Take the sure thing or wait? First visit.

[castlefor2]

Hello, I am new to this site and a little overwhelmed by all the planning that needs to be done for Disney.

We have 2 kids (3 and 5 years old) and this will be everyone's first trip to Disney. We are trying to decide if we should go in November 2009(14-21)and take advantage of the free dining or go in early Febraury 2010 and hope that a promo comes out. We would save about $900 USD for sure by taking the free dining in November. Our preference would be to go in Febraury to take a break from the cold weather in Toronto.

Is one month better then the other in terms of weather and crowds? Since our kids are young, we will probably spend some time hanging out at the resort and not do the parks the whole time. Can we go swimming in Febraury? We are thinking of staying at POR.

Thanks!

 

[yxe dad]

There is a good chance there will be a promo but IMHO free dining will not be offered in Feb.

The weather has been great in Feb for us. Warm enough to swim but not too hot in the parks. I would break up the winter and go in Feb but if the money is a concern, then go in Nov and soak up all the x-mas stuff.

 

[aristocat65]

Early February will still be value season and room rates will be cheaper than in November. What type of resort were you thinking of staying at? Free Dining would save you $100 a day (if that's something you would otherwise pay for). If you are planning on a value or moderate then FD would be an advantage as room rates will not be much different in Nov than in Feb. If you were hoping to stay in a deluxe than I would go in early Feb. The way things are going, there's bound to be some kind of offer, either FD or a room discount. Good luck with your planning.

 

[fivebyfive]

Can we go swimming in Febraury?

More than likely not. Weather can be pretty cool during February...

We are thinking of staying at POR.

In that case, there won't be a better promotion than free dining for your family. The 7 for 4, 35% off promos etc. only work out better on the deluxe resorts when it's a family of 4. I agree with yxe dad in that free dining will NOT be back in early 2010.

I would go for the 'sure thing' of November travel, but that's just me. Nobody knows for sure if these deals are going to be here again next year. Hopefully (for the sake of the overall economy) they won't be!

 

[dreamscometrue101]

My recommendation would be to go for the sure thing and take the November trip. I think the money you save by going during FD would beat the offer for February. Plus, depending on when you were planning in February, you may end up having to pay higher room rates because things go up and the crowds get worse after Presidents day.

We went the first 2 weeks of February this year and the weather was really varied. One day we watched people scrape ice off the cars and 2 days later it was really warm. We went swimming twice while we were there, but it was chilly doing so.

Go in November, save the money and enjoy the holidays. I hope you enjoy POR as much as we did.

 

[DisneyRookie2007]

November with Free Dining would be my choice. An added bonus would be the Christmas Decorations that might be up at the same time. Free Dining allows you to visit some restaurants you might not otherwise visit due the the OOP costs - sit down table service restaurants that is.

February weather here in canada might cause some weather related delays.

We did visit in February for our 1st ever visit in 2007. The mornings were cool and we needed sweaters until noon. We did not do any swimming - air temp was too cool. The weather though was great for touring the parks and the crowds were low.

 

[castlefor2]

Thanks for everyone's replies. They were very helpful. I forgot to add that our budget would remain the same for either time period. If there were no deals in February, we would have to forego something like the dining plan or drive down. Sounds like going in November is the better option. Thanks!

 

[snickerboo]

When is US Thanksgiving? This is very important in considering November. You do not want to be there within Thanksgiving week due to crowds. November and February weather will be comparable; about the same as late April or early May here.

 

[MinnieMommy]

Hello, I am new to this site and a little overwhelmed by all the planning that needs to be done for Disney.

We have 2 kids (3 and 5 years old) and this will be everyone's first trip to Disney. We are trying to decide if we should go in November 2009(14-21)and take advantage of the free dining or go in early Febraury 2010 and hope that a promo comes out. We would save about $900 USD for sure by taking the free dining in November. Our preference would be to go in Febraury to take a break from the cold weather in Toronto.

Is one month better then the other in terms of weather and crowds? Since our kids are young, we will probably spend some time hanging out at the resort and not do the parks the whole time. Can we go swimming in Febraury? We are thinking of staying at POR.

Thanks!

Welcome to the DIS!

You can certainly go swimming in February! It may be too chilly early morning or in the evening, but most afternoons are more than fine! (the pools are heated too!)

If you may be spending time hanging out at the resort, take a look at the pics of Caribbean beach. They have newly refurbished rooms, and the pool and children's water play area look like SO much fun!

You have to choose what's right for your family. Are you a family who would eat at a table service meal every day? If so, then you probably would save quite a bit using the dining plan. If you don't think you would eat at a sit down meal every day, you may spend less on food (out of pocket) than the "full rate" you would have to pay for the resort (to get the free dining offer). Take a look at some of the restaurant and counter service menus listed on the dis or allears and get a rough idea of how much you would be paying. Remember... the serving sizes at WDW are usually quite large and 2 adult size meals may often be enough for all 4 of you.

 

[coastgirl]

We went in Jan/Feb 07 and there were some cold days. I insisted on wearing shorts and sandals and looked...cold! Had to buy "souvenier" sweat pants at the Magic Kingdom one morning. But I did have long pants with me...I guess I had something to prove!! We did get in a few days at the pool, and that was right on the cusp of Jan/Feb. That said, the prices were great and so were the crowds.

In November you may have the Christmas decorations, which would be nice. We did a cruise in Dec 07 (it was a big year), with a few days in Orlando to start, and it was really fun to take the kids to see Santa at Downtown Disney. There were some cool days on that trip, but much better than the Feb. one. However, I have to say, that winter was looooooong after taking our sun trip before Christmas. Given the choice, I'd probably take Feb.

Hope that helps...3 and 5, you are going to have a BLAST!

 

[DisneyDad1964]

If it were me, I'd take the sure thing in November. Plus, the weather will probably be better than it would in February.

 

[daver]

There is a good chance there will be a promo but IMHO free dining will not be offered in Feb.

The weather has been great in Feb for us. Warm enough to swim but not too hot in the parks. I would break up the winter and go in Feb but if the money is a concern, then go in Nov and soak up all the x-mas stuff.

I looked at the historical data and Disney has never offered free dining in Feb except for bounce back (had to be there the year before)

I think that the Free Dining trumps most any other deal. The only problem may be getting the restaurants you want unless you decide now and start booking them now.

 

[supernurse99]

We found the weather kind of "iffy" in February when we went in 2004. Most of the days were cool and rainy, we usually wore jeans and jackets. There were not many people swimming at the pool. I thnk November would be better if you avoid the American Thanksgiving week. The free dining plan would seal it for us.

 

[OatsZoo]

Take advantage of the free dining to book lots of character meals for your kids. Crystal Palace - Winnie the Pooh, Hollywood and Vine - Little Einsteins, Chef Mickeys - Classic Characters. We booked 5 various character meals this time around for free dining, without the free dining we would only be able to do 1 as one meal for 4 can run you $100-$120 and up. Good luck with your choice, enjoy you trip either time.

 

[springsteenmickey]

Go for the sure thing!