Better time to visit early 2024

Planning a weekend only trip with mostly a HP and Minionsland focus. Which would have lower crowds and be better for maximizing the experience with first time guests?

February 16-19 (President’s Day)
February 23-26
April 12-15
April 19-22

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I vote April 12-15.

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April 12-15 also.

The following week risks Grad Bash. Hmmm, actually let me research that more

February is more crowded.

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I would appreciate that. I’ve looked at some sites and crowd calendars and they are all over the place. Several showed February as lower crowds, but that seems counterintuitive to me.

The historical CL’s from Touring Plans is the most important data to go by. Better than most Crowd Calendar predictions.

Grad Bash dates are only announced in January. It is a big deal because both parks close at 6pm on Friday & Saturday. In 2022 it was April 29 & 30. This year it was April 21 & 22. Notice they are a different week year to year. But what is common about the dates is they are both 2 weeks after Easter weekend. And 2 weeks after Easter weekend in 2024 is the 12th & 13th.

Having said all this, nothing is a guarantee. But I would lean to choosing April 19-22 because of the higher likelihood of Grad Bash on the 12th & 13th. But either way, make sure to watch for the dates to be announced in January.

My second choice would be Feb. 23-26. Will be a little busier than the April dates, but not as high as Pres. Day weekend.

Of course, what you could do if you are staying at a Universal hotel is book 2 different trip dates and then cancel one in January if that is an option.

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Thanks for that bit of knowledge. Right now all 4 weekends are 100% viable options so we definitely have flexibility.

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President’s Day weekend is one of the worst times to go in the year - it’s the first major holiday after the winter holidays so loads of people are looking to escape/spend money/this is their Christmas gift.

End of February and April will likely have Mardi Gras, an underrated music and food festival. Highly recommend it.

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Now we’re talking! Will have to look into this.

Just saw this while googling. Has 2024 dates.

Do you think if we just planned Sunday and Monday as park days that this might not matter?

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Oh wow, good researching!

Whatever you think works best for you. I know some people insist on closing out the parks every day. You could do something different one night. Like take the boat to Portofino, mini golf, etc.

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So is the main concern about these grad bashes the fact the park closes early? Or does it impact day crowds? Wondering if it may be a thing like a party night at WDW where daytime crowds are low.

Yes pretty much. And you will see more teens than normal.

It appears like it doesn’t affect normal crowds. The CL’s are not lower on those days.

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I enjoy going in February. I’d go that weekend after President’s Day

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