Going to WDW and need some help

[MnMike]

Taking my family to Disney and we are very flexible on when we can go. The plane tickets are free (thanks Visa) and my kids (ages 4 and 2) are not in school so we want to go during the so-called quiet time. I have been doing a ton of research but figured I would get the best advice here.

We are leaning staying in WDW resort but haven't decided which place. Since the plane tickets are free we can splurge more for a nicer hotel. We are looking to stay under $200 for a room and convenience (getting to the parks and back) and the pool are important factors in the hotel. Any suggestions?

What time of year is the best time to visit with decent weather and less crowds? We want to go in the winter to get a break from the Minnesota winter. We are leaning towards early December. Is that a good time to be in WDW?

Thanks in advance

 

[tinkerbela]

well, if you're looking for decent weather and less crowds, january is a good time. we stayed in WDW twice in january and had a great time. small crowds, comfortable weather. i'm not sure about the fall though. i know september is a good time because kids are in school. late september/early october is nice and warm. same thing: crowds are small, weather is comfortable. great time.

if you're looking to stay at a hotel that's under $200, try looking into a moderate hotel. their prices range around $149 a night. of course, it's cheaper to go in value season, so you might get a better deal for your room. the moderate resorts are the coronado springs resort and the caribbean beach resort. i know it's not much to chose from but that's the only moderate resorts. then of course, you have the value resorts, which are much cheaper during value season ($77 to be exact).

i can't tell you anything about the moderates because we haven't stayed at either one yet. but if you are looking to splurge a bit, check them out. OR, you can look into the wilderness lodge during value season. it is $199 a night, but it's under $200, and convenient, well so are the resort of the on-site hotels.

i hope i was of some help to you. good luck on your decision.

 

[candmforever]

As far as times go, we've been in late October and practically walked onto every ride and the weather was nicer also. No showers and a tad cooler.

We are flying on free tickets from Visa's scorecard points too! We collected enough points for THREE free tickets! YAY scorecard, huh?

 

[TammyAlphabet]

Early December is fantastic!! The Christmas decorations, the Mickey Christmas Party, the Candelight Processional, etc. all are wonderful. And it is not so hot!!!! Go and have a great time!!

 

[It's A Happy Day]

We are going for the 2nd time in October - last trip we waited in 4 lines in 7 days And those rides 2 issues were they were new and still working out the bugs and the other 2 were just busy times in the park. Other than that we walked onto and sometimes right back onto the same ride again. Restaurants were busy but we could walk in and be seated within 15 minutes vs. only a ps. We are Going with children this time too 3 & 4 so I am booking 1 table service meal a day (we have the dining plan included with trip) so that I can guarantee 1 meal - I know how kids can be impatient and not want to sit waiting to get a table ! This can be cancelled if something else strikes your fancy and can also call for PS's once on site. Depending on budget, we booked at all star because I think there atmosphere is really gaged for young kids and how much are you really at the hotel anyway - would also rather put the $$$ into souvenirs. I have also compiled a list on my computer of free/inexpensive things to do while in each of the parks to get the most out of being there. At the younger kids ages its sometimes quantity not quality of the souvies (ie: kids meals in pail and shovel bucket, free robot in Epcot things, stuff like that) And always remember to look at WDW through their eyes! Take the time to see it and enjoy it not attack it commando style because then everyone gets stressed and meltdowns happen. Enjoy and Have fun!!!

 

[Tinkaroo]

Just to add - there are 2 other moderate resorts not mentioned - the Port Orleans Riverside and the Port Orleans French Quarter. They are sister resorts, and guests at either can utilize the other's services (pools, etc.) Both consistently get very high marks on this board. POFQ is smaller, and seems to be easier to get around, and has a Mardi Gras theme. POR has a southern theme with 2 different areas (Magnolia Bend - antebellum mansions; Alligator Bayou - more "Tom Sawyer"), and is a larger resort. They have a few more amenities there, such as quiet pools, boating, fishing, etc. POR also has a food court and a sit-down restaurant (Boatwright's), while POFQ only has the food court.

I haven't stayed in either of these, but will likely be trying POFQ during the first weekend of December. I have stayed in CBR, and enjoyed it - but obviously the Caribbean theme is completely different!

Two of the deluxe resorts to consider would be Animal Kingdom Lodge or Wilderness Lodge. Both have a lot of activities for kids (adults, too ), and are more "moderately" priced. A standard room at either would run you $199/night (before tax) in value season. If you have AAA, that can be another avenue for possible savings - have your TA check for AAA rates, or call Disney and ask them if they have availability.

The AKL is incredible, and I'll be trying out WL during early December, too. I agree with the above posters that early December would be a great time to go!

I hope this helps in your decision. Beyond these boards, another great spot for information on all the resorts is www.allearsnet.com.

Happy planning!

 

[Minnie1156]

When my kids were not in school I went in May. Right around Mothers Day. It was not crowded and it was warm enough to swim too. I loved it. Now I go in the summer because my son and I work in schools and can not get off in May.


Leaving in 4 days Hooray!!

 

[dbanzai]

I go often in November (for my birthday) and/or March (Spring training). It's a great way to usher in or escape the cold weather here on the NE Corridor, and for that same reason I would contemplate going in January as well. At least in November or March you seem to have lass worries about being grounded for inclimate weather.

If your children are baseball fans (maybe the 4 year old is or will be?), then March can be special. The Braves use Disney's WWoS for their spring training games, and it's a great time to watch and to get autographs and meet players.

I've stayed at the Carribean Beach Resort (CBR)and loved it. It is big but there is a resort bus. This November we're staying at Port Orleans French Quartr (POFQ), which we chose over PO Riverside. The size of POFQ, the pool and the fact that the buses stop here first were our deciding factors.

 

[rcraw45425]

October is great and there is the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party on several nights. This is a hard ticket event, the park closes to non party guests at 6PM, Halloween Party starts at 7, goes to midnight. Really fun, trick or treat stations with candy, characters in costumes, special parade and fireworks shows. Limited tickets so you don't feel so pushed by people. February is nice too. Also, if you plan to stay for several days or make more than one trip in a year it might be worth one of the adults investing in an annual pass. You get discounts on hotel rooms, (typically $100 a night off Deluxes, $50 off Moderates, maybe $25 off value). This also entitles you to purchase the Disney Dining Experience (DDE) card for $50, gives 20% off at table service restaurants in the hotels and parks. There are other benefits as well.

 

[iloverags2]

We've found the first two weeks of December are quiet around WDW, plus it's considered value season, so you'll get more bang for your buck at the resorts. If you want to splurge close to the $200/night rule, Wilderness Lodge value season rates for a standard room are $199/night. It's convenient to Magic Kingdom with a boat launch over there, plus is a great place to relax (and quite beautiful too).

If you want to save a little more money, check out a moderate resort. We prefer either Port Orleans Riverside (which has an awesome pool and a great food court) or Caribbean Beach Resort (which has a beautiful lake a grounds). The rates at the moderates during value season start at $134/night.

The rates listed are all rack rates, so if you find a current code (discount) you might do even better.

 

[Zandy595]

It only takes us two hours to drive to WDW so we've been there different times of the year. My FAVORITE time of year to go to WDW is early November (try to avoid Veteran's Day weekend though).
Dec, Jan and Feb - You can't count on the weather to be warm enough to swim.
March and April - The parks can be crowded for spring breaks.
May - Can be very hot.
June and July are very hot and crowded because of school being out for the summer. June 1st is the beginning of hurricane season.
Aug, Sept and Oct - Peak hurricane season and hot.

So that leaves November. Hurricane season is over and it's cooler, but still warm enough to swim. And the parks aren't usually crowded the first couple weeks of November. March, April and early May can be nice too, as long as you avoid spring break weeks, but it's hard to know when they are.

 

[MnMike]

thank you all for your responses. I am getting a lot of useful information.

 

[scrappinstevie]

We're from ND and like to visit FL in the winter also. We've found the best time to go is right after Thanksgiving up to the week of Christmas. The Christmas decorations are very magical and the weather is nice. We've found January to be very unpredictable and sometimes downright freezing cold! The crowds at this time are minimal. We've stayed in a variety of resorts but if your getting airfare for free, why not splurge a bit for a moderate or deluxe resort? We have LOVED the Carribean Beach Resort-very family friendly and quiet rooms(we stayed in Trinidad North, a preferred location close to the food, gift shop, mail pool). The bus service is very efficient and it seems close to all the parks. Its a large resort with a main pool and each building has a quiet pool-every time we went to the quiet pool we were the only people there...and this was usually in the late afternoons. We felt very comfortable there and felt it was a good value for the price. I'd also have to suggest a monorail resort with 2 little ones-very easy to get to where you want to go that way. I wouldn't highly recommend the Wilderness Lodge-being from the upper midwest, the theme wasn't really our style. We prefer a beach-y feel for our FL vacations. It just didn't have the Deluxe feel of say the Poly resort. I'd suggest choosing your resort based on the theme your family likes best. Hope this helps. Have a great trip!

 

[sanibelover]

November is a nice time but be sure to avoid Jersey week - usually early Nov. It is VERY busy. (nothing against folks from Jersey, just not a quiet time in the parks)

The weather can be dicey in Jan, but it is usually quiet.

We are checking out Sept this year (hubby has a conference) - could be hot, could have a hurricane... we'll just have to wait and see.

ANY holiday - including Election Day - makes a difference in crowds so also be sure to avoid all holidays. Sound trickey - it is, but it's so worth it to go when it is less crowded.