One of my biggest enjoyments is planning Disney trips, both mine and others through Creating Magic Vacations. Sometimes, though, I think that I take what I have learned and know about Disney over years of visits for granted. When I assist someone with planning who has never been to Walt Disney World before, I have to remember to take a step back and recognize that they are not familiar with all of the tips and tricks that I have learned during my many, many trips to Disney. They may not even be familiar with the basics of when to travel or where to stay. I thought I would go through some of these basic decisions in a series of posts, as well as other considerations and planning tips necessary for a successful and enjoyable trip. This information can be used as a resource for that new Disney traveler and will allow them to make decisions that are best for them, and seasoned Disney veterans may also pick up a tip or trick to use.
WHEN should I go?
Different times of the year offer very different opportunities at Disney, as well as different crowd levels and different weather (somewhat). The more flexible you can be with when you can visit will allow you some pretty great times to be there. I do understand that many careers and responsibilities limit that though. Teachers, especially, are usually confined to summer trips, or vacations during Christmas break or Spring break. All of these, as you can imagine, are high crowd times. Add to that any other long weekends in which the kids are off from school – Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, Easter, and those specific to different parts of the country such as Jersey week or MEA (which is a multiple day break for students in Minnesota). Basically anytime the kids are off of school, Disney can be expected to be crowded.
The lowest crowds are going to be found after the holidays, late spring after Easter, and right after school starts in September. I typically like to plan my trips for these times when I can in order to take advantage of this. These times also have some great events going on, especially at Epcot. January/February offer the Festival of the Arts, Flower & Garden is going on through April/May, and in September and October Epcot hosts my favorite – the Food & Wine Festival.
September/October is also Halloween season at Disney. This is a fun time of year for anyone with small children, and any adult that loves dressing up and celebrating this spooky holiday. Walt Disney World decorates for Halloween beginning in August, and this is also when the first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party at Magic Kingdom takes place, so even those that are confined to traveling during school breaks can experience the atmosphere surrounding Halloween. Between Food & Wine Festival at Epcot and the MNSSHP at Magic Kingdom, this is a great time of year to enjoy Walt Disney World.
Since Florida does have a tropical climate, it should be expected to be HOT during most of the year. Florida temps start to heat up in the early spring and reach peak during the summer, and then stay hot through most of the fall. Not only this, but it rains a lot. What is different about the rain in Florida, though, is the fact that it moves in quick and moves out quick. Rain is typically not an all day affair, but it does happen daily during certain times of the year, mainly the summer months. In my opinion, it shouldn’t be a deterrent for a trip to Disney, just something to be aware of so expectations can be set. There are tons of rainy day things to do that include going to the parks.
While discussing the rainy season in Florida, I should also mention hurricanes. The hurricane season in Florida is lengthy, from June-November, with most activity happening in August, September and October. Since Orlando is inland, the threats experienced on the coast are generally minimized, but hurricanes are no joke and many coastal residents move inland during the storms. Most hurricanes that affect Florida result in a large-scale rain event and severe storms for Orlando, but there have been a handful of times Disney has actually closed and asked guests to stay in their rooms, several occurring in the past few years. When traveling during these months, flexibility is very very important, and so might trip insurance. I have experienced the chaos of having a trip scheduled during a hurricane, and suddenly my Sunday-Thursday trip became a Wednesday-Saturday trip. I had flights cancelled and rescheduled three times the week leading up to that trip. You can’t beat Mother Nature, you can only roll with it and be aware of it if this is the time of year you choose to travel to Florida.
When is the temperature not hot? Well…maybe December, and possibly January. The Christmas season holds the most appeal and excitement for me for a lot of reasons, but the weather is generally beautiful for those of us migrating from the colder climates, even if most Florida inhabitants are wearing parkas. Evening temps in Florida can be chilly, and we have actually been at Disney during a December trip when we were wishing for a hat and mittens during the daytime. Of course, we have also taken trips in December wearing shorts/tank tops and spending time at the water park and pools, so it can go either way this time of year.
As I mentioned, the Christmas season holds a lot of appeal for me. During the months of November and December, the trees and holiday decor is up all over the Disney parks and resorts. It’s festive, cheerful and beautiful. It really is the most wonderful time of the year. If Thanksgiving week and the weeks of Christmas and New Years can be avoided, especially for a first-timer, the others are great times to experience the most magical time to be at Disney.
For anyone who started reading this blog hoping for a clear answer regarding the best time of the year to visit Disney, I’m sorry. What I do hope to achieve here though, is to give enough information about the various times of year to help someone visiting for the first time decide the best time of the year for them to go. It’s one of the first steps to planning a Disney vacation. Is there a time of year that you have gone and recommend, and what do you love about it?
