When is your favorite time to go?

[Chereya]

In general, when is your favorite time of the year to go to WDW?

I won't be able to go until a few years down the line (pregnant atm!) but I'd like to hear suggestions based on a couple of factors like:
~ low crowds
~ good on-site room discounts
~ decent weather
~ special events (food & wine or flower & garden, etc)
~ good time to book (ie, times when new discount codes are released)

I haven't been a WDW fanatic for long enough to know what the yearly trends are and distinguish a good deal from a great deal - you know what I mean?

Chereya

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

In general, when is your favorite time of the year to go to WDW?
~ low crowds
~ good on-site room discounts
~ decent weather
~ special events (food & wine or flower & garden, etc)
~ good time to book (ie, times when new discount codes are released)

Low crowds: September - December; not during summer or any major holiday
Decent weather: Cooler and lower humidity in fall and spring; very hot and humid in summer, unpredictable in winter (temps may be 80's and glorious, or 40's)
Special Events: I don't pay attention, but you should be able to get details from the main site for the Disboards (www.wdwinfo.com) or www.allearsnet.com
Booking: whenever codes are released, you can change your reservation to reflect the discount - I do that as I like to have the plans set far in advance

Incidentally, my favorite time to go is late April. The parks can be crowded, but I find it manageable, and love the weather.

 

[beccasmom]

My favorite time to go is early May. The weather is usually quite lovely, but not yet unbearably hot. The parks are not very crowded (spring break is over!), but they are beginning to gear up for the busy season, so most of the attractions/rides are up and running. The Flower and Garden Festival runs through early June (usually) and there are usually some “groovy” 60’s pop bands giving concerts at Epcot. Schools are not yet out for the year, so the parks are not overly crowded. Attached is a calendar of events so that you can take a look at the various events throughout the year.

Early December is nice, too. The weather can be iffy, though. We have visited when the temps were high 70’s and also when the temps were barely 40 degrees. I would personally avoid spring break – really crowded! – and the summer season, mainly because of the crowds. The weather is really hot and humid (but some folks enjoy that! ), but the parks are open late, so that is a plus for those with lots of energy! September and October are nice, too.

http://allearsnet.com/pl/events.htm

 

[dzneelvr]

When our DS and DD were young and could easily skip school, we went mid January. Plusses were low crowds, relaxed pace, walk ins for meals was no problem, etc. minuses were: limited park hours, rehab on major attractions, cooler weather, limited showing of special attractions.
Once they hit junior high, we go for 11 days in June/July. We LOVE this time of year. But then, all we carry is a fanny pack. Plusses: extended hours for Parks and special attractions, beautiful weather, maybe one major attraction under rehab. minuses: rain, crowds, heat.
I invent in the Birnbaum's Guide to WDW--they make one specially for families with small children (which sounds like you)--each year we go. I suggest buying one and begin devouring it for information. Even if you don't go for a few years, you'll feel like you know what's going on.

 

[pugdog]

Early December is the time that we always go.
Crowds are low and the xmas decorations are nice to look at. They also sometimes have special xmas dinners going on around WDW.
Weather is the only thing that can vary alot.
One day it could be in the 80's and the next it would be in the 50's.
The one down side that you might hear about is tha Pop Warner kids there the first week of the month. But I have never had a big problem with them even staying at the All stars when they are there.

 

[dizcrazy]

We really enjoy early May. We loved the weather (not too hot, but hot enough to be able to swim every day) and we also enjoyed the Flower Festival.
of course, this year, on 05/05/2005, Disney is celebrating their 50th anniversary and i think the parks will be crowded. (but in great shape - and all rides and even some new ones wil be open)

 

[Rachie0507]

As a kid we always went late November or early December. I'm planning our first family trip, with my kids, now and I chose the same time. We are going the first week of December. I like that time because:
-not very crowded
-decorated for holidays, MVMCP
-weather is not too hot (we're from New England, the 50's are fine with us!)
-a good time to escape from home, with the busy holidays and yucky weather

 

[goofeyfan33]

Since we don't have children at home anymore and it's just the two of us we like to go in early May or early Oct. Weather is nice...not too hot and humid plus the garden show is in May and the food festival in Oct. Crowds don't seem to be too bad then either. If your dates are flexible, I highly recommend either month.

 

[MickeyMouth]

We usually go in October or May...or both!

 

[mommytutu]

We went in October last year and loved it so much that our next trip is planned for October 2006. Epcot has the Food and Wine Festival and MK has Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. The weather was about 85 every day and it only rained one day of our 8 day trip. The waits for rides weren't bad at all. We used fastpass alot and rarely waited more then 15 minutes. My ds and dh went swimming just about everyday. Some might complain about shorter park hours, but since the waits aren't near as long throughout the day it doesn't bother me that the parks close a little eariler.

 

[MarylandPirate]

2nd week of September!

 

[bevon]

We usually always go in November or December and stay at the BWV. If you go in the middle of November, you get to wake up each morning to a new Christmas Decoration! It is always fun to get up and see what all they put out the night before. Congrats on your Baby! Have a fun trip!

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

Actually, I think my favorite time to go to WDW is... tomorrow!!

 

[Mady/Sophiemom]

We love May, and October.

May- Flower show, wonderful weather.

October- MNSSHP, and wine fest at Epcot. It was a little cooler than May. The sun did not seem so direct- No sunburns.

This year we picked last week of April- My birthday, and our 15th anniversery. We are doing the 30 day dance today

 

[WeLoveThePoly]

We LOVE going in October! The Halloween party is so much fun and we enjoy tasting all the food at the Food & Wine Festival. The weather is gorgeous -last year in the 8 days we were there in rained for only 20 minutes on one day.

We've gone a couple of times in September and while the low crowd level is great the weather was bad .... very hot & humid, rainy, hurricanes......

Debbie

 

[mdmbfly]

We have gone in May and November and loved it. We did experience some bad weather in May though. A tornado warning and they had a lot shut down. We like the warm but not too hot weather!

 

[madison66]

.

 

[LoraJ]

Mid-September.
There are hardly any lines. I walked onto splash mountain each time I rode it. The longest line we had to wait in was Test Track, but that's because the ride broke down. That was 30 minutes.

I am going in a couple of weeks and I am so worried about the lines because I have been so SPOILED the last two times I have gone in September.

 

[DissyLove]

My absolute best time to go is late January Early Feb. The weather is so so, but that is the only down side. The best part is it is value season, so:
Crowds are VERY low (very short or no lines! Can't be that with kids!), prices are their lowest for rooms, plus you can almost take your pick of views/hotels, etc, and my family doesn't sweat to death!

We have to take our kids out of school to do this, but because I know when we are going each year, we plan way in advance with the school, and use it as an incentive for the kids to behave in school and keep up with their work, so that they can miss the week.

 

[princessarielle]

Every day is the best day to be in Disney!!
Actually, we always try and go in January. The Christmas crowds are gone and it's not hot. It's in the high 60's low 70's. Try and go before Martin Luthur King Day because the crowds will pick up that weekend with schools being closed. You can almost walk right onto rides or only wait 10 minutes to get on the major ones. No need to Fastpass! The only down side is that the parks usually close by 9 pm. And it gets chilly at night, but the warmth of Disney keeps you going!
We are planning on going back Jan. 2006 and staying in our new DVC home SSR!! YEAH!!
Lori