When to go - June, August or October?

[KLK622]

We have decided we would like to plan a Disney World trip for this year (needs to be this year because we have an airline credit and free Hilton nights that will expire by the end of the year)...5 to 6 nights with two adults and two young children (currently 2 and 6). Based on school schedules, the following dates would work well for us:

Week of June 10th (right after the school year ends)
Week of August 26th (week before school starts)
October 24th-30th (my son has the 25th/26th off of school)

Weather wise and to have time for adequate planning I would like to go in October, but I keep reading how busy October is...is it noticeably busier than the June or August dates? Our youngest turns 3 mid-October, so he would be free if we went in June or August, which would be a plus, but not a deciding factor.

We plan to stay at one of the Hilton Disney Springs properties that has been extended the EMH/early FastPass booking window for 2018 so Disney hotel discounts are also not a consideration.

This is the first time we are planning Disney around a school calendar and it certainly complicates things!

 

[NeedMoreMickey]

I love going in October, still warm enough for shorts and often cools off at night for a light sweatshirt. Plus MK has the Halloween party.

 

[SG131]

I cannot speak to October because I haven’t been that time of year for about 10 years. This past year, however, we did go the week you’re talking about in August. It was hot, but the crowds were really manageable. I would definitely recommend it. We left the Saturday of Labor Day weekend and went into MK a bit in the am and that was the only truly packed day.

I had family that went that time in June last year and they enjoyed it. They said the crowds weren’t bad. The downsides to June is you won’t get to see the toy story stuff and you are also within your 60 days for fast passes so a few of the headliners may be a bit tougher to get. I’m not sure if that would matter much to you depending on the ages of your older kids.

 

[KLK622]

Thanks-fastpasses are a major concern of mine for June. My last trip was booked about 45 days out and we got everything we wanted, but it was just my oldest son and I...so getting passes and reservations for two was probably easier (plus we were going at a historically less busy time).

 

[heidijanesmith]

We have been in all three months:

June- We like June because the weather is hot but bearable.
August- Lower crowds, but the heat is oh my goodness hot!
Oct- we have gone when it was HOT and cool. F&W makes EPCOT WS insane. Halloween!!

We like to go in June and Sept/Oct. Halloween is my favorite holiday and the MK party is so much fun.

 

[Tara8595]

I have been all of those times, but late August is my preference. June in my experience has been so hot that I have literally walked out of the hotel and was immediately drenched in sweat, turned around and changed into suits and had a pool day because we couldn't breathe the air was so heavy. Also, people itching for summer vacation tend to go in June and it is really crowded unless you are there the first week. Late August is great, most of the country is back in school, and crowds are much less. It is hot, but you are starting to get those fall hurricane season breezes that make it more bearable. You can also get some rain, but that really can happen anytime. October the weather is nice, but the crowds are high again and so are the prices. Late August you can typically get some good deals, plus the Halloween party is starting then as well as Food and Wine.

 

[DaniMoon]

I've been in June and October. We have an August trip planned this year (15-28).

I found June and October (2-13) to be comparable. October felt busy, but I think that's because I was expecting it to be lower crowds than it was. October was nice because of the Halloween decorations, it was still hot. June was more more manageable than we thought. Yes, it was hot and rained most days, but we were prepared for that.

I am looking forward to August. I know it will be hot, but I think since we have hot summers in Pennsylvania it may not be that big of a shock?

ETA: I guess the Halloween decorations will go up at the end of August, since there are some MNSSHP going on.

 

[holden]

I’d go with October, June and August, in that order. The heat in August is unbearable to me. There is no relief from it, even when the sun goes down. June isn’t too bad. Definitely hot but doable.

 

[DespinaVictoria]

August is the least crowded, I've done mid August the last seven years and it's not crowded at all. But you have to deal with the heat. It's not bad, because I like spending time in the pool.

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

I have sworn off summers at WDW. I cannot handle the heat at all. So my vote would be for October. I love going to WDW in the fall! I don't like crowds, and October has not been so crowded that it has affected my trip in a negative way. I love the Halloween atmosphere and the Food and Wine Festival.

 

[mddsnygals]

If you're Ok with the heat or plan to take breaks, I'd definitely go in August. It will be the least crowded of your choices.

 

[jerseygal]

October is my favorite. Been in June and mid August. Crowds were bad when we went in June right after school ended. October weather is lovely, days warm and coolet nights! Food and Wine is AWESOME! Enjoy whatever you decide!

 

[JerseyJanice]

I’m going to tell you not to go in October. At your sons’ ages, you are most likely going to want to spend the most time in the MK, and the Halloween party is really going to make that difficult even with park hoppers. Your boys may want to nap a lot or hardly at all, but if they do, four of the nights you are there, MK will be inaccessible to you. Even if you spring for the party one night, it will still be three nights when going to the MK at night and touring out of the sun is not an option.

 

[ZoZo]

I’m going to tell you not to go in October. At your sons’ ages, you are most likely going to want to spend the most time in the MK, and the Halloween party is really going to make that difficult even with park hoppers. Your boys may to nap a lot or hardly at all, but if they do, four of the nights you are there, MK will be inaccessible to you. Even if you spring for the party one night, it will still be three nights when going to the MK at night and touring out of the sun is not an option.

This is a really good point! With the Halloween party in October, many of your available Magic Kingdom nights will be taken up by the party. on the nights that there isn't a party, the Magic Kingdom will be very crowded. So you'll be very limited in your options. I would suggest going in June. It will be hot but not unbearably hot like August would be.

 

[piratepride]

If you can handle the extreme heat....August would be the least crowded. We personally love the last week of September into the first week of October.

We hit early June in 2016 and it wasn't bad at all. The parks were very manageable!!!

 

[pkpope]

We have decided we would like to plan a Disney World trip for this year (needs to be this year because we have an airline credit and free Hilton nights that will expire by the end of the year)...5 to 6 nights with two adults and two young children (currently 2 and 6). Based on school schedules, the following dates would work well for us:

Week of June 10th (right after the school year ends)
Week of August 26th (week before school starts)
October 24th-30th (my son has the 25th/26th off of school)

Weather wise and to have time for adequate planning I would like to go in October, but I keep reading how busy October is...is it noticeably busier than the June or August dates? Our youngest turns 3 mid-October, so he would be free if we went in June or August, which would be a plus, but not a deciding factor.

We plan to stay at one of the Hilton Disney Springs properties that has been extended the EMH/early FastPass booking window for 2018 so Disney hotel discounts are also not a consideration.

This is the first time we are planning Disney around a school calendar and it certainly complicates things!

AUGUST! June is terribly hot in Orlando and October is very crowded. August is one of the cheapest months to go to Disney still, as almost all central florida schools start in early to mid august, so based on your dates you’ll be in a great spot since the parks won’t really have locals/florida families since school just started

 

[KLK622]

Thanks for all the input-looks like everybody has a favorite time I didn't even think about October and the Halloween Parties at the Magic Kingdom. The August heat scares me a bit...plus its one of our best weather months in WI...but the idea of lower crowds is tempting.

 

[sandy77d]

I have gone in June and October and we prefer October. You are much more likely to get the unbearable heat in August than in early June, although it is still hot in June. We went June 4, 2016 and late October/early November in 2016. The crowds were much higher in Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom in June. Epcot was more crowded in October because of Food & Wine. However, we loved the Halloween party and Food & Wine, so for us, October was much better.

 

[tlmadden73]

I'd say August.

It's hot .. and probably will rain every afternoon, but the crowds will be low as most kids are already in school.

October will be crazy crowded as it get closer to Halloween, but weather is nicer.

June .. never gone in June, but seems like it will be both HOT and CROWDED .. not a good combo.

 

[sponica]

I'd choose august hands down...honestly the times I've gone to FL in the summer months, it's just as hot and humid as the northeast gets.