If you Could Only Go on Thanksgiving, Christmas or Spring Break

[julluvsdisney]

Thanksgiving! We have done it 3 times now and love it! decorations are up and everything is so festive! But crowds are still manageable! We will be there the day before thanksgiving to the Wednesday after this year! I cant wait!

 

[RAD]

I'd vote Christmas just because of all the holiday stuff that happens. Yea it's more crowded but IMHO all the holiday happenings help make you forget about that down side.

 

[Alfalfa]

We've been during all three and Thanksgiving week has been less crowded than Spring Break or Christmas.

 

[TandLMommy28]

I would pick Spring Break. Everyone's Thanksgiving and Christmas is the same week but Spring Breaks are pretty spread out. For example, the town over from us is on Spring Break this week. We are next week. My aunt lives in New England and her spring break is still 4.5 weeks away. Overall that means each spring break week shouldn't be nearly as crowded as a week EVERYONE has off the same. Just my theory, anyway.

 

[karly05]

Depends on when your Spring Break is. If it's tied to Easter, no way. But Spring Breaks are spread out all over the country, so if I had one that was not overlapping with Easter, I'd probably try that. No way would I do Christmas break, unless I was someone who went to WDW multiple times a year and didn't mind going for a visit where I spent most of my time just "hanging out."

 

[prune1977]

Christmas

 

[Flamingeaux]

Another vote for Thanksgiving. It has the right combination of things. You can get free dining, the weather is usually pretty good, the Christmas decorations are up and DW & I have our birthdays in late November. Also for our extended family we can only get together for one holiday and it is Christmas.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I would love to see the Christmas decorations, but I would feel funny being away on Christmas itself, so I would choose Thanksgiving.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

If I had never been during the holiday time to see the lights, I would definitely choose Thanksgiving. I'd take advantage of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party to do Magic Kingdom during a party when it won't be as crowded. I'd do the Candlelight Processional and see some of the storytellers form Holidays Around the World. I'd also look forward to the Osborne Lights at DHS.

If I had done the holiday season before, I'd opt for Spring Break. I absolutely love Disney in the spring! The Flower and Garden Festival just makes Epcot absolutely beautiful. I love the Flower Power Concert Series and am looking forward to it even though they changed the theme. Spring is just lovely with the flowers in bloom and the weather can't be beat.

I would never go over Christmas. Highest crowds of the year and no parties to help you see one of the parks in lighter crowds. Weather can be very unpredictable, as well.

 

[nicki.momof3]

We are also DVC and we only travel to WDW during Easter and Christmas / New years weeks. We go twice a year. We always hit Easter week and we alternate between Christmas and New Years.

You are experienced WDW travelers so you will be fine with the crowds. I assume you are at the point we are (travel often) that if you miss something you know you always have the next trip.

Our #1 favorite time of the year is Christmas. There is nothing more magical than WDW at the holidays. There is so much to do and see you will be blown away. Standing in the street at Osbourne Lights with snow coming down on you takes your breath away. 99% of our December trips have had great weather. Shorts during the day, pants and a hoodie and night. Some years can be pretty cold at night though. New Years Eve at Epcot is so fun. We have 3 kids 10,11,12 and they loved it this year.

Easter week - Epcot flower and garden festival is lovely. Weather is always great. Wonderful second choice to Christmas.

My bet is once you go in April or December you will ditch June - to hot and sweaty.

 

[staceyrhood]

I have lived here (in Celebration next to Disney) for 14 years...if I ever moved and came back to visit out of your 3 choices it would be Thanksgiving for sure! You can see all the Christmas decorations, weather is usually still nice, and crowds are better than the other 2 choices. The 2nd week of March-mid April is all spring break season, it is not fun, and Christmas week is by far the busiest week of the year.

 

[IheartRapunzel]

I went during my spring break this year. March 7-13. I was expecting big crowds but it wasn't bad at all. The weather was beautiful as well. Like others said, everyone has different spring breaks. Although this trip was the first time I can say I was happy to be going home. Eveything was great until our very last day. That's when I noticed the "spring breakers" the most. I saw these kids throwing rocks at the buses, running through the flowers at Epcot...in general they were just being rude and loud. Yes, I was there for spring break myself but noway would I ever even dream about behaving that way.
Also I really didn't have a choice of when I got to go. This trip was a present from my bf (now fiancé!) as college students we don't get much time off. So for us spring break was the best choice.

 

[puffkin]

Thanksgiving. We went this past Thanksgiving and it was a great trip. If you can extend your trip into the weekend after Thanksgiving, you will be able to catch the first Candlelight Processionals and a MVMCP if you want. But other than that, most of the Christmas stuff is happening during Thanksgiving week and the crowds weren't bad at all. Also, being DVC, the points were a lot less than the other times as well.

 

[hakepb]

I enjoyed Christmas this year, but it was more of a "bonus trip" between summer trips to DL and WDW.
I have a hard time recommending Christmas week as an only trip of the year.

If Spring Break means the week before or after Easter...I'd forget it.
If Spring Break is some other week in March, it might be at the top of the list.

Thanksgiving week is quite busy, too. I don't think crowds are lesser than summer.

 

[MinnieMSue]

We are going this year the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and returning home the Monday after. I know the Christmas Party at MK is that Sunday night - does anyone think there will be a Candlelight processional during that time (but not that Sunday)? Have been wanting to experience this season and my DD's thanksgiving break is extra long this year so we absolutely had to shcedule this trip!

 

[puffkin]

We are going this year the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and returning home the Monday after. I know the Christmas Party at MK is that Sunday night - does anyone think there will be a Candlelight processional during that time (but not that Sunday)? Have been wanting to experience this season and my DD's thanksgiving break is extra long this year so we absolutely had to shcedule this trip!

In 2014 the first Candlelight Processional and the Holidays Around the World Storytellers started on Black Friday. I would plan for something similar this year as well as I think that is pretty standard. You should know by early summer though when they start selling the packages.

We went to MK Thanksgiving Day (busy as expected) and then did Cirque Thanksgiving night (they were giving good discounts). Then we went back to MK Black Friday morning and it was absolutely dead until lunch time. One of the least busy times I have EVER been in MK, and we go a lot. We did Epcot that night for the Storytellers and it was very quiet over there too.

 

[itchin2go]

We went Thanksgiving week 2014. I was VERY worried about crowd levels, but it was great! Really, we didn't notice a difference between Thanksgiving crowds and January or October crowds. We do rope drop, and got TONS of stuff done with little to no trouble.

We ate Thanksgiving dinner at the Brown Derby. They, and many other restaurants, have special Thanksgiving menus. We saw Osborne lights afterward. It was SO festive - the highlight of the trip.

I wouldn't hesitate to go during Thanksgiving again.

 

[mitchwebb]

We have been twice for Thanksgiving, once for day after Christmas thru New Years and we will be there week after Easter this year. Love the Christmas decorations and know i will miss them and the weather this year. Not a fan of hot weather but
our DDs wanted to be able to go to the pools and waterparks. I know people will think I'm crazy but we had a blast over New Years. We always have a hard time coming up with something fun with three Girls
at different ages. We had so much fun NYE and still had a couple days of Christmas decorations.

We will see how Spring break goes.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

Christmas. Can't imagine not spending Christmas in Disney. We've done it the past 5 out of 6 years and I can't imagine not being there.

 

[wdw4rfam]

We are going thanksgiving this year. But have done Christmas and spring break and spring break was less crowded than Christmas, Christmas was the worst crowds I have ever seen.