the 12 as well.
Apparently the Disney Marathon is always held in early January.
I did as you and took advantage of the fastpass, and avoided the parks that they were running in on the Sunday.
I went last year towards the end of January and there were no special events and no crowds.
Actually even with the marathon I found it to be not too bad.
We went back to Magic Kingdom on the 11th, and it was practically empty.
But if I go in January again, it will be after marathon.
We did meet a ton of fellow canadians this year though.

 

[SandraC]

We did WDW twice in April and loved it! The crowds were managable, the weather was amazing! We are going in March this year. Hope the weather is as good as April's! S

 

[jmtf2004]

We are definitely lucky here, we can fly out of Buffalo. Is there some way to fly from a US airport on Southwest? They have some great deals. We managed to go October 2004 for about $50 each way. I am sure that was a one time great deal, but maybe you could find something going from Minneapolis/St. Paul? Using the Canadian airlines seems to be so much more expensive.
I found using the Unofficial Guide to WDW extremely valuable to plan your trip before you go (This is so important - you don't want to spend time after you arrive trying to decide what to do each day - it just costs too much for those park tickets, plus the best time to hit the parks is first thing in the morning). You can get it through amazon or chapters for about $20 or so. It comes out each year with current info regarding rides, park info, dining and shopping information. There are guides in there to help you manage to get a lot done in the parks especially when they are busy. I don't think I would plan a trip without it.
By the way when we went in October, we arrived a day after one of the hurricanes. The weather had cleared and we could walk on to the rides because the parks were so empty. Also, probably a one time experience. Because we so narrowly missed being there for a major hurricane, I don't think we will go in September or October again. We are thinking of November or possibly early December this year. I hope you have a great trip. I would love to go in March or April, just because it is not so far away. Whenever you go there are going to be pluses and minuses.

 

[madonna31]

Late April/Early May is my favourite time of year to go. Low crowds and PERFECT weather!

If you head down after Easter (late April), crowds will be very low.