Trying to pick a time to visit and we are limited to times our children are out of school. We are looking at the 3rd week of August, Thanksgiving week or the week between Christmas and New Year’s. We are leaning toward August due to better crowds but I’m a little afraid of the heat. What would you do?
Where do you live? Will it be hot at your house too? If you plan rope drop, a mis afternoon break and return to the park later August will be much easier than those 10 plus crowds.
My DD and I are going in late August and I’m leery not just of the heat but the humidity. We have a mid day break planned nearly EVERY day, and she’s 16. The day we don’t have a mid day break scheduled is our late start day, and we won’t be in a park until well after 2 anyway. It’s the only way we can do a (hopefully) low crowd time without taking her out of school for a few days.
The crowds between Christmas and New Years are something I hope never to experience. That being said, I would choose it over the unbearable heat and humidity of August. That leaves Thanksgiving week… I’ve been the week before Thanksgiving and it was a great time to visit; weather was good, most of the Christmas decorations were up, and the crowds were tolerable. Thanksgiving week will have higher crowds, but nothing like Christmas week - and the weather is about 1000 times better than August.
Of your three choices, Thanksgiving would be my first choice, followed by December, last choice would be August. My family cannot deal with the humidity in summer, our trip that just ended last Sunday about did us in! We do live in the Northwest though, so are not used to extreme heat and humidity. The crowds during spring break bother me much less than the humidity/temps. We have been before starting the day before Thanksgiving and the weather was great.
Crowds are lower in August but if you can’t handle Florida humidity Thanksgiving may be the better choice.
We live in southern WV. Our August highs are low 80’s. I was thinking the same plan of rope drop, afternoon break and evening touring.
I have been to wdw June, July and August. I live in Massachusetts. Our temperature and humidity fluctuate. I have been able to adjust my touring to early morning, a daily TS meal and after dinner return to the park. Only you can de die your tolerance - for me I can make those adjustments- I can not avoid a crowd that makes it impossible to walk across a park. My April trips are always the 3rd week in April (Patriots Day for us). There was one trip at Easter when I was physically hurt walking in Magic Kingdom. We were talking from Sleepy Hollow towards Crystal Palace. As we we walking on the right single file a wall of people rushed towards us- across the bridge. I had to stop and put my son against the railing and protect him with my body. After 20 minutes I was able to get him out by slowly inching over the bridge (it is a two way walking area). I was bleeding by the time I got over the bridge. I have never been so scared in the MK.
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What a terrifying experience for you and your son! I am so sorry to hear that.
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We (myself and now fiance) went from 12/17/16 - 12/27/16 and by using TP, we had a great time, enjoyed ourselves. We are returning 12/21/17 - 12/31/17 and plan on using TP and taking it easy and not rush around. Will it be crowded between Christmas and New Years, YES but if you go there with a plan and are flexible, it can be a very enjoyable time of the year to go. I work road construction and she teaches in a middle school so we have to go during her Christmas break.
We’ve been going 3rd , 4th wk in August plus Labor Day week for many years now. But I am one of those rare birds that actually likes heat/humidity. I’m a New Englander, but born In Corpus Christi TX, so that may explain it haha.
November sounds like a good time also, though I always like to go when I know we can opt to swim in evening as well as afternoon. Actually, I think many are saying weather has been warm enough at that time.
We’re limited these days to school breaks b/c Ddil is a school counselor. So we don’t have the option of a November trip. I was happy to see that RD/Fpps/aftn breaks worked like a charm for us 3rd week of august. I wouldn’t dream of fighting summer crowds & heat in the parks in the afternoons, that’s when heat & crowds are both the highest.
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Also meant to say the reason RD/Fpps/breaks worked so well was b/c I used the Personal touring plans on the website. I print them out b4 trip, plus Ds is the backup with his Iphone. My eyesight gets funky trying to navigate using a phone, so between the 2 of us works out great to follow the plan.
We went about 6 years ago in August a couple weeks before school started we live in Texas. I would never go again at that time we are use to heat here in East Texas it is warm and muggy a lot… To HOT and to CROWDED. The times in the past we had gone were late May early June and in March years ago. I have heard Thanksgiving week is very crowded. Some friends went during Christmas break for school and they said some days were better than others but not to bad with the crowds.
Enjoy your trip