Help with crowd levels, please

[GoDeacs]

We are booked for August 4-12, staying at the Polynesian for the first time. Now my husband thinks he wants to move it to the week of Thanksgiving, November 18-26, still at the Poly, so the weather will be cooler. I am just afraid the crowds will be much larger at Thanksgiving, but he says they will be the same. With 4 kids, ages 9, 8, 6 and 1, and two with special needs, smaller crowds are better. Please let me know which time you think would be least busy of those two weeks. Thanks for your help!!!

 

[outahere]

We are booked for August 4-12, staying at the Polynesian for the first time. Now my husband thinks he wants to move it to the week of Thanksgiving, November 18-26, still at the Poly, so the weather will be cooler. I am just afraid the crowds will be much larger at Thanksgiving, but he says they will be the same. With 4 kids, ages 9, 8, 6 and 1, and two with special needs, smaller crowds are better. Please let me know which time you think would be least busy of those two weeks. Thanks for your help!!!

The crowd levels at Thanksgiving are very high (think 9 out of a possible 10). The first week in August is also high (7 - 8 out of 10), but the weather in August can be (and usually is) extremely hot and humid with almost daily afternoon thunderstorms. If you go in August, I would definitely suggest daily pool breaks to cool off.

Here is a website that forecasts crowd levels and in my experience has been pretty accurate. They also have a lot of good info about WDW.

http://www.easywdw.com/

 

[StacyMarie]

We go in August every year. Stayed at the Poly in 2010. It was PERFECT for going back to the resort every afternoon for a swim for a few hours. We would get to whatever park that day at opening, go hard until lunch, and then go back to the resort every afternoon for 3-4 hours and swim/relax. After it cooled down, we would venture back into the parks for the evening. The Poly is perfect for that, especially with MK and Epcot right on the monorail. I would pick August over Thanksgiving any day!!!!

 

[ThreeKMom]

Any possibility of going the last week in August or the week after Thanksgiving?

We have been both of these weeks and didn't have bad crowds at either time.
When we were there the last week of August (2011) it rained every day - but that helped to cool things down. And when we were there the week after Thanksgiving (2010) it was cold at night!

Hope this helps.

 

[GoDeacs]

Thanks for the help so far! The reason we picked those two weeks are because we got such a great deal from the travel agency for those weeks. So afraid I will make the wrong decision!

 

[outahere]

Thanks for the help so far! The reason we picked those two weeks are because we got such a great deal from the travel agency for those weeks. So afraid I will make the wrong decision!

A great deal would definitely make for a tougher decision. I am a little surprised that you were able to get any kind of a deal for Thanksgiving week. That week, along with Christmas week and the weeks right before and after Easter, are some of the most popular weeks at WDW.

 

[Mcert01]

With 4 kids, ages 9, 8, 6 and 1, and two with special needs, smaller crowds are better.

Disney is really great about accommodating people with special needs. I recommend contacting them prior to the trip to discuss your situation. A friend of mine has a child with pretty severe Autism, and he has said some pretty wonderful things about how Disney has accommodated his son. In fact, it is now about the only place they go on vacation because of all the assistance they receive.

 

[mickeye]

Thanksgiving week is a very high crowd population, NOT good for children with special needs (I'm a pediatric Nurse). Could you swing it one week one way or the other? A week before the Thanksgiving week or the week after, would be an ideal time for your family. The crowds are very low (much lower than any week in Aug,) and the weather is cool.

 

[MickeyNicki]

We stayed at the Poly the week before Thanksgiving, checked in on a Tuesday the week before and left on the Tuesday the week of Thanksgiving. The resort and parks were dead until the Sunday the week of Thanksgiving and then it was totally nuts, tons of people at the resort and the parks.

I would avoid the week of any holiday time.

The one good thing about going that week as opposed to Aug is the weather is much nicer