Choosing the best time to visit WDW . . .

[JJZMgailey]

. . . is the topic of discussion on today's episode of the Dreams Unlimited Travel podcast!

Lots of people have their favorites and I'll bet some of you are starting to plan your very first trips. This episode is a great one to help you choose when the best time of the year to visit might be for your family.

Take a look!

 

[Grumpy247365]

First week of December for me. Everything is decorated and the weather is really nice. Crowds aren't too bad either.

 

[SorcererHeidi]

Yep, was always my fave time, for the reasons you mentioned. I've also been several times for F&W in Nov., and I also like Jan.

 

[KingLlama]

Early November is my sweet spot. F/W, see the end of the Fall decorations and the changeover to Christmas decorations.

What can I say? I'm just a man who loves decorations.

 

[rteetz]

My last two trips and my next trip have been because of WDW marathon weekend. Otherwise we would always go in the summer. There are advantages to both but I do like the January time.

 

[wilkeliza]

I have to say that for me hurricane season isn't about if a storm hits or not but if one gets stuck off the coast and the bands of rain keep coming. The September and October of my CP were brutal! We had Sandy blow up the coast that year (2012) and for a week the wind and rain were awful. The wind actually caused Illuminations to cancel which almost never happens. It rained so much those two months that I got a water blister from standing in ankle deep water by my attraction.


Our favorite time to go is still January and February. It has still been what we consider low crowds. I also like early October and early November for the holiday events and Food and Wine.

 

[Hunterr]

Have you guys ever went to a park when its legit cold outside?
It's quite an experience, if you may be used to sweating it out any other time of the year.

I went one year in particular when they were filming the xmas parade in magic kingdom.
It was obviously crowded, but the day was lovely.

I vote florida-winter as the best time (of course, totally nix the 2 to 3 week period where schools are on winter vacation. The crowds are iNsAnE).

But I'm a local, so...

 

[lennyd]

I went last march , it was freezing the 1st 2 days, but then it warmed up,the boat ride to the MGK was brutal, in the past I always like late sept, parks were not that filled, free dining, it was awsome but it is hurricane season , so your taking a chance that time of yr.

 

[lennyd]

now that I think about it , isnt it always a good time to go to Disney,I dont think I ever said I dont want to go to Disney!!!!!!!!!!!!!! cant wait to move there.

 

[pjweaver]

My favorite time is anytime I can go, but I prefer the week after Thanksgiving.

 

[samsteele]

Early Nov is also my fav time to visit. The temps/weather are usually very good & I love the F&W and Christmas overlap. However, the driving to/from the airport whether Toronto or Syracuse, NY can be brutal as the first of the winter storms start to move in. After a few white knuckle drives, I've decided it's too much for me so now prefer Oct to avoid the white outs & cars in the ditch airport drive.

I have also been in WDW in early Jan when it snowed & temps fell through the floor. I remember park goers dressed in parkas, balaclavas & ski goggles on TestTrack. Crazy time.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Well, we are a bit dictated by the kids schedules now, but historically our favorite time is during Food & Wine Festival ... EPCOT is my favorite park and love how that gives the park a shine. Plus you get to see the fall decorations which is nice

 

[Accident]

My favorite time to visit right now is when there is something I've never done going on. There is so many little things that don't last long and usually don't get much forewarning they are coming.
When it's a generally for parks/vacation, I like WDW to not be summer. I spent my life doing disney only in late summer and when its decorated for halloween or xmas and how the weather is different is very exciting. I'm just starting to learn about winter and spring here and loving that also. I've always wanted to visit other disney properties and very high on my list is to try to time a visit to paris when there is snow happening. It's a season I've never experienced at disney and I think it would be great to try it once..

 

[SorcererHeidi]

When friends I did the big get togethers, it was always the first week or so of December. All of us from colder climates used to joke we could ALWAYS tell the locals and others from warmer climates. Us "colldies" would be standing in line with sunglasses, shorts, and a t-shirt. "Warmies" have on scarves, mittens, ski masks, and carrying ski poles - LOL. Would crack us up. I do remember one night in particular in the MK, waiting for the MVMCP 2nd parade, when it was raining REALLY hard for awhile, and a cold front came through with terrible wind gusts, and the temp had to be in the lower 30's - you could see your breath. I even broke down and bought a sweatshirt to stay warm, and had it pulled down around my hands, to keep them warm. The nicest part is that night has lasted in my memory from probably '95 until now, and it's one of my fondest memories, 'cause we all stood very closely together, waiting for the parade, for body heat. Still brings a smile to my face.

 

[tink1970]

Florida weather is like most other places, consistent in inconsistency One year in Jan (? '07) we were freezing, and there was wet cold stuff from the sky (sleet?snow? who knows...not this Southern girl ). In '13 for my first (and last marathon) it was in the 80s (ugh).


I understand not avoiding travel to WDW in Sept/Oct to avoid the h-word (advice given on the show) but in my case, I don't travel then for my house since we're in the Panhandle. A year like 2004 (and even 2005) will make some of us fairly leery of going away during that part of storm season. It's a case of it's not you WDW, it's me (Pensacola)

My favorite time to go (when we did parks) was the week after Thanksgiving or the last week of Oct/first of Nov. Another great time I enjoyed to my surprise was the week of May before Memorial Day, despite with lovebugs.

 

[SarahDisney]

I really appreciated Tracy sharing her experience with taking Ben out of school for Disney trips. I'm one of those people who doesn't think it's a good idea to take kids out of school (not that I have kids, but when you grow up with an educator as a parent, you get these weird ideas about school being more important than everything else), and it's always good to hear a story of a family for who taking their kid out of school really is the best option.

Although I will say ... I greatly dislike when people use "marathon" as a synonym for "race." A marathon is a type of race (which happens to be 26.2 miles long), but not all races are marathons. There's only one marathon at WDW every year. There are four race weekends - and at three of the four weekends, the longest race is a half-marathon (13.1 miles ... or half of a marathon).
Also ... Kevin is both right and wrong about night races. Tower of Terror 10-miler and Wine & Dine Half Marathon used to both be night races. The Tower of Terror race hasn't happened in several years, and Wine & Dine is a morning race starting in 2016.
Sorry, that's just a pet peeve of mine. Race is a shorter word than marathon, I don't know why people choose to inaccurately use the longer word. I'm going to come down off my runDisney soapbox now.

Personally, I actually kinda like visiting during Food & Wine (I've been during early October and early November), even though we can't eat any of the food ... I really like the concerts, the weather, and the overall atmosphere. Although I'm not wild about the Halloween decorations. Our last two trips have been race weekends, and those are fun too, but it's a very different experience than a non-race weekend.

Overall, I thought this was a great episode - definitely a good overview of factors to consider, and something I'd show to a friend who wanted to know what time to visit.

 

[Vernie822]

When I was a kid we always went last week of April/first week of May. My parents liked that it wasn't too hot yet and the summer crowds weren't in full swing.

My first 'adult' trip (meaning, one that I planned myself!) we went in September, 13-20th. It was great. LOW crowds, but super hot. We loved it. I would go again in a heartbeat, MNSSHP, Food and Wine is starting up, a few of my favorite things.

We recently did early November, I liked it a lot but it was pretty crowded. And we also just went this past April, weather was much cooler than it had been in November, and the crowd level wasn't too bad.

 

[tink1970]

Sarah, I agree.
Having done several half marathons and only one marathon (all, btw, at WDW or DL), I thought I might be the only one who was hoping someone would clarify that point. A marathon, to me is exponentially harder than a half, although the marathon is technically twice the distance of a half, it just feels so much harder...

The Tower of Terror was an excellent night race (although humid as all get out) and we'll see how the change from a nighttime Wine and Dine to a daytime one transitions. Also, when I ran (sloooowly) the Marathon in '13 they were holding groups of guests back from the course in both Animal Kingdom and EPCOT. Don't know if that has changed in 3 years but if someone is not running nor watching the race on that Sunday, I'd recommend MK since even I was out of there by opening

Other than that, the show was good (although my neighbors now think I'm odd since I kept screaming "HALF! HALF! There's only ONE MARATHON!!!" ) and it helped the dog walk go quickly.

 

[Vernie822]

I wanted to add that I love this new show. I love the regular Dis Unplugged show because it's all about news, new things coming to the parks, and it's a ton of fun. I love this show because I am putting myself in someone's shoes who has never planned a trip before. There is SO MUCH great information being discussed, I think it would help newbies (and anyone) immensely. I'm learning from it as well.

I can't wait to hear more about Kevin and John's Aulani trip. (Heading there in September!)

 

[Alicenwonderment]

I really appreciated Tracy sharing her experience with taking Ben out of school for Disney trips. I'm one of those people who doesn't think it's a good idea to take kids out of school (not that I have kids, but when you grow up with an educator as a parent, you get these weird ideas about school being more important than everything else), and it's always good to hear a story of a family for who taking their kid out of school really is the best option.

Sarah, I'm not sure what I would do on the school question. Both my parents were teachers and I have taught too. One of the schools I taught in was Spanish Immersion. I had one student that left after Thanksgiving and didn't return back until the kids came back in Jan. Her family traveled to her mom's country.(Can't remember where it was)In this child's case I wasn't worried because she was a straight A student and it was only 5th grade. I figured she would actually learn more by exploring different cultures. The big issue with the situation is what to give for homework. It is hard to predict what material would be covered while the student was gone. I had the student keep a journal of her experience. It worked for her but for others I wouldn't recommend it.

I do believe there was a show on this topic on The Trip( as I take a moment of silence for The Trip.