President's week

[Tinkim]

What is actually considered President's week? President's Day is this year is February 16 so I am assuming it is Feb 16-Feb20? Just wondering because for our next trip I don't want to pull the kids out of school. We are in NH and the kids have vacation the last week of February which would be the week following President's week. Hoping it is not extremely crowded at that time. Anyone been the week after?

 

[FatCow]

Feb 16-20 will be the President's Week. It was horrible this year. We literally could not walk unless we walk sideways.

The week after that? I don't know.

 

[LAH]

I WAS THERE FEB. 2ND - 9TH AND IT WAS WONDERFUL!!!!! WALKED RIGHT ON MOST OF RIDES. OUR ONLY WAIT WAS 45 MINS. FOR POTC. I ALWAYS AVOID PRESIDENTS WEEK. JUST NOT WORTH IT TO ME.

THE WEATHER WAS WONDERFUL ALSO. 70'S/80'S AND NO RAIN ALL WEEK.

2005, WE ARE GOING 1/29 TO 2/5.

LAH

 

[DisneyHumbug]

President's day for 2005 is Mon Feb 21 - that's the last week in Feb.

 

[Rpsemont]

We have gone the last two years during this time. Pres. weekend is very crowded (or so I hear - we have arrived on Mon. or Tues of that week.) The crowds lessen as the week goes on. 2003 wasn't too bad, this past Feb it was much more crowded but where we were was not the wall to wall people Fatcow encountered. There's definitely an ebb and flow and when we'd go somewhere and it was crowded, we'd just go somewhere else. However, this was our 9th trip. If it had been our first, where every PS was scheduled and we wanted to "see it all" I would have been horribly dissapointed. During this week this year almost all the "main attractions" in the parks had 45+ (or+++!) waits and fast passes were gone by mid day. But many of the secondary attractions were not that bad at all. If you're going to consider this, consider the following:
If it's crowded, the MK is always more crowded, so if your kids are ages that Mk's important,this might not be the time to go.
Airfares to fly down and back on the weekends will be expensive. This past year I never saw it for less than about $350RT. That's how we ended up going down 2/16, but not back until 2/25. We paid about $180 RT. If you decided to "extend" the days to get cheaper flights, you'll find the parks much less crowded the week after Pres. Week.
You probably won't get any substantial room discounts PRes. Week.

 

[antmaril]

We were at the "World" on Wednesday and Thursday of Presidents' Week this year. We had early breakfast reservations at the Crystal Palace in the Magic Kingdom on Wed. Enjoyed that very much. We were able to have our breakfast and be done by 9:00 a.m. when the park opened. We did quite a few rides without long lines until about 11:00 a.m. when it became VERY crowded. We left when we couldn't stand it anymore. The next day we went to MGM in the morning and EPCOT in the p.m. Crowds weren't quite as bad at these two parks, but still pretty crowded. We have been to WDW many times, so we just hit the highlights and didn't wait in line if it was too long or the Fastpass was ridiculous.

We were staying at Universal, so we had FOTL access there. So, all in all, it was a good trip. Would I do it again, yes. Crowds were bearable and I enjoyed the cooler weather. WDW in July is brutal.

 

[WilliamsMom]

We were there President's week and it was fine!!! We followed the Unofficial Guide and our waits were generally 15 minutes for all our "must sees" which included the favorite coasters for ds8, shows, etc. The most we waited in line was for Mickey's Phil. 3-D show and that was 40 minutes. My husband and I are morning people and arrived at the park prior to opening as advised in the guide. I don't recall it EVER being wall to wall people except early afternoon in Fantasyland which is constructed in such a way that I bet it is always wall to wall strollers! I was so worried about the crowds prior to going but it was a great trip! Plus the FP's worked out well and we saved time that way too.

Perhaps if I visited Disney on nonpeak times I would think the crowds were terrible but from our perspective it was great! Our friends went in early February with much lower crowds but no daily plans/strategies. They said they waited in lines for appr. 25 minutes but admitted they basically went to each park and moved in a circle with no particular plan. (You know those kind of people that stare at the maps and ask the kids "What do you want to do now?" ) They had a great time so that's all that matters. Personally I like to have a strategy and then flex it when necessary.

 

[Tinkim]

Hi all. Thanks for all the replies. I will have to check the school calendar when we receive it and see if their vacation might be later in 2005. Looks like it could be very crowded President's week and probably more expensive airline tix. We are probably spoiled from going in January though and never really having much of a wait for anything although I agree that if you have a good plan you can probably avoid a lot of the longer waits. I guess any day in Disney is a good day even if it is crowded especially when it is below zero at home! Thanks again everyone.