I'm probably insane (March 2016 questions)

[Delphinidae]

So I need a Disney recharge bad. Lately I've been toying with the idea of trying to go during my kids' spring break week, which is the second week of March. I have heard horror stories about spring break at Disney, but is that for the entire months of March and April (since everyone has different breaks) or is it more concentrated to a certain time? I may not be looking in the right spot, but the crowd calendar that I thought I used last time won't let me look at March without subscribing.

I haven't tried looking at resorts or anything else to book yet, which is probably even crazier, but if it's going to be wall to wall people then I don't even want to bother lol.

 

[Best Aunt]

I love going in March - but I avoid Easter. Easter is March 27, 2016.

 

[tcherjen]

We go every year in March. I wanted to start a tradition- we will go every year our youngest is in school for spring break. Going during Spring break doesn't seem anymore crowded to me then any other time I have gone. Granted I am a teacher, so I can only go during school breaks.

 

[Delphinidae]

I have definitely heard Easter is a very crowded time. I have been in late May/early June and while it was crowded, I didn't think it was HORRIBLE. My last trip was in late September and I LOVED it but my oldest is in 7th grade this year and I don't think pulling her out for a week this time would be a good idea. Plus maybe crowds are a little easier to deal with when it isn't quite so hot? As long as we don't have to fight out way through people just to walk 3 feet and we get to do things without waiting forever I'd be good. But the last time I went was in 2012 and there were no Magic Bands or Fastpass + then either, so I have a lot of research to do!

 

[epcotty]

There's usually one most popular Spring Break week, if you can find that out you can tell (if yours is different it won't be as bad)

 

[MermaidMommy]

The second week of March is our Spring Break, too, and it's usually pretty busy -- think summer crowd levels, but not Christmas/Easter crowded.

Interestingly, Josh (of easyWDW.com, a great, free source for crowd calendars and touring plans), has that week at 6 and 7 for crowds, which is lower than the 8 and 9 he had for the same week the last couple of years. Touringplans has the same week at 7-9, so it's hard to say what it will end up being.

But, if you have a good plan -- especially if you take advantage of rope drop -- the crowds are very manageable. And, as a plus, it's usually one of the better times of year for weather.

 

[Maddysdaddy]

My family has gone down over Easter the past two years - this year was the week before and then over Easter, and last year, it was Easter and then the week after.

The crowds were large and the parks packed, but what worked for us was being there for rope drop in the morning, which allowed us to get quite a bit done until 11 or so, head back to the hotel for lunch and spend the afternoon by the pool, and then head back in the evening around 6 or 7, use our 3 FP+'s, watch the parade/fireworks/Fantasmic, following which the crowds thin significantly, and then spend a few more hours riding standby. We've tried being in the parks in the heat of the day, and the crowds and wait times are unbearable.