This is a question that everyone asks when they make the decision to go to Florida. It is a much discussed question. We've been during a few different times of the year and I must admit that I really didn't like going in the summer. We went last year in July and while we still has a ton of fun it was 2 things... really hot and humid and busy. Now I think it's fair to say that Disney World is always busy but there are definitely times of the year that are worse.
My favourite resources for picking times of the year (and more specifically which days of your vacation to attend each park) are The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World (by Bob Sehlinger & Len Testa ) and it's website touringplans.com; and undercovertourist.com. Undercover tourist has an excellent app for both Disney and Universal (available on both iphone and android operating systems). You can also find Undercover Tourist on Facebook.
I had the 2009 Unofficial Guide and it was well used up until this summer and I just recently replaced it with the 2012 edition. (Our local Costco has it right now for a good price). Before this summer we had gone in the spring, both times after Easter break in the U.S. was over and the crowns were manageable as was the heat! My only complaint with early April was that at night the temperatures we only in the low 20s, which for me is to cold to jump in a pool and go swimming once the sun is down (my kids on the other hand had no problem with this!). The biggest problem we had with going in July was the Brazilian tourists. Now I'm not talking about a few, I'm talking groups of over a hundred and they seemed to follow us where ever we went. I think a staff member took pity on us at Universal Studios and let us go in the express pass lane when we arrived at the Men in Black ride just after a hundred or so of them.
My personal opinions aside, I'm going to give you the quick list of best and worst times to go according to The Unofficial Guide! These guys have done an amazing job making trips to Disney easier and it's well worth the money to pick up the book. So here it goes!
Busiest times at Disney:
1. Christmas through to New Years (although from what I've seen and heard the decorations are amazing, so you need to know what you want to see/do)
2. US thanksgiving weekend, week of President's day and 1st full week of November
3. Spring Breaks for Colleges and late March until about the 3rd week of April (other sources say this depends somewhat on when Easter falls)
Least Busy times:
1. Labour day until the beginning of October (keep in mind Hurricane season, if that is an issue for you)
2. Second full week of November until the weekend before Thanksgiving, and the week after Thanksgiving until the week before Christmas
3. Early January until the beginning of February also looks good but be aware of any special events or holidays as it will affect crowds.
I would think that a lot of the same logic would apply to crowd levels at Universal Orlando as well! The other thing to consider is the weather and what your preference is. I hope this helps everyone with their planning, feel free to ask a question or leave a comment. Have a great day!
I agree with much of what you said, except for the reason why we were able to skip the line at the MIB ride. I was wearing an Arsenal shirt and, as it turned out, the guy on the line was a big fan too, and said I was the first person he had seen all day wearing one. As a result, he allowed us to jump the queue and take the Fast Pass line! :)
ReplyDeleteThat may be why he let you pass ;) but I still think he felt bad for the kids having to follow the yellow shirts, lol.
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