Choosing time of year..

Melskip

New Member
We are trying to choose when to return to Disney World. Our family went for our first trip November 2016, when our kids were 8 and 4. We are trying to decide between the fall of this year (So we don't have to wait so long!!!) or the Spring of 2019 to try a different season (maybe even be there for the Flower and Garden Festival.
Which would you choose?
 

macefamily

Well-Known Member
Sounds like your kids are the perfect age for the Halloween experience. We went for our first time to the Mickey's Halloween Party and we loved it. OK, my kids are 21, 17, and 15. So we also did the Universal Horror Nights which was incredible. Awesome production values. Magic Kingdom was decorated beautifully. We also were able to attend the Wine and Cheese Festival at Epcot which was the best. Definitely go for the after-hours Halloween party and stay for the 11:00PM show. This past year was Hocus Pocus-based. It was very entertaining. We've been to Disney 21 times since my children have been born. There used to be slow times during the year, but there really isn't an "off-season" any longer. Seems to always be crowded.
 
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OneofThree

Well-Known Member
We're fortunate enough to live close and visit throughout the year. Each season has its positives and negatives, IMO. That said, "Fall" and "Spring" are kind of ambiguous because there are very different experiences across the weeks of each. For example, there isn't really a slow season anymore, but part of the Fall (prior to Thanksgiving week) can still be pretty decent in terms of crowds. If you go a bit earlier in the Fall than that, the crowds are even better. Spring is nice as well, but a bit busier. Visiting F&G would be excellent if you've never been.
 
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Schneewittchen

Well-Known Member
Either time can be excellent.

My family did a long weekend this past Veteran's Day weekend, it was warm and sunny but not too hot or muggy. The best part is that Christmas decorations were up and Epcot was still doing the Food & Wine festival. Daddy and I had a lovely time with the beverages. It was moderately busy.

We usually visit in March/April for the week after Easter. Its hot, sunny, muggy, etc. and usually a mob scene. But I still love it. And yes, Epcot is beautiful for the Flower & Garden Festival.
 
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Melskip

New Member
Original Poster
We're fortunate enough to live close and visit throughout the year. Each season has its positives and negatives, IMO. That said, "Fall" and "Spring" are kind of ambiguous because there are very different experiences across the weeks of each. For example, there isn't really a slow season anymore, but part of the Fall (prior to Thanksgiving week) can still be pretty decent in terms of crowds. If you go a bit earlier in the Fall than that, the crowds are even better. Spring is nice as well, but a bit busier. Visiting F&G would be excellent if you've never been.
Thank you for your reply! I guess I was a bit vague in my mentioning of Fall and Spring! I've been looking at the crowd calendars and that is our biggest guiding factor I suppose. I think we are considering October for the fall (I got to see the Christmas decorations last time and would rather not see them this time) or possibly end of February or beginning of April (Easter is late April in 2019). Is April a good time for the Flower and Garden Festival?
 
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JillC LI

Well-Known Member
October is a wonderful time to go. Great weather, Halloween party, and Foo & Wine Festival. Can't miss. And if you avoid Columbus Day Weekend or Halloween, the crowds aren't awful.
 
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JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
The special Halloween decorations and MNSSHP makes it very worthwhile going for in October.
F&G festival is also a wonderful time because EP is brilliant with color and theres the events, concerts, butterfly area, food and merchandise that add to the park. The earlier in the season the better... as the time goes on the flowers lose their prominence and color.
Its a difficult choice to make but I'd give the F&G time the edge.
 
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DarthVader

Sith Lord
I've been looking at the crowd calendars and that is our biggest guiding factor I suppose.
All that the crowd calendars are going to tell you is whether WDW is extremely busy or just busy, there's no longer any slow periods.

As for when to go, the parks, consider that many southern schools have a fall break in October and so you'll see an uptick in attendance around the 2nd or 3rd week of October. I think the time closest to the beginning of September may be you best bet, if crowds are your concern

If it were me, I'd probably choose October with the Halloween themeing and Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party which is something I'd not want to miss.
 
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DisneyDoug85

Active Member
We're fortunate enough to live close and visit throughout the year. Each season has its positives and negatives, IMO. That said, "Fall" and "Spring" are kind of ambiguous because there are very different experiences across the weeks of each. For example, there isn't really a slow season anymore, but part of the Fall (prior to Thanksgiving week) can still be pretty decent in terms of crowds. If you go a bit earlier in the Fall than that, the crowds are even better. Spring is nice as well, but a bit busier. Visiting F&G would be excellent if you've never been.

don't want to thread jack...but I'll be going the weekend just BEFORE Thanksgiving this year (fri, sat, sun, mon, leaving tues). Just curious to see what you'd expect crowds to be like for those days?
 
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DisneyDoug85

Active Member
Very busy, from what I've seen. Things pick up Thanksgiving week, and then from the week after, through New Years' week it steadily builds to full blown mayhem.
Thanks, I’ve read some varying opinions. Some say it doesn’t start picking up until Wednesday or thanksgiving day through that weekend...but I’m definitely going in with the expectation that it’ll be very crowded.
 
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Driver

Well-Known Member
My suggestion would be end of February. The cheerleader groups are gone and the weather is fantastic. Crowds are not terrible, and if you like special park events MK has After Hours on certain nights.
 
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DarthVader

Sith Lord
I think mid April to Memorial day is the best time of year in Florida as well as Disney World. The first two or three weeks in May Disney is not so crazy.
I hope you're right because I'm going mid-april :D

However, I think overall the month of April (until the very end), is typically very busy, as school systems have their April vacation. Some of the vacation early in April, others have it mid to late, such as Massachusetts. I went a couple of years ago and it was busy in late April, but not crushingly which is a plus. This year school vacation in Mass. is a week earlier and given the lack of availability at the resorts, I think its going to be very busy.
 
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DisneyPrincess5

Well-Known Member
Having been during most months of the hear, DH and I have made the choice to (as best we can with schedules and time) now go when the weather will be fairly certain. I’m all done with like Nov-March. Too much unpredictability, there and home for us with snow. We’ve been during those months a few times and we’ve had 30s to 70s. I love spring at Disney and early summer.
 
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21stamps

Well-Known Member
don't want to thread jack...but I'll be going the weekend just BEFORE Thanksgiving this year (fri, sat, sun, mon, leaving tues). Just curious to see what you'd expect crowds to be like for those days?

We were there that exact weekend in 2017. We only did one park day.. started at Animal Kingdom, hopped to HS, and then MVMCP that evening. It was crowded, but manageable. Make sure to do MVMCP, the crowds are a lot lighter than a regular evening.
 
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SteamboatJoe

Well-Known Member
You will be happy either way. I went in November in 2015 just as the Christmas stuff was being put out but decided to go in May last year just so we can could experience the parks, especially MK, without alot of holiday decor and overlays. That said, the fall and Halloween decorations do like pretty neat. Fall use to be a slower time but a non-spring break week in late April or early May might be better these days.
 
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Dave B

Well-Known Member
Very busy, from what I've seen. Things pick up Thanksgiving week, and then from the week after, through New Years' week it steadily builds to full blown mayhem.
I would disagrre with your assessment, we have gone the last 3 years on these dates and actually stayed thru Thanksgiving, those days are the best days, that Tues or wed prior to Thanksgiving is when it starts to get crowded until the Monday after, Have a great time, maybe we will see you there
 
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OneofThree

Well-Known Member
I would disagrre with your assessment, we have gone the last 3 years on these dates and actually stayed thru Thanksgiving, those days are the best days, that Tues or wed prior to Thanksgiving is when it starts to get crowded until the Monday after, Have a great time, maybe we will see you there

Are you suggesting that Thanksgiving week is less crowded than the weeks prior?
 
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