Summer vs Winter Vacation ( especially for us northerners)

[Iteachwood]

I don't think Id enjoy planning a trip to Disney in the winter. With weather we get here up North you never know if or when your flight will ever get off OR come back. You leave Disney to come back to 2 feet snow in your driveway. Not for me!! I want to know I'm going to be able to leave and return on schedule. Too stressful worrying about weather.
Now summers can be very hot but we usually take 7-12 days at WDW so we can take our time....not fight the heat and just relax at pool. Go back at night. The parks are open sometimes till 2am...Lots of people but you plan accordingly.
Soooo.......whats your pleasure? Take off and leave snow and cold behind you and take chance on weather OR go down during heat and plan for it?

 

[NYwdwfan]

I never thought I'd go in the summer after the July 2009 trip - but after this past December and the 30 degree temperatures in Florida I will NEVER go in December again. I actually preferred being brutally hot to not being able to feel my toes. I also did not like coming home to snow on my car. Nothing screams, "hey burglars, there's NO ONE HOME RIGHT NOW, like a driveway and 2 cars covered in snow for a week". Actually, I'll probably go back to my preferred time of year: early November. But if I HAD to choose, I would rather go in the heat of summer than the dead of winter.

 

[H2Opolo15]

I would say my preferred time to go, altho I haven't been then, would be March or April because the crowds are not too bad and the weather is beginning to warm up there as well as here. I just went there in December and I don't enjoy having to buy a jacket or sweatshirt while in Disney because it's barely 45 or 50 degrees. I have gone in summer as well and it is blistering hot, so if you have enough time in your trip to wait until the cooler parts of the day to enjoy the parks I would highly recommend it. So it really comes down to how long you plan on staying at the parks and when you can make the trip. Many people can only get all their family off in the winter to go down so that's when they do as is the case with my family. And Disney does a great job with their holiday celebrations as well!:xmas:

 

[Disneygal1]

I can totally relate to this post. I live in Chicago, and I go to WDW every Christmas. Getting away from the cold weather is nice, and Florida is always warmer than Chicago. But I have had my fair share of trips where it has been very cold in WDW. I do love WDW in the summertime, but I love it during Christmas as well. Usually my father can only take work off during the winter, so summer WDW trips are rare. I will be visiting the world in the summer. I love Florida in the summer, I can handle the heat and I really don't mind it. But I know my parents aren't big fans of the Florida heat. So it really depends on who you are. Would you rather spend your day with the temperature of 60-75(if lucky) or 85-95 degrees. It really depends on what temperature you can handle.


Oh, and another Thing i forgot to mention is flight delays. Last year my family and I got very lucky. We were heading to the world, and our flight had been canceled. We contacted southwest, and asked if there was any possible way we could get a flight. Luckily, we were able to, but we did not get to the world until midnight. The plane's wings had to keep on getting de-iced before we were able to take off. This is one of the downsides of going to the world in the winter.

 

[Tiggerish]

I stick with spring and fall vacations to WDW. If it's a good year, we get to make two trips, one in May for our anniversary and the Flower & Garden Fest, the other in Oct/Nov for the Food & Wine Festival.

Most people think I am odd for not taking a summer vacation.


Edit: Your point about traveling in and out of the NE in the wintertime is certainly a valid one. I remember once coming back from a trip (not a WDW trip) and having to get out of the car and shovel out the driveway so that we could pull into it. Not fun. I would also not like the uncertainty of not knowing if I was going to be able to get out to start a vacation, or get back home (although if I had to get stuck anywhere, WDW would be the place to be stuck!)

 

[flavious27]

I would avoid disney in the summer; crowded, hot, humid and more expensive.

 

[htfdwlfpack]

I would avoid disney in the summer; crowded, hot, humid and more expensive.

Now thats a post i can agree with

 

[RetiredFRN]

I have gone in the summer, spring and winter. Went last December to see DW at Christmas and I'll go with summer!! Last december it was cold and rainy. I'll take heat any day. Plus I have been stuck going to DW in the winter and had a flight cancelled because of snow. Missed a whole day at DW. Give me summer travel any day. (But as I look outside at yet another 2 day snow storm in new england who knows!! I just give up)

 

[rstaut]

I prefer to go in October....just when it's starting to cool off in Wisconsin. We whisk ourselves away to Florida where we can experience one more week of warm weather. I did one June vacation & will try to never do that again! Way too hot & way too crowded!

 

[melmood2000]

I also like to go in October. I'm from the northeast as well and it is just starting to get cold here I get one more week of Summer :animwink: 2010 when we just went it was 80 during the day and 70 at night Perfect:sohappy:. I have found that the crowds have been low this time of the year and I enjoy the Halloween party.

 

[flavious27]

I have gone in the summer, spring and winter. Went last December to see DW at Christmas and I'll go with summer!! Last december it was cold and rainy. I'll take heat any day. Plus I have been stuck going to DW in the winter and had a flight cancelled because of snow. Missed a whole day at DW. Give me summer travel any day. (But as I look outside at yet another 2 day snow storm in new england who knows!! I just give up)

Weather channel says it is going to be 81 today in orlando, just amazing swing in temperatures.

 

[Nemo14]

We like going towards the end of February. Even if the weather is cool, it's much warmer than it is here, and once you get home, spring is just around the corner.

 

[Disney Dawg88]

I would say my preferred time to go, altho I haven't been then, would be March or April because the crowds are not too bad and the weather is beginning to warm up there as well as here.

I'll have to disagree with you here crowd wise . . . for the most part, most of April is pretty packed with spring breaks and Easter. Search the boards for the tread during Easter last year or the year before. There was an hour wait just to go up World Drive. Certain times during March aren't bad, but you still have college spring break as well. If you're going in March go as early as possible if you want to avoid crowds.

 

[flavious27]

I'll have to disagree with you here crowd wise . . . for the most part, most of April is pretty packed with spring breaks and Easter. Search the boards for the tread during Easter last year or the year before. There was an hour wait just to go up World Drive. Certain times during March aren't bad, but you still have college spring break as well. If you're going in March go as early as possible if you want to avoid crowds.

Agreed, we went during march in 08 and it was packed. And we were at sports and it was horrible with all of the tournaments that disney was hosting. I have gone in Feb twice and it has been died, great time to go.

 

[Tinkerbell 8]

Anytime a year is fine with me to go to disney because its DISNEY :sohappy:. I dont care if i'm wearing shorts and a tank top with sweat pouring down my face, or in winter with jeans and a jacket going in stores for the heat. We usually drive from Philly so the weather doesn't really effect our getting there, and this past trip it snowed while we were away so one of our friends went to our house to shovel and throw down salt for us. I would give anything to be at disney any time of the year.

 

[Raven66]

We've been in several different months. I think my favorite is in Feb. The time we went it was pleasant weather wise. We've been in Dec and the weather was all over the place. I don't think we will go again that time of year not because of the weather but because the parks close so early. It cut into our park time so much. I loved all the decorations, but just didn't like the short hours. But my feeling is like someone else said, anytime at Disney is a good time.

 

[Mikester71]

Have only been during our March/Spring Break up here and absolutely LOVE going then. The weather has always been pretty nice each time we go down; not too hot, not too cold.

My buddy thinks I am nuts for not wanting to go down during the summer, but the way I look at it, we are usually getting the same 80-90 degree weather up here in the summer and I look at going in March as a nice get away from the usually cold and brutal winters we have been getting recently. It gives you something to look forward to when you are getting hammered by a blizzard (*cough* RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE *cough*) or snow storm after snow storm. I know it is crazy busy down there when we go because of Canadian Spring Break, but I love it just the same!

 

[Susan Savia]

We love either January or February at Disney World. For one thing it gets us away from the cold and snow for a few days and the crowd levels are much lower.

 

[loveofamouse]

Agreed, we went during march in 08 and it was packed. And we were at sports and it was horrible with all of the tournaments that disney was hosting. I have gone in Feb twice and it has been died, great time to go.

I DISagree with you. we usually go in march and never had a problem BUT we usually do the first couple of weeks. Florida's spring breaks aren't until about April.



For the original question, like I said, we usually go in March. We usually go with our tax returns and my son's bday(3/21) so we go in the middle of march. No crowds. The problem with that, though, is Spring is really unpredictable in FL. I am Floridian and I'm used to it but it's a different story at the world. We could have great days in the 70s while the nights are around 30. We don't swim. I know you crazy northerners do but Floridians don't swim until it's consistantly above 85 ha ha ha.

Last year, we went June 2010. I was afraid of crowds and the heat. It wasn't that bad. Wait times were going pretty well. It was hot enough to swim. The humidity had it muggy but we just kept cloths to wipe sweat and fan mist things. No one really complained(expect at AK GEEZ!). What I loved, though, was the summer rains. We had rain everyday from 12-3. all of the tourists went back to the hotels. We stayed and rode everything with no waits and walked around practically empty parks. The only thing that sucked about the rain was the 1 showing of fantasmic was cancelled So I didn't get to see it then.

This year, we are doing another Summer trip, esp with the closing of ST. I want to see the new version!

 

[joannecasey]

My favorite time is October/November. Low crowds, perfect temps ... and lots of Christmas decorations in November without the crowds of being there over the actual Christmas break !