Going in late Feb-Early March 2019-What to Expect?

[Lydia S]

Hey guys! I was hoping some of you whom may have gone recently can give me some insight on what to expect for next year. We're in the early stages of planning our next vacation, but are pretty sure that we want to go from Feb 25th-March 2nd 2019. The last time we went was November 2017, the week after Thanksgiving, so we got to enjoy all the holiday decorations and festivities. Some random questions:

-Is there anything special done for Easter that early in the year?
-How crowded is Flower and Garden in it's opening week? We'd definitely go on a weekday if possible.
-Pricing isn't available for the WDW hotels for 2019 yet, so what would be the closest week in terms of price that I can look at making a "mock" booking for right now? We will probably stay at Pop Century.
-What's the weather like at that time of year? Similar to the end of November?

 

[sharadoc]

We went March 2018. It's the highest price season, I think holidays are the only ones higher. We were there mid March and F&G was really busy. Weather at that time can be beautiful or chilly and rainy. We've seen both.

 

[pluto377]

We went that week this year. I don’t recall seeing anything for Easter.

I can’t remember anything about flower and garden. We were at Epcot but I didn’t notice crowds or anything. Maybe I was just clueless. We had a bad day at Epcot for other reasons.

For pricing just google Disney rate calendars and you can see what they charged this year. Then add a little.

We had perfect weather this year. Low 80s and sunny every day.

 

[Haley R]

Hey guys! I was hoping some of you whom may have gone recently can give me some insight on what to expect for next year. We're in the early stages of planning our next vacation, but are pretty sure that we want to go from Feb 25th-March 2nd 2019. The last time we went was November 2017, the week after Thanksgiving, so we got to enjoy all the holiday decorations and festivities. Some random questions:

-Is there anything special done for Easter that early in the year?
-How crowded is Flower and Garden in it's opening week? We'd definitely go on a weekday if possible.
-Pricing isn't available for the WDW hotels for 2019 yet, so what would be the closest week in terms of price that I can look at making a "mock" booking for right now? We will probably stay at Pop Century.
-What's the weather like at that time of year? Similar to the end of November?

We've gone that exact time 3 years in a row. As you can see, it's a very nice time to go lol. There isn't anything up for Easter that early, but F&G is fantastic!

We were at F&G on its opening day and it didn't seem crowded to us at all. We were there on a Wednesday from rope drop until around 2 pm and then went to HS.

We actually stayed at Pop this year and it was $177/night. However, if you keep waiting for discounts you can cancel and change. We were able to grab a Play, Stay, Dine package for our group of 4 that included tickets, dining plan, and the hotel and it was way cheaper than what we would've paid for rack rates. The new Pop rooms are amazing! We are actually staying there again in October.

The weather all three years has been amazing! So sunny and around 80 every day. We never had rain once all three years. I think we were lucky, but I also don't think it rains that much at that time of year.

The only thing I would tell you is the first weekend in March has a dance competition called the Contest of Champions. It isn't horrible, but you will definitely notice dance groups in MK. That was the only park we experienced trying to walk around large groups. I wouldn't let the contest deter you from going at that time of year, though. It's a great time for weather, crowds are more than manageable, and F&G is in full swing. Let me know if you have any questions!

 

[Sherrkel]

We've visited during that week with various crowd level factors over the years. F&G is fun- weekdays are usually better as locals visit more on weekends. The beautiful gardens and topiaries make Epcot come alive
The last weekend of Feb you'll be somewhat impacted by crowds for the Princess Half marathon - we've been during that time - it's actually fun to see the participants around with their "costumes" and metals .
The following weekend-first in March-you'll see another uptake in crowd levels as folks from New Orleans arrive for those who vacation in DW to escape Mardis Gras crowds (Mar 5 in 2019).
We usually have great weather when we visit during this time -with execption couple cooler days here and there. But you can never be sure. Enjoy your trip planning!

 

[SwanVT2]

We have been at Disney this time of year for the last 3 years. Mardi Gras makes it PACKED! Flower and Garden FILLS Epcot!!! Just a word of warning..get to those parks earlY!!

 

[Haley R]

We have been at Disney this time of year for the last 3 years. Mardi Gras makes it PACKED! Flower and Garden FILLS Epcot!!! Just a word of warning..get to those parks earlY!!

I've never had issues with Mardi Gras crowds at that time of year.

 

[MischaOz]

We were there those EXACT dates this year! I thought it was a great time to visit. I didn’t think the crowds were crazy by any means. We did F&G on the 2nd day and it was great, the only time I felt crowded was in the butterfly tent, lol.

 

[beccasmom]

We visited that same week this year. We were worried about the weather - it had been very hot for weeks beforehand - but we lucked out; it was wonderful! Was chilly at night. F&G was lovely; were there on a weekday but I don’t remember which one. We left for home one day early because of a Nor’Easter in our area and that was a bummer, but we didn’t want to risk being stuck at the airport.

We stayed at BLT and watched the fireworks from the balcony on the nights we were home early; they started at 8:00 if memory serves me correctly.

 

[disneyseniors]

Husband and I stayed from Feb 27th to March 7th this year, for the first time. We usually go to WDW in Nov or Dec, so it was a big change for us.
The princess half marathon ended the weekend before we go t there, and I mistakenly thought that the racers would go to WDW the week before the race, as it started on a Wednesday. WRONG! It seems the majority of the thousands of racers stayed over into the next week, when we were there. So, try to avoid the week of and week after the marathon. I didn't notice Mardi Gras crowds at all.
We loved the weather and going that time of year. The prices didn't seem any more than we usually pay.
I wouldn't hesitate to go that time of year again, just avoid the race!

 

[AntJulie]

We were there Feb 27 through March 5th. Weather was perfect. Crowds were manageable. Went to F&G on opening day and our last day. Nothing for Easter at that time. We stayed at POP with Enchanting room offer discount. Didn't notice any marathon or Mardi Gras crowds. Would do it again every year.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

It's worth pointing out that the date of Mardi Gras moves around quite a bit year to year:

2020 - 2/25
2019 - 3/5
2018 - 2/13
2017 - 2/28
2016 - 2/9
2015 - 2/17
2014 - 3/4

 

[NH-to-FL]

We've stopped in to Epcot for the opening day of F&G for the last three years. Week days are the best for Epcot during the festivals. As previous posters have noted, weekends can get busier with locals. I don't recall it being very busy but then we didn't stay all day. We arrived around 9:30am, wandered around Future World until 11am and then made the loop around the World. Then headed home. I think we FP'd Soarin', LwtL, and SE, just because that is what we usually do on our Epcot visits.

The weather at the end of Feb can be anything from cold to warm. I recall one year it was in the upper 30's in the morning. The poor butterflies in the garden were moving slow. This year the weather was fairy nice. Lots of butterflies flying around. Though we did have some cold weather in March and I recall noticing on a later visit that a few of the F&G plantings had been touched by the cold. Head over to one of the weather sites and look up the record high/low temps for the days you'll be there. Pack layers to be ready for either extreme.

As far as pricing I would be willing to bet, based on the fact that those two weeks are usually low crowd times, that they would be 'value' weeks. Maybe the weekends on either end might be 'regular'.

 

[Haley R]

Husband and I stayed from Feb 27th to March 7th this year, for the first time. We usually go to WDW in Nov or Dec, so it was a big change for us.
The princess half marathon ended the weekend before we go t there, and I mistakenly thought that the racers would go to WDW the week before the race, as it started on a Wednesday. WRONG! It seems the majority of the thousands of racers stayed over into the next week, when we were there. So, try to avoid the week of and week after the marathon. I didn't notice Mardi Gras crowds at all.
We loved the weather and going that time of year. The prices didn't seem any more than we usually pay.
I wouldn't hesitate to go that time of year again, just avoid the race!

We were there during that same time and didn’t notice any racers in the parks.

 

[disneyseniors]

Um, I don't understand your response ? to my stating what we observed. Yes, we even talked to several racers who told us they always stay after, as most do. I can only surmise that they would NOT want to come and get worn out at Disney before the race, so I guess the week after looks better to them? don't know for sure! It was just an observation, and glad you didn't notice any, for what it's worth.

 

[Haley R]

Um, I don't understand your response ? to my stating what we observed. Yes, we even talked to several racers who told us they always stay after, as most do. I can only surmise that they would NOT want to come and get worn out at Disney before the race, so I guess the week after looks better to them? don't know for sure! It was just an observation, and glad you didn't notice any, for what it's worth.

I wasn't saying you were wrong. I just didn't notice any while we were there. We were there from Feb 27-March 4. It's possible the racers were there, but I couldn't tell because they didn't have medals or anything on.

 

[Lydia S]

We actually stayed at Pop this year and it was $177/night. However, if you keep waiting for discounts you can cancel and change. We were able to grab a Play, Stay, Dine package for our group of 4 that included tickets, dining plan, and the hotel and it was way cheaper than what we would've paid for rack rates. The new Pop rooms are amazing! We are actually staying there again in October.

That is awesome that you didn't have to pay rack rates, because $177 seems like a lot for Pop Century! We were lucky enough to get discounted (Canadian) resident tickets and I believe 20% off our room when we went in November, so I think we ended up paying
something like $120/night.

I'm not familiar with Stay, Play and Dine. Is that similar to Free dining? We plan on going ahead and booking at rack rates if that’s all that is offered once booking for 2019 opens up. Do you remember off-hand what month your discount was advertised?

Thanks so much for all the valuable advice, everyone! I love this board for trip planning!

 

[Haley R]

That is awesome that you didn't have to pay rack rates, because $177 seems like a lot for Pop Century! We were lucky enough to get discounted (Canadian) resident tickets and I believe 20% off our room when we went in November, so I think we ended up paying
something like $120/night.

I'm not familiar with Stay, Play and Dine. Is that similar to Free dining? We plan on going ahead and booking at rack rates if that’s all that is offered once booking for 2019 opens up. Do you remember off-hand what month your discount was advertised?

Thanks so much for all the valuable advice, everyone! I love this board for trip planning!

We were very surprised by the $177/night. I was so happy when they finally released the PSD package. If I'm remembering right I think they released it around September? I could be completely wrong, though. I'm pretty sure it was either August or September.

One thing I will note is that at first we could only get a Standard Pool View room, but after checking multiple times per day I was able to change it to a Standard View. There were 4 of us in one room with the Dining Plan and 3-day PH tickets and the total was $2508.88.

It isn't really like Free Dining. It's more just a package on tickets/hotel/dining which is cheaper than buying them all separately.

 

[Disfan454]

We use to go in Feb and March every year. It got to crowded no matter what week we went. The weather is really erratic as well. We have had really cold mornings that we were not prepared for and then there were days when it was 88 and humid. It is all over the place. One thing I can say, if you see rain predicted all week, don't sweat it. Every year we went, they predicted rain the whole week and we have never been rained on. I have not seen any Easter decorations but we went in Early March and late Feb.

 

[kathy884]

We'll be there that first week in March of 2019 (family wedding). I really like that time of year for the weather. It's usually really nice -- warm but not overly warm and humid. Crowd wise March seems way more crowded than it used to be, but with rope drop, fastpasses, realistic expectations, and a little patience, it's very manageable. I always bring a fleece jacket and some jeans too for evenings, air conditioning, and the occasional unusual cold day.

I haven't done Flower and Garden before, but am planning on doing it on this trip. It looks wonderful from photos I'm looking at. I'll just be doing three park days: SeaWorld, MK (going to do the Keys to the Kingdom tour there too -- something I've wanted to do for ages), and Epcot (really looking forward to Flower and Garden displays and that's the only reason I'm doing this park). One day, I'll be visiting my cousin who lives in Tampa, one day I'll be doing a family pre wedding day in Almonte Springs, and one day will be a family wedding, reception and related activities (my nephew lives in Orlando).

I have to say that I was very pleased with the time of the year my nephew chose to get married. It made it a very easy choice for me to come down for a full week rather than just for the two days of family wedding activities. I love doing the theme parks and the normally glorious March weather (late February similar) makes it lovely for those even though the parks are pretty crowded (lots of people have discovered what a great time this is to go).

Crowd wise it's much lighter than Christmas, lighter than Thanksgiving week, lighter than easter week. It's a popular week, but there are some other spring break weeks that are worse crowd wise. It will be more crowded than summer, more crowded than when you went after Thanksgiving (I like the weather in March more than the post Thanksgiving week you went -- more predictably good I think). The beginning of your stay in February should be a little lighter than the last two days of your stay (first weekend in March) I would guess too.