When to go to avoid conventions

[have2getaway]

I have heard they parks pick up with conferences in Oct., Jan, and May. Is this true? Are there specific dates where this is the case?

 

[wfloyd]

There are probably more conventions around that time but the tourist level is also lower. Usually for conventions, the people are busy most of the day with meetings and such so the parks aren't as busy. There may be a few families there but from what we have seen during that time frame it isn't bad at all.

 

[kimpossible]

I can tell you that there is a rather large Medical convention in Orlando the last week of October, but the lodging is closer to Sea World.

 

[Brina]

I can't speak specifically for Disney, but from having worked on conventions in the past, they tend to be scheduled for the low season of wherever they are located. For example, I was at one in July in Palm Beach. I attended another in early Feb in Colorado. The planners of conferences try to avoid big school break times and other expecially popular travel times.

 

[Mom to Jordan]

We have found January to be THE lowest crowd period of the year. We went the week after Thanksgiving last year to do the Christmas stuff and that used the be considred lowest week. It was so much more crowded than January. We hope to return to January next year.

 

[have2getaway]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I thought I was decided on Christmas, but are MAJOR concern is crowds. We would love to go during Christmas, but this may be our last trip for a while so we want to see as much as possible with as little wait. Any particular weeks we should try for?

 

[estherhead]

January is the lowest in my opinion in crowds, but we have been to Disney twice in this time period and had near freezing weather. Disney just isn't quite as fun in heavy jackets and two pair of socks. So I think the first week of December is good. Low crowds and not as cold yet, just a jacket in the evening.

 

[luvthatdisney]

We used to go in October. Due to kids in school (ds not doing too well) we will probably not be doing it anymore, but I do remember a golf tournament being there when we went. We happened to stay at CR during this stay and I think that is where most of the players were staying (that year at least). I think the parks were more crowded due to this. Not that the players were causing the crowds, but I'm sure they brought their families and the spectators and their families - just added to the regular travelers there.

You may want to check that out to see if this golf tournament is still being held in October.

 

[bicker]

During October, WDW plays host to Symposium/ITxpo, sponsored by Gartner Group, one of the preeminent IT advisory services in the world. During January, WDW plays host to Lotusphere, sponsored by IBM. It's much smaller now than it had been five years ago, but still dominates the Epcot resorts area for a full week.

In both cases, there is no noticeable impact on park crowds. The impact to vacationers is simply reduced availability of hotel rooms in the Epcot resorts area, and the manner in which the convention layers a mantle of business-orientation and work-orientation on the public areas of the resorts -- mostly the Dolphin and Swan, but to a certain extent all five resorts are affected, and of course the walkways between all five resorts are affected. After our first experience as vacationers during Lotusphere (we were often participants in the past), we decided to try to stay in the Magic Kingdom area whenever we decided to vacation that same week.