Best Time to Go

[Sammie]

Due to jobs, school, etc. we have visited Disney mostly during the summer months of June, July and early August, a few October trips and a one early December trip back in the old days when it was not crowded and you did not have to book 11 months out.

Taking into consideration crowds, weather, etc. when is the "best" time to visit and why. Saving points is not an issue.

 

[Buckeye Fan]

One year, my husband (teacher) and the kids had the week before Christmas off. We went down on 12/16 and left 12/23.

It was the best Disney vacation we have ever had! Living in central OH, it was so neat to be able to pack shorts in December! The weather was 80 and sunny every day (not usual), and we swan the entire trip. The longest wait we had at any of the parks was 10 minutes. We didn't even need fast passes. Everything was decorated for Christmas, and we went to MVMCP at MK. It was a lot of fun, and the weather was chilly that night (sweatshirts and jeans). It was so nice to walk around WDW parks and not melt, as our travel dates are the same as yours every year!

 

[DonnaL]

I think it depends what you expect from the trip. For our family, one of our favorite times to visit is right after New Year's (we try to time it so some of the decorations are still up.....last year my 19 yr old watched the crew "undecorate" the lobby of WL from midnight until after 3:00 a.m.) We have several reasons for choosing this time......my DH is an adjunct faculty member at Penn State and we have had one of our kids in college at PSU for the past ten years.....so we usually schedule a trip during the semester break. We find crowds to be sometimes a little heavy our first few days....depending on when NYD falls...but, after the 3rd or 4th of January.......crowd level very manageable. Also weather can be iffy....however, I will say we've been mostly lucky in that respect....most trips we've had daytime highs in the 70's and nighttime lows high 50's/low 60's. DH and I also really like to visit in early May (right after spring semester ends). We were also there this past Sept. ......the last week......it was still very hot and humid, but, crowds were non-existent......we walked on everything, including Soarin and Expedition Everest......our 7 yr old grandson was thrilled......he rode just about everything 4 or 5 times in a row. Anyway, back to my original statement.......I think it depends what you expect from the trip........as to the best time to visit. For us, it's low crowd levels, and comfortable weather conditions.

 

[tjkraz]

It was the best Disney vacation we have ever had! Living in central OH, it was so neat to be able to pack shorts in December! The weather was 80 and sunny every day (not usual), and we the entire trip.

That's not necessarily typical weather and the primary reason why I don't care for December. Our last December trip was 8 days and it got into the 70s exactly one day. The rest of the time daily highs were in the mid-50s to low-60s. I still detest looking at photos from that trip with everyone wearing winter coats and sweatshirts during daylight hours.

My favorite time is the first part of May. (Late-April is probably about the same.) The weather is reliably warm with little precipitation. Not too humid yet. Crowds are very low since it's too close to the end of the school year for most parents to pull their kids for a trip. F&G Fest is going on at Epcot if that's your thing. Rarely are there any ride refurbs scheduled.

The only negatives I can think of are you have to watch out for Grad Nights at the MK and you may run into local school groups taking field trips (usually Epcot.)

Mid-February to early-March is also a good time but the weather is more unpredictable. We've had good luck that period with most days well into the 70s. But it's still quite cold in the morning and after dark. And daytime highs in the 60s are still chilly at most Disney parks due to the wide open spaces and wind gusts.

 

[Buckeye Fan]

That's not necessarily typical weather and the primary reason why I don't care for December. Our last December trip was 8 days and it got into the 70s exactly one day. The rest of the time daily highs were in the mid-50s to low-60s. I still detest looking at photos from that trip with everyone wearing winter coats and sweatshirts during daylight hours.

I completely understand! I would NOT be happy if I left lovely central OH in December to greet 50 degree weather! YUCK! In fact, when my husband and I started talking about taking a trip in December again, the first thing I said to him was we can't expect it to be sunny and 80 every day again.

To the OP, it does look like the average daily temperature in December is 73, though. Neither our temps nor tjkraz's were the norm (as I stated in my post).

 

[DVC Mike]

Our favorite times are early March, late April or early May, late October and early December.

We avoid June-Sept due to the heat and humidity.

 

[drusba]

If you want the lowest crowds, Sep after Labor day and Jan beginning after the 4th or 5th (after the Christmas crowds move out) are best. If you want best weather, about mid-March to end of April and October and November are usually best. If you want longest park hours, holidays and summer have those (but of course, those are the most crowded times). Those are also the times, along with Spring break weeks (March, April) and all of December, when the fewest things are usually closed for refurbishment. If you want Christmas decorations, Thanksgiving time to early Jan, and ideal is first two weeks of Dec because crowds are lower. If you want Dumbo with a short line, well that occurs for about 30 minutes on Jan 27.

 

[DebbieB]

My favorite times are late April/early May, October & early December.

 

[Sammie]

Thanks everyone, this gives us some options for trying other times of the year.

Seems like early January, late September and early May are up for consideration.

When do the Christmas decorations come down?

 

[Deb & Bill]

We've seen them removing Christmas decorations late at night on Marathon Sunday (after the marathon). Most marathons have still had the Lights of Winter up in Epcot.