For anyone who went the Beginning of May..........

[LuvindisCruiser]

I'm trying to get some idea of how May of 2005 may be for our WDW family vacation next year. ...How were the crowds and weather the first week of May of this year? All kids should be in school, so it shouldn't be majorly crowded, right? And, are there any discounts for the resorts that are offered for this time? Right now we are looking to stay at P.O.F.Q., but would consider others if we can get a good deal. How much could I get a moderate resort in May? Right now it looks like I can get Fr. quarter for about 133.00 a night on one of the websites. Should I be able to get a better deal, maybe at the beginning of the year? Please help...I'm trying to figure out a budget... Thanks everyone !!!

 

[Eeyore1954]

My DW and I enjoy going in May. The weather is mild, the temperatures are nice -- not too hot during the day or too cool at night. We've never noticed the parks super-crowded, except maybe MK on the weekends. This year we got a good discount code for WL -- enough of a discount that we were able to add-on a couple of extra days!

We usually book early and put down the minimum deposit. Then we wait, biting our nails for a code to apply. So far, we've been fortunate, but we never book more than what we can afford to pay -- in case no code comes out.

Disney does seem to be getting very slow at releasing codes which can be maddening. If it helps, I think our rate with the code at WL was $129/night (without taxes). We ended up with a courtyard view room (we booked a std. view room, but were upgraded at check-in).

 

[aladdinsgirl]

I can't help you with the Port Orleans questions, but I can answer your general May questions. We went the 2nd week of May this year and out of the 8 trips to WDW (1 June, 2 Aug., 1 Oct., 1 Dec, 2 Feb, & 1 May) I've taken, our May trip was the best.

The weather was absolutely terrific, no rain whatsoever; blue, blue skies with the white puffy clouds. Temperature was wonderful too, we had highs in the 80's and lows in the lower 70's, so it was warm, but not at all hot.

Crowds were pretty low too, I don't think we waited longer than 10 minutes for anything--using the fastpass system to our advantage.

And there are discounts, at least for AP, we stayed at the Polynesian with a garden view, I'm not sure the exact price we paid, I'm thinking it was $170 a night with taxes.

Hope this helps, happy planning!

Krista

 

[justhat]

We went May 19-25 and even though this is later than you're planning to go, I thought I'd share my experience. The crowds were pretty low, never a huge wait for anything other than Test Track, which was around 45 minutes. The weather was beautiful. It didn't rain once, the humidity was low (big surprise!), and it wasn't unbearably hot. We stayed at Pop for a night and got that at $55/night so you should be able to get a dicount for your time period. Our discount rate came out February 22 (I know that because my daughter was born 4 days after I made our reservation) so about 3 months before our trip. It was either an AP rate or a Disney Visa rate. We used both so I don't remember which was the $55/night. We didn't book it until that day because it was just for the 1st night of our trip and if Pop was booked by the time a discount was released, we would have stayed at an All Star. If you really want POFQ, however, I wouldn't wait like we did cause you never know. You can always apply your discount later.

 

[hannahr]

I went in the first week of May this year and although there were two rainy days, the rest of the time it was beautiful sunshine. Crowds were low and discounted rates were good - I booked Pop Century for about $55 a night and Coronado Springs for about $80 (AP rates).

Good luck with your planning

 

[mouseRD]

We went the day after Mother's Day this past May & have been at WDW other years in May & just love that time of year! This year it was hot but not unbearable (85-90), & the humidity didn't seem as bad as on other occasions. Lodging can be really affordable. It is Regular season, but they often come out with discount codes (Feb/March) for that time of year & we ended up deciding to buy AP so the discounts were a little better. We actually had a Woodsview of WL booked, I believe for $129/night (AP); I think the regular discount was $154/night. We ended up deciding to stay at the Swan because we love being outside of Epcot. There were some great discounts offered there also, especially if one of you is a teacher, nurse, or govt worker. The Swan/Dolphin are fabulous - deluxe hotels at moderate prices.

 

[chyam]

The weather the early part of May is usually some of the most perfect, the humidity hasn't kicked into high gear yet and the nights are pleasant. The crowds are very manageable. Not only that but during that time the Flower and Garden Festival takes place at EPCOT which is very beautiful...........so come on down! Oh and there usually are great rates to be had, I had WL for $137.00 for a courtyard view.

 

[emmabelle]

This is the info I collected during this spring since we are
going April 18-24, 2005:
On March 9, 2004, Disney released codes for stays April 18 - July 4, 2004. The rates for anyone to use were Values $74, Mods $94, and Deluxes $139 (AKL and WL) for standard views. The rates if you had a Disney Visa was about $5 cheaper for each. Hope this helps.

 

[LuvindisCruiser]

Lots of great info. Thank you all so much. I think we should be able to get a decent rate during that time, and the weather sounds great. The countdown continues.... slowly !!!

 

[Pig Pen]

We were there from April 28 - May 7. We noticed a big drop-off in crowds after May 1. The weather got nicer during May as well. Overall, it was a great trip, warm but not terribly hot. Perfect for swimming and sunning.

We had to use fastpass several times (much more crowded than our January and September trips, but better weather and later hours balanced it out).

 

[Pig Pen]

We were there from April 28 - May 7. We noticed a big drop-off in crowds after May 1. The weather got nicer during May as well. Overall, it was a great trip, warm but not terribly hot. Perfect for swimming and sunning.

We had to use fastpass several times (much more crowded than our January and September trips, but better weather and later hours balanced it out).

We stayed at DVC, so I don't have room rate info.

 

[kid@heart-karen]

Hey Luvincruiser, I am interested in this as well cuz I am planning a trip In May, and would like to stay at POR, so maybe I will see you there.

 

[Nik's Mom]

Count me in! I also want to go the first week in May. I'm hoping for a good discount. I am a new stay at home Mom to my 2 DS's and we would love to take them on a Birthday trip in early May. We're thinking AS Movie.

 

[SeaSpray]

Early May is an excellent time to go to Disney World! We went the first week in May of 2001 and the crowds were low and the weather was great. Early May would be my first choice of time of year to go!

 

[SAWYERMAW1]

We were there 4/28 - 5/3 this year. The crowds were larger than I expected the first part of our trip but then dropped off some. This year we are going again 4/30 - 5/6. We had a lot of rain but that didn't slow us down too much. We stayed at POFQ and our rate was around $84-89 plus tax.

 

[LuvindisCruiser]

I like that rate of 89.00, hopefully we can get something like that !! Karen, we are going May4-8, and boarding the Wonder on the 8th, I CANNOT wait !!! We'll have our 5 yr. old twins and me & hubby. What dates are you going? Nik's mom, how old are your children? Maybe, we'll all see each other there !!

 

[Nik's Mom]

LuvinDisCruiser,
We plan on going April 30 - May 7. My boys will turn 3 and 6 while there (I'll turn 35 one week later ). I'm so excited to hear that May is a good time. We went July 03 and it was PACKED and extremely hot!

 

[Nik's Mom]

LuivinDisCruiser,
I want to add that we stayed at Port Orleans Riverside(when it was Dixie Landings) and spent some tine in Port Orleans. Your kids will love that pool. Wilderness Lodge is also a great hotel if you get a good rate. We're trying the All Star Movies this time. My DS's picked it out.

 

[LuvindisCruiser]

How fun !! We're thinking about Fr. Quarter just because it's smaller and hopefully not as much walking to get through the resort. We're not too concerned about the food court, because we'll eat at the parks during the day and leave WDW for a big dinner in the evening before we go back for the night. I just hope we enjoy P.O.F.Q

 

[JayCT]

We like the first week of May best. It isn't too hot yet and the crowds are reasonable. Though there are a lot of parents with preschool kids this time of the year. When we were there this past May we waited for Peter Pan for about 45 minutes. We had used Fast Pass for Winnie the Pooh which was also 45 minutes. Other than that the lines were pretty short. My kids went on the rockin Roller Coaster six times in a row and didn't wait more than 10 minutes before the preshow began.

As for discounts, there have historically been codes offered, though I remember that they came out late last year and people were getting nervious. Also, there was very limited rooms available at popular resorts like the Poly. I would check mousesavers.com for more information on rates and codes. Good luck. JAy