To Go or Not To Go. And When?

[MinnieMe2]

Our 25th Anniv. is Aug. 31. DH wants to go to WDW to celebrate. I'd like to go, too, of course, BUT.... We'll have three kids going off to college, and I'm not sure what the exact move-in dates will be. Our oldest one probably won't be a problem, but our middle boy will be transferring into a new school and our youngest will be a freshman. Right now, he doesn't even know which college he's going to choose.

And I have summers off, returning to work in the middle of August. Things could be a little different in that regard, too, as my co-worker is going in for major surgery next week, the outcome of which is very iffy and very scary. She'll be out for six weeks if all is well, but if the news isn't good, she might be out even longer. That means I'll be doing the work of two people, and probably will have to extend my work year into what should be my summer off. In which case, I'll maybe have some comp. time to use. Which could actually work to my benefit.

At any rate, I would hope to maybe go down in late Oct., early Nov. And I'd like to drive down rather than fly. We've never gone to FL at that time of year, and I'm not sure what to expect weather-wise or crowd-wise. Then again, should we wait until the World is decorated for Xmas? When exactly do the decorations go up?

I know there'll be all kinds of opinions here, and I'd appreciate hearing them....

 

[CRobin]

Minnie, we always go in late October, in fact this year are taking relatives with us who have never been to WDW.

1). Halloween is a howl (pun intended) @ WDW.
2). The Epcot Food and Wine Festival starts I believe around mid-October and runs for about a month. This is a very cost-effective way to inexpensively dine (read that "graze") at Epcot.
3). We've always found the weather to be fine - usually a light jacket in the evenings but very moderate during the day.

Good luck with your planning!

 

[Simba's Mom]

Wow! Three kids in college. How do you do it? We only have two, and it's still a stretch financially. And Massachusetts has much higher tuition rates (that's the only reason I'm glad we moved from MA to TX). Anyways, I really feel you have to spend some money on yourself, hard as it is after those tuitions are taken care of, otherwise you'll get real resentful. And I'll bet if you mentioned it to your kids, they'd definitely agree-you deserve it!
I'm probably the only one who didn't enjoy WDW at Xmas that much. The "bush music" at Epcot shouldn't be Xmas carols, that's not Disney music. And on Enight I wished Main Street had typical Disney tunes instead of Christmas carols on their loudspeakers. I can hear Christmas carols over the loudspeakers at the mall-when at Disney, give me my Disney music!

 

[ripleysmom]

It is very hot and humid in August. I would advise against going that time of year unless you really enjoy that type of weather.

 

[Kelly&John]

We went last year for DH birthday (September 1). We won't make that mistake again. It was way too hot for us!

We will make our long weekend trips in December, January or February from now on.

Good Luck!

Kelly

 

[Kelly&John]

We went last year for DH birthday (September 1). We won't make that mistake again. It was way too hot for us!

We will make our long weekend trips in December, January or February from now on.

Good Luck!

Kelly

 

[HookdonWDW]

We've gone at the end of August many times - most of them when we lived in Massachussetts... yes, it is hot and humid in August, but IMO, it's not that much worse than Mass can get at that time of year.

So, you may be a little hot and sweaty, but you'll still be in Disney

 

[downontheBW]

MinnieMe2, congratulations on your 25 year anniversary! We were there for our 25th a couple of years ago during the first week of October and it was mid-90's and humid. Yuck! Some folks don't mind the heat as much as us but I'd stay away until late Oct. We've gone many times in mid November and it was perfect - 80 degrees, clear and not humid. Only one time was it too cool to be comfortable swimming. We went in mid-December last year and it was in the low 80s but the temperature was 10-15 degrees above average.

The other problem with going in August is all the preparation with getting the kids off to college. Especially your freshman and the one changing schools, they may want your undivided attention for a while. My two are in their sophomore and senior years now but I remember all the fuss getting ready for the first year.

I vote for mid-November. Perfect weather, light crowds, EPCOT Food and Wine Festival and it's pretty-much past hurricane season. I'm sure you'll have a great anniversary, WDW is a new experience without kids!

 

[DaveH]

You asked about the Christmas decorations. They start the season at WDW right after Thanksgiving. The crowds are light until Christmas. The weekends are more crowded because of the locals. The weather is fine. It can be hot it can also be cold. Most of the time the highs are in the high 60's to 70's. I love that time of year. The room prices are less also there. I have read here lst year some of the decorations were up before Thanksgiving. I hope this helps.

 

[TampaDisneyFreaks]

First of all, congrats on having an awesome anniversary date (ours is also Aug. 31, but we will only hit 6 years this year). We go every year for 10 days or so for our anniversary. Already living in Florida, we are used to the weather, so the August weather doesn't bother us. I have to admit though, I find it funny when people make remarks about how hot and humid it is in Florida. This is not a shot at the previous posters. I used to live "up North" and still go up to visit, and the humidity and heat during the summer up North are far worse than it ever is in Florida. Anyway, we also go for about 5 days in mid-December. We make several other trips throughout the year as well. It sounds like around your anniversary is probably out of the question due to the college actvities, besides the "heat and humidity" . Late October and early November are a good time to visit. Early Dec. is great and the weather is usually still nice, the crowds are low, and the Christmas decorations are up. A big consideration is where you want to stay, and how many points it will take. Plus, the weather for the trip down and back home. It also depends on what you want to do (regular Disney activities, Halloween activities, Food and Wine Festival, Christmas activities, etc.) while you are there. Either way, have a great trip and Happy Anniversary.

 

[MinnieMe2]

Thanks for all the replies! We usually go to WDW in late July/early August, so the heat is not a problem for us. It's getting the boys ready for college that weighs heavy on my mind. And to be honest, I'd just as soon not go while the boys are still home and would consider themselves to be 'in charge'. Oy! They're good kids, but that's one carrot I won't dangle in front of their noses.

Somebody mentioned college tuition, and I understand that, as you stated, the southern colleges don't charge the tuition the MA schools do. However, I work for one of the state colleges which means our kids can attend any state school tuition-free. BUT we do have to pay the fees, and that's always two or three times what tuition is. Still, with four kids, three in college at once, every little bit helps !

I've gotten a lot of food for thought here. Thanks again...

 

[crisi]

I love October in WDW. Low crowds (September is better, but warmer), it has usually cooled off (but not always), especially in the morning and evenings when you may or may not need a jacket, but you still can wear shorts or spend the day in the water park or at the pool.

It does tend to rain a bit in the fall (I think October is smack dab in hurricane season, but I'm from Minnesota, so I may be off).

 

[WDWguru]

Originally posted by crisi
(I think October is smack dab in hurricane season, but I'm from Minnesota, so I may be off).

::Weather Geek Mode ON::

Actually, hurricane season runs from May 1 to November 1, so you're at the tail end. The highest occurance of actual storms typically happen in August and September. Either way, Orlando is in the center of the state and typically is not affected by them other than a bit of rain.

Yup, I've been through two of 'em - Elena (when I lived in FL as a kid) and Georges ('stuck' in St. Croix on a business trip with DH)!