Changing dates from December to April or May, please help!

[disneylove16]

I'm looking to change our dates from early December to sometime in April or May. We are very flexible as far as which weeks can go, and want to go Satur day through the following Sunday. Weather-wise, April looks better to us. We just went in august, and I think the heat traumatized DH! I'm trying to explain to him that May's weather should be different than August's.

I'm also reading very conflicted crowd predictions however, so now I'm lost. I know that the week before Easter is out of the question, and there are all different spring break weeks. Some websites say the last 2 weeks in April are low crowds, some sites say it's packed. I did read that UK spring break is the week before and the week after Easter, so that would explain a higher crowd level too. I've only gone to WDW in the latter 1/2 of the year, (other than when I was a little kid) so I feel like I'm clueless! Please help!

 

[TeamEvansGo]

We usually go sometime in the first few weeks of May (Which is funny since we just changed our dates for next year to February). It's got low crowds, relatively nice weather, resort prices are low as well. I'd say shoot for then. Just make sure to check for cheer leading competition dates if you plan on staying at a value resort. Wdw Prep School has a good yearly calendar with dates for those types of things.

 

[Alesia]

The two weeks surrounding Easter are extremely busy. The rest of April will be moderately busy.

Early May is, hands down, my favorite time to go. The crowds are very manageable and the weather is gorgeous! I would pick any time in May over early December every single time.

 

[disneylove16]

Thank you! @Alesia and @TeamEvansGo can you tell me about the weather? From what I found online, it says it's hot. Is that August hot? Or just a comparison that it's hotter than April? Thank you in advance! I'm trying to sell DH on May. He's just worried it'll be like our August trip.

 

[Alesia]

The weather in May is nothing like August, and it's not noticably hotter than April.

May is generally in the 80s, but the humidity is low. The high humidity is what makes July, August, and September so miserable. In May, we can often be in the parks from rope drop to close without ever breaking a sweat.

 

[disneylove16]

@Alesia Great news! Thank you so much!

 

[HopperFan]

LOVE early May, I avoid April.

 

[Canuck16]

We have gone the first 2 weeks of May and absolutely loved it! The crowds were very manageable and the weather was perfect.

We would definitely recommend early May.

 

[disneylove16]

Thank you SO much to everyone for your help! We are booked at CSR for May 6-14! I can't wait!

 

[burberryplaid]

I'd go the last week of April or first week of May. In addition to Easter many Northeast schools have school vacation the third week of April and it does impact crowds. We've been to WDW right after that week a couple of times and found the weather to be perfect and crowds manageable.

 

[crazedprincess]

We have gone at the end of April, beginning of May and the weather was beautiful! It was hot but not humid and we were there for flower and garden, so that made it even better! However, when we went, there were some schools that were on Spring Break so it did impact the crowds.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

We went the first week of May this year and several CMs said it was 10 degrees hotter than usual - high 80s, low 90s. It didn't bother us much because it wasn't humid. We just got out of the direct sun when necessary. Later in the week the temps dropped to around 80 (more typical) and it was wonderful. So I'd say that even if you get a hot early May, it's still very doable.

 

[100acreHiker]

We usually go first week in December but went on a bonus trip the very last week of this past April and we LOVED it. I had heard that the weeks preceding it were pretty busy, and but I would say it was comparable to what we saw in December. The weather was very good but a bit hotter than we could take (I'm a heat wimp)--about 90 degrees but my understanding is that it was hotter than normal.

 

[CynBeth]

I would keep Dec if you can. The weather should be good and you have all of the holiday decorations and storytellers/CP.

 

[Leelo]

The April crowd predictions vary because Easter moves around every year, so the crowds each week will be different from year to year. Easter is on April 16 in 2017 and like another person said, the busiest times are generally the 2 weeks surrounding Easter. For the most part, crowds die down after that and it is a great time to go! You may also want to check the events calendar as well. The Star Wars Dark Side marathon is in late April and lots of cheerleading events are scheduled at ESPN WWOS in April/May. These don't seem to affect the parks too dramatically but the cheerleading can affect the value resorts, especially the All Star Sports Resort where a lot of the cheerleading groups stay.

 

[disneylove16]

@Leelo Thank you! We opted for May 6-14, which looks like we'll be getting there during a cheerleading competition (but we are staying at CSR). It should be done by the time we go to the parks though, since we're taking the 7th to rest