Weather in Feb. and how to surprise...

[tngal]

Just have a couple of questions for all you WDW experts, after all, Disboards IS the place to go if you have ?'s, because you guys always give the best advice!!!

We are going to surprise my oldest dd with a trip to WDW in Feb. 2011 for her 13th bday. A lot of you might be asking if she isn't a little "old" for a WDW bday trip, well let me explain. She is mildy autistic/ASperger's, some mild dev. delays. She ADORES disney. I am wondering if you might have some ideas on ways to surprise her. I thought of making a Tshirt to have on when I go to wake her up the morning of our departure, or about picking them up from school the day before with the shirt on. Any other ideas?

Also, we were wondering about the weather and crowds at WDW that time of year (feb. 14-18) Usually warm? Warm enough to swim? Are the crowds bad or is this a good time of year?

OK, you made it this far, and I thank you for baring with me One last ?...what are your opinions on the Disney Dining plan? Get it or not? We had thought of perhaps bring food items for breakfast/lunch with us and paying for Diner out of pocket....or would we be better to pay for the dining plan?

Thanks again for taking the time to read this and answer some questions for a first time WDW visitor. I really appreciate it!!!

Lisa

 

[beccasmom]

A trip to WDW for a birthday surprise is a wonderful idea...no matter the age!

We've only visited once in February (early in the month) and the weather was great...high 60's/low 70's. I thought it was a little too chilly to swim, but lots of folks were in the pools! The temps were great for park touring and shopping. However, there were several weeks of pretty cold weather this year in early 2010 in Central Florida, so the weather is never a given. Keep an eye on the weather for the weeks preceding your trip.

The crowds were only bad on a few days. The Super Bowl was in Jacksonville that year and the MK seemed fairly busy the next two days. But it wasn't overwhelmingly crowded.

We don't do the dining plan, but I'm sure others will post on their opinions.

Have a magical trip!

 

[sharonmickey]

I've been to Disney twice in February. It may be crowded the last day or two of your trip due to the upcoming President's Day weekend. I went once on the Thursday before President's Day and it was crowded for the weekend. Friends had flown down a few days before and said it was not at all crowded until the day I arrived - go figure, lol.

The first time I went in February it was cold. We all wore pants, sweatshirts, and coats. I wish I had had gloves and a hat. The highs were in the 50's and lows below freezing. The next year it was warmer weather. We wore capri's and t-shirts. Late evenings I put on a sweatshirt but that was it. Of course, that time I took gloves, hat, and the rest of my winter clothing but never wore it.

What a wonderful surprise for your daughter. I'm sure she will love her birthday trip.

 

[familyfirsttimer]

We were there last Feb 11-18 and the first few days were @80 and the kids swam, the last few days were too chilly for me but the kids were still in there. We needed light sweatshirts at night. However, I heard that week before we were there, it was in the 30's at night!!!!
From what I gathered talking to people there and reading here, Feb is too hard to predict!

Love the idea that you are surpising her! Enjoy!!

 

[HermanTriplets+1]

We are going to surprise my oldest dd with a trip to WDW in Feb. 2011 for her 13th bday. A lot of you might be asking if she isn't a little "old" for a WDW bday trip

Not too old, no matter who the kid is! We took the family for the first trip this past December in celebration of three kids' 13th birthdays Honestly, I would like this for MY birthday too! Can I forward this to DH?????

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

The past two Februarys they have had some REALLY cold weather (like it snowed which is extremely rare). It will be unlikely that you'll be swimming. That being said the pools are heated so some people brave them anyway

Just pay attention to the weather forecast and BELIEVE it. I could not believe that it was going down into the 30s in Florida so I still packed capris and no jeans. And I froze the whole trip

Around the holiday it will be somewhat crowded due to a couple of factors- school breaks, dance competitions, and that is when a lot of the large tour groups (from Brazil and Argentina) travel.

 

[mickeymousepuppy]

We went in Feb. a few years ago and the croud levels were good. The weather was hats, gloves and sweatshirts in the begining of the week and spray bottles and sun screen at the end of the week. I'm glad we packed the hats & gloves because they did not take up a lot of room, but saved us a lot of money by not having to by them in the park. We made sure we paid for the pool to be heated and as soon as the gloves came off, the bathing suits went on! If they got cold, they just took a warm shower which helped them to unwind and get ready for bed. Have a great time!

 

[tinacaplan]

We were there mid-February this past winter and it was much colder than we had anticipated. That said, the weather was unusual. We had days where the temp during the day didn't hit 60! Nevertheless, we are from CT and there afternoons when it was in the mid 60's and still felt warm-ish to us, so my husband and I swam in the heated pool and took advantage of the hot tub.

There were some nights out at Illuminations where I froze...but I didn't pack any winter clothes at all. I think you need a mix and you just need to really watch the weather forecasts before you leave. Average temps are in the upper 60's to mid 70's, I think.

And...for the record...I'd be thrilled with a surprise trip to Disney...and I'm 34! Its a real misconception among non-Disney diehards that there is an "appropriate" age for kids to enjoy Disney. Part of the magic of Disney is that there is truly something there for everyone.

Have fun planning! We're planning to return the week after this year.

Also, we were there for Pres. Week and we had a pretty good plan and we were fine. Get to the parks for rope drop, plan out how to use Fastpass, and head back to the resort after lunch to rest for awhile. Parkhoppers are totally worth it, IMO. Also, if your daughter can handle it, taking advantage of evening EMH's is a wonderful way to get onto attractions and not waste a lot of time in lines...especially at the MK!