Possible first trip to WDW, April or October?

[IBLarsen]

Hi Everyone! I have been on the Disneyland side of the DIS boards, but not over here yet..... We were wanting to plan another drip to DLR, however, now we are considering a trip to WDW instead, which we've never been too. I love Disneyland. I'm a little afraid of WDW, it seems overwhelming to me, not having been there. We have two children, DD4 and DS6. I am trying to come up with a tentative time frame for 2010 sometime. My top two choices are Mid April for my 2 childrens birthdays, or October (loved October at DLR).

So what I need from you all is: Any pros/cons to consider for those two time frames? Any preferences and why? Weather/crowds for the two times? How many days in the parks are adequate? I'm thinking 5-6? Also, will I be able to see the electrical parade, Fireworks, Fantasmic in off season? Weekends only? or how does that work?

Sorry for so many questions at once, any comments on any or all of these issues would be great!!!

 

[MomLC]

My favorite time of the year is October but we can no longer pull our 7yr dd out of school to go so this past year we went in April over Easter and it was beautiful. The weather for both months is gorgeous. Not too humid, hardly any rain and the crowds are managable. In October WDW hosts Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party where the MK is open to guests, who purchased tickets to this party at night, and it allows the kids and grown-ups to trick or treat around the MK. The have an amazing Halloween parade. I just love this time of year and looking forward to going back one day soon. I hope this helps with some of your questions. Have fun.

 

[cmusschoot]

Hi, personally I would choose October over April.

April is Spring Break and crowds and prices tend to be higher.

I was there with my family last fall and it was beautiful. Weather was great, warm and few showers. It is also usually the food and wine festival at EPCOT, and if you are like me...I love trying new things. Crowds on the weekends will be higher...I save those days for pool days.

Disney generally offers free dining in the fall if you were interested in that. And, I agree with the previous post that the Halloween Party is fun.

As far as time in the parks is concerned, depending on the length of your stay would determine the days in the park. With 2 little ones, I like to throw 1/2 days in at the parks so you have time to enjoy the "free" things to do...we usually go down for 4-6 days and spend at least 3-4 of the in the parks (some 1/2 days).

Resort character meals (chef mickey's is a favorite), the hotel pool, downtown disney...etc.

Enjoy your planning!!!! Have a magical trip!

 

[buzyanne]

Hi, The Parades and shows are year round. There are changes in the times and shows' The Schedules are on Walt Disney Calanders. The actual Calanders for your trip will come out about 90 days in advance of your trip. I agree with the prior post that April is a very busy time and will have long lines as it is Spring Break.

Disney for the last several years has offered a free dining package if you travel during late August, September and early October. This is a good time to travel there as it does help with the cost. They have multiple levels of hotel's on site and many dining choices. You can review the info and plctures here and on allears.net.

WDW is an expansive park or 4 parks and 2 water parks. I would say that you will need at least 1 day for each of the 4 parks. We also sometimes like to go back to the hotel to swim and relax for a small break. This gives us a new burst of energy for the evening.

When you stay on Disney property there is free transportion from the hotel to the parks.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Funny, I sort of think of wDW as a no-brainer vacation. I know almost exactly what it will cost, I know where I like to dine, know my way around, know the location of nearly all bathrooms....

I'd totally pick October. I do enjoy the weather in April, but the crowds and pricing are crazy. (Though with the economy, they may offer some deals). DO read up about Disney 'season' pricing. (Try Mousesavers or teh parent of this site). This being a recession, crowds at WDW mightly be slightly different - but don't count on it. (esp 10/2010)

Deals for Oct 2009 aren't really out now, but they will probably offer something. The only deal now is the beginning of October - free dining, and that's probably pretty well booked up by now. REally it looks pretty good for deals in 10/09, who kows what 10/10 will be like. The economy may still be in recovery, or it could pick up by then...

Ages 4 and 6 is PERFECT for WDW! You WILL want to geta double stroller though. I think a Maclaren is perfect: lightweight, easy to fold, etc. The six year old probably doesn't use one much at home, but at WDW it will be very helpful. Unless you have a six year old who absolutely refuses to ride one.

I think 5- 6 days is a good time frame. Four is really tight, nine days of lines and crowds is about my limit. Current Disney pricing is geared towrds encouraging guests to stay a week.

Again, who knows what will happen in 10/2010. Disney could do away with Fantasmic altogether by then - or dramatically change it. I doubt they will eliminate all the parades and fireworks (they are so handy for getting folks off rides at the end of the night) - but the number of offerings could go down. They probably won't reduce shows in APril - they tend to do extra hours and shows then because crowds get SO crazy. Indeed, even this April - some days they reached park capacity!
October doesn't get THAT crowded, but it is still reasonable populated.

Both times of year have very good weather. October is still slightly hurricane season, but mostly they happen in August/September. (I think)

Currently Fantasmic is being offered twice a week - Mondays and Wednesday, I think. Not Weekends and not EMH days. So you kind of have to take your pick bewteen EMH or Fantasmic.

One thing I would encourage you to consider is staying onsight. The values are fine, the mods are nice, the deluxes are usually crazy expensive - but almost worth it. I've stayed at all three levels, and if there are no discounts: I'd rather stay at a value than not go. I love the moderate resorts, but I haven't stayed at one in afew years because the transportaion isn't the best. Before I go, I always think they are WAY too much money, but once Im there I think, "This was SO worht whatever we paid!"

The only offsite place I'd consider is the Swan or Dolphin. Both are very nice, I've stayed at teh Swan many times. They are right in the middle of WDW! Seriously! The only resaon I haven't stayed in a few years is that you can't use Magic Express or the dining plan there.

 

[IBLarsen]

Thanks, you guys are all great! I have the Disney Itch.......we went last year in October to DisneyLAND, and loved it, and the kids were 3 and 5 and just such a great age to experience Disney. So I'm on a kick again this year, although I don't think it will be reasonable to go this year, so I'm trying to decide when realistically we will be able to go again. That's where April came in, then I don't have so long to wait I was hoping you all would tell me that April would be dead and great weather. Around here most spring breaks are through March and first week of April. I originally had planned on October. I haven't really considered doing Florida in the summer months. I have it in my head that June would be miserable and super crowded??? Am I wrong in this thinking.
If anybody else has a great time frame that is their fav, please do share, I'm definately still open. Would Thanksgiving week be terrible? Hmmm...told you, i've got the Disney Itch, and it all starts with narrowing down a time frame... Keep your suggestions/experiences coming please!

 

[VAN]

I think either April or October will be fine ... as long as you avoid the weeks wrapping Easter! Those are the craziest and can be overwhelming even for those of us that have been multiple times and know our way around.

Mid to late April I think there will be some discounts and/or discount packages offered; however, you will want to determine your dates and resort choice and go ahead and make your reservations. You can add discount codes later on.

I think 5 or 6 days in the parks is reasonable; HOWEVER, I would plan your stay at WDW for a minimum of 7-8 nights. WDW can be physically and mentally exhausting from the little ones as well as the adults. You'll be glad that you factored in some down time. All of the resorts are wonderful and some downtime in the schedule will allow you some time to enjoy them.

I've always had positive experiences at the Values, so think you will be fine with the lower-priced properties. Especially with this being your first visit to WDW, you will be gone from your room a lot so paying anymore for lodging than you have to is just a waste (IMO).

Definitely get the Park Hopper feature on your tickets. If you want to go to one of the water parks on a single day, it may be more economical to just buy a one day admission rather than pay the cost for the Water Park & More feature.

At the end of the day, you have to determine what you and your family will use and then just price it out to determine what works and to keep from paying for extras you will not use.

You can certainly do a vacation at WDW without a rental car; however, my family is discovering that you can get a car for a reasonable cost (less money to rent from either the Dolphin or the Disney Car Car Center rather than the airport ... this also allows you to use the DME which will deliver checked bags to your room!). This will allow you to go off-site for restaurants, more direct way to get to another resort or DTD, as well as to visit a grocery store for beverages and breakfast items. You will save tons of money and time by having breakfast in your room. The food courts are crazy busy in the mornings. Go to mousesavers.com for discount codes and tips re car rental.

Read the Unofficial Guide to WDW and also the disboards. Have a plan, but don't over-plan or be afraid to change plans based on how the family is doing and/or the weather. If you are going to any of the table service restaurants, make sure you get your ADR's made 90 days before your check-in date.

I do want to add a family story ... My sister and her family lived for many years in So Calif and so went to DL all the time. The first time they visited WDW, they just went one day to the MK. They said they didn't like WDW and that the MK wasn't as good as DL. In talking to them, they had absolutely no idea what WDW was all about ... didn't know anything at all and had not done any homework before arrival. Well no wonder they didn't care that much for it!! Since that first visit, their oldest has become a WDW fan and so now they are all on board with WDW. I think they don't like someone else knowing more than them, so that is why they didn't "consult" me as a WDW veteren (been going since the place opened!).

Anyway, do your homework by reading the disboards and also the Unofficial Guide to WDW and I think you will be prepared. Again, recommend a stay of 7-8 day MINIMUM ... a co-worker was going for the first time for 5 days and I urged her to go for longer. The first thing she said to me upon her return was that she was sure glad she listened. Even with 8 days she felt they did not have time to do it all (which you won't ... just an excuse to go again! LOL.)

Have fun ... the first time, I think, is always the most memorable!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Thanksgiving itself can be pretty busy, but again it depnds onthe economy. I suspect it will also depend on what happens with this flu epidemic as well. Thogh it has kind of fallen from the headlines, it's not going away, and may get more severe in the fall.


Having said that, generally sepakeing, if you can avoid prime vacation weeks, the crowds will be lower. This will make things easier if it is your first trip.

I've been during President's week, Easter, and Thanksgiving and had fun - but I kind of know the ropes. The last few years, we've managed to go durig low crowds, and it does make touring easier. The one thing about busy weeks though is that Disney adds lots of hours. One easy way to gauge expected crowd levels is to look at teh kind of hours offered. If you are looking to be in the parks primarily during teh late morning/afternoon - then avoiding busy weeks is best. If you can approach the parks in temrs of 7am - 11am and then 5pm to 1am - Yes 1am! - then vacation weeks are doable. Mostly though the entire month of April is pretty busy - not just Easter week. Lots of schools have spring breaks mid-March through about the third week of April. but it may also depend on when Easter falls in a given year.

Early March may not be too bad - but the earlier you go in the year - the greater the risk for really cool weather. In my mind, escaping the north to find 40 degree weather isn't as much fun as getting 80 degree weather. Many times we've had pretty good weather over Pres Week in FEb, but at best temps are usually cool in the mornings/evenings. Illuminations is best if you don't need to go back to your room for long pants. If you do have to put on long pants for night, then it does make it easier to get dressed for dinner a bit - but if that's the case, then being able to get back to your room in a jiffy is key. (Deluxe or Swan)

AS I said before, keep your eyes open for deals. You may well find somethig in your budget. One simple way to tweak a visit is to tweak the number of days. I think a week is ideal - but four days is still fun. You can also get dramatic differences in tweaking your arrival days: mid week air is much less then Friday nights.