Best time to visit - 3rd week of May or 3rd week of October ?

[pooh2001]

Just DH & DW - in our late 50's

Or DS will be 25 and DD will be 22 - either will have jobs, spouses, engaged or will have to pay their own way to WDW.

Thought we would plan a WDW just for us and our 32nd anniversary year.

We do not like summer or crowds during the holidays.

We like sunny days and less rain.
Would you do the 3rd week of May, the week before Memorial day week?
or
The 3rd week of October, before Halloween and after NJ week ?

Any good rain or crowd charts ?

Thanks for your help!
Love planning.

 

[pooh2001]

3rd week of October -
has in 2012 listed:
Epcot Food and Wine Festival & Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

The 3rd week of May has listed the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival.

So then the 3rd week of October is busier than the 3rd week of May ?
Please advise.

 

[Lori1960]

The 3rd week of june will be more crowded with kids out of school and June is alot hotter than Oct.So I would go 3rd week in Oct

 

[aznshents]

Go during October. October has

1)more special events (MNSSHP and Food and Wine, which are, in my opinion, more awesome than Flower and Garden)

2)less people (kids are in school during this time. October is generally a LOT LESS BUSY than the summer)

3) lower temperatures.

 

[pooh2001]

Cool - my birthday is in October too - so I will plan the 3rd week of October - hoping for the free dining option

 

[njmom47]

Jersey Week isn't until November but if I had my choice, I would go in October. (Some day, some day!)

 

[billdob62]

October for sure...less crowds and a lot nicer weather.

 

[mousedreamer]

I would say October without a doubt. The weather is wonderful and the lines are short! We went in 2008 for the third week in October, it was nice enough to swim but not sweltering. Low crowds, perfect time to go.
Enjoy!

 

[StevePWales]

We went recently at the end of May. Weather was still very hot, but much more tolerable then July/August.
Lines were not too bad, even around memorial day weekend. Star Wars weekends and Flower and Garden festival may be on if they interest you.

 

[joanchris]

We did the 2nd week of October in 2005 and the 2nd week May 2008....I much prefered the weather in May to the weather in October....maybe it was just the weeks we were there, but October was MUCH hotter. Sure, the Food and Wine Festival was nice, and my kids were younger so we did the Halloween party (wouldn't do it again), but the flower and garden festival was also nice, made for some great photos!
Our weather on our trips could have been a fluke, but that can happen any time, with it being significantly hotter or colder than normal.
I'd do a May trip again in a heartbeat, but now that they're older there's no more pulling them out of school.

 

[pooh2001]

Ok - maybe May will be best.
College is done by May 15th.
I think we will also have Star Wars weekends in May.
Flower festival will be a plus

 

[kirstinnusky]

Our family has been both weeks. We went in October of 2009, and May of 2011. In terms of crowds October won hands down, and most days we walked on to most attractions. One morning in MK we took a pic of a walkway in Adventureland absolutely void of any other guests.

The weather in May was warm, and we were able to use the pools. In October we happened to hit record lows in the 40's at night. I have heard October weather can be hit or miss.

If I had a choice I would definitely choose October. Not to mention the Halloween decorations.

 

[ratt1345]

No brainer on this...October is better. It is not as humid and not as hot as May. Save yourself the headache of having the energy zpped out of you quicker. As a native Floridian, that is my opinion.

 

[AVDisney]

It depends on the type of experience you want...
May means the beautiful flowers!...The Flower and Garden Festival
October means the Halloween decorations and parties!...and I'm pretty sure the Food and Wine Festival goes on around this time of year.

Hope this helps!!!

 

[Emcalma]

I have been to WDW at both of these times and I agree that it depends on your interests. I went for the second week of May and absolutely loved it. No crowds and the Flower and Garden show was beautiful. If you enjoy taking your time, having a leisurely stroll, and (literally!) stopping to smell the roses, then you would like going in May. We also liked that it was warm enough to take a quick dip in the pool in the evenings (we stayed at GF and could go to the pool between 9:30 and 10 pm for a quick swim and have the pool all to ourselves).

If you enjoy trying lots of foods and indulging in a little wine, etc., then October is for you! Be forewarned, though, that during the Food and Wine Festival, Friday and Saturday night in the World Showcase can get very crowded and rowdy with a lot of intoxicated people. Also, on the days that there is MNSSHP, MK will close early to those without party tickets. If you have several days to work with so that you can tailor your schedule to maybe visit Epcot during the week and MK on a non-MNSSHP day, then none of this would be an issue; however, if you are planning a weekend trip, this would be a consideration.

I thoroughly enjoyed my trips in both May and October. It was not crowded at all and the weather was great (not too hot or too cold). No matter which time you choose, you will be happy!

 

[bianca]

Simple...... October. For all the reasons everybody else has outlined.

 

[ZoZo]

We did the 2nd week of October in 2005 and the 2nd week May 2008....I much prefered the weather in May to the weather in October....maybe it was just the weeks we were there, but October was MUCH hotter. Sure, the Food and Wine Festival was nice, and my kids were younger so we did the Halloween party (wouldn't do it again), but the flower and garden festival was also nice, made for some great photos!
Our weather on our trips could have been a fluke, but that can happen any time, with it being significantly hotter or colder than normal.
I'd do a May trip again in a heartbeat, but now that they're older there's no more pulling them out of school.

I agree - October can be very hot and humid. I've never been in May, but have done six October trips. Temps have ranged from uppser 70s to mid 90s and humid in October.

Regarding the potential for rain . . . October is also hurricane season. (I was at WDW in 2005 for Hurricane Wilma!) So you have the potential for quite a bit of rain (though some of my October trips we had very little rain). You just never know.

 

[dvcpa]

I would go with October.

We went in May a couple of times and it can get quite hot.

I haven't been in October before but we have gone in November several times and the weather has always been great.

You can google disneyworld crowd calendar and a few free ones will come up. I don't know how accurate they all are, but if you look at a few it should give you an overall idea.

 

[babyflo1]

I am glad to hear that October is a good time. Have gone in mid-May twice and experienced higher than normal temps, but only rain on two days during the whole week. Both times we got a huge discount on the room with an offer we received as Disney Visa customers (offered to Visa customers a week before general public I believe). This time we are planning for October and hoping for the free dining too! Can the Food and Wine Festival be enjoyed with a 10 and 11 year old?

 

[Swirly girls]

Jersey Week isn't until November but if I had my choice, I would go in October. (Some day, some day!)

What r the exact dates of jersey week, and are they the same each year?
We are planning our next trip for next November, either 1st or 2 nd week