When to go to WDW? Working Around School Schedules

[lucyem]

In the next couple of years our oldest will be in middle school and we will have to start working around school vacations. I like most of you tend to think through plans for the next couple of years

We have:
Thanksgiving week which would only mean missing 2 days of school
Christmas Holidays
February & April breaks
July & August

I have a bunch of questions about these options.

I know WDW itself can be scary busy at Christmas and I am not sure we want to even try and deal with it. How does one deal with Christmas week??? We do have winter to contend with and it makes life harder here on the farm when the sitter has to deal with snow. We have discussed possibly a cruise over Christmas one year. We are taking a 3 day cruise next fall to check it all out before committing to a longer cruise.

Another thought was Thanksgiving week - start at WDW and then Thanksgiving itself either stay close to the resorts or head home via HHI. How tough is it to get HHI over Thanksgiving? How are the crowds at WDW earlier that week?

The Feb & April breaks I know will not be as busy as Christmas. They seem to make a lot of sense. Though Feb would be out just because of snow issues at home. April may be the winner in terms of traveling. Though the school system is trying to merge these into one vacation at the end of March which could go either way with weather.

I do not handle heat at all, I live in northern New England, so Florida summer really scares me. Can I manage the heat by only touring in the morning and at night? Actually thinking about the drive (23 hours) in the summer heat scares me. On the other hand if I take the kids in the summer we can stay longer and DH can meet us at whatever point works with his vacation time.

Any other thoughts or suggestions on these options?

 

[DVC SSR Owner]

We went spring break last year and the crowds and traffic were the worst that I have ever seen!

 

[dmoore22]

We have to work around school schedules since both my wife and I work in education. I was an administrator until I retired about 4 years back. Being on a 12 month contract left us with travel in July which, weather-wise, can be quite miserable. I found the crowds on the 4th of July to be some of the worst we've ever encountered. Now that I'm on my second career which provides a little more flexibility as far as travel. My wife still teaches so we have to work around her schedule which, coincidentally, is that same as our youngest daughter who is senior this year. We manage to travel twice a year, Star Wars Weekends in the spring and Christmas/New Years. Originally there had been an overlap with the Flower Festival and Star Wars Weekends which made for a very nice visit. Sadly that has changed. In the spring the crowds are manageable until after Memorial day when the beginning of the school's out rush starts. The crowd's not as intense as July and the weather is not quite as hot. Christmas is crowded but definitely worth it in spite of the crowds. The weather is wonderful after the ordeal of a mid-west winter. The guests are polite and filled with the Christmas spirit. I forgot to mention that it may be a little easier for us because the school schedule here gives two complete weeks at Christmas and school is out before Memorial Day Weekend. Sometimes earlier if the district doesn;t use all its snow days.

 

[dbs1228]

I live in New England and after many trips all times of the year we found Feb break to be our favorite. We used to go for 7 nights then it gradually grew to 10 nights (taking the kids out of school for 2 days, leaving on a Weds evening flight after school) Crowds are not bad they were worse in June. Weather can be a hassle but in 16 years we only encountered a problem twice.

The way I resolved the snow issue was both times we flew out (family of 5) the day before the "storm" got a cheap hotel at the airport and didn't miss a beat. Both times our orginal flights were canceled so we were glad we got out and the airlines refunded me the change fee.

The weather in Feb is nice (except last year cold brrr) but usually in the mid 70's.

 

[Starr W.]

We've gone with Thanksgiving with the kids missing 2 days, but I think that will come to an end, as my eldest starts HS next year. They do a lot of block classes, so missing 2 days is really like missing 4.

We have quite a few 4 day weekends that we will use for WDW trips, most the kids will miss is one day, which is easy to make up. Also we can get better airfare for those dates. Also have considered Xmas, leaving when the kids get out and coming home on Xmas day. Airfare not bad this year when I looked. I would not stay for the NYE week.

We save spring break for our Vero Beach trips.

 

[RLRDA]

I do not handle heat at all, I live in northern New England, so Florida summer really scares me. Can I manage the heat by only touring in the morning and at night? Actually thinking about the drive (23 hours) in the summer heat scares me. On the other hand if I take the kids in the summer we can stay longer and DH can meet us at whatever point works with his vacation time.

We live in southern New England which can get pretty hot and humid in the late summer but Florida humidity is in a whole different category!! Even still....for the forseeable future, we will be taking our yearly trip in August (usually the third week). I won't lie - it's hot. We do as you mentioned....go to the parks in the morning, break around lunch time and head back to the resort to relax, use the pool, etc. then head out for dinner and spend some time in the parks, the BW or DTD again. Late August seems to be the least crowded school vacation option plus we fly down and any other school vacation time is way more expensive to travel. Seeing as you're driving, that wouldn't necessarily be any issue for you. I'd rather be hot than deal with mega-crowds plus there are many air conditioned rides and attractions to escape the heat.

It's a nice way to end our summer vacation before the boys go back to school. The heat is a real deal breaker for some, though.....I'd say try it once before you decide to scratch it off your list of possibilities.

 

[Alexander]

DS started MS this year. We have a huge family reunion/Christmas get together planned for the week before and after Christmas this year. He is missing 5 days of school and 3 basketball games He's not thrilled but understands that this has been planned for over a year and a half.

In the future, we won't be missing anymore school for vacations. We'll likely extend our summer trips to two weeks and that will be it each year. We have begun to appreciate fewer trips that are longer than more trips that are shorter. And, the plus side of that is less airfare to pay!

 

[ldo]

the week prior to Easter is as bad as Christmas--we go every year--LOL. If your spring break is not tied to Easter, then I would choose that. Feb. is also good, but realize it could be chilly in Orlando. By mid-end March is it usually pretty good. Since we are tied to Christmas, Easter, summer, we pick Easter usually. Having done this for 8 years, our plan: hit the parks by 8:30 AM, leave right after lunch, and then relax at the pools, rent bikes, etc. Sometimes, we pop back over for fireworks, dinner, etc. It is very enjoyable with the nice weather at the pools and you leave during the most crowded time at the parks. If you know how to work the fast pass system and have a touring plan, it's really fine, even on days that they close the parks for capacity.
This year, Easter is very late, so March should not be bad at all. The week prior to Easter will be bad, as many NE schools are making that their spring break and many east Coast schools also have that as their break.
also, note that it take a lot more DVC points for the week before and after Easter--as much as Christmas.
We love Thanksgiving--great time to go--we hit the parks until Thanksgiving, don't go on turkey day to the parks and drive home on Friday---but we also have issues with school, so those trips are now out.

 

[Minniemouse07]

We have no qualms about pulling dd (4th grade) right now for up to 5 days...but we are doing a land/sea next year which would have been too much time.

I opted to book our trip the last two weeks before school started...(which for PA is the beginning of September). We will be able to take advantage of some lower prices on the cruise and free dining!!

 

[LSchrow]

we used to go the last week of august every year.
the crowds are lower than the rest of summer (some schools are back in session, and many parents want to prepare for school the week before).

it can be hot, but we never found it unbearable. just stay hydrated (carry water bottles), carry a wet washcloth in a zip-lock (rinse in a water fountain and wipe face and neck for instant heat relief), and go into air conditioned shops or rides as often as needed.
we really like that time of year - hth

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

We went Aug 25-31 this year and it was perfectly fine. It was actually hotter at home in PA than it was in FL (low 90's in PA, high 80s inFL). We loved it and are doing it again next year. We did early parks, breaked from 11-2pm at the pool. We are not park commandos though, so if you have to spend most of your day in the park, it may be more miserable.

 

[Swayhoover90]

You know the old saying "it's not the heat, it's the humidity"...A hot Florida day can sometimes be coped with. For me, a hot, humid Florida day is unbearable.

We have been in July when it was 96 and been able to tour during the morning and evenings but on the flip side we've been in September when it was 93 and humid and I thought I would die 24 hours of the day.

Also remember, that after the sun goes down the asphalt starts to release stored heat. This is what gets you when you sit on the curb for the 9:00 fireworks.

 

[nolanboys]

We're in the same boat you are. We are going over spring break this year - the lst week in March, but then won't be going again until NYE 2012. We only bought enough points to go every other year. Vacations just get to be so much harder to plan as the kids get older. When planning out our spring break trip this coming year, I looked at calendars for the next 2 years. 2012 works because their break will be for the full week after New Year's Eve, so we will have plenty of time. I'm sure after that trip gets booked - almost 2 years from now - I'll start playing around with future calendars to see what will work for us. We may even have to go in the summer and deal with the humidity!

 

[spiceycat]

if you spring break is either - palm or easter weeks - then it is almost as bad as Christmas.

another week to watch for is when the locals have spring break.
countries - lake, osceloa, orange, poke and 2 more that I can't remember.

 

[corpcomp]

We have been to WDW many times during both Spring and Feb breaks, and in July.

Last July it was about 80 in WDW and back in CT the temps that week were about 100. Our lawn died since we were not there to water it. My wife called the neighbors to water her gardens so that the flowers did not die.

Disney gives discounts to FL residents during summer so the parks remain crowded.

Spring break is very crowded and Feb break - President's weekend, is also crowded.

You cannot really avoid the crowds if you are on a school schedule. And you cannot predict the weather.

My only advice would be to try Feb first, especially if your break in April is Easter week - the 2nd most crowded week of the year. Generally most of April and the last two weeks of March are traditional weeks that the different states set for Spring Break.

Of course if your kids are very young, I would pull them out of school for two extra days for a long vacation. As our son is 15, and in honors courses, he cannot miss a day without getting incredibly backlogged so we never take him out anymore - sad.

Good luck!

 

[Alexander]

we used to go the last week of august every year.
the crowds are lower than the rest of summer (some schools are back in session, and many parents want to prepare for school the week before).

it can be hot, but we never found it unbearable. just stay hydrated (carry water bottles), carry a wet washcloth in a zip-lock (rinse in a water fountain and wipe face and neck for instant heat relief), and go into air conditioned shops or rides as often as needed.
we really like that time of year - hth

This is our favorite time to visit! It will work for us for the next 2-3 years, but when DS starts to play varsity sports in HS, they begin practice in mid-August! Ugh!

We went Aug 25-31 this year and it was perfectly fine. It was actually hotter at home in PA than it was in FL (low 90's in PA, high 80s inFL). We loved it and are doing it again next year. We did early parks, breaked from 11-2pm at the pool. We are not park commandos though, so if you have to spend most of your day in the park, it may be more miserable.

We too were in WDW that week this year. The humidity had finally given way thanks to the hurricane that was off the coast. It was hotter at home in NY than it was in FL!

 

[lisareniff]

From WNY here. I think we have the same break options; Thanksgiving, Christmas, President's Week, Third week of April and Summer (June25 - Labor Day).

We really enjoy President's week. The temperature differential is 40 deg!! Mid-70's feel like a hot summer day to us in Feb! (excluding last year of course). It is the 4th busiest week of the year with Christmas and Easter weeks busier. April would be an option if it doesn't fall on the week before or after Easter Sunday. How ever we tried it once and really didn't enjoy leaving home just as spring was starting. The sun was shining again and you were able to go outside and enjoy.

Too scared to try the summer for the heat and Christmas for the crowds. We did do Thanksgiving when our girls were younger but now don't feel we can miss more then one day.

 

[crisi]

we used to go the last week of august every year.
the crowds are lower than the rest of summer (some schools are back in session, and many parents want to prepare for school the week before).

it can be hot, but we never found it unbearable. just stay hydrated (carry water bottles), carry a wet washcloth in a zip-lock (rinse in a water fountain and wipe face and neck for instant heat relief), and go into air conditioned shops or rides as often as needed.
we really like that time of year - hth

That's when we've started going. Last August was our first August - and we'll do that until the kids are out of high school.

It wasn't NEARLY as bad as I thought - we had a rainy week - which kept the heat. Only one really hot day. We found freezing bottles of water in our hotel room, then putting the frozen bottles on the neck was good.

 

[VWL2001]

We've had to work around school breaks as well, and it can be a challenge. I won't lie, summer (July, August) is incredibly hot. We've been both months, and it is hot and crowded. There also tend to be large South American tour groups during those times. The later in August you can go, the better. The crowds will thin out after the first week in August because a lot of southern states begin school in early August. The heat is manageable with plenty of water. Another great thing is that with so many shops around, you can always find a place to cool off. We went to Carowinds in SC/NC in July and it was unbearable because there were no places to get out of the heat. This is the time of year that we've found the most "one-time vacationers." The people that this is the only trip they've ever made to WDW, and either they're clueless, or they're spending boatloads of money.

Christmas is very crowded, but if you can make it the week before Christmas and leave right after, it's better than the week between Christmas and New Years. And it's a really fun atmosphere. New Year's Eve at the parks is incredibly crowded, but we decided to brave it last year and had a blast at Epcot. Don't plan on riding anything, but the fireworks were among the best I've ever seen.

February (I assume you mean Pres day week) has become the newest crowded time at WDW. And the weather is very unpredictable. We've been when it was 80, and we've been when it was 40. There seem to be a lot of "groups" there at this time, like groups of teenagers on a school trip (not local day trip students).

Thanksgiving used to be good, especially the days leading up to Thanksgiving. It's now like summer without the heat. Weather is usually good, but nights can be cool and you have fewer daylight hours.

As you can see, there's no "good" answer. You just have to try them all and see what works for you. And seeing as your child is just entering middle school, you'll have a number of years to work it out. Enjoy them.

 

[CandleontheWater]

We run into this also with our extended family vacations since both of my SIL are teachers. We've really settled on the end of August as our best bet. It is hot, but I don't think it is as hot as June or July (or it just may be that it is hot every where in August, so it doesn't feel as bad), and the crowds are much more managable. We've found it to be super crowded during April vacation, and even though the crowds are lower in Feb, it is often too cold to use the pools or go to the water parks. I also like Thanksgiving, even though it is crowded, the weather is usually pretty nice and its a better option than Christmas week. We did Christmas week once, and I'll never do it again. Just too many people!