Help me pick WHEN???

[themudd4]

OKay, I am not a newbie, but the older our kids get the harder it is to find the time to go with out conflicting schedules. My DD13 is a str8 A student, and sports queen....She lives to play basketball, softball, volleyball, run track, cross country...this does not count her Jr. Honor society. (before someone says anything...I do not push her to do anything! She decides what she wants to do and as long as her grades stay up, and she stays out of trouble I will not stop her...also were we live, her friends live several miles apart...so not like they can just run around on their bikes or anything.) She does still have plenty of time to be a teenager!
My DS7, is now starting to get serious about baseball and WRESTLING... another for me! He too makes good grades A's and B's. (I really am blessed to have such great kids!!!)

Anyway...the point behind all of my rambling: Were trying to figure out a good time for our 2008 trip. The kids don't want to miss school or their sports. I understand that. That leaves us with a time frame of maybe 3 weeks in the summer (last two weeks of July, first week of Aug.) All I can think is HOT!!!! All my DH can think about is crowds !

I have read the tour guides, but I wanna hear from my DIS family...How bad is it really? No sugar coating...
Is it bad enough to skip it and pull the kids out for about 4 days (plus a long weekend in April) and let them just be mad!?

 

[jupers]

I'm going at the end of June for my 1st summer trip. However, I'm a teacher in my 2nd year, but I'm older because I'm a career changer, I would give anything to be able to miss school and go on an off time. I miss September vacations so much. If I could I would. How about October?

 

[themudd4]

How about October?

If you look at my sig, I have one planned for this Oct...it is a mini trip over fall break...BUT SHHHHHHH, No one in my family even knows yet! Total secret!
We have been in Oct. in 2002 and LOVED it!!! And would love to go again (for more than the 3 days I have planned this Oct) BUT...this is during girls basketball season and that makes it even harder to take off. That's a double wammy for my DD!

 

[TheDizMom]

We went in mid-August and I am not going to lie it was hotter then H-E- double hockey sticks! It was in the upper 90's and very humid everyday. There was little relief, even at night. It was crowded, but compared to our recent trip the week before Easter it wasn't as bad. Do you have to wait in long hot lines, yes, but use the fast passes as much as possible and if a ride has a really long wait (they post an approximate wait time) try to go back later and try something else. There are plenty of places to duck in and cool down and you can get those misting fans to help. Bring a washcloth or 2 in a ziploc and you can wet it down and use it on the back of your neck and face to cool down too. If it gets to hot you can always go back to your hotel for a while and swim and go back to the parks later. With all that negativity and as miserable as the heat can be, we still had A BLAST and LOVED EVERY MINUTE. Would I go in August again, no, if I could go at a cooler time. If however it was the only time I could go, yes, I would do it again.

 

[Barb D]

Spring Break.

We were there this year and it was VERY crowded, but at least it wasn't as hot as summer.

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

Just like PP said, what about Spring Break?

We have done Disney twice in July. First time it was misery with the heat. We'd be in the parks for a short time and it was so darned humid and hot that the kids just wanted to go back to the resort and swim-not what we came for...we have a pool at home. A number of years later we decided to go in July again (because like labor pains, we forgot over time what it was truly like). HOT HOT HOT! Crowds were no fun either. We don't mind the crowds, but when you put the heat in there too, it really did not make things all that thrilling for us. We vowed never to go back in July again.

On the flip side, if that were my only opportunity to go to Disney or not at all, I'd go. It's still Disney and we love it. But given the choice, we would opt to go during the school year (and do).

 

[themudd4]

We went this year for our spring break and had a great time...The crowds were a lil higher than we would have liked but manageable. Our sping break next year falls the week after Easter. Spring Break + Easter Travelers...YIKES!

 

[jennifer293]

If you look at my sig, I have one planned for this Oct...it is a mini trip over fall break...BUT SHHHHHHH, No one in my family even knows yet! Total secret!
We have been in Oct. in 2002 and LOVED it!!! And would love to go again (for more than the 3 days I have planned this Oct) BUT...this is during girls basketball season and that makes it even harder to take off. That's a double wammy for my DD!

If your DD runs cross country then October is bad too...that is the month before state here. That is why we cannot go to WDW for fall break because DH is a CC coach and he refuses to leave even for a few days..

I will say we went in the middle of July last summer and I found it very comparable to what I have been told H#LL feels like... Now in saying that you can always find the air conditioned rides and the water parks are a LIFE SAVER!!!!

***Congrats on having such well rounded children!!!

 

[blessedby3]

We are going in Jan. of 2008. We always pull the kids out for a week (they are straight A and A/B students) and they have never had a problem getting their work done before we leave. This year my oldest DD's school is going to the block schedule and I am afraid for her to miss a whole week. She will be a senior and now they are finishing a whole years worth of (say English) in a sememster. Im afraid that it will be like missing 2 weeks of school instead of 1 since the class periods are doubled. My kids have 3 days off in Jan. so we are pulling them out for 3 more and heading down in Jan. I would suggest you check your childrens school calendar and find a time that they have 2 or 3 days off for teacher workdays, etc. and add another day or two plus the weekend and go then. We have a couple of days off together in Oct. too, but I am expecting our 4th at the first of Oct. so that wont work for us.

 

[TedraL00]

We went the last week in July last year. Of course like everyone else has said, it is hot. We just made sure to get to the parks an hour before opening and we got several rides in before it got too crowded and then we went back to the hotel for the hottest part of the day. The evenings were still hot, but bareable. I will mention something that I now remember, it did rain most days or have lightening stroms so outdoor rides and shows were cancelled. We waited 2 different nights for Fantasmic, of the four shows only one actually took place. Next time I will just do the dinner package and if it is cancelled, I won't have wasted 2 hours waiting to get a seat and then another hour waiting for the show to start. Good Luck.

 

[themudd4]

***Congrats on having such well rounded children!!!

Thank You! They really are GREAT!!!

 

[badblackpug]

I can't "do" summer any more. Just too hot, and I am just too pale. Are there aany school "vacations" or long weekends planned in your district? Maybe you could just add a few days to that. We are in New Jersey and our kids always have off the week of election day (the NJEA conference is then, too) so we go that week. We leave Friday after school and stay until the following Sunday.

Of course there is always winter break...I have never been, and I heard it is crowded, and expensive, but it has always been a dream of mine to see WDW at that time!

 

[themudd4]

I can't "do" summer any more. Just too hot, and I am just too pale. Are there aany school "vacations" or long weekends planned in your district? Maybe you could just add a few days to that. We are in New Jersey and our kids always have off the week of election day (the NJEA conference is then, too) so we go that week. We leave Friday after school and stay until the following Sunday.

Of course there is always winter break...I have never been, and I heard it is crowded, and expensive, but it has always been a dream of mine to see WDW at that time!

In my op I made mention of April...The kids are out for a Friday and Monday...I could take them out a few days extra...that was the reason behind my asking. If I should suck it up or make the kids...We have been in April and loved it. Just trying to make everyone happy..."NEVER GONNA HAPPEN".
But thanks for all of your alls help and suggestions!