We try to go twice a year, once in June as soon as school gets out and then in December for all of the holiday stuff. This year we are moving it up to the week after Thanksgiving, checking in on Nov 30th, staying thru the 6th. While the kids don't really do anything the week before Christmas break, last year all of DD's projects we due that week. We'll see how it works this year, but it may be our last holiday trip for a few years . If it is, I guess we'll just start going for 2 weeks during the summer.
I answered October and May, those are the months we've taken most of our vacations. However, that is going to change - my DD is starting K this year, so we will try to vacation during breaks and summer instead of pulling her out for full weeks during the school year. This year we're going in January and we're tying it into a week where she gets 2 days off already. Most likely, I foresee us taking many vacations in early June.
I think it is interesting how many of us do have a pattern to when we go. We tend to alternate based on our APs. We usually try to let our APs expire and take at least a few months off between that and getting new ones activated. For example: We had APs that started May 1, 2007. We used them for that May trip and also for a Thanksgiving trip last year and a March trip this year. When we returned home, we purchased new vouchers, and will activate them next January for use then, May and December of next year. Then we will likely go back again in March of '10. We like to hit baseball spring training at least every other year, so a DVC trip makes sense then too.
May, October and December
We've done March but it's way too crowded for us and have done September. The crowds were very low but the humidity was enough to do us in.
Vacation? Usually in Dec - but haven't done that trip in a few years and we've only stayed off-site for those visits. Our annual DVC visit is in January for a work-related conference.