Anyone just recently back from WDW?

[Buffalo2Disney]

We are planning on going to WDW May 1st - May 9th of next year 2015. We have never been during this time, we usually take our trips during the Fall months.

Could anyone who was just there share a little bit how everything was, crowds, weather, love bugs, etc. Just trying to get a grasp on this time of the year at WDW. Many thanks in advance!

 

[ferd]

We are planning on going to WDW May 1st - May 9th of next year 2015. We have never been during this time, we usually take our trips during the Fall months.

Could anyone who was just there share a little bit how everything was, crowds, weather, love bugs, etc. Just trying to get a grasp on this time of the year at WDW. Many thanks in advance!

I live 20 mins from the park and was just at MK both Sat and Sun and HS on Sunday afternoon.

It's HOT. Last weekend was horribly rainy, but this weekend was beautiful but HOT. Waiting for the 3pm parade can be brutal.

MK was more crowded on Sunday (Mother's Day) than on Saturday. Saturday was very nice with shorter lines (A & E at 155 mins compared to 300!) LOL!

Love Bugs have just started to get bad, especially driving. But not too bad in the parks.

May can bring a lot of rain, especially thunderstorms in the afternoon due to the heat. Come prepared for hot weather. May is typically the slower season, but ADRs for Mother's Day will be busy. It's a pretty time of year with lots of flowers and baby ducks and all of the pretty Spring things around the park. And a bit of a lull before the Summer crowds (relatively speaking.)

 

[Indecisive]

I was just there last week! (May 4-9). As the PP said, it was HOT in the afternoon (around 90), but I felt lucky because the week prior it had rained all day for several days straight, whereas we did not have one drop all week! I would take the hot sun over the pouring rain any day. I did some planning in anticipation the heat (e.g., FP+ for Splash and Kali River Rapids in the late afternoon). We scoped out a shady spot for the Festival of Fantasy parade an hour before the parade. I planned some indoor stuff (Buzz, Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor, etc) for the afternoon. And we finally gave in and bought a couple of misting fans, which were a Godsend!

The crowds weren't too bad. The park felt pretty full to us, but I understand it was not nearly as dense as it can get. We noticed MK was much fuller on Friday than Tuesday. There were A LOT more school groups.

We had a great trip! I thought it was, on balance, a good time to visit, given that crowds can be much worse in April, and I didn't want to be there in the winter when it may be too cold to enjoy the hotel pool, Splash, etc.

Have fun!

 

[mlktwins]

We were there from April 29th through May 3rd. Tuesday was hot (high 80's)until evening and then it POURED with thunder and lightening for at least 2 hours straight. Wednesday was hot in the morning and early afternoon, then it POURED from about 2 until we left that evening. Thursday was our best weather day -- hot and cloudy (with threatening rain that never came). Friday was rain or pouring from about 11 until we left (Fantasmic was cancelled after we waited in the rain for about 45 minutes). Sat was pouring in the morning and early afternoon. It had stopped by the time we arrived around 3 pm and was dry (or a few sprinkles) until around 9:30 through Wishes. We headed home after that.

We had a great time anyway, but the weather wasn't what we had hoped. It was beautiful Sunday when we left and I believe it was nice most of that week. We were on a cruise by then and had great weather . The crowds were not bad at all and the love bugs were problems with on our van/windshield, but not bad otherwise.

 

[TaiTai1]

We were there last week also, and went int the MK on Sunday, Monday and Wednesday... and did AK on Tuesday. It was actually much more crowded than I expected. We had done an early May trip a couple of years ago, and the crowds were much less then. Planning ahead with FastPasses was essential for this trip because of the crowds. We got a lot done in a short amount of time. It was also much hotter than I anticipated, but I agree with previous poster that I'll take the heat over the rain! The previous week was all rain. Our week was All Sun With No Clouds and Low Humidity. So, you can never plan about the weather.

The love bugs were out a lot, but it gave the kids something to inspect. I thought the love bugs were worse at the hotels than in the parks. Overall, I think it is a good time to go, but still requires a lot of pre-planning to get the most out of your trip.

Other good things about this time of year: baby ducks, baby giraffes, baby zebras

 

[snorkelyn]

We are planning on going to WDW May 1st - May 9th of next year 2015. We have never been during this time, we usually take our trips during the Fall months.

Could anyone who was just there share a little bit how everything was, crowds, weather, love bugs, etc. Just trying to get a grasp on this time of the year at WDW. Many thanks in advance!

We were there May 2-6. The 1st 2 days it rained ALL day and night. Not pouring rain, but misty, drizzly rain. Everywhere you looked, people had ponchos on. We found that if we wore a baseball hat (w/ brim) and a poncho with a hood- we were just fine. Parks were less crowded in the rain.

The next 3 days were hot- but very tolerable. mid 80's. We usually go in September when it's low to mid 90's. Now THAT'S hot! Crowds were also very tolerable. Again, that's coming from a person who usually goes in September at the slowest times!

The best thing about your timeframe is Flower and Garden Festival. We really enjoyed it. There were no lines (I hear Food & wine gets crazy lines) for the kiosks.

Lovebugs- we noticed them, but they were not in droves and didn't annoy us at all.

I think it's a great time to go

 

[Figmentforever24]

We were there the 7th through the 11th and it was HOT. Like I live in Florida but the weather was amazingly hot for this time of year. Luckily there was no rain. Crowds were decent Thursday and Friday. We went to Epcot Thursday morning around 1 We don't normally go in the morning but in the evening so this was new for us. It was crowded in the early morning due to everyone just getting there. Didn't like it. Magic Kingdom we were there from 5 to close. It was nice the entire evening although decently crowded around dinner time. Nothing more then normal Magic Kingdom crowds though. The last two hours we had the park almost to ourselves. Winnie the Pooh was 5 minutes and Little Mermaid was only 15. Peter Pan was 25 but we were ready to leave. Animal Kingdom was CROWDED on Saturday. Lines for everything were super long including the rapids of course. We went to Hollywood Studios that evening and rode everything except the backlot and Toy Story without the help of FP. Lines were low especially the last hour.

 

[rn448698]

I was there from 5/7 - 5/11, and I can confirm what everyone else has said. It was very hot, though it really wasn't that humid until Saturday. When we went in 2010 during this time of the year, it was just as hot but much more humid. The evenings were very comfortable with low humidity.

We used Josh at EWDW, and he seemed to be spot on. I would just recommend rope drop and evening touring. An afternoon at the pool was a must for us. The only "it feels crowded" moment was Friday afternoon at MK and Saturday at noon at AK.

The love bugs were out but only annoying at the pool.

This is one of our favorite times of the year to visit, and we'll probably go back next year during this week.

 

[mamabellefortwo]

We were there 5/8-5/11 last year. Warm, but less humid than summer. Got noontime rainstorm just 1 day. Crowds were fairly light, other than weekends (merida coronation happened while we were there and MK had lots of visitors). Flowers were blooming everywhere. It seemed every time we turned a corner I could smell gardenia and jasmine. It was a nice surprise! Love bugs were not bad. We'd do early May again in a heartbeat.

 

[Buffalo2Disney]

Thank you all for the insights. Time to start planning! We are very excited to see the Flower and Garden Festival as it will be something new for us. We have always gone during the Food and Wine Festival but wanted to switch it up this time around.

 

[lustergirl]

Thank you all for the insights. Time to start planning! We are very excited to see the Flower and Garden Festival as it will be something new for us. We have always gone during the Food and Wine Festival but wanted to switch it up this time around.

Hi neighbor. A few years ago I went on a solo trip the first week of May. I enjoyed the F&G Festival at EPCOT. Everyone is right: it will be hot. More hotter than we are used to here in Buffalo. But I am sure you are going to have a great time.

We are going next May as well: staying at CSR.