May vs. fall and winter months

[Jake&IzzyLand]

How is the last week of may compared to off the season sept, Dec and march?

 

[mdb78]

We usually go in May and from my experience, it's hot. Usually 80's and 90's. Haven't gone in sept, but I live in south FL and it's still pretty warm down here in sep. My experience in dec, temps were nice in the 60's to the 70's. March, temps can range. We were at the park this past March 1st with visiting friends. It was in the lower 60's, but very cloudy and breezy so it felt colder. Two days later (still in Orlando) it was in the 70's and we were in shorts.

 

[MomofKatie]

Weather- mdb78 gave you great information.
Crowds- September is least crowded. Non-Christmastime December would be next. March is Spring Break season, so it is pretty busy. Depending on when Easter falls, a March trip could be moderately crowded to insane. I would consider May to be moderate crowd levels- not slow at all, but definitely doable.
Events- MNSSHP in September is really fun. Same with MVMCP and all the holiday decorations and activities in December. The Flower & Garden Festival in Epcot is going on during the first half of May, and the park is gorgeous! Star Wars weekends at DHS is also the second half of May. March has the F&G Festival, too.

 

[ambolejack]

We normally go in May. This year the last week of May. The parks were rated 7 and 8 out of 10 and it was hot. The parks were a bit more crowded than off season, but very manageable with a good plan. Also great weather for days at the pool. we did rope drop, afternoon breaks then back to the parks in the evening after dinner. It worked out really well. We are going back in November. This will be the first trip in the fall and I am very excited. Looking forward to Xmas decorations and cooler weather.

 

[scoobygrl79]

I've actually been all of the months you are questioning....uncanny! ....I frequent in December and it is my go to month. I have strayed from my precious Dec only a few times, once in Jan (1st/2nd week), once in March (2nd week), once in May (3rd week) once in Sept (so far back that I can't remember much detail) ...and I'm about to stray this upcoming September again. December is incredible...our stamina is at its best, we love the decorations/atmosphere, and if you visit before the Xmas crowds, even better. The catch: If your intentions are to have swimming as a heavy part of the itinerary, whether at a resort or a park, you never know what will be dealt. We had vacations when it was actually TOO cold the entire trip...and kiddos arent weanies to the cold. However, seeing your breath in the air and having a thin coat of frost on the car windows...uh.......yeah, sorry kids, no swimming.

The other big catch: rides seem to be less available. I'm not talking the major shutdowns that we get advance notice of, I'm talking little ones here and there that Disney sneaks in without an official "announcement"....you just show up to the park and without a warning, a headliner is closed for 2 or 3 days for maintenence. Not a big deal and perhaps not long enough to release an official announcement of it's temporary closure...BUT...what if that was the ONLY 2 days you planned to be at that park your entire life?? That's all I'm saying. LOL..they'd NEVER sneak these kinda ninja moves in during Spring/Summer...never!!

You asked of March...completely fine...weather was warm but not horrible..and I went early enough to beat Spring Break crowds (2nd week), no crowd or closure issues.

May: might be my least favorite...the horrible heat already set in for the summer, I was not pleased. Kids were already on summer break so crowd levels were higher than I was accustomed to. And this may not affect your trip.....but my kids were TERRIBLE, I mean...whoa!! However, the parks were open very loooooong hours so park time was most ample.

You asked of Sept..my memory is vague, but I do recall uncomfortable heat and tons of early MK closings, I'm sure due to MNSSHP...i DO get a refresher in 45 days though...can't wait!!

 

[Boopuff]

May was my favorite trip by far. We were there in early May - weather was 80's very low crowd levels (ok preface that with this was in 2011) Crowds so low that we watched the afternoon parade outside of Country Bear, sitting on the curb... alone.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

I like May because it has great pool weather and one of my favorite things about Disney World is the amazing themed pools. Sometimes, late fall and winter weather prevent swimming (for me, anyway ... some like to brave it) and prevents enjoying rides like Kali and Splash. May will also not be as crowded as June and July. So you get summer weather without summer crowds.

That being said, MNSSHP is awesome, so I love fall for that reason.

My favorite times to go for lower prices, lower crowds, and great weather are:

1. October
2. September (not so great weather, here though)
3. May

 

[Jake&IzzyLand]

Hey guys, I should have been more clear, I've been September, December and March and was wondering how the last week of may compared, but you answered it

I would like to maybe go that week because school is not out, but the last week is not important and the other months require taking them out- for the non busy times anyway.

Thank you for the great info!

 

[scoobygrl79]

Hey guys, I should have been more clear, I've been September, December and March and was wondering how the last week of may compared

We live parallel lives ! Those are all the months I have visited too. My May visit must have been a particular good year for low snow days because many kids were already out on summer vacation, this was 2010. However, take my May report with a grain of salt....I mean, I think even the most misbehaved kids on property were impressed by how awful my kids were acting and were probably taking notes. They are usually well behaved! They may have played just a teeny role in my blasting a May trip...just a little....

Have fun with all the planning!

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

There are quite a few schools in the south that are out the last week of May. But there will certainly be fewer people who travel with school-aged children the last week of May than during June and July.

We went to Universal the last week of May this year and loved it. Orlando weather was gorgeous - 80's and breezy and practically no rain - and the crowds were not bad. There were a large number of Europeans (particularly Irish and British) and Australians there the last week of May. We spoke with a lot of friendly tourists. I don't know if those are typical travel dates for them but we really enjoyed being around them.