Should I change my trip date?

[Ski Patrol]

I have already booked a 6 night stay at the Polynesian from May 25-31. When I went to book my ADR I found that many of the times I want to go are already booked. I'm afraid that it will be too crowded at that time. The only other time that my family can go is the end of August. I have a 6 and 8 year old and will not need to pull them out of school at the end of August. Should I change to August? My husband is resistant because of possible hurricanes. I will not need to pay any penalties for changing flight/hote.

 

[tigsmom]

Can you be a little more flexible with the times and restaurants?

Try having your big meal mid day instead. This worked well with our kids when they were younger and they liked the idea of having a "snack" for dinner (not junk, but not a sit down...pizza ,hot dog, etc) on the go and its still what we do now.

The end of August is when we usually go because of school schedules also and its very hot, humid and is still somewhat crowded. We've been lucky in missing the hurricanes (we left the day before katrina came ashore), but I wouldn't mind being stuck in WDW. :lol:

 

[mikeanabean]

It is way too hot to go in August. Stay with your original plan for May.

 

[DisneyMarg]

Also, keep trying with the ADR's. Plans change, people cancel. Keep trying up until dinnertime. This may not work with the headliners - Cindy's Castle, character meals, etc - but you'lll eventually get in somwhere. And, there are no bad meals at Disney so don't hesitate to try something new like the Biergarten at Epcot. There are some places that almost always have an available spot. I've never gone hungry

 

[wdwfreak05]

It is way too hot to go in August. Stay with your original plan for May.

It's pretty warm in May as well. :lookaroun

I think August is a great time to go. It's getting towards the end of the summer so many kids are going back to school and therefore the parks are a little less crowded. I used to go in August all the time but lately I have gone in June/July and I have definately noticed the difference in crowd volume. August is one of my favorite times to go and I would recommend doing so if you can.

Don't worry about the heat. It's not that bad and it's normal Florida heat as usual. Just stay away from being outdoors for extended periods of time between 12 and 4 and you will be fine.

 

[FSUgly]

I would stick with May. The weather won't be as hot as it will be in August. We went the last week of May 2004, and it was very nice, temperature and crowd wise. I think the problem you are running into with the crowds and times and restaurants, is that you are visiting over Memorial Day weekend. We didn't have the crowd problem b/c we planned our week so that we checked out Sat morning of Mem Day Weekend.

 

[nemobruce]

The end of August is going to be hot in the high 90's. But most of, if not all of florida schools will have started. I go at the end august due to low park attendance, but that can be a hit of miss too. But normaly the attendance is low.

 

[duchess1576]

So am I right to assume that, because I got all the ADR times I wanted, no problem, that the parks won't be crowded? I got pretty decent restaurants like 'Ohana, Liberty Tree Tavern, Garden Grill, 50's Prime Time, 1900 Park Fare, Akershus for dinners at 5:00-6:00 PM and breakfasts around 8:00-9:00 AM. And I waited to make my reservations until just a few weeks ago, and I'm leaving in 6 weeks.

I just hope that's a good sign!

 

[captcanada]

I went mid to late may 2004, and LOVED IT!! It was warm...but not TOO warm (perfect temp actually. around 30 celcius the entire time). The crowds were fairly low. It was excellent. Just my 2 cents though.

 

[Ski Patrol]

Thanks for all your input. We are leaning to changing our trip to August. If we go in August we can go for 7 nights versus 6 and we won't have to pull the kids out of school. I was able to book all my dinner reservations for May, but had to change the time that I had planned to go. No big deal, except it made me realize how crowded it will probably be Memorial Day weekend. I do realize though that it could be just as crowded in August, but I don't think it will be. The only problem is that I'm not sure that I can wait that long to go. My husband has only been to Epcot once for a day and I haven't been since 92. Reading everything about disney really gets you pumped up to go!

We still have a couple of weeks before we have to make our decision.

 

[peters]

If you do keep your reservations for May, I wouldn't read too much into the dining reservations. I went last September & this past January(very slow times of the year) & had trouble getting the times I wanted with just about every restaurant I made a reservation. I've been told that since the new dining plan went into effect, that's pretty standard. Good luck in whatever you decide & have a great time!:sohappy:

 

[maelstrom]

Keep your May reservations! In May you get the Flower & Garden Festival. And I've gone at that time for the past three years and found it not too crowded. Still got in at Chef Mickey's.

 

[bgraham34]

It is way too hot to go in August. Stay with your original plan for May.

Hot and Humid are 2 words that I hate. Stick with May.

 

[PamelaNiebergal]

I too would suggest that you stick with May. Attendance has been up at WDW so there's a good chance that August will remain crowded. Plus it will be much more hot and humid. Add to that the risk of hurricanes and May is a better choice. Crowds shouldn't be unmanageable and like a previous poster stated the Flower and Garden Festival will be on. I'd rather fight slightly higher crowd levels than midsummer Florida heat. We're goin May 20-June 5 and can't wait.

 

[shoppingnut]

I would stay with May, the weather is a little less hot and not as humid. I have gone in May many many times and it is less crowded, even with Memorial Day weekend, it will still be less crowded then August. I went last year at the end of August and it was very hot & humid and crowded.

 

[figmentmom]

I think it all comes down to two things: how well you and your family tolerate hot weather, and how much of a chance you're willing to take with the possibility of hurricanes.

Personally, I LOVE hot weather, and August is one of my favorite months at WDW. The crowds get smaller in mid-to-late August, and I've avoided all the major hurricanes except for Charley in August of 2004. But if you'd just as soon skip the real heat and humidity, stay with your original travel dates, and keep trying on the dinner arrangements.

Have a great time either way!:wave:

 

[DopeysGirl1226]

We were there last May with a group of friends, and eventhough there were a good amount of people there we still ended up doing everything we wanted. Yes it was warm, ok hot, but not unbareable. We defiantely made use of the Extra Magic Hours, and it made such a difference. On the wednesday of our trip we were able to see the fireworks at Epcot, then the fireworks at Magic Kingdom and see the night parade then basically hit every ride in the park until 2 am. We found that by starting later, and ending the day later we missed a lot of the direct sunlight, and enjoyed ourselves so much more. Granted we were all 23 and older, so depending on your kids age it may or may not work. Just don't try and do anything on a Monday in the Magic Kingdom. We learned the hard way!:wave:

Don't forget to go to the waterparks!

 

[ClemsonTigger]

I would also vote that you stay with May. Sounds like you did get the Res. you were looking for, so why not stay with it. It will be busy but not unbearable, especially if you plan your trip out a little.

Get a planning book or use this and other sites to familiarize yourself with the main attractions you are interested in. If you are there for park opening, you will have a few hours were crowds will not be an issue. Relax, take afternoon naps (the closeness of the Poly makes that so easy), an afternoon swim then you can go back out for the evening.

As for Memorial Day weekend, JMHO, but it seems that it is always MK that bears the brunt of the traffic, so if you do that on your days before or after and go to other parks, it won't be too bad.

Duchess: Don't read too much into dining reservations. I just made mine for the week of April 7 (one of the busiest weeks of the year) and got everything I asked for. I have been there when it was not too crowded and possibly because of dining plans, a lot was booked. So it's not a good barometer.