NY vs President's Day vs late June

[EllNat11]

We currently have reservations for 12/29-1/4 (Coronado/AOA split stay). The closer we get I'm starting to worry about the crowds - we have a 7 year old and I don't want it to be miserable for her.

Our other options for this year would be to move the trip to President's Day week (2/15-22) or the last week of June (6/27-7/4).

I feel like none of these are great options between crowds and/or the heat.

Which of these timeframes would be the best bet? My kiddo is a great traveler, pretty patient, and when we went last May did 7AM to Midnight several times per her own request (She ran us both into the ground!) That said, I don't want it to be a bust of a trip.

Just hoping for some advice / feedback from others who have experienced these times. Thanks!

 

[yulilin3]

From the 3 options NY will be the most crowded one. Obviously the heat is a factor in June/July
All up to you, crowds really don't bother me at all, I actually embrace it and love the craziness of it. Plus the holiday decor and atmosphere helps
Crowds don't have to be a huge factor in your trip if you are ok with them and know what you are getting into. Plan accordingly, rope drop/stay late. Take a break in park or back in the room, whatever preference

 

[mamaofsix]

Have you been during the Christmas season before? If not, I would go at NY! Sure, it's crowded. But the decor, extra entertainment, atmosphere, etc., cannot compare to any other time of year. Your other two choices will also be crowded, just not as much so. And they will lack that Christmas magic

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

If she's already primed for crowds given the last trip, I say go ahead and keep the reservations. What kind of tickets do you have?

In all honesty, as long as you have a good plan that navigates the crowding, it'll be fine. For instance: Animal Kingdom is likely to be the least crowded of the parks on NYE (though extra magic hours may throw a wrench into that convention this year). But because AK closes earlier than the other parks, it may be worth considering hopping over to MK even though that will be/have been the most crowded park (sometimes even closes to capacity that day, but can reopen later in the afternoon evening). And the reason I suggest this is because you know your kid can stay up late and watch the second show of fireworks. If you don't have hopper, then for NYE either get to MK early and stay knowing the risk of it reaching capacity or just go to another park.

On another note, my personal alternative would be President's Day week. I went to WDW that week just this year. It was crowded but not unbearably so. I did all of the attractions I wanted (save for SDD but could have if I didn't have an After Hours the night before and wasn't too tired to rope drop it). The trickiest part is going to be the Princess runs at the end of the week and needing to account for those. You may have to get up earlier to plan transportation around that to get to the parks at the time you'd like. But i didn't notice any delays myself, but not having been there often enough I wouldn't know the difference tbh.

 

[yulilin3]

If she's already primed for crowds given the last trip, I say go ahead and keep the reservations. What kind of tickets do you have?

In all honesty, as long as you have a good plan that navigates the crowding, it'll be fine. For instance: Animal Kingdom is likely to be the least crowded of the parks on NYE (though extra magic hours may throw a wrench into that convention this year). But because AK closes earlier than the other parks, it may be worth considering hopping over to MK even though that will be/have been the most crowded park (sometimes even closes to capacity that day, but can reopen later in the afternoon evening). And the reason I suggest this is because you know your kid can stay up late and watch the second show of fireworks. If you don't have hopper, then for NYE either get to MK early and stay knowing the risk of it reaching capacity or just go to another park.

On another note, my personal alternative would be President's Day week. I went to WDW that week just this year. It was crowded but not unbearably so. I did all of the attractions I wanted (save for SDD but could have if I didn't have an After Hours the night before and wasn't too tired to rope drop it). The trickiest part is going to be the Princess runs at the end of the week and needing to account for those. You may have to get up earlier to plan transportation around that to get to the parks at the time you'd like. But i didn't notice any delays myself, but not having been there often enough I wouldn't know the difference tbh.

Just a reminder that AK is actually staying open until midnight for the first time every on NYE. But I do agree this will be the least crowded of all the parks on that particular day

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

Just a reminder that AK is actually staying open until midnight for the first time every on NYE. But I do agree this will be the least crowded of all the parks on that particular day

I guess Disney hasn't updated their site, which is par for the course. Really wish they'd stop playing these games with their park hours.

 

[yulilin3]

I guess Disney hasn't updated their site, which is par for the course. Really wish they'd stop playing these games with their park hours.

it's updated been for a while. They actually announced weeks ago that there will be a brand new celebration at AK specifically for NYE https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/calendars/five-day/2019-12-31/

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

it's updated been for a while. They actually announced weeks ago that there will be a brand new celebration at AK specifically for NYE https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/calendars/five-day/2019-12-31/

I just realized I was looking at the wrong day.

 

[EllNat11]

Thanks all for your feedback! I've been at Christmas (well, Thanksgiving but the decor was up) once, but my daughter was 10 months old and doesn't remember it.

I think we'll stick with New Years. Additionally, I have been stalking rooms and managed to swap out Coronado for a room at the Contemporary this morning for the first half of our trip - so that alleviates some of my concerns regarding crowded transport on 12/30 and 12/31.

 

[NoTime42]

Thanks all for your feedback! I've been at Christmas (well, Thanksgiving but the decor was up) once, but my daughter was 10 months old and doesn't remember it.

I think we'll stick with New Years. Additionally, I have been stalking rooms and managed to swap out Coronado for a room at the Contemporary this morning for the first half of our trip - so that alleviates some of my concerns regarding crowded transport on 12/30 and 12/31.

Nice! A monorail would be far superior to any car or bus transport madness on NYE.