Deciding between March (spring break) or mid June (summer vac!)

[MinMou]

We were originally planning to go to WDW over a spring break in a year or 2, and then I saw the crowd calendars for the same time this year. Now I am wondering if we would be better off going in June, when we could spend the same amount of money and stay an extra 2 or 3 days.
So here are some questions I came up with to help me decide, but ANY info that people have would be appreciated.
- Is it warm enough to swim in March? I was planning for a day at the pool, but DH says it will be too cold.
- Is the Flower and Garden show at Epcot something an 8 yr old would enjoy?
- Are there any special events in June that would bring extra crowds (over and above school vacations)?
- If you have done both, do you have a preference?
- Are there rides that are typically down during March for maintenance, like there are in Jan and Feb?

If you need more info to answer these questions, let me know!

 

[a742246]

To us we would always pick March. The weather in March is excellent with the high temperature range of 75-85. Usually most rides that need the annual maintenance is done by March.
The F&G festival in EPCOT is excellent, most 8 year olds will enjoy it, but that will depend
on each child, I know our 8yr old GC enjoyed it.
As for crowds, if you can avoid MK on weekends you should be alright. Just make sure you are familiar with Fastpasses!
You will have a great time!

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

- Is it warm enough to swim in March? I was planning for a day at the pool, but DH says it will be too cold. Typically, yes!
- Is the Flower and Garden show at Epcot something an 8 yr old would enjoy? My kids enjoy it. The topiaries are beautiful and we enjoy trying various food booths. The kidcot stations are also a lot of fun.
- Are there any special events in June that would bring extra crowds (over and above school vacations)? Not really. Earlier June is probably better crowd wise, since some schools are still in session.
- If you have done both, do you have a preference? My preference would be March. I don't mind the crowds and June is just too hot.
- Are there rides that are typically down during March for maintenance, like there are in Jan and Feb? No, but refurbishments are possible any time of year.

 

[calitook]

I will never, ever go in June (or any other summer month) again. Several years ago I had this brilliant idea that if we went in early June, it's still "technically spring" so it wouldn't be that hot/humid. HA HA HA HA HA! Cue my husband and I dripping in sweat trying to circle around World Showcase. The rest of the trip we spent way more time taking loooooong mid day breaks at our resort. I'm a teacher so I'm super limited in when I can go, but nope nope nope, never ever again. Fall Break and Spring Break are crowded, but if you go with a good plan and the right mindset, you can really do quite a bit.

 

[GoofTroop4Life]

I’ve never been in March, but we went in late June and had a wonderful time. There is no denying how hot it is (chilly pad towels and mini fans are really helpful to have), but we took lots of AC breaks (table service restaurants and shows) and sometimes headed back to the hotel mid-day. We also had a resort only day, enjoying the pool and resort restaurants. For us, our June trip allowed us to spend more days at WDW without the need to feel like we had to go hard at the parks every day.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

I will never, ever go in June (or any other summer month) again. Several years ago I had this brilliant idea that if we went in early June, it's still "technically spring" so it wouldn't be that hot/humid. HA HA HA HA HA! Cue my husband and I dripping in sweat trying to circle around World Showcase. The rest of the trip we spent way more time taking loooooong mid day breaks at our resort. I'm a teacher so I'm super limited in when I can go, but nope nope nope, never ever again. Fall Break and Spring Break are crowded, but if you go with a good plan and the right mindset, you can really do quite a bit.

We must have been there the same June! My trip was in 2016 when I swore off summers at Disney. My birthday is in June, and while I would love to spend my birthday at WDW, I will NEVER again do it. The heat and humidity make it miserable. Those that say you can take breaks in A/C and at your resort, I don't understand. I am already a complete puddle of sweat by the time I stand in the heat for 5 minutes, and that's before I even get on a morning bus. And that's coming from a cold-natured person. Never again! I have not been in March, but I have been the first week of April and it was perfect!!!

ETA: I'm also a teacher, well retiring in 66 days! But we always pick fall break, spring break, or right before Christmas instead of summer. I am so excited to be going the first of November this year since I'll be retired and can go anytime!

 

[MinMou]

I want to thank all of you for your insights and for taking time to relay your experiences.

We live in Houston, so I almost thrive on humidity (it is great for your skin!), but staying in parks all day is different than the amount of time we would need to be outdoors. That's also why my husband thinks 75 is too cool for a pool.
It looks like I need to talk with my family about what is more important, more time or better weather, pool weather or comfortable weather. And now I have first hand reports of what that means.

If anyone thinks of something else I should factor in, please chime in; we won't be making final plans for at least a few months.

 

[disneyinthespringtime]

If you kids are young I would just pull them and go in April or maybe early May.

 

[MinMou]

If you kids are young I would just pull them and go in April or maybe early May.

We did that through 1st grade, but I am worrying about using too much time for vacation, and not leaving enough time in case we need sick days.
We took a week in January, when the rates are low, when our son was 4. He got to meet almost every character on his list, and we missed most of the crowds. It was too chilly to swim, but otherwise I recommend going then!

 

[Penmac]

We always go in the summer. I am a dance teacher and although my schedule is more flexible than a school teacher's, it still follows the same model of Sept-June, with vaca weeks off. We also have 5 kids which means any air travel over popular vacation weeks is out of the question. Although I am not opposed to having them skip a few days of school for vacation, trying to get all of them back on track academically after missing school would be difficult, (but not impossible).

Summer works best for us because the rates are reasonable, and we love to swim on vacation. It's a huge part of our travel experience. I love being able to slip into a warm pool and not have to worry about freezing (pools here in the North East are cold even in July). My kids don't really mind and could swim in a pool in FL in late winter/early spring, but I would have a hard time participating. When we go to Disney in the summer, we usually only do 4 park days for a 7 night stay. This gives us plenty of pool time and it's almost as enjoyable as park time for us. If we traveled in the winter, I imagine we would do mostly park days and have a bit less down time. (It is on my bucket list to go in early December and see the caste lights.)

I will agree with above poster @calitook that being in the World Showcase in the noontime summer heat is a personal kind of hell. It's really the only park environment I can't do in the high summer heat. And I am not bothered by the heat as long as I am dressed (and hydrated) appropriately. We usually do Future World in the AM (Sea with Nemo, Test Track, Soarin'), and then leave midday. We can handle the WS in the evening after cooling off in the pool for a couple hours. The first year we came with our kids I was 6 months pregnant. We were inexperienced and showed up to Epcot late morning after a late night at MK. It was awful. It was a mistake we have never made again and generally Epcot is one of our more enjoyable park experiences now.

 

[Ksquared]

I want to thank all of you for your insights and for taking time to relay your experiences.

We live in Houston, so I almost thrive on humidity (it is great for your skin!), but staying in parks all day is different than the amount of time we would need to be outdoors. That's also why my husband thinks 75 is too cool for a pool.
It looks like I need to talk with my family about what is more important, more time or better weather, pool weather or comfortable weather. And now I have first hand reports of what that means.

If anyone thinks of something else I should factor in, please chime in; we won't be making final plans for at least a few months.

I will say that last year we were supposed to go during Spring Break but had to move our trip. I moved it to the first week of August and having been the type of person who said I'd never go in the heat of summer, we actually really enjoyed our trip.

More importantly, moving the trip to summer, we were able to go an extra 2 days (I noticed if you go in June you can go 2 more days). Honestly, that would be my vote every time. What I learned from that trip was no matter what time you go, you will make it work. If it's hot, you will navigate the heat (we got park hopper plus tickets and went to the water park a few times). If you go in March, you will navigate the larger Spring Break crowds (that means making good use of FP, extra hours etc).

Since you live in Texas and are used to the heat, my vote would be to go in June for a few extra days. I definitely think as a family you should decide what is more important and go from there. You will have a great time no matter which time you choose, just make sure your expectations match the time frame you will be going.