January or April 2021?

[jtntx34]

I think I’ve lost my mind. It happens any time I go to Disney. I get home and think, “That’s that. I’ve gotten my Disney fix, and now I’m good for a while.” Then, it happens. I suddenly find myself dreaming about my next vacation and Disney comes to mind.

I am trying not to take any big vacations in 2020, but I was thinking of doing a cruise with possible added park time in 2021 in with January or April (after Easter is over).

To me, I’m thinking the weather at the parks could be iffy in January, so I’m leaning towards April. I was wondering if anyone here had input to crowds and weather those times of year. I’d be taking my mom with me who will be 77 at time of travel.

Our other options would be a DCL cruise out of Galveston since we could drive to the port and avoid flights or cruise on another line (we like Princess). There are so many options if I think of it all at once. I don’t know why I do this to myself!

 

[fredandkell]

While January will be cheaper, the weather in April is definitely nicer if you can afford the increased price. Also if you’re flying there is a chance of delays due to snow storms in January that you probably won’t have an April. However that being said, I would not hesitate to book a cruise in January.

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

I think I’ve lost my mind. It happens any time I go to Disney. I get home and think, “That’s that. I’ve gotten my Disney fix, and now I’m good for a while.” Then, it happens. I suddenly find myself dreaming about my next vacation and Disney comes to mind.

I am trying not to take any big vacations in 2020, but I was thinking of doing a cruise with possible added park time in 2021 in with January or April (after Easter is over).

To me, I’m thinking the weather at the parks could be iffy in January, so I’m leaning towards April. I was wondering if anyone here had input to crowds and weather those times of year. I’d be taking my mom with me who will be 77 at time of travel.

Our other options would be a DCL cruise out of Galveston since we could drive to the port and avoid flights or cruise on another line (we like Princess). There are so many options if I think of it all at once. I don’t know why I do this to myself!

I thought I got my fix too but I find myself trying to plan my next trip already. I have a 2021 cruise on the Magic in April. I chose it mainly because it's during my birthday day and I'm a Tangled fan (Rapunzel's Royal Table is all about celebrating her birthday and would be fun to say I'm celebrating mine too...or tell her we share one if I get that restaurant on my birthday).

But as the PP said, I'm not sure the drawbacks they mention would nix the possibility of a January trip if I wasn't doing a cruise specifically to match my b-day.

 

[spiders]

The weather at the parks isn't bad in January but there is a lot of construction during January/February. It is less crowded but I've also seen them artificially inflate wait times. By that, I mean the last time we went in February they were only running one side of Space Mountain.

Someone mentioned flight delays in January -- yeah there is winter weather but April isn't a picnic either. There's pop-up thunderstorms in April that cause major disruptions in the southeast.

There's pros & cons to everything. Do what you think is best. We've been every month and any trip is what you make of it.

 

[motherdaughtercruisers]

April is PERFECT for the parks! My mom (57 the time) and I (20 at the time) went and there were no lines! I rode Mount Everest back to back to back like 4 times without even waiting in line. Just exited and then walked right back on! Highly recommend! But make sure to time it right between spring breaks and Easter. The weather is perfect too! Slight chill in the morning, so a light windbreaker that is packable is more than perfect! We also got a good deal on a room at Port Orleans. Can not recommend April enough!

For reference, we went around April 25, 2013. I think the only thing we noticed that was not as great as it usually is was there seemed to be fewer buses running, so it took longer to get from the resort to the parks. However, this was our first time staying at Port Orleans, so it could always be slower than the other resorts we are accustomed to like Animal Kingdom Lodge, Polynesian Resort, etc. we just had no point of reference for that resort specifically.

In January, you are running a risk of not knowing whether it would be a warm January or a freezing January (we’ve experienced both). So still recommend April!

 

[Ralph&Pam]

In January, it’s best to avoid the marathon weekend. Otherwise, crowds thin out after the New Year celebration. In 2021, New Years Day will be a Friday, so it may still be busy through that weekend as well.

As noted for April, avoid the week before and week after Easter. In 2021, Easter Sunday is April 4th, so a good portion of the month after the 11th should be good.

 

[belle032]

I'd choose January over April. But I also factor in it's winter and I'm ready for a vacation. Which is why we have a cruise booked in 2 weeks!

Right after New Year's is a great, less-crowded time to go. Weather can be hit or miss but most of the time it is sweatshirt & jeans type weather. Prices should be a little lower, restaurants easier to get into, etc. Water parks will probably be closed (if that matters to you!) and there probably will be some maintenance happening, but even so, I'd go with January.

In April & May, you're going to get Spring Break season and considering every region usually has different dates for that, those months get quite busy. But in the end, do whatever works best for you!

 

[SnappySerape]

I think Ralph&Pam hit the nail on the head. Watchout for marathon weekend in Jan and Easter in April. The only other thing I'd add is that the Cheerleading World Championship has been held towards the end of April at the WWoS. I would personally choose the middle/end of January. Even when its 61 degrees out, being out in the sun can definitely warm you up!

 

[jtntx34]

Thanks for all of the replies. My problem now is that I had wanted to do park plus cruise but now see that is more difficult than anticipated. I wanted a four day cruise but park days during the week not the weekend which is not possible. Now, I must ponder further.

My biggest issue is that I’ll be taking my mom with me who will be 77, so I can’t plan anything too strenuous. I might have to just pick park OR cruise, and I know the cruise is much easier for Mom. But the parks offer more variety. Ugh. Pondering makes my head hurt.

 

[MomOTwins]

I would do April for sure. We've had the bad luck of hitting a cold snap at Disney World before and it is brutal being out in the parks the 40s, especially since it gets dark so early. Plus, I like to swim at Castaway Cay and cold water just doesn't work for me. Not to mention cruising in peak norovirus/cold and flu season is stressful.