Value season?

[ShanenLuvsDsny]

Really quick I just want to say HI to everyone; I'm new here and this is my first post.So, HELLO EVERYBODY!
Anyways, I was wondering what the best time of year to go to WDW is? Basically, the value season. I'm deffinately going next year sometime, but I was thinking sometime around September. Is this a good time to go?
:sohappy:

 

[1000th_Guest]

Welcome, Shanen,

I'm doing this from memory, so the dates may be a little off.

WDW crowds go down considerably during the week a couple of weeks after labor day. The crowds were very manageable in late September. On the weekends, the locals tend to bring their families, so the crowds are WAY up (ESPECIALLY at Magic Kingdom).

The crowds tend to pick up towards the end of October, go down after thanksgiving, and pick WAY up towards Christmas. Wrapping the calendar into the following year, crowds go down in early- to mid-January, up for the school breaks (march through april) and steadily rise until summer hits, and the crowds stick around until ... a couple of weeks after labor day.

Off season is really great. My wife and I were married in WDW in September. Some of my family hadn't been interested in WDW because of the fear of huge crowds. Now everybody returns, or wants to return, regularly -- so long as it's off-season.

 

[The Mom]

Originally posted by 1000th_Guest
Welcome, Shanen,

I'm doing this from memory, so the dates may be a little off.

WDW crowds go down considerably during the week a couple of weeks after labor day. The crowds were very manageable in late September. On the weekends, the locals tend to bring their families, so the crowds are WAY up (ESPECIALLY at Magic Kingdom).

The crowds tend to pick up towards the end of October, go down after thanksgiving, and pick WAY up towards Christmas. Wrapping the calendar into the following year, crowds go down in early- to mid-January, up for the school breaks (march through april) and steadily rise until summer hits, and the crowds stick around until ... a couple of weeks after labor day.

Off season is really great. My wife and I were married in WDW in September. Some of my family hadn't been interested in WDW because of the fear of huge crowds. Now everybody returns, or wants to return, regularly -- so long as it's off-season.

You're pretty much on target with your dates. The only thing that MIGHT make it more crowded are teacher planning days, which change yearly, so can't be predicted. Off season is the way to go...less crowded, cheaper hotel rates, and not as hot. Also, you might have rainy days, but won't have the standard daily summer thunderstorms.

 

[ShanenLuvsDsny]

Thanks for the info!

 

[Disneylove]

Definitely go during value season!

Hi Shanen,

Our favorite times of the year to go are September/October and February -- we used to always go September/October because the weather was still warm enough to go to the water parks and pools, but it was after school started so the crowds were way down -- however, in September apparently it's hurricane season in FL (we never had any incidents with weather problems until 1999 when hurricane floyd was coming through - but we were lucky and didn't have any impact during our trip). So for the fall, early October might be better.

However, our "new" favorite time of year is February -- it's still value season but the weather is a little cooler so you don't get as tired out and you feel a bit fresher throughout the day. And we always go on the cruise too so even in February, it's still very warm in the Bahamas so we can still do the beach/pool thing!

Regardless of the time you do end up choosing I would keep in mind a couple things -- if you don't have to be concerned with school schedules (for kids) I would avoid going during the summer at all costs - it's miserable, crowded and expensive - and go during any of the value seasons. You get your accomodations for almost 1/2 off the rack rates (for the same rooms!), and the crowds are way down. It's the best time to enjoy yourself! Stay away from the week between Christmas and New Years, Spring Break times and summers -- the attendance is highest then! And if you're going to pay a fortune for admission, you want to get the most bang for your buck!

Have fun!

 

[mickeyman]

I went september 10th 2000. It was a great time to be there. The longest we waited for anything was 20 minutes on RnR and thats only because it broke down. It was a little hot but its easier to deal with when it is not crowded. The only problem that I had was these little bugs called love bugs. They were everywhere. we stayed at all-star sports and they were able to crawl under our door and get into our room. If you don't mind bugs go the second week in september.

 

[NowInc]

The end of september is a perfect time to go...you may be a tad bit shocked to exactly how empty the parks really are. Some days you can just walk right on most the rides..really makes it a lot more fun that way