Pros and Cons to early February Trip?

[Cindee75]

Looking forward to another trip and am wondering the pros and cons to visiting in early February? How is the weather - typically - is it warm enough for the kids to use pools daily? :shrug: Also, I read somewhere that ride closures are typical at that time - should I be concerned about this? :veryconfu Thans for any advise.

 

[SMS55]

One thing about Florida weather is that it is always unpredictable. This winter was unseasonably warm. Early February is the dead of winter in Florida and Orlando will see upper 40's for morning lows on average. This season it was alot warmer than that though. February we will get cold snaps that will send the temp. near freezing for a few days. I've been there in the winter for some of those. Typically they don't last too long. Crowds aren't too bad if you avoid the President's Dy Holiday. After the New Year typically begins the slow season, so you will see some ride closures for refurbishment. It's just something you have to deal with it. You won't notice it much though. You might not get to ride a ride you really wanted to, but once you move on to the next one, you'll get over it.

 

[Bowler Hat Girl]

I was there the second weekend in February this year. We were totally unsure of how the weather was going to be, although the ten-day forecast had it in the upper 60s, low 70s. Good thing we packed for all kinds of weather--the Thursday and Friday we were there, it was so warm we were wearing crop pants and shorts. Saturday, there was a cold snap, and on Sunday, we were all bundled up (or more than we've ever been at Disney) to go to World Showcase with a high of 46 degrees.

It's an awesome time of year to go though. I'd do it again with no problem, and this time I'd pack a scarf just in case!

 

[bgraham34]

Personally I prefer the cooler weather when visiting WDW. I enjoyed my late Jan and an Early Feb trip. I did not sweat and the crowds were not too bad.

 

[sbkline]

We always go in April, so I don't know enough about February to know the pro side. But the biggest con I can think of is the weather. I'm not talking about the Florida weather, I'm talking about the weather back home. We drive from Central Illinois, and I don't know when booking a trip if it's gonna be mild winter weather at that time, or if those dates are going to fall during a huge snowstorm. And there is alot of distance between here and Florida, so even if it isn't so bad up here, I don't know how it's gonna be in the mountains of Tennessee in the dead of winter. We do have a short Christmas trip planned for November right after Thanksgiving and I'm a little nervous about what the weather might be doing at that point. My wife is a total worrywart and it doesn't take much for her to decide that she doesn't want to risk the winter roads. My "tolerance" for such things is much higher than hers, but I still don't want to risk making a 1,000 mile drive if the snowplows are having to be out on the roads, or if there is an ice storm.

Being up in Canada, you probably fly, but I don't know how far it is to your airport, as to whether that would be an issue for you or not.

 

[journ116]

I have 3 times during the year that I prefer to vacation in Disney World: beginning of February and May and December.

My experience with February has been a good one overall:

1. Weather: Like the other posters noted, the weather can indeed be all over the place, but being "too hot" is definitely not a concern. I remember on my last February trip (Feb. 1-6, 2009), my DH and I had to buy an extra sweatshirt, hat and gloves (thank goodness I packed all my DD's winter items in our carry-on). Looking back at the pictures, it's kind of funny to see my DH and DD all bundled up in their winter gear just to ride Dumbo! (The high that day was 45 and the low 35; definitely a cold snap) And, I do recall not having a single day where the weather was mild enough to go swimming. However, that didn't stop some resort guests; the pools may be heated, but that frigid air was enough to keep us away.

2. Crowds: Moderate to low during the first 2 weeks. We were able to tour Fantasyland on a non-extra magic hour day, arriving an hour after opening, in less than 40 minutes. We didn't have the park to ourselves, but we sure weren't competing with crowds for even the most popular attractions.

3. Refurbs: Sure you might run into some, but you can look forward to touring the Fantasyland expansion to make up for other closures!

Noting that you're from Canada, pack your winter coat (not the Gortex (sp.?) kind), hat & gloves in your carry-on, a swimsuit (just in case there's a fluke heat wave), and the camera to capture memories made in the expanded Fantasyland!!:wave:

 

[JIMINYCR]

On our Feb trip, like the former poster said, we had to bring long pants and sweatshirt. The pool was enjoyable but air chilly when we got out. We soaked in the hot tub more. We had utilized the Disney sites to know which rides were not going to be available (not enough to spoil our trip) and the park hours. The worst part was returning home. Florida weather was still warmer than at home in Maine and we went from green grass to mid winter, below zero temps, snow piles and 3 more months til Spring. I thought scheduling a Feb trip would help break up the winter, but it seemed like after returning home that winter would never end.