Am I missing anything? Nov. 2018 vs Jan. 2019

[ashmarie16]

Hello! I've been lurking and researching a long time, but this is my first post!

My family (DH, DS1, DS2, and myself) is planning our next WDW vacation. We are trying to decide between the last week in November 2018 or late Jan 2019. We are currently planning on staying at POP (room only reservation).

Background:

We have been on 3 previous trips (2011, 2012, 2015) all in January or February. We have enjoyed free dining and super low crowds. This is going to be a much more expensive trip for us. I realize that discounts are now fewer and far between. Additionally, this will be the first time going as a family of 4 where we are paying for all 4 of us. My DS1 will be 10 (so adult ticket prices).

My husband is a farmer, thus Jan and Feb have always been the best options for us. The late Nov. trip would be more of a stretch.

Here are our thoughts on each option.

Last Week in Nov 2018:

+Warmer weather than previous trips
+Christmas decorations!
-In a normal year, my husband will be finished harvesting by this time. But "normal" and farming don't always go hand in hand. We would have a room only reservation, so cancelling wouldn’t be an issue if the harvest was delayed. We would then be forced to a Jan 2019 vacation.

Late Jan. 2019

+No “can we really go?” uncertainty
-This puts us into another year’s room price increase on top of the new ticket prices. I know this is speculation, but could our family be priced out of POP?

I didn’t include crowds on either list. As I’ve been catching up on all things WDW lately I realize that the crowds we are used to in Jan/early Feb are pretty much a thing of the past.

So, am I missing anything? Does anyone have a different angle or something else to consider as we make this decision?

Thanks!

 

[BradChristian]

You have done a great option weighing the pros and cons... November AND January is going to be busier and busier with Disney using technology and micro-specials to make sure they are booked year round.

November you may have bigger crowds with locals heading to see decorations for the first time combined with the increase in crowds. HOWEVER - You are pre star wars land with all of this, so that will help you get a trip in before everything hits the fan.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

My only concern with booking November is, if you have to switch to January, you may have a hard time re-scheduling any ADR's you made (if they are hard to get). If you aren't too worried about ADR's, I would book November and hope for the best. The Christmas decorations are so wonderful. I've been to WDW both in January and during the holidays and the holidays are much more special, IMHO.

 

[hamilkm]

My dad farms as well, and I would go for the sure time. We have a trip booked 2nd week of December and already know that dad may not go with us. It will be my daughter’s first trip, so I really want him to go but it’s the reality with farming. I would go for the sure thing in January! It’s going to be crowded no matter which week you choose.

 

[CynBeth]

I would go the end of November for the holiday stuff.

 

[UnderTheRialto]

I really hate going during party season. That combined with your profession said January all the way. The decor is up through the marathon IME.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you guys are also Harry Potter fans, the last weekend of January is usually universal’s Celebration of Harry Potter, which can be fun.

 

[CrankyDad]

We go each Jan (wife, myself and two adult kids). We like to get in on the Sunday of the first weekend. That way marathon weekend is ending and you are there before the cheer and tour groups.

It is a GREAT time to go. We have had no issues with weather (light jacket at night), swim in hotel pools and all that. Only downside if it matter is the same rides are down that time of year. So splash mountain (not a big deal in Jan), Typhoon lagoon and a few others)

Also you get the start of the Festival of Arts at Epcot (starts around Jan 12th). That is SOOOOO much fun and things to do for all ages.

Jan for sure, is our vote

 

[Louie7080]

Are you flying on SW or driving? - in that case cancelling your travel to WDW should be a non-issue but if you have to book flights on a non-forgiving airline, then I would probably go with January. Though if that isn't an issue, I vote for November. Mind you I have not been to WDW at Christmas time but I have been to DL and it is so special then and I heard that Christmas time at WDW is even better than at DL in a few ways. As for booking ADRs at around 2 months - if you need to, try using a reservation finder such as the one at touring plans dot com or mouse dining dot com. I know the mouse dining one is free and the TP one might be also (I have a subscription). There are only 2 people in my group and I was able to get Cinderella's Royal Table and Be Our Guest at less than 2 months out with those finders at times I wanted. I didn't have to wait long for those reservations to pop up so I would think that with 4 people you'd be able to get something also, but might have to wait longer for the finders to find something you want. Or you could book ADRs for January also and cancel in November if you end up going then instead.

 

[Ensusieasm]

Hello! I've been lurking and researching a long time, but this is my first post!

My family (DH, DS1, DS2, and myself) is planning our next WDW vacation. We are trying to decide between the last week in November 2018 or late Jan 2019. We are currently planning on staying at POP (room only reservation).

Background:

We have been on 3 previous trips (2011, 2012, 2015) all in January or February. We have enjoyed free dining and super low crowds. This is going to be a much more expensive trip for us. I realize that discounts are now fewer and far between. Additionally, this will be the first time going as a family of 4 where we are paying for all 4 of us. My DS1 will be 10 (so adult ticket prices).

My husband is a farmer, thus Jan and Feb have always been the best options for us. The late Nov. trip would be more of a stretch.

Here are our thoughts on each option.

Last Week in Nov 2018:

+Warmer weather than previous trips
+Christmas decorations!
-In a normal year, my husband will be finished harvesting by this time. But "normal" and farming don't always go hand in hand. We would have a room only reservation, so cancelling wouldn’t be an issue if the harvest was delayed. We would then be forced to a Jan 2019 vacation.

Late Jan. 2019

+No “can we really go?” uncertainty
-This puts us into another year’s room price increase on top of the new ticket prices. I know this is speculation, but could our family be priced out of POP?

I didn’t include crowds on either list. As I’ve been catching up on all things WDW lately I realize that the crowds we are used to in Jan/early Feb are pretty much a thing of the past.

So, am I missing anything? Does anyone have a different angle or something else to consider as we make this decision?

Thanks!

 

[ashmarie16]

Thanks everyone! We are driving, so flight cancellation isn't an issue. ADRs won't be an issue either.

 

[ksromack]

I am going against the crowd here. We have gone at the end of November but never in January. I would wait to buy your airline tickets and go in November. That way if you had to change to January you wouldn't have to eat the cost of a wasted ticket you couldn't use. I'm pretty sure SW will allow you to move your dates, though....I may be way off base about that.

The holidays at WDW are truly magical. It's our favorite time of the year to go! There are sleigh rides through the Ft Wilderness campgrounds (extra $), parties (extra $), and the decorations! The castle! All aglow! I get all goose-bumpy just thinking about it. I don't know where you are coming from but flying in January can be dicey depending on what airport you are flying out of (of course flying in November can be iffy too).

November gets my vote.

 

[emilyrachael]

We went in both November and January this past year.

November has consistently better weather. We lucked out with good weather during our January trip and even got to swim one day, but the previous week was a bit colder. If you really want to swim or go to the water parks, January is not the time to go.

The negative with November is the holiday party schedule. You won't get many chances to watch the fireworks from Magic Kingdom or stay there late. Of course, in January, MK closed at 9pm most days. If you're more of a rope drop person, this won't be as big of a deal.

I wouldn't base your choice on crowds because yeah...I didn't feel like January was any less busy than November.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I feel like if you're for sure you can go in January but not for sure about November, go in January. It would be a pain to try to get ADRs and FPs if you have to reschedule last minute.

 

[IceQueen182]

We went in both late November/early December, and mid/late January this past year. There are pros and cons, but I thought November was an overall better trip.

In November, there were no room discounts available (at least not for the Poly during our dates). Free dining made it really hard to book ADRs- I could not believe what a hard time we had, even at 180 days out! The crowds were thick, particularly in MK on non-party days and in Epcot when MK was having a party. We even had a hard time getting the FPs we wanted. BUT- the weather was absolutely incredible, and the holiday events and decorations really got us in the spirit! We had a wonderful time and I hope to go back again in November.

January was decent. It was also more crowded than I expected- the crowd levels significantly exceeded the crowd calendar predictions and seemed worse than November. But we had a much easier time with ADRs and FP, and were able to get a nice room discount. The weather was not great- my pool-loving 6 year old made it about 5 minutes on the warmest day before she started shivering. I enjoyed it overall, but my DD was sad not to be able to swim.

Overall, November was more expensive and harder to plan, but the weather and holidays made it a better trip.