Walt Disney World Planning - When to Go

My husband will argue that I enjoy planning my trips to Disney World as much as the trips themselves. I tend to research as much as possible and create a spreadsheet of everything (various hotels, various dates, different airfare options) so that I can get the most bang for our buck. When planning, there is so much to consider: who to go with, when to go, for how long, where to stay, what to see. There are so many options within each of those to consider and your choices will really influence the type of trip you have. Before any planning starts, think about what type of vacation you want to have.

• Do you want to try to see and do everything; stay at the parks all day and only go back to the hotel to sleep
• Do you want a relaxing vacation (yes, a Disney vacation can be relaxing!!) where you spend half days at the parks and the other half by the pool at your hotel? 
• Or do you want something in between? 

Once you really figure out what type of vacation you want, the planning can begin. Just remember this, no matter what you decide, your trip will not go exactly to plan! Expect the unexpected and go with the flow; that is the best way to enjoy it. 

When planning your trip to Disney World, one of the first things to consider is when to go. The time of year can have a significant impact on your trip, especially on getting discounts on hotels and the attendance levels at the parks. The busier times of year are often around US Holidays and the summer months. I would say to avoid going during the summer (end of June through September) if at all possible. If you have children in school, you may be constrained to go when they are on summer vacation. However this is the time when the parks are very busy and the weather is VERY hot and humid. This also is the official hurricane season, with rainfall at its peak in August through early October. Large crowds combined with unrelenting heat and humidity may lead to an unpleasant vacation.

Other times with large crowds include Spring Break and Christmas/New Years. If you have to go during one of these times, just get in the mindset that there will be crowds and you may not be able to conquer a park in 1 day, just relax and go with the flow. In addition to crowds, hotels will be more expensive during these holidays. Disney has seasonal rates for their hotels, with Christmas and New Years being the most expensive. Rates tend to be the lowest in January and in late Summer / Fall (excluding holidays). For the savvy planner, you can almost always find a hotel discount during these times. 

In addition to the US Holidays, there are a number of special Disney events held each year which are a lot of fun to attend (however they may also draw large crowds). When planning, make sure to research if any special events occur near your trip. Examples of these events include the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, Star Wars weekends, the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Dates for these events may vary slightly each year. For a complete listing of events, go to https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/

I’m sure everyone has a different opinion on the best times to go to Disney World, but I would recommend going in either May/early June or October. As an adult, we've chosen to go to Disney World in May or early June on all of our trips; in fact we enjoyed going during those months so much that we didn't even consider going any other time. For our first trip, we choose June because that was when we were married (we went on our honeymoon). May/early June is an absolutely wonderful time of year to go and I would recommend it to anyone for 3 reasons:

low attendance

perfect weather

the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival

During this time of year, the majority of schools are still in session or have just ended. We found that this led to really low crowds in May, increasing slightly as you move into June. Some people may still complain that lines are long; however they are nothing compared to the lines you’ll get during the Spring / Summer weekends at Disneyland. For example, I remember people in front of us on Splash Mountain complaining of a 20-30 minute wait (which is nothing after you've spent 1+hours in line at Splash Mountain in Disneyland). Another reason for going in May/early June is the weather. The weather’s warm, the humidity is low, and the rain is infrequent. On all of our trips, the rain was expected every single day (this is Florida remember); however it either didn't rain at all or there would be a flash rainstorm lasting only a few minutes. 

Tip: If it’s warm enough, wear comfortable flip flops or other slip-ons (no socks). You’ll usually be at the park all day and if you get rained on, nothing is worse than walking around all day with wet socks on; they don’t dry out the longer you wear them like your other clothes. If you find wearing flip flops uncomfortable, bring a back-up pair of socks with you to the parks.   

Finally, my last reason for recommending May/early June is the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. During this festival, Epcot is decorated with beautiful topiaries and flowers of various Disney characters and there are daily hands-on gardening workshops and nightly concerts. In addition, I've read that they have recently also started serving special menu items at marketplaces around the lagoon. For 2014, the Epcot Flower and Garden festival is from March 5 to May 18, 2014.

The other time I would recommend going is in October. October is very similar to May in attendance levels and weather; kids are back in school, the summer heat and humidity have tapered off, and hurricane season has (usually) diminished. Additionally, October has two of the best Disney events:

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party

Epcot Food and Wine Festival.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is at the Magic Kingdom, after the Park closes (from 7 pm to midnight) on various nights throughout September and October. This event includes trick-or-treating around the park, a special Halloween parade, and fireworks. In addition, many characters are out and about signing autographs and taking pictures. Guests (children and adults) are encouraged to dress-up in their Halloween costumes. Note that admission into this event requires a ticket, with an additional cost. I have never attended this event, but I’m planning to take my kids to it on our next trip.

While Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party may cater more towards children, the Epcot Food and Wine Festival is definitely more for adults. 

This is an event my husband and I have been wanting to go to for awhile and almost the entire reason our next trip will be in October. The Epcot Theme Park is separated into 2 large areas:

Future World

World Showcase.

World Showcase consists of various countries from around the world situated in a semi-circle around a large lagoon. Each country is fully themed, including the building architecture, shops, and the food.

 

For example, as you walk into England you’ll pass the Rose & Crown Pub, which serves your favorite pub cuisine, including fish and chips, bangers and mash, and cottage pie. The pub also serves a selection of beers and hard ciders. 

Epcot serves a wide range of alcohol (which is either limited or non-existent at the other parks). Getting back to the Food and Wine Festival, during this event, marketplaces will be setup within each of the "countries", with various treats and cuisines. With the popularity of the movie Brave, the festival has added a Scotland marketplace serving traditional Scottish dishes. Last year it also has a Scotch Flight serving three glasses of single malt scotch (12 year, 15 year, and 18 year). I know this is something my husband is looking forward to! 

In addition to these marketplaces, there are culinary demonstrations and seminars, dining experiences with renown chefs, and a nightly concert series. While some of the seminars are included in park admission, others require a separate ticket. The free events are first-come-first-serve and fill up very quickly. The paid event reservations also fill up quickly so make sure you book whatever event you want to attend well in advance. Examples of some of the premium events from previous years include The Discovery of Chocolate, Mexican Tequila Lunch, Food and Wine Pairings, and Mixology Series: Taste, Shake, and Indulge like the French. Events and food vary each year and are not announced until the summer. If you want more information on this event, I would suggest you follow the Epcot Food and Wine page on Facebook, which provides the most up to date information https://www.facebook.com/EpcotFoodandWine.

In my next blog, I'll discuss how to get the most bang for your buck, including discounts I've discovered and different ways to save money.