When to go-spring break or summer vacation?

[traces7]

I don't want to take my daughter out of school to go to Disney. We're thinking of going during Spring Break 2006. I'm nervous about the crowds though. We will probably stay at a Disney hotel and get the early entry though. I don't like the idea of going during the summer mainly because of the heat. Thanks for your help

 

[ReninDetroit]

Spring break for sure.

The heat in Orlando is unbearable during the summer.

 

[Miss Inga Depointe]

It depends. If your spring break is Easter week,personally I would avoid that like the plague.

The first week of June can be not so terribly hot temps and not too crowded yet if that is a possibility.

I think we've found that if you wait until later in the summer, though it is hot and sometimes rainy, the crowds die down a bit.

 

[Leota]

I have done both. I actually preferred summer. It was pretty crowded for our Spring Break this year (4/15-4/24). I would NEVER go Easter week.

The weather was gorgeous, however. As long as you are willing to get up early & be at the Parks for opening and make good use of Fast Passes, it is doable(if not the week before or after Easter).

I don't find the summer heat to terrible. You are in & out of A/C all day, lots of ways to cool off & if you use your head, drink alot & factor in siesta time, it's no problem.

 

[dismom9761]

We went Spring Break(1st and only trip so far)and I don't think the crowds were that bad. Of course I don't have anything to compare it to. We used Fastpass and our longest wait was Dumbo at 20 min.The weather was wonderful.

 

[Lizzybee]

We were there over Spring Break/Easter and it was FANTASTIC. It got crowded sometimes (ie afternoons at MK, Saturday at AK) but it wasn't unmanagable. We used the early EMH at MK and FPs and the most we waited for a ride was about 30 mins for Peter Pan, the other two times we rode it we practically walked right on. We weren't there for MK late EMH but I'm not sure my kids would have been much or had much fun from 12am to 3am (which were the late EMH when we were there). It was strange WDW seemed crowded but we were never effected by it

 

[ellenmiele]

We've gone during our kids spring break (always the week after Easter) and it just isn't as bad as everyone says. In fact, this year (probably because the weather called for thunderstorms) on Easter Sunday we went into MK and honestly it WAS NOT very crowded. In fact, it wasn't until Tuesday of that week that we noticed BIG crowds (a beautiful weather day) and MK got closed/full by about 11 am. Maybe some of it depends on exactly when your break is and when Easter will fall -- which in 2006 is kind of late (April 16). That might be good this year if Easter is when you have off because many breaks are in March or (as with a few schools around here) the LAST week of April (starting the 24th for 2006).
If you are staying on-site, if you tend to get up and out early to do parks and then head back to your resort, and if you don't mind SOME crowds then you'll be fine with spring break. Heck, summer can be VERY crowded too and it's VERY hot plus all the afternoon thunderstorms --

--for the ability to not miss school, much better weather, and the (bearable) crowds, I'd definitely say SPRING BREAK.

We'll be going at back again over our Easter break in 2006...and 2007...and...

 

[720L]

Spring break. Unless you can handle HOT weather. Personally, I'll take the heavier crowds with cooler weather than the heat Florida has in the summer.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

We used to always go in the summer, usually august, but now oldest ds is a lifeguard so that basically rules the summer out, but we went last year for easter, that was our 3 ds spring break, the crowds were heavy but manageable if you planned well, fast pass, early entry, all dining arrangements made beforehand etc., This year we went with the ny spring break crowds, last week of april, it was fine, I think next year the spring break coincides with easter again, so we will go then. I personally was getting sick of all the humidity, not good for ds l5 asthma and with all the rain, I was always having to readjust all our plans, one day our sneakers were not even dried out, we walked around the mk with our water shoes on. Even dh had a case of the temperature tantrums, so its the spring for us for now on, the weather is much better.

 

[corinascot]

We went during the middle of June last year (June 12-) and Easter week this year. We had a great time both trips. I don't like crowds or heat. That being said, I think I'd prefer another early summer trip to an Easter week. The park hours for Easter week were so long that we had to leave our resort at 6:15 in order to get to the EMH at MK. I'm an early riser, but that was about 60 minutes too early for me. And it was much more crowded than our June trip. Plus, I could have used a jacket during the first couple hours of the A.M., but it was too warm for a jacket later. During June, it's warm all day. Yes, it was HOT in June, but it wasn't a big problem. It seemed like we were always entering a/c.

In short, we found both Easter Week and summer to be better than we'd been led to expect. You'll have a wonderful time either way.

 

[Nite0wl71]

I agree with everyone about the crowds at Spring Break. For 4 years we always went then. It depends on when your break is, the first 3 years our schools had break the week after Easter this year they did it March 19th. The weather was cooler but my girls DD19 and DD11 love the heat and pools so they didn't swim much. Also April can be cool at night and morning we actually had blankets at Fantasmic one night. The first 3 years we were the last schools to have break so even though it was crowded it wasn't to bad. We are planning on June 2006 for our next trip so we can have the hot weather. It also clears up my sinuses.

Carrie