DLR in February - What Are Crowds and Weather Like?

[Lothlórien]

My in-laws want to go back to DLR in February and asked me about the crowds and weather. I have no idea. I am a WDW veteran; I know nothing beyond my single visit this month about DLR.

Can any of you fine folks who have been in February give me an idea on what they can expect for crowds? We can look at historical weather online, but experiences there are welcome as well.

 

[figment_jii]

HydroGuy has a thread with weather data information for DLR:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/detailed-weather-data-for-dlr.1711391/#post-23004158

In terms of crowds...it can be quite variable depending on when they're going. Holiday weekends seem to always be very busy. In general, the weekends (Fri evening through Sunday) tend to be fairly busy in the parks. There really aren't any "empty" park days anymore, so I would go expecting moderate-to-high crowds at all times just to be safe. It's worth noting that we do not yet know what the entertainment schedule will be (i.e., will fireworks return to the weekends only schedule during non-peak periods), but there is a chance that fireworks (and maybe PtN, but again, we do not know) may only be presented on weekends (Fri to Sun plus holidays).

 

[Aladora]

We were there mid-February 2015 and lucked out with not only amazing weather (shorts and tank tops!) but also booked the GCH for $239/night! I loved being there with the lower crowds, at least lower when compared to either March break or end of August.

I would love to go back there next February but I turn 45 in March and really want to be there for my birthday. We have celebrated my 40th, 42nd and DH's 40th on other trips and I love being there on the actual day so we are looking at March 2017.

 

[LizzyS]

Our favorite time to go is at the end of February thus far. The weather is generally pretty nice (you might need a light jacket at night time) and the crowds are pretty manageable, though busy at peak times, per usual.

 

[SMD]

This past February Disney had an AP appreciation promotion that was every day. Each week had a theme and there were freebies, a rare character almost every day and special screenings. It drew crowds every day as the offerings shifted and also because you could get more freebies every day and the character lines were so long people decided to come back earlier on another day. One week there were free photopass photos, which was popular with lower level APs and really brought in people for that week. They also host a lot of performing school groups throughout the year, whiich bring in varying level of crowds. It's hard to predict based on one year what they may or may not do the next year to fill the parks at certain times.

 

[AZMermaid]

We were there Feb 7-10 (I think) of 2015. We didn't realize a ton of schools were out that Monday. The whole weekend, including the Tuesfay we left were packed. Like on Tuesday... 45 minutes+ for Pirates and Jungle Cruise at like 11AM. I think a huge factor was the closures. That year, off the top of my head, the following was closed
All of critter country, including sPlash, pooh, stores, pooh meet etc. it was walled off just past Haunted Mansion
The railroad
Peter Pan
Matterhorn
The castle was under a tarp
I feel like there was another one... Space maybe?

There was a wall from the main plaza to the entrance of the grand cal which closed off grizzly and soarin, also making walking around tricky
The lagoon was empty- no WOC
Ariel's gotto was closed
Redwood creek trail

We decided not to go again at this time. We thought if it's gonna be packed, we may as well go in June when most everything is open. We knew there would be closures, we just thought lighter crowds would make it worth it. That was not the case.

My friend just went the same timeframe this year. She said the extra day off coincided with the super bowl parade and it was just crazy. She had a good number of closures too, but I think less than I had.

 

[ClaraOswald]

We were there Feb 7-10 (I think) of 2015. We didn't realize a ton of schools were out that Monday. The whole weekend, including the Tuesfay we left were packed. Like on Tuesday... 45 minutes+ for Pirates and Jungle Cruise at like 11AM. I think a huge factor was the closures. That year, off the top of my head, the following was closed
All of critter country, including sPlash, pooh, stores, pooh meet etc. it was walled off just past Haunted Mansion
The railroad
Peter Pan
Matterhorn
The castle was under a tarp
I feel like there was another one... Space maybe?

There was a wall from the main plaza to the entrance of the grand cal which closed off grizzly and soarin, also making walking around tricky
The lagoon was empty- no WOC
Ariel's gotto was closed
Redwood creek trail

We decided not to go again at this time. We thought if it's gonna be packed, we may as well go in June when most everything is open. We knew there would be closures, we just thought lighter crowds would make it worth it. That was not the case.

My friend just went the same timeframe this year. She said the extra day off coincided with the super bowl parade and it was just crazy. She had a good number of closures too, but I think less than I had.

Schools were out on Monday the 9th? Do you know why? I didn't realize that but it certainly explains the crowds that day.

I think the excessive closures did play a big role in the crowds overall. We are still going to take the chance with February 2017 though. Partly because our hotel is significantly cheaper there than other months.

I also don't think there's much in the way of a "slow" season anymore anyway.

Weather in February is pretty good. If you go to this site and type in location and dates you can see historical weather data... https://www.wunderground.com/travelplanner/index.asp

In 2015, it was still pretty warm to me. Shorts and t-shirts. At night it cooled down a bit and I put a sweatshirt on. Overall, it wasn't too bad. Weather.com says the average high in February is 71 but it was definitely warmer than that (or at least felt like it) to me on our trip. I always think it seems about 10 degrees warmer in the parks than the forecasted temp.

 

[SMD]

The day of the Super Bowl parade was also the 15th anniversary of DCA and Disney had a small celebration for that too. It was crazy. I waited something like 40 minutes at the security tent on the Harbor side, and that was a dedicated tent for the Toy Story shuttles. The line coming from Harbor was even longer. The 20 seconds of the parade that passed me was fun though. Totally worth the line, the wait, the crowds, the heat and the sunburn.

 

[AZMermaid]

I'm not sure why, but my friend said schools were out that day on her vacation too in 2016. I think it's SoCal schools.

 

[SMD]

Some districts observe Lincoln's birthday in addition to Presidents' Day. Some may also have their semester breaks that late if they start after Labor Day.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I don't know why schools would get Monday the 9th off for Lincoln's birthday (12th.) Must have been some other reason.

Hope we don't encounter that next year but if we do...that's life, I suppose.

 

[SMD]

I don't know why schools would get Monday the 9th off for Lincoln's birthday (12th.) Must have been some other reason.

Hope we don't encounter that next year but if we do...that's life, I suppose.

Because just like MLK Jr Day there's a day each year when it is observed. You can check the local school district calendars, it's on there.

 

[AZMermaid]

Now that I read it, I think it was Lincolns bday. Maybe some districts do that instead of Pres Day? Maybe they get both? Remember how the hours were a little extended that Monday? That should tell you what to expect. Too bad that's only 6 weeks out!

 

[SMD]

Now that I read it, I think it was Lincolns bday. Maybe some districts do that instead of Pres Day? Maybe they get both? Remember how the hours were a little extended that Monday? That should tell you what to expect. Too bad that's only 6 weeks out!

Washington's birthday is a federal holiday. Lincoln's birthday is not. Some states still observe Lincoln's birthday. California is one of those states. All districts observe "Presidents'" Day too, but it's really Washington's birthday.

 

[ClaraOswald]

The Monday we were there and it was crowded was the 9th. Lincoln's birthday is the 12th. Presidents Day was the 16th (we were gone by then.) I didn't realize people would get the 9th and the 16th off. That is so freaking weird. I don't think schools do that here,

 

[ClaraOswald]

Washington's birthday is a federal holiday. Lincoln's birthday is not. Some states still observe Lincoln's birthday. California is one of those states. All districts observe "Presidents'" Day too, but it's really Washington's birthday.

So how to they decide which day they take off for Lincoln's birthday since they apparently don't take off his actual birthday? That would be good to know for our trip next year.

 

[Aladora]

So how to they decide which day they take off for Lincoln's birthday since they apparently don't take off his actual birthday? That would be good to know for our trip next year.

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/lincolns-birthday

 

[disneyxica20]

crowds could go either way. i've been there on weekends in early, mid, and late february.
the worst was mid-february (valentine's/pres day weekend) this year- it was very crowded and very hot (90 degrees).
the other times weren't that bad. nice weather and not too horribly crowded. if it matters, the other two times were 2 years ago and we were there on Super Bowl weekend (saturday only) and they also had the lunar new year festivities; and dapper day (a sunday), which does get pretty crowded later in the day.

 

[ClaraOswald]

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/us/lincolns-birthday

I don't see anything about CA there. I looked at Orange county public schools (not sure what other districts to look at) and the only thing I see them getting off is President's Day.

And why the heck would some states celebrate his birthday in November? So weird.

 

[SMD]

CA decides when to observe a holiday the way any state decides, but making a law or allowing the legislature to set a date for the observance. The states that honor Lincoln in November probably do so because he created Thanksgiving as a national holiday. Or maybe because the date is connected to Gettysburg. Washington's birthday is not a floating Monday in February, but that's when it is observed because there is a federal law that moves some holidays to Mondays. I'm sure some states have a similar law too. If it causes you distress that states observe their own holidays how they choose to, or you don't agree with a state's holiday or the date that it falls on you may wish to reconsider traveling to that state, especially around the time of that state's holiday.