Help me decide when to return

[rchampagne]

I need your help determining when to return to Disney. We live in New England. We don't like our two kids to miss school. Here are our 3 options:

a) mid August 2019.
PROs: Cheapest resort/ticket prices, and cheapest flights. Kids miss no school. Crowds aren't horrible.
CONs: The heat. We've done August trips to Disney the past 3 years.... would like to try something new.

b) mid December 2019.
PROs: We're currently booked bounceback with free dining. Flights are fairly cheap. Would be nice to walk around the parks in cooler weather. Christmas decorations and activities.
CONs: Kids would miss 2.5 days of school. Resort and tickets are more expensive. Crowds a lot heavier than what we're used to. Possibility of being too cold to swim.

c) April vacation 2020.
PROs: Crowds aren't horrible. Weather is nice. Kids don't miss any school.
CONs: Flights are expensive because it's school vacation week. Date seems SO far away.

Thanks for your help.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Ugh, that's a tough one. We've gone all three of those times. We really like August due to the low crowds. This past August, the heat didn't really bother me that much (we swam every day). But I do understand wanting to go at a different time of the year as I like to experience different seasons in WDW. Although your kids would miss 2.5 days of school, I really prefer going mid-December over Spring Break periods. We've gone mid-December for 3 years and the crowds really aren't bad. We've also lucked out with very good weather. The Christmas decorations and activities are really amazing and, for me, make up for any uptick in crowds you may experience over going in August. In spring, although I love the EP F&W festival, it just doesn't make up for the crowds the way Christmas does. So, if you want to try something new, I would do December. There is nothing like Disney at Christmas!

 

[rstevens333]

April 2020 feels like a million years away, but Star Wars would be open if your kids enjoy that.

 

[marchingstar]

I voted december. Depending on your dates, missing 2.5 days of school might not mean missing a ton of content (if it’s right before their break, lots of classes are winding down anyways).

Paying a bit more for a new experience (park decorations, etc) seems worth it to me.

 

[Eve & Wall-e]

I voted for Christmas. It's Christmas at WDW!!

 

[Networth]

April, less crowds than Dec 2019 and the weather is still nice.

 

[delgrec]

December. Another pro is that star wars land should be open. We were originally booked for August but now doing dec 20-29 2019

 

[cinnaminny]

I loved going in August, but there is something about Disney and Christmas. So I voted December!

 

[CynBeth]

December!

 

[goofyintoronto]

I voted for December. Christmas at disney is magical. And since you get the DP, that's another little bonus.

 

[vinotinto]

How old are the kids? If they are in Middle School or High School, they will have projects and final exams right before the December break. That would be like the worst time to pull them off school. If they are little, then they just have parties during the last few days and that would be a great time to pull them off school.

 

[rchampagne]

How old are the kids? If they are in Middle School or High School, they will have projects and final exams right before the December break. That would be like the worst time to pull them off school. If they are little, then they just have parties during the last few days and that would be a great time to pull them off school.

They'll be in 8th and 6th grade. This year, the school system has a half day on Wednesday and then Thurs-Fri off, with Christmas being the following Tuesday. I'm hoping they'll do the same thing next year (Christmas falls on Wednesday). But good point... I'll pay attention this year to see how much work they have those last few days before Christmas break.

 

[Farro]

So I vote April.

August will be gross humidity, stifling.

December - I love Christmas decorations, we go crazy here at home, but they change the regular music at the parks to Christmas music and I don't like that. I want to hear my regular parks music while I'm there. Also, I don't want to miss Christmas season at home. And it was cold while we were there on our last trip (freak cold snap in October) and nothing kills my Disney spirit like walking around in jeans and a jacket!

April will have Flower and Garden at Epcot which I hear is exceptional. Nice weather. Star Wars will be open.
We are going May of 2020 (knock wood) and while it does seem far away, really it will go so fast! We are deciding on hotels now, picking exact dates. It's almost Christmas, so that will keep your mind busy, then it's the new year and in a few months you can really start planning!

 

[Wild4Walt]

If you are Star Wars fans - my vote is for April 2020. I also think the weather should be good and you should also be able to get some pool time in.

 

[Wayland10]

I'm planning my next trip for August rather than December or April in hopes of avoiding the Star Wars crowds!