Best time to visit WDW from Australia

[ozliz]

I have never been to WDW before and sometime (hopefully in the not too distant future) I would like to visit WDW and also go on DCL probably from Port Canaveral as this looks easiest. There are plenty of recommendations online about the best times to visit WDW in terms or crowds, weather etc but obviously these are for Americans. If you are combining the need to fly from Australia into the equation, when is the best time of year/season to visit and preferably cruise as well? How far in advance do you usually book everything (flights, WDW, DCL) to make sure that your bookings all match up and you get a good price? No children so I do not have to worry about needing to go during school holidays and while I would love to see WDW in the lead up to Christmas I think that flights around this time are a bit too expensive.

Advice appreciated.

 

[ssour]

If you go in late November through early December you'll be able to see the Christmas decorations and events plus miss the expensive flights. We like May and September if you're looking for warmer weather. May is probably a bit better for cruising as it is just the beginning of hurricane season and not smack in the middle of it. However, the cruises would probably be a little more expensive around that time for this reason. Disney World releases their prices mid year for the following year, the Cruise Line is a little more unpredictable, they just recently released dates through to April 2015. Normally the early you book these the cheaper they will be, Disney World won't make a difference on price but if you use a Disney travel agent they'll monitor special offers for my that might apply to your booking as they're released.

 

[Sugarglider]

I would extend ssour's WDW recommendation for late october through to mid/late december, excluding the Thanksgiving weekend. Others have reported Sept as cheap - but hot and wet and runs the risk of hurricane season.

I have done both late oct/early Nov and late nov/early dec and both were great times. Clear weathers mid - high 20's C, low humidity, no rain, low crowds.

2 weeks over late Oct/ early Nov covered Food & Wine Festival, Halloween and the first shows of Very Merry Christmas party, Osbourne Lights (but still not full on Christmas) Off site I also went swimming with the manatees, and to the Stone Crab Festival - and I arrived on Black Friday when all the big annual shopping sales start.

Christmas is very OTT at WDW and in early December it was in full swing.
I scored cheap airfares and discounts for accommodation in both periods.

I start planning about a year out - and book as the specials appear. Of course it is all finished and arranged at the 180 day mark, when I finalise the dining bookings! So my next trip in late June - all done. airfares, accommodation, annual pass, dining bookings - all done.

I have been in May/June and found it OK crowd wise but very hot and humid. Rained every afternoon in June. also got discounts for airfares and accommodation for this period.

sorry - can't help you on DCL - not a cruiser.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

2 weeks over late Oct/ early Nov covered Food & Wine Festival, Halloween and the first shows of Very Merry Christmas party, Osbourne Lights (but still not full on Christmas).

If I wasn't restricted to school holiday travel, late Oct/early Nov is the time I would pick for the reasons SugarGlider suggested above.

This year I traveled to WDW in late Sep/early Oct and the weather was great. Only half a day of rain over a 3 week holiday (which included a week long cruise). However this type of weather is almost unheard of at this time of year and I knew I was taking a gamble. We didn't even get the typical afternoon Florida thunderstorms. We also had the benefit of low crowds. The downside was the heat which made long stretches in the parks very uncomfortable. I think that waiting a month until the end of October would make the heat more manageable, but it would still hot enough to go swimming.

In terms of swimming, there is a point in Oct or November (can't remember which) when one of the Disney waterparks closes down for the season. We enjoy water parks, so went to both and loved both (particularly Blizzard Beach). So if you are a waterpark fan, this might need to factor into your research.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

As far as when to plan, I think the earlier the better. During low season, it's often better to wait for specials to be announced before you book anything, but at the same time you need to track these specials so you don't miss them. You should also keep tabs on the exchange rate and make bookings when the dollar is at a rate you're happy with. There is a lot to organise for a WDW holiday and it helps to have an idea of when important dates are approaching e.g. the 180 day dining reservation window.

With regards to the cruise, I booked my DCL cruise over a year in advance and got the exact stateroom I wanted. Low season, you can get some pretty good cruise deals by booking last minute, but you take a gamble with the rooms.

Also, it's worth mentioning that DCL cruise prices vary wildly with the season. Our September cruise was comparatively very cheap because we were in the middle of hurricane season. You could pretty much do two cruises in September for about the same cost as one cruise during the busiest times of the year.

 

[Tashinwdw]

Agree with all the recommendations, We went last year (oops cant say that any more, it was the year before last) in September due to the recommendation of less crowds. It was amazing, we often just walked on rides or waited about 5 - 10 minutes the only exception was toy story mania. We got an amazing price on our Disney cruise for this year (it sounds good to be able to say that) for September and I am just keeping my fingers crossed that we do not have to face any hurricanes. Another reason why I like that time of year is because the parks are decorated for Halloween, as its not a big deal here I thought it would be great to have the kids experience trick or treating at MNSSHP, it was so different being at magic kingdom during it and I cant wait to do it again as we missed so much. I think December would be an amazing time as well, with the Christmas lights, though the crowds are meant to be heavier.

I hate the heat but seemed to cope ok with the September temps. Be prepared for extreme air conditioning, every time we walked into a building we would get goosebumps due to how cold the temp was, but it was still a relief to walk in there away from the heat.
Along time ago I went to WDW in April which is meant to be busy, I found it ok, but then I was child free and it was just me and a friend, so waiting in lines was not such a bother as we were always amazed at things that were going on while in those lines.

My only advice is Research, research as much as you can, crowd levels, average temps, where you want to eat, what you want to see, what rides you want to do the most. Accommodation offsite vs onsite. This will help you in planning the length of your trip and what budget you are looking at. Be warned though you will never do everything or see everything in one holiday, but if you prioritise you will be able to do the ones you feel are the best or most anticipated. I love the planning process and feel its all part of the holiday.

Try not to get to overwhelmed with it all. Enjoy, happy researching and I hope you are able to have a holiday of a lifetime with lots of great memories.

 

[MissHippy]

We went late September, I can't remember the exact dates, but it was around the 23rd?? We stayed the first week in the Florida Mall Hotel (I highly recommend it if you love shopping) and then the second week at WDW.
I was a bit worried, as our friends who live in Orlando warned us about the rain etc. But we only had one stormy afternoon and it passed as soon as it arrived.
The crowds were minimal, we went on so many rides over and over. The weather was perfect too.
And it was the start of the Halloween season, so the decorations we out which was really nice too. Ahhhh just talking about it makes me want to be there right now

I think we booked around late July. I know you're meant to book as early as possible, but my DH ALWAYS waits as late as possible to book.

 

[AustralianJetsetter]

We had our cruise booked for September but decided to change our trip to May so changed the cruise dates......May was only about $300 dearer than September. We were able to book well over 12mths in advance

Booked our flight last July for this May!! Only 117 days to go

 

[Snickals]

I would recommend November/December time, it's our favorite time to go. You get the end of the Halloween stuff and the start of the Christmas stuff. The crowds are still fairly low (except thanksgiving) and the weather is lovely

 

[teddykins]

We went end of October/start of November and the weather was fantastic - rained only one day out of the week we were in Florida. Did a cruise to the Bahamas and the sea was great, very calm, the ship hardly moved an inch. Very cloudy at half moon cay but still didn't stop us from getting burnt!

I'm in the process of planning a family trip for 2015, second week of October - second week of November, doing DL for a week so will do Halloween there and then the Christmas stuff at wdw -- best of both worlds with a side cruise to the Bahamas and a visit to Potter 2.0. Unfortunately (for me) still another year and a bit before I can even start the planning process.. I want it to be 2015 already

 

[GrazingGoat1966]

Big fan of September/ October for all the legitimate reasons already listed. Rain in Orlando has never been a problem (touch wood), and the cruise fares always appear well priced at that time. Low crowds compared to other times of the year.....bit humid, but hey. You're in Florida. Part and parcel of that part of the world!!

We've been in August before and the weather was stinking hot and ultra humid. Just about killed me, and I'm from Perth where weather during summer is Hot.

Best of luck!! A bad day at WDW beats a good day working any day of the week

 

[PrincessInOz]

Big fan of September/ October for all the legitimate reasons already listed. Rain in Orlando has never been a problem (touch wood), and the cruise fares always appear well priced at that time. Low crowds compared to other times of the year.....bit humid, but hey. You're in Florida. Part and parcel of that part of the world!!

We've been in August before and the weather was stinking hot and ultra humid. Just about killed me, and I'm from Perth where weather during summer is Hot.

Best of luck!! A bad day at WDW beats a good day working any day of the week

Hope you've been well!

 

[lffam]

We got there 30 oct and got to celebrate Halloween Party (on 31st) and stayed till 13 November and also got the first Christmas party and Osbourne Christmas lights ( Must see!) Later in Nov.Dec the resorts get decorated which I am told is very nice. We didn't see that but the parks were decorated so we thought it was a great time to go. Weather was fantastic and crowds, well nothing to compare it to but we didn't have any issues.

 

[Pumpkin meme]

we always hunt in sept/oct...can be ooba humid and rainy but crowds are great, MNSSHP on, and cruise deals are awesome.

YMMV

 

[RachelleBeaney]

Just to be a little different from everyone I really enjoy Orlando in Spring (March - May). We went end of April/early May. After easter the crowds were very manageable, the parks looked beautiful and the weather was good (much less rain than our November trip). The Flower and Garden Festival at EPCOT was gorgeous too! Of course it really depends on what type of thing you want to see. If you want to experience an American Halloween, go in late Sept/ early Oct, if you wish to see all the parks have to offer at Christmas go in late Nov/early Dec, for flowers and more sun but hot and humid weather April/May is good .... the only time I would say to AVOID emphatically is July/August - the summer months are not only hot and humid but thunderstorms are frequent and the crowd levels are insane. If at all possible avoid any major USA holiday weeks and try avoid Thanksgiving week and Christmas week. The following website will be hugely helpful in your planning:

www.touringplans.com

For a very small subscription fee ( I think around $8 per year) you can have access to touring plans to help you navigate the parks, crowd calendars and all kinds of planning tools that will help you be prepared for your trip to the world And lastly may I suggest that if you are going to Orlando you must take some time to visit Universal Orlando...it is awesome and totally worth at least a two day visit - especially if you are Harry fans!

Also, if you are really looking to go around Christmas time why not try November - by mid-November all the Xmas decorations are up in all the parks, the Mickey's Very Merry Xmas parties are in full swing and the Osborne Family Spectical of Dancing Lights (which is awesome) is going. the only thing you will miss is the Candlelight processional at EPCOT which doesn't start until after Thanksgiving.

I find using a Disney Travel agent best as they can help you with the little ins and outs if you don't want to plan everything yourself and they are very knowledgable. We've used Dreams Unlimited Travel (attached to the DIS) and found them very useful. But still do your research, know what you want to see, where you want to eat and what your prorities are at each park to make the most of your time in Orlando. You will need to make a lot of dining reservations 6 months in advance (this can be done online at Disney World's website) especially for popular restaurants like Be Our Guest.

RE The Disney Cruise - we are in the process of planning our first one and you can usually book more than a year in advance and I would.

Flying from Australia is interesting but you will gain a day on the way there (i.e. you'll likely land the morning of the same day you left) and loose one on the way back. You can book connecting flights from anywhere in Australia to LA but connecting to Orlando straight from Australia is not something we've ever come across. Also usually the only direct flights from LA to Orlando leave in the early morning so depending on the arrival time of your flight in LA you may need to stop over for a night in LA (there are lots of airport hotels). Also give it about 3 hours at least for customs at LAX.

I hope all this was helpful...please PM me if you would like any clarification or help...You may have guessed, I love planning holidays!

 

[MinnieInOz]

We have been April/May, Sept/Oct and Jan/Feb. I really liked Sept/Oct and have been a couple of times at that time of year, it suits too with school holidays. But I think my favourite time was late April, early May. It was so quiet, we had a few days of freezing weather (like tops of 10 degrees!) and mostly lovely mild temps, not too hot not too cold.

 

[Marlea98]

We've only been at the end of November and early December to take advantage of cheap flights before the school holiday price gouging. We have gone both times for around 8 weeks because we want to make the most of the time there (those long haul flights are a pain in the buttocks).

We've cruised on DCL twice in early December. We are from the tropics so the weather is nice for us, but not really hot enough for me to swim.

I echo what the others are saying - plan and research and take advantage of deals. I'd offer you the chance to PM me for further info but I've had that option taken away from me for a while.

 

[BecBennett]

But I think my favourite time was late April, early May. It was so quiet, we had a few days of freezing weather (like tops of 10 degrees!) and mostly lovely mild temps, not too hot not too cold.

Really?? hmm, intriguing... I might have to look into going at this time of the year. Do you remember what time Easter was when you went? Or what year did you go and I'll work it out.

I've been in late Feb/early March and while MK was really busy, every where else was pretty good. We maybe waited 40 minutes for the occasional head liner, but otherwise using fast pass, much less time.

However I've never been at any other time of the year to compare the crowd levels.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I've been during the first part of May. You have the Flower and Garden show running at Epcot at that time of year and it really is lovely.

They started adding food kiosks to the F&G about 2 years ago; so it might be an even better experience. The only thing to worry about is to check the school schedules. I think that some of the states go on school hols in May.

 

[MinnieInOz]

Really?? hmm, intriguing... I might have to look into going at this time of the year. Do you remember what time Easter was when you went? Or what year did you go and I'll work it out.

It was not over Easter, I took my son out of school for the whole trip, we were at WDW for three weeks, part in April part in May. I can't remember what year it was, we have been so many times. It may have been 2008?

I've been during the first part of May. You have the Flower and Garden show running at Epcot at that time of year and it really is lovely.

Yes we thought Flower and Garden festival was really lovely. We loved that time of year.