Question for Off-Season goers..

[aLLpInK]

If you usually go off season, when do you usually go and what are the perks?
Sounds like a silly question but I'm not sure I "get" when off-season is.

 

[wdw4rfam]

Honestly I don't think it exists anymore. It used to be September until free dining became a permanent September discount. There used to be January, November, December and may slow times also, but Disney has done a great job offering good discounts to get people to fill those times in. We have been going every year since 2000 and we homeschool so we always look for off times, but gave up because it seems even when touringplans or others say it will be slower.... Everyone shifts around and....not slow anymore. The wonders of the internet

 

[ChristineNic]

We try to go every September and January, along with a few spontaneous weekends. (We live in FL and have annual passes.)

September is my favorite time to go because the hotel rates are low and the parks aren't crowded. Since it is the beginning of the school year, very few parents pull their kids out school for a trip to WDW.

 

[mrjef]

We also home school and try to go in the off times. We usually go in May or September, but some times October or early November. Yes, it is still busy, but nothing like summer months, Thanksgiving, or Christmas time. Our last trip we were there the week before Thanksgiving and our last day was the Saturday before Thanksgiving week. The crowds that day were crazy compared to what we are use to at the parks. The benefit is getting everything in the park done, while it is still crowded it is manageable.

 

[sabcook]

We have always gone between Thanksgiving and Christmas and have found it is a wonderful time to go. We have literally walked on to Space mountain in the middle of the day with no wait and no fastpass. We also enjoy the moderate weather allthough our last trip we did need to buy sweatshirts for the unseasonable cool weather the week after Thanksgiving. We have also had an easier time making and changing ADRs and have never had the nightmares of standing room only on the busses.

 

[fuzzlekins]

We've been in early November and early February. Both had short lines and were great times to be there unless you want to swim. We had unusually cold weather in November but when it cleared up, it was lovely. Nov also means they'll be decorated for Christmas, which is beautiful. Feb was beautiful throughout the week but my friend went the next week and had cold and rainy weather for a few days - MAJOR bummer. I think rain is more important than temp - you can layer for temp but rain just stinks. Both months are supposed to be "low" for precipitation. I like checking Undercover Tourist's crowd calendar for avg weather and when are the least crowded times. We're headed back in Feb '13. We can't imagine going in the summer or when school is out.

 

[aLLpInK]

Thanks guys!!

 

[ZoZo]

I like late October. It's not very crowded compared to the really busy times of year (summer, holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, or spring break). Rides are not walk-ons, but the crowds are definitely manageable.

October weather is usually warm enough to swim and enjoy the water parks (though it can be really hot and/or rainy). You can enjoy Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (a fun "hard ticket" event that costs around $60 per person) and the Food and Wine Festival (included in your Epcot admission).

 

[TexasJule]

We have been in November (2011) and the end of April this year. November was great. In the evenings we were able to walk onto nearly every ride and get off and get right back on it. The parks were decorated for Christmas and it was definitely by far our favorite time. We picked the weeks we have gone based on www.**************.net They rank the weeks from 1-52 on the best times to go and we went week number 2 or 3. When we went in April it was ranked like week 7 and it was much busier.