Vacation timing advise

[DarthVader]

I'm looking to plan our next Disney vacation either for 2015 or 2016.

We were just there this past November (thanks to the free meal plan) and it was great. My kids are getting older now, and we found pulling them out of school was a bit hard on them once they returned. I don't want to put them behind the 8 ball or having them struggle to to catch up.

With that said here's what I'm looking at. If the more seasoned disney experts can provide some insights and advise on potential crowds, and weather expectations I would greatly appreciate it.

First choice
August 2015 the week of the 17th. Prices appear to be fairly decent for the late August time frame, but I'm very worried about it being excessively hot (read dealing with 100+ temps while melting in long lines).

Christmas vacation - Expensive and may be colder then we want. I expect HUGE crowds and cold (for FLA) temps

April vacation 2016 (week of April 18th) - No idea what to expect for costs, weather or crowds.

We've been to WDW in May, October, and November. I've dealt with typical lines in the range of 40 minutes for October, November was lightly populated for Disney but I'm worried for April and August it may be a lot more crowded.

 

[BigRedDad]

The first thing you are going to face with timing it with school schedules is heavy crowds. Accept that first and understand that it will be busy. In August, temps will be in the upper 90s with near 100% humidity. Add in the crowds and you are going to think you are in a sauna with a lot of sweaty people. Christmas is the most expensive and crowded time of the year. Weather can be in the 80s or 40s. There is no way to tell. Lines and crowds are going to be HEAVY. It may be a 30 minute wait just to get in the door of a QS restaurant with another 30-45 minute to get the food. April you will have nice weather and heavy crowds. That is most likely Easter week which is as bad a Christmas crowd wise.

 

[wannabeBelle]

The first thing you are going to face with timing it with school schedules is heavy crowds. Accept that first and understand that it will be busy. In August, temps will be in the upper 90s with near 100% humidity. Add in the crowds and you are going to think you are in a sauna with a lot of sweaty people. Christmas is the most expensive and crowded time of the year. Weather can be in the 80s or 40s. There is no way to tell. Lines and crowds are going to be HEAVY. It may be a 30 minute wait just to get in the door of a QS restaurant with another 30-45 minute to get the food. April you will have nice weather and heavy crowds. That is most likely Easter week which is as bad a Christmas crowd wise.

Exactly this ^^ Working with school schedules is tough and when your kids are out, so are many others, hence the crowds. Is weather or crowds more of an issue for you? You wont get around both unfortunately. If weather is the bigger factor, Easter break is the best choice. If crowds would be the bigger problem, summer would be my choice. Marie

 

[DarthVader]

I forgot about Easter week - So that seems odd, so Easter is very busy at WDW?

Easter is early in 2016 - March 27th so that's not going to interfere with a April 18th time frame

 

[SDisney90]

use this website to decide which parks to go to on any given day..predicted of course from previous years. Its either or with the dates you'd like to go. Play around with the website, take a look at projected crowds, and such hope it helps a bit.
https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/crowd-calendar/

 

[wannabeBelle]

I forgot about Easter week - So that seems odd, so Easter is very busy at WDW?

Easter is early in 2016 - March 27th so that's not going to interfere with a April 18th time frame

Remember it is not necessarily Easter itself, but Easter break or Spring break that is going to impact. Different schools have different break schedules and so the crowd level will vary depending on that. Marie

 

[DisneyRoy]

The April week will still be during the popular break period and therefor still heave crowds. The August week is toward the end of the summer, so the crowds might be less. As long as you are ok with the weather, I think that is your best option crowdwise.

 

[DisneyRoy]

use this website to decide which parks to go to on any given day..predicted of course from previous years. Its either or with the dates you'd like to go. Play around with the website, take a look at projected crowds, and such hope it helps a bit.
https://www.undercovertourist.com/orlando/crowd-calendar/

See your week here...it is a bunch of 6's. Those are pretty tolerable. Long lines at the headliners pushing 60 minutes for most of those. Everything else should be ~30 minutes for popular rides.

 

[DarthVader]

Remember it is not necessarily Easter itself, but Easter break or Spring break that is going to impact. Different schools have different break schedules and so the crowd level will vary depending on that. Marie

Gotcha, I thought it was more about Easter and less about spring break.

The April week will still be during the popular break period and therefor still heave crowds. The August week is toward the end of the summer, so the crowds might be less. As long as you are ok with the weather, I think that is your best option crowdwise.

That's kind of what I was thinking but I'm nervous we'll just be melt. On the flip side, here in Boston we'll be dealing with near 90 degree temps, the humidity is the differentiating factor.

Along with the Summer option, we'll get to surprise our kids. They are expecting a 2016 April vacation, but I've already told them that we'll be cancelling and choose to have a lower-key vacation this summer.

I had a friend who surprised their kids, they saw he videos and now they're all about wanting to get surprised.

 

[jaklgreen]

I don't know when you kids get out for the year but mine get out around the 22-23 of May every year and we usually leave for WDW the day after they get out of school. It does not seem to be as crowded that last week. But by the end of our stay you can really see how the crowds are coming in. If they get out early enough I would try then or the August date(even though it is crazy hot).

 

[Disvillain63]

Of the times/weeks you have listed, I would go with April 18th. Even though there may be a few schools still having Spring Break, it will be small in comparison to March and the early part of April. The temps will be comfortable. You'll still have F&G at Epcot.

Christmas is crowded and you never know what you'll get for weather. If your kids are getting older and it is hard to miss school, then that probably means they are into the rides...long lines.

August in the south can be awful at times. Although many schools are back in session by that time, the humidity and heat can be a drain and a drag.

 

[wannabeBelle]

I had a friend who surprised their kids, they saw he videos and now they're all about wanting to get surprised.

AWESOME!!!!!! That will be the best!!!! Marie

 

[DarthVader]

Of the times/weeks you have listed, I would go with April 18th. Even though there may be a few schools still having Spring Break, it will be small in comparison to March and the early part of April. The temps will be comfortable. You'll still have F&G at Epcot.

All good points, though from my initial research, there's still plenty of schools around the country that will have that week off, plus the calendar link provided by SDinsey90 shows that wait times at a high level are nearly the same as August.

Christmas is crowded and you never know what you'll get for weather. If your kids are getting older and it is hard to miss school, then that probably means they are into the rides...long lines.

Agreed, and you need to factor in weather up here in the Northeast, i.e., will a snow storm cause travel woes as we try to leave for FLA. Then there's cold/flu season. I'm not jazzed up about a Christmas trip for a number of reasons but I did put it down there as an option, albeit a remote option.

August in the south can be awful at times. Although many schools are back in session by that time, the humidity and heat can be a drain and a drag.

Having never been in Florida in August I am quite apprehensive about this. Based on what I see here, and elsewhere, is possible the crowds may be less severe for the week of Aug 17th, but the weather is the wild card. How will two 9 year old girls and my wife handle the oppressive temps

AWESOME!!!!!! That will be the best!!!! Marie

I agree, and that's one factor that is moving me closer to an August selection. Still, I don't want to be blinded by other options that may increase our enjoyment.

 

[Nemo14]

As teachers, we were limited to school vacations too, and I understand what you're going through with this decision. We did April break once, and it was horrible - the weather was hot already and the crowds were horrendous. August is oppressively hot in FL too (but it 's hot and humid here then too), but from what I hear if you go late enough in the month the crowds aren't too bad.

 

[JillC LI]

Can you find a 3 or 4-day weekend at your kids' school that you can turn into a slightly longer trip by having the kids miss only 2 or 3 days of school? Any holiday weekend will be more crowded than usual, but probably not nearly as crowded as Christmas or Easter weeks.

 

[LAKid53]

We usually go around the 20th of April and haven't found the crowds that overwhelming, unless it was Easter week. Most schools spring breaks are over by then and the weather is delightful, sometimes on the cool side - temperature in the upper 60s during the day. April is a great time weather wise in Florida. My favorite times at Disney are late April and late October, early November. The weather is just gorgeous.

Do not go in August. Especially the last week or two before school starts - everyone is getting in that last summer vacation with the kids and when others said that the heat and humidity are oppressive, they aren't kidding.

 

[Kosmo1986]

I will start by saying I am a Floridian (tampa area) and a an annual passholder.
For crowds Springbreak and Christmas are pretty similar and really busy. In august kids are not in school yet in FL (they start end of august usually) so you could still see some higher crowds but it won't be as bad.

For weather. I have lived in Florida almost 20 years and I would say I am very used to the weather here in the summer. That being said I will never go to Disney in July or August. Not only is the humidity and heat almost unbearable but it rains pretty much daily. Although the rain usually only lasts a hour or two its usually pretty torrential.

Honestly the weather in December is the best weather for Florida. April can still get pretty hot (usually at least upper 80's). While there are occasion that the weather gets cold here (by cold I mean 40 degrees in the early AM or late PM) its still usually nice outside during the day. Its may be a little cold at night but its pretty normal to have weather in the 60's during the day. I would advise in December also because there are extra things to go and do during the holiday.

 

[Mawg]

I'm looking to plan our next Disney vacation either for 2015 or 2016.

We were just there this past November (thanks to the free meal plan) and it was great. My kids are getting older now, and we found pulling them out of school was a bit hard on them once they returned. I don't want to put them behind the 8 ball or having them struggle to to catch up.

With that said here's what I'm looking at. If the more seasoned disney experts can provide some insights and advise on potential crowds, and weather expectations I would greatly appreciate it.

First choice
August 2015 the week of the 17th. Prices appear to be fairly decent for the late August time frame, but I'm very worried about it being excessively hot (read dealing with 100+ temps while melting in long lines).

Christmas vacation - Expensive and may be colder then we want. I expect HUGE crowds and cold (for FLA) temps

April vacation 2016 (week of April 18th) - No idea what to expect for costs, weather or crowds.

We've been to WDW in May, October, and November. I've dealt with typical lines in the range of 40 minutes for October, November was lightly populated for Disney but I'm worried for April and August it may be a lot more crowded.

We are lucky that our schools get out about a week or two earlier than the rest of the nation for summer break. We have been able to go the first week of June before the summer crowds hit that hard. I would recommend looking at when you schools get out and try to go immediately at the start of summer break or right at the end depending on how late or early your summer break is. I don't worry about the weather too much, there is plenty to do when it is raining and if it is too hot take a break in the middle of the day, go for a swim. Christmas is insane, if your going for atmosphere and people watching then it is OK, otherwise I would stay away.

 

[CheshireCat12]

December for holiday decorations/events and cool weather, but very crowded- there were some pics on this site that were showing wall to wall people!!!
April for gorgeous spring weather, Flower/Garden Festival, also very crowded
Summer- very hot and humid but you can go into AC in restaurants/shows/shops as often as you can, and the crowds are not going to be as bad but still high.

I would go summer- mid-August so that you get the best of the Value season discounts at the resorts- but try to stay cool!

 

[DarthVader]

We are lucky that our schools get out about a week or two earlier than the rest of the nation for summer break. We have been able to go the first week of June before the summer crowds hit that hard. I would recommend looking at when you schools get out and try to go immediately at the start of summer break or right at the end depending on how late or early your summer break is. I don't worry about the weather too much, there is plenty to do when it is raining and if it is too hot take a break in the middle of the day, go for a swim. Christmas is insane, if your going for atmosphere and people watching then it is OK, otherwise I would stay away.

My kid's school system typically gets out at the end of June (depending on snow days). Some school systems start in August, so they get out earlier, ours does not. There's also standardized testing occurring in May. In the past, the month of May was light for them, since they're just wrapping up, but now they need to pass those tests, so all work, energy and effort is going towards testing, so May is not a good month.

That leaves traditional school vacation times.
August - Hot, some people say it will be crowded but not as bad as June/July. 100% humidity and close to triple digit temps are the main downsides.

April - More temperate, conflicting advice on crowds, costs will be higher, since I can use a promotion that won't be available in April. The kids are expecting the April trip, so no surprise there.

I'm leaning towards April at this point, but I know I'll probably change my mind a few more times