New job, need a new time to visit WDW!

[DizneyLizzy]

I'm a private school teacher switching to public school. We usually go to WDW during the second week in March over my spring break or for a few days before Christmas week. We always got out of school the first week of June, and didn't have to make up snow days since we aren't accountable to the state. It was great bc we always knew when our last day of school would be. One year we left on June 7th right after the last day of school, and it was great!

Turns out my public school schedule will involve a lot less flexibility. My spring break will always be the week before Easter, and I won't be able to schedule summer vacations until after about June 20th (the latest we can be in school in case of added snow days). Teachers go back to school for meetings the 3rd week in August, and my Christmas break won't start until Christmas Eve. Taking time off isn't an option, as I'll only have 2 personal days per year that cannot be combined with holidays or long weekends.

So here's what I'll be left with...let me know what week you recommend for the 2014-2015 school year:

Summer (after June 20th through the second week of August)
Easter week (the week before/leading up to Easter)

I don't see the week between Christmas and New Years as an option...that is too scary. Ha.

 

[scoker]

Touring plans and Easy WDW have slightly different crowd level numbers but both show the second week in August as having the lowest crowds out of the dates you are looking at. If the heat is not an issue that is the week I would pick. If hot humid weather is not your thing that Spring Break and a really good plan is what you will need.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

Touring plans and Easy WDW have slightly different crowd level numbers but both show the second week in August as having the lowest crowds out of the dates you are looking at. If the heat is not an issue that is the week I would pick. If hot humid weather is not your thing that Spring Break and a really good plan is what you will need.

I was kind of thinking that might be our best option. I would rather go June 20th as soon as school is over rather than right before I go back, but if the crowds are lowest the second week in August, maybe the prices are too. It's hard not knowing for certain when the school year will end. It could be June 9th...but it could be June 20th or anytime in between depending on snow days. Easter is just so darn expensive...and crowded. I also thought that by August, my body would be more acclimatized to heat and humidity than in June

 

[gonnago]

We were just there the week leading up to Easter Sunday(DDIL is a teacher also) it was crowded but wasn't as bad as I had prepared everyone to think it was going to be,the worst day was at MK on that Thurs.,I would think the summer crowds would be worse and much hotter(humid) than that week.I could never go in the summer months due to health reasons so we were limited on when we could go. It is expensive that's for sure but luckily DDIL's parents gave them a week at their timeshare at no cost so you can't beat free lodging in a 2 bedroom,2 bath, full kitchen and living room and W/D.We always went to RD and went back to resort around noon for the grandkids to nap and we ate most meals there to save money. We did do a few character meals though.

I would prefer Thanksgiving week over Easter personally and it is a little cheaper Thanksgiving than it is on Easter.

 

[leebee]

So your spring break moves around depending on the date of Easter? That's annoying… sometimes Easter is early, sometimes it's late. I wouldn't like that! I am in New England so we get the 3rd week of February and the 3rd week of April off for vacation (basically the weeks of Patriot's Day and President's Day). We don't have a fixed "last possible day of school," though, and some schools around here didn't get out until June 24! It all depends on the snow days!

 

[dbramer]

I'm a public school teacher and we are planning for the second week of August, maybe we can swing the latter part of the week and into the third week. Have to go when we can. I think we are due back after the 20th this summer, so going by that date we could do 8th - 17th.

We know it will be hot, but the crowds are less intense.

 

[MattRyan]

Go as late in August as you can, I did it for two years in a row and loved it.

 

[Aliceacc]

We're both teachers. We go over summer, and love it!!!

The days are endless... the parks open early and stay open until late at night.

As you can see from my ticker, we tend to go around the beginning of August. One year we went at the end of August, and arrived home two days before school started. I hated it; I love starting the school year well rested, and Disney is anything but restful.

 

[Sheaboys]

Odd that your spring break goes around Easter. Breaks are Christmas Break, which is Christmas eve through January 2nd. If the 2nd is on a Friday or Saturday, they will not open until Monday. February break is always the week of Presidents Day, and April break is always the 3rd week.
We can go to school as late as June 30th, or whenever the 180th day falls, and we go back the Tuesday before Labor Day.

We were supposed to get out the 13th, ended up being the 19th. Teachers go back the 26th and kids the 27th of August. We are going to Disneyworld 8/16-8/26.

 

[alicat8]

Teacher schedules stink for Disney. Late August is best from what I've found. April break used to be good when they didn't back it up to Easter, but now that they're doing that, it will be packed. This year I'm going Aug 14th for 9 days.

 

[Andeevan]

We've tried Easter week and the end ofJune and found that we'd much rather deal with the heat in summer than deal with the crazy crowds during Easter. Magic Kingdom was so crowded by the end of that week that you could barely move. We're trying the middle of August this year because the prices were cheaper and it looked like the crowds will be less.

 

[KathyK]

I used to work in pharmaceuticals, and I became a public school teacher 10 years ago. Gone were the days of going mid-March or early October, or heading out for a weekend for the F&W festival.

We try to go as late in August as possible. But then we buy APs, so the next trip is July so that we get 2 years' of trips out of 1 set of APs. The crowds in August are generally much better than those in July.

 

[lucyem]

We are in the same situation. Coming from New England we had Feb vacation and April Vacation (always 3rd week of April). It was great in April as long as it was not a late Easter. Now we are moving south. We too are stuck with only one vacation tied to the week before Easter Our choices for a full week are Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and summer.

Our rough plan is to work in long weekends (we drive). We will go some Easter weeks, but on late Easter years when there won't be so much overlap with the March spring break people. Summer trips will eventually be worked in. I don't do heat well at all. I'm already planning the rest of this summer after the move inside with central air.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

Even though early August crowds may be lower than late June, I would so much rather kick off my summer with a Disney vacation rather than come back from a Disney vacation and start the school year. I can't imagine coming home from a trip on August 17th and going back to school for teacher meetings the very next day. Yikes! We did a June 7th-11th trip in 2013, and it wasn't terrible crowd or heat wise. Similar crowds to my March spring break, but hotter.

I think we'll wait and see how snowy next winter is, and then see if we can do a mid-June trip. We'll have to wait until early March to plan our trip, but that's still early enough for FP+, and we never make ADRs way ahead of time. If it's late February and we've already had enough snow days to put us in school until the 20th, then we'll give August a try.

Thanks!

 

[alicat8]

Even though early August crowds may be lower than late June, I would so much rather kick off my summer with a Disney vacation rather than come back from a Disney vacation and start the school year. I can't imagine coming home from a trip on August 17th and going back to school for teacher meetings the very next day. Yikes! We did a June 7th-11th trip in 2013, and it wasn't terrible crowd or heat wise. Similar crowds to my March spring break, but hotter.

I think we'll wait and see how snowy next winter is, and then see if we can do a mid-June trip. We'll have to wait until early March to plan our trip, but that's still early enough for FP+, and we never make ADRs way ahead of time. If it's late February and we've already had enough snow days to put us in school until the 20th, then we'll give August a try.

Thanks!

June 7th is really early and before major crowds. We don't get out to til the end of June. The end of August is the only way to beat a hundred degrees AND a million people for the NE schedule. It's not the best to go right back to school, but it does keep you from working in your room for weeks before school starts