New, Planning and crazily excited!

[LesaGirlWalton]

Greetings from the Walton family in Clifton Forge, VA. I am in the beginning stages of planning our first trip to WDW. I'm really enjoying reading the posts from other members and I've already learned lots of helpful information.

The first thing I'm trying to make a definite decision on is when to go. By the way, traveling party will be myself, DH, DD 12, DD 11 and DD 9. (look what i learned already.)

I'm really glad to see that I'm quite normal since I am as excited about planning this trip as I am about going.
Here are the choices and I would appreciate any feedback......
June 20-July 1, 2006...... 10 nights and 10 day play pass
or
i'm considering pulling the kids out of school and going in February but it will cut the trip to 6 or 7 days.

I guess my question is can we do the same amount in 7 days in Feb. as 10 days in June....

We will be able to enjoy the water rides and resort pools in Feb?
By the way..... the basics are we'll be staying in Port Orleans Riverside, hopefully close to a bus stop, Park Hopper passes and the dining plan.

Thanks in advance........

*UPDATE*
Well my DH finally changed shifts and was home for an evening last night. Put the kids in bed and I grabbed everything I had printed out to sell taking the kids out of school and going in February..........

Long story short - he can't take vacation either of the first two weeks in Feb. this year because of some conference half the department is going to already leaving them short manpower. So... I guess now I get to jump straight into plan mode since the decision has been made for me.

I asked him why he didn't tell me sooner that he couldn't take Feb, to which he replied:
Have we ever taken vacation in Feb? How was I supposed to know you would care?
Yeah yeah, so what I was just trying to blame my disappointment on him. haha

anyway.......... many thanks to all who responded.

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[GenerationX]

This page will give you an idea of the relative crowds for the days you are considering. This is a no-brainer for me - I'd go with the 10 days in June in a heartbeat. Longer trip, fewer rehabs, and no missed school.

 

[mousebymarriage]

Congrats on your upcoming trip!

My vote is to take the kiddies out of school in Feb., with planning and advance notice to their teachers school work over load should be minimal upon their return.
I took my DD out of school Feb.12-19, 2005 and it was great. Not too crowded and not too hot, the kids went in the pool everyday, no problem. We did not go to blizzard beach(I think Typhoon Lagoon was closed for refrubishment) but, the weather would have been great for that!
We have already gone to WDW in July and it was awful!!!
It was unbearably hot, the lines were sooooooo long, and everyone was cranky! The water parks were at FULL capacity very early in the morning and the resort pool was mobbed 24/7! We will never do WDW in the summer again!
Hope this helps, have a great time!

 

[DisneyMissy]

I have never been to the World in the summer but from what I read on these boards it is HOT and crowded.

 

[jordanyosh]

February: Lower crowds during the time before President's Weekend.
Theme parks have earlier closings.
Weather can vary from day to day. 70's one day to 50's the next.
Can accomplish alot in 7 days.
Kids would probably have to do homework while at WDW


June: Higher crowds
Theme parks start extending hours
Weather warm/hot/humid, but great for waterparks and pools.
Can accomplish alot in 10 days.
No homework to worry about.

It's a toss up for me,but with the kids, I would probably wait til summer. That way their full attention can be focused on the trip.....

 

[HunnyPot]

I would take the kids out in Feb, and I'm a teacher, so don't tell anyone I advocated this! I think it would make the trip fun, because the weather would be cooler, and the lines shorter since it's not a peak season. Plus, you would be able to save some money on hotel stays and ticket prices. But, I'm all about the weather and money, because my husband is the hottest natured person in the world and can't stand the summer heat.

Whichever you decide though, you'll have a blast! Have fun planning, it's one of my favorite things to do!

 

[Master Yoda]

I would take the three days less in February. The heat in central Florida during June and July is brutal and the crowds can be insane. You could still get the 10 day passes with a no expiration offer and plan a three day weekend later on. There are a few other things to look at. Depending on if you are staying on property or not it might be beneficial to get 1 Annual Pass (AP)which would qualify you for room, shopping, water park and Disney Quest discounts. The discounts are not guaranteed but depending on what level you stay at (value, moderate, deluxe) they can save you the price of the pass or more. If you are not getting the dinning plan the AP also qualifies you for the Disney Dinning Experience (DDE) which is a discount card that costs $50 and will get you a 20% discount on nearly every table service and some of the counter service restaurants on property. I have 3 kids as well and the $50 was saved on the first day. Feel free to ask any questions you need. You will find plenty of people around here are eager to help. WDW can be a little overwhelming even for a Disney vet but with the proper planning it can be your best vacation ever.

 

[dflye]

Late June trip pros:

• Longer park hours
• Less things closed for refurb
• More choices for parade / fireworks days / times

Late June trip cons:

• Larger crowds
• Much hotter weather

Not sure how well your group holds up to a long day walking around in sweltering summer heat, but I know my family has to take a serious break during the day to get out of the heat during a summer trip.

During the cooler months, you can go the entire day without needing a lengthy break (eating lunch in a park, versus going back to the resort for a break in the pool and a nap), so can get about the same amount of park-related things accomplished, even though the parks are open fewer hours.

As far as 7 days versus 10 days, you could see most everything in 7 days, but would be able to do things in a more relaxed fashion in 10 days. Otherwise, you'll spend a lot of time trying to orchestrate getting from one side of a park to the other to catch a specific show/parade. It looks like your kids are old enough to take a full day of hauling around, but boy will they be tired when they get home! :lol:

It looks like Blizzard Beach's rehab is starting late October, ending mid December. Tyhpoon Lagoon is likely to enter rehab in mid-December (date due to change depending up BBs rehab), ending late February or early March (dates courtesy of this page at MousePlanet)

So if you go in February, only one water park is likely to be open, but at least it should be the newer one!

The highs in Feb are usually in the 70's, so on a sunny day, that should feel warm enough to hop in the pool or take a trip down a water slide. But if your group has serious water-park enthusiasts, you'd have much more fun going in June when the highs are in the 90's, plus you could hit both water parks, and not worry about freezing to death if you hit a cloudy day.

 

[swimmom]

Both have their pros & cons. After a trip in August on year, I have vowed never to go again in the hot summer months. Every day was near 100 and the heat indexes were over 110. Since my daughter is in high school now, I don't like to take her out for more than a day or two for vacations, so our options are to go during Christmas break or spring break. We've done both and it is crowded, but the weather is great and my daughter doesn't have make-up work to do. Also the parks have longer hours at these time of the year.

 

[tomman710]

February hands down, no question. Although, my favorite time to go is the first two weeks of December, I am an off season kind of guy, I suggest that first and foremost but February will be good too. You can not beat lower crowds, it means everything.

 

[GenerationX]

I would take the kids out in Feb, and I'm a teacher, so don't tell anyone I advocated this!

Wow. :zipit:

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Personally, I don't think this even requires debate. I've done both quite a few times, and I'd EASILY say to take the trip in Feb.

Don't forget about cost. That Feb trip is going to cost less than a June/July trip, easily. Not just because of the less days, but also because it's "off-peak". So you'll probably save at LEAST $500 or $600 (depending on hotel, food, rental car, etc.) in Feb...

So what makes more sense:

1. Pay more money for a trip when the parks are going to be crazy crowded and you're going to stand in tons of lines, plus it'll be hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk.

OR...

2. Pay less money for a shorter, but more productive trip.

It seems to me like the extra money you would pay in June would be completely unwise if for no other reason than the direct correlation to the crowd levels and amount of time standing in line and dealing with crowds. To me, that's just not the best use of your money.

Another potential is discount offers. I'd be willing to bet you'll probably get a better deal in Feb. Maybe the FREE Dining Your Way add-on option will make a return?? It's possible... You'd have to wait till probably the beginning of November to know for sure. But I would bet it's more likely to happen for Feb than for June!!! Either way, I'd advise you wait till at least the beginning of November to book anyway, just in case. We're going in 13 days, and it's solely because of the FREE dining option that we were able to book at the last minute. Saved me $1200.

As for the water park question... The water is heated. It'd be a little cool to go there early in the morning or later in the day, but even in Feb temps can reach 80 easily... So the high point of the day it would be fine, assuming the temps aren't unseasonably cool. We've done it ourselves.

Have fun planning!! :wave:

 

[Nemo14]

We've done both, and I would agree that the best idea is to go in February. One word of caution however - many schools in the Northeast have a week off in February (usually the 3rd week, coinciding with Presidents' Day), so the parks will be a little more crowded then (we'll be there!), so you might want to plan around that. Also the weather can be quite variable, but you'll surely have warmer weather than we have up here!
BTW, my DH is also a teacher, and we'd stiull say take the kids out of school for a week or so!

 

[ELopez]

I love WDW as much as anyone, but if I won an all-expenses paid trip there in the summer, I wouldn't take it. The heat is miserable, but the crowds are absolutely unbearable (IMO). I think with 10 days in the summer and 7 in the winter you could experience the same amount of attractions.

You have 3 girls? Me, too. Disney is the greatest place in the world, but you all will get very tired. After many trips, we have learned that shorter visits keep us from hating Disney and killing eachother. I strongly urge you to consider going when it is a bit cooler, the crowds are more manageable, and don't try to over do it. Remember - it's vacation - have fun!!

 

[MouseearsDeb]

Well, we are pulling our oldest out of school next week and heading to WDW. I'm not too concerned about homework because I'm confident he can do it and will be willing to help him any way possible. I also looked at his schedule ahead of time and picked a short school week, they will be out Friday anyway. We were in WDW in June 2004 and it's HOT! Really hot! I would recommend for your first trip to go when it's cooler. There are short to no lines. One thing anyone who has never been to WDW has to realize is that lines are not the same as at other theme parks. Generally, they are constant moving, but, in the summer time they can be hours in length for the more popular attractions. I would rather go with less crowds and be able to go ride to ride fairly quickly, possibly being able to see more attractions. We're not big on the water parks. Depending if/what WDW resort you stay at, some have wonderful pool areas all their own.

Another important thing is to know that there is NO WAY that you are going to experience the entire WDW in one trip! I've been several times and still haven't seen it all! Try to set realistic expectations. If you go in the summer, it's going to be very hot, lot's of crowds. But, as stated before, longer park hours and parade times, etc. If you go off season, MUCH cooler, hardly any wait times, better chance to see more attractions, but shorter park hours.

I would recommend checking your children's school schedule for days off around the time in Feb. that you would like to go. Maybe you could fanagle another day into your vacation that way. :animwink:
One last note, if there is a particular attraction that you just know you've got to see, check out the rehab schedules. Nothing stinks worse than really looking forward to that *one* ride and it's closed, or gone in the case of Horizons, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

Most importantly, have fun!

4 more days!!!! Can't wait! Can't wait!

My husband says that we will never move to Florida because he would have to work 24/7 to support my addiction, um......hobby!

 

[ELopez]

About school: please don't worry about it. They are kids! Let them be kids! This is the vacation of a lifetime! Maybe a pending WDW trip would be just the thing to encourage them to keep their grades up and even work ahead!

Just an idea (others here could probably help with this) - EPCOT is extremely educational. Maybe they could offer to do a project (collecting info while on the trip, doing the work after you return home). Maybe a social studies report on a particular country - they would have the opportunity to get some great pics and talk to natives! There are some interesting science opportunities in Future World, as well.

 

[LesaGirlWalton]

What an awesome response!

Many thanks to all of you who responded so quickly!! I'm even more excited now, if that's possible!

I can't wait to continue talking...... catch ya'll later!

 

[Cinderella Fan]

I agree with everyone else. February is the best time for the trip. While it may be longer in June, with the shorter lines and less heat, the same, if not more, can be accomplished at that time.

We went this past June and July for 12 days, and it was unbearably hot. At least a heat index on 116 on every day. It gets too hot to even go to the parks on some days. Even the water parks, they get full early in the morning and the lines at the attractions in the WP get just as long as in the parks.

I, too, am a teacher and think everyone in your family would enjoy the trip better in Feb. The heat can be a problem in the summer. It can make you miserable....

 

[MouseearsDeb]

One other suggestion, we found that it is going to be cheaper to fly and rent a car (we are staying offsite) than it would have been to drive. When I originally booked our plane tickets, they were around $120.00 each way per person. I watched the airline, and low and behold, they ran a sale for about $40.00 ew/pp. Then after I had reserved our rental car, I checked back and they were also running a sale and ended up saving about $35.00 off the original rental price. Just some other thoughts to keep in mind. Every dollar saved is a plus!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

While February may be cheaper, quieter and cooler I cannot agree with those of you who advocate taking the kids out of school. Education should be paramount (yeah but its only 10 days)