When to take your Disney World Vacation

Magic Kingdom During Hallowe’en

Taking a vacation to Disney World seems to be the pinnacle event in every young child’s life. Telling your children that they’re going to Disney World means that they’re destined to be the talk of the playground for weeks to come. It really is a dream come true. But, for some parents planning the trip, it’s often not a question of “Do we go?” but rather “When do we go?”

Obviously, the logical choice for a lot of parents is to take the kids when they’re not in school, which leaves a few options: summer vacation, Christmas vacation and spring break. Unfortunately, those are also some of the busiest times of the year at Disney World and it’s also the hottest time to visit during the summer months. If you don’t mind the crowds, there can be some benefits on vacationing to Disney World during the busy season.

Benefits of Visiting Disney World During the Busy Season

• The crowds are larger, but the park is open for longer with earlier opening times and later closing hours
• Less possibility for rides being down. Since it’s the busy season, the park usually doesn’t do their site maintenance at this time so most of the rides will be open
• Lots of characters out. Although the characters come out at all times during the year, they are really out in full force during the busy seasons.
• The park has special events during the Christmas season including carolers on Main Street, Christmas decorations and snow after the fireworks.

 However, the crowds can be really overwhelming during this time, and a lot of people can’t face it. Unfortunately, the less busy times are often during the school year, so if you want to experience fewer crowds, you may need to take your children out of school for a few days.

Benefits of Visiting Disney World During the Slow Season

• Smaller crowds, so less wait time for rides and attractions
• Hotels and flights can be much cheaper during the off season which makes the overall vacation more affordable
• Some special events still occur during this time including Mickey’s Not So Scary Hallowe’en Party, and if you visit during early December, you can still experience Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party but without the crowds.
• The weather tends to be cooler in the off-peak season which makes walking around the park a more enjoyable experience.

The biggest deciding factor for a lot of families has to do with the size of the crowds. Without question, the crowds are much larger during the peak season, but the park is open for longer hours. But, you might not need the extra hours if you don’t have to wait as long for the rides. Whatever the time, it’s sure to be the vacation of a lifetime for your family.

Visiting Disney at a Glance

Highest Attendance Dates:
• Presidents Week in February
• Mid March through Late April (Spring Break)
• Memorial Day Weekend
• Mid-June through Labour Day
• Thanksgiving Day and Weekend (American Thanksgiving)
• Christmas Week through New Year’s Day

Lowest Attendance Dates:
• January (except New Year’s Day) until just prior to Presidents’ week in February
• The week following Labour Day until just prior to (American) Thanksgiving week
• The week following (American) Thanksgiving until the week prior to Christmas
 

2 Responses to “When to take your Disney World Vacation”

1. George Says:
   October 7th, 2008 at 1:12 pm

   I have always enjoyed going in the off season. I was born and raised in Florida and went to Disney world a lot. I have always found it MUCH more pleasurable to go in the off season.

2. Jenny Says:
   October 7th, 2008 at 7:11 pm

   Good info, it is better to visit Disney before peaks start.

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