When to Go - Feb or March

[KZE]

We have been thinking about going the first week of Feb but I am concerned it may be too cold/chilly. Then we were going to go in March but then I heard that month is too crowded. For those that have been either of these months, which did you prefer and why? Thanks!

 

[horsegirl]

I know as a kid we went in both Feb and March, but the crowds then probably don't appy. The weather has always been great in Feb to me, a girl from NE. I will take the 50-60degree nights and the 70s days instead of the minus 0 temps in my town at that time in Feb! I guess it is all relative. We wore sweaters and light jackets at night, shorts and shortsleeves most days, and swam in the pools, no prob. The parks were generally not crowded. Walked onto many big rides-splash mtn, pirates, over and over until 11 am with no wait one day. We prefer to get out of the cold in the north for feb vacation with minimal crowds, rather than busy crazy days. I can't speak about March, as I haven't been there in recent years at that time. But again, we love late jan, early feb! Great deals too, pricewise!

 

[2poohbears]

I've never gone in March, but we went in FEB 2002 - the 1st week of FEB. I'm from Louisiana, so not really used to cold weather myself. We wore jackets at night with long sleeves underneath, because it was cold at night. In the morning, when we would head to the park, it was cold enough that you could wear a jacket, but within 2 hours it got warm enough for short sleeves---so for daytime, we generally wore long sleeves that we could push up later in the day as we got warm. We just made sure to head back to the resort before nightfall to grab jackets.

There were no crowds that week, either. We only stood in line for rides twice, I think, and for no longer than 15 minutes. We enjoyed it so much we are planning to go again the 1st week of FEB 2006---this time with our 2 y/o boys!

I think some schools have spring break in March, so you might want to look into that before you decide on a date, if you go in March. I would also avoid the week of Mardi Gras---Mardi Gras is FEB 28th.

 

[Schmeck]

It could get very cold down there in February and March - just be prepared for a big change in temps!

 

[KeepSwimming]

End of February...definitely. No crowds...bring a jacket!

 

[shafke]

be aware... 1st week of Feb is off season. March will be peak season. Big difference if you are staying onsite. March is the beginning of the spring break season for schools.

 

[littleshamrock]

We love going in March, and never had a big problem with the crowds. March in Florida is heaven (ok, so the saying is March in Miami is heaven, but, it still applies)...Also, spring break is usually right around Easter, which is in April this year (I could be misleading myself on this one). Either way, going to Florida during a cold month is always a treat to me!!

 

[ujpest_doza]

I have been Feb/March twice.

In 2002 we went 1st March for 2 weeks and except for 1 wet day and 1 cool day the weather was lovely. Highs of 22-25C but with very little humidity on some days. On the days with low humidity it felt chilly when you got out of the pool and were wet but if you were dry it was really warm. The parks were generally very quiet but i think that was still a consequence of 9/11.

This year we went on 26th February for 2 weeks and had a much poorer mix of weather. We had a lot of rain and also a fair number of cool days and chilly nights. Some days got warm by the afternoon but were cold in the mornings, but we did have 4 very hot proper Florida days as well. The poor weather made headline news on the local TV News bulletins as well.

It was also a lot busier this year, but the parks were still very quiet in comparison to the summer months and wait times for rides weren't that big with 25/30 minutes being the maximum wait time in the entire 2 weeks. Hardly any wait time at all at the 2 Universal parks as they were much much quieter than Disney.

However, it was Bike Week at Daytona Beach and due to sky high prices for hotels in the Daytona area at this time a lot of people attending Bike Week stayed in the Disney/Kissimmee/Orlando area and commuted to Daytona for the daily events. This meant that restaurants in the Disney area were very busy in the evenings even though the theme parks were not as the Bike fans came back to the Disney area to eat.

I would go back at this time of year again, although my DW is not so sure as she had been expecting better weather after our first spring trip to Florida.
We are however going to Disney for Christmas/New Year 2006 and are not treating it as a "summer" holiday ie we have lowered our expectations of how good the weather will be even though it will still be much warmer than at home where it will struggle to get above freezing December through February.

 

[mansionterror]

We have been several times (in summer and fall) however this year we are going in March..first full week of March. I have checked the calendars for both Georgia City and FLorida city schools and it looks like we will miss those spring breaks. This will be our 2 year old's first Disney vacation and I want to make sure he will get to enjoy it. We will be staying in the resort...anyone think I should change our dates?

 

[LynnTH]

We will be there Feb 26th - March 4th. This is the exact same time period we went last year. Had been the beginning of Feb a few times and the weather is real iffy (as with anytime) But, it was more in the 50's and rainy. So, last year I decided to try 1st week of March and it was great. The Weather was in the 70's and 80s the whole time. Kids swam alot. The crowds were very low also. That's why I booked it again this time period for next year. Hopefully, we will luck out again. Did just find out that this is Mardi Gras week so not sure how this will affect the crowds??

 

[cwnhokie]

LynnTH, we are going Feb.25 - March 7th! I thought I had picked a very slow time too, but now I'm getting worried about Mardi Gras as well. We are taking my DHs family for their first trip so I want it to be perfect. Oh well, a bad day in Disney is better than a good day at home right?