1. Yes, it's a whole new look! Have questions or need help? Please post your question in the New Forum Questions thread Click the X to the right to dismiss this notice
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Seeing tons of unread posts after the upgrade? See this thread for help. Click the X to the right to dismiss this notice
    Dismiss Notice

Need Advice Disney for Spring Break

Discussion in 'General Chat Forum' started by Chase, Jan 24, 2009.

  1. Chase

    Chase New Member

    Joined:
    May 6, 2003
    Messages:
    138
    Likes Received:
    0
    We're considering heading to WDW for spring break this year-first time for our 5 and 10 yr. old. Has anyone gone at this time and how crowded is it? Can you recommend a different time of year if not spring break?

    Thanks!
     
  2. Tech Head

    Tech Head New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2003
    Messages:
    710
    Likes Received:
    0
    Spring Break is extremely crowded! Sep/Oct or Apr/May (before Mem. day) is perfect. Of course, you would have to take the kids out of school. I will never go again during spring break.
     
  3. T8erman

    T8erman Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2003
    Messages:
    5,236
    Likes Received:
    249
    As Tech stated, any time while school is in session is the best time to go. Spring and xmas breaks and any time during the summer are always crowded. We will be going after spring break this year, but will face the same dilemma as you in the future as our son starts 1st grade this fall.
     
  4. sharse

    sharse TeamDonzi rocks!!

    Joined:
    May 28, 2005
    Messages:
    2,795
    Likes Received:
    9
    Keep in mind that different school districts and different states have different spring breaks. So while you may think you're doing a good thing by going at a time OTHER than our spring break here, it could be you've chosen New Hampshire's spring break, which will also be really crowded... so do your homework on that front!
     
  5. vdb

    vdb New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2007
    Messages:
    246
    Likes Received:
    0
    We usually go for just 1-2 days every 12-18 mos and really like going on a weekday in February or October. The weather is usually nice though we bring a sweater for evening. We did just go the Monday after Thanksgiving 2008 but it was the most crowded we've ever seen it (no recession there!) so we were a bit disappointed. We have never gone during Spring break, Christmas break or Summer break but I imagine these are also very crowded times. Waiting in LONG lines is a bummer for the kids and really shortens the day.

    I know it can be a frowned on decision to take the kids out of school but we found it makes a big difference at the parks (as well as at the airports or on I-95) and if your kids are still in grade school it usually isn't too bad to miss a few days of school per year? (sorry if any teachers are reading this).;)

    PS - Also, I think they are offering free admission to Magic Kingdom on birthdays and for active duty military families if applicable?
     
  6. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

    Joined:
    Oct 29, 2002
    Messages:
    5,358
    Likes Received:
    250
    yes, there are specials for military folks going on right now.. and the 'celebrate' campaign has started which is you get a free single park ticket on your birthday.

    Spring break is pretty crowded, but if you can go right before the rush.. its a great time of year to go. Comfortable weather with tolerable crowd levels. But directly around Easter is very bad.
     
  7. Chase

    Chase New Member

    Joined:
    May 6, 2003
    Messages:
    138
    Likes Received:
    0
    Thanks for the feedback! Our spring break this year is the week before Easter. We really want to go but I just can't see my little one waiting in hours long lines. I doubt the recession will reduce the crowds because they are offering a deal where you pay for 4 nights and stay for 7.

    Has anyone else gone right around Easter and had an good experience?
     
  8. serendipity

    serendipity New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2008
    Messages:
    111
    Likes Received:
    0
    We love Disney and have been many times. The week prior to and following Easter is among the busiest. The week between Christmas and New Year's is equally crowded. It will be typical to have wait times of 60 to 120 minutes for the very popular rides and often Fast Passes are sold out by early afternoon. I would never go again during either of those weeks. We have been in early December and that was an excellent time to go crowd wise, the lines were not long and wait times were very reasonable. We have also been in March when Easter does not coincide with our stay and it was wonderful. Any major holiday brings out the crowds. For the money you will spend, it would be worth it to go during non-holiday visits. It's such a great place and waiting in line for an hour or an hour and half, especially with little ones just doesn't give you the same experience....just offering our experiences. Whenever you do go...patience and understanding that you can't possibly hit every single attraction but just enjoy the ones that are high on your list makes it a more enjoyable trip!
     
  9. mdr227

    mdr227 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 9, 2004
    Messages:
    330
    Likes Received:
    5
    You do have to be careful when you go because massive crowds can really take the fun out of it. We did Disney World one year the day after MLK Day and it took us 1.5 hours just to get into the park from the parking lot and as much time to get back leaving when the park closed. Every major ride was a long, long wait and we pretty much spent most of the day standing in line. It is a good park for the young ones, but the older kids could get bored quickly. The other Disney properties are good to see, especially Animal Kingdom. To me Epcot was kind of dated and boring. The water parks are good. Sea World is a great park to visit and you can deal with crowds there much better since there is limited waiting in line. Discovery Cove is exciting, yet quite expensive. I have not been to the new Sea World Water Park though, but it looked very nice. We went to Orlando last in April of 2008 and did Typhoon Lagoon instead because Aquatica had just opened. It was late April after the Spring Breaks were pretty much done and Typhoon Lagoon was packed. Lines were very long for every slide/ride which did take a lot of fun out of it. Great wave pool though (when it's not crowded).
     
  10. JLC

    JLC Member

    Joined:
    Apr 18, 2003
    Messages:
    897
    Likes Received:
    8
    We've been to WDW a couple of times - both "off season". The last time was mid-September 2006 and we were able to walk on a lot of rides and the rest had minimal waits. We were amazed at the cattle rows we saw and couldn't imagine waiting in them.
     
  11. krmckee

    krmckee Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2006
    Messages:
    497
    Likes Received:
    6
    We went over Memorial Day weekend 2 yrs ago year and it was not bad at all. Some rides had no lines at all, fastpasses available most of the day till late afternoon or so.... Most waits were around 10-20-30 minutes, the longest waits were about 60 minutes but those were just the really popular rides most of which we did using fastpasses - therefore no wait on those.

    I cannot recommend enough the 'Unofficial Guide to WDW' book. It gives you info about best times of year to go. It also offers 'tour plans' to minize wait in lines if you go during the busy times of year.... tells you which rides to go on first, which ones to get a fastpass for, etc. Basically, you'll be armed with info before even entering the park so you do not waste any time at all once you are there. If you go over Spring break, I would consider picking up that book.
     
  12. T8ergirl

    T8ergirl New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2004
    Messages:
    523
    Likes Received:
    4
    I am also a big fan of the "The Unofficial Guide to WDW" and their website, www.touringplans.com. Folks here have really been trying to be gentle with you...the week before and the week after Easter are, if not the two busiest weeks of the year, the third and the fourth busiest weeks of the year. If you haven't taken your kids to Disney, I'd tell you frankly that this is not the time to do it. Please get the UG and prepare yourself mentally for what you are about to encounter---crowd levels that often impede movement through access areas (as someone mentioned about getting from the parking lot to the entrance) and wait times for in-demand attractions of two hours or more. And don't kid yourself that that will only be for things like "Space Mountain" or "Test Track". It applies to things like "Its A Small World", too.

    We love WDW. I'd hate for you to have a miserable time. But ,if this is the only time you can go, its the only time you can go. You just will have to adjust your expectations and understand that you're paying alot for tickets to the parks to enjoy only a few attractions each day.
     
  13. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

    Joined:
    Oct 29, 2002
    Messages:
    5,358
    Likes Received:
    250
    space mountain is going down for rehab here in just a few weeks.. so its going to be offline for the rest of 2009. Universe of Energy is going down too.. forget the dates on that one. and Hall of Presidents is closed until July
     
  14. Brassy

    Brassy Hiyah

    Joined:
    May 25, 2004
    Messages:
    1,524
    Likes Received:
    0
    Just to add something here. We NEVER had a problem taking our kids out of school for a week when they were in K-5th grade. They always missed the last week of school so we could get to the beach house Kaos's folks had rented. We took them out at other times as well. I still do one free day at home each semester to have downtime during HS - of course just for one kid now.

    You should also go to the AAA office over in Lasndowne. They are Disney fanatics and will have great deals.
     
  15. sri_n

    sri_n Member

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2003
    Messages:
    367
    Likes Received:
    19
    We went last year, but we left 3 days prior to spring break starting. And that was the best decision we made. We visited the parks Thurs thru Sat, no wait, esp. with FastPass. and then skipped WDW that sunday and went to Sea World instead. We had a day left on our tix so we returned to Magic Kingdom on the Monday of Spring Break week - and it felt like the crowds had tripled compared to two days prior! Long lines and lot of waiting. I'm not sure we would do it on again any day during spring break.

    I'd imagine Memorial day is a good time to go, since most who wanted to go would already have. But I do believe that the park hours are a lot shorter compared to earlier in the year.
     
  16. LSeidmeyer

    LSeidmeyer New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2008
    Messages:
    160
    Likes Received:
    3
    We went to Disney last week and I have to say, it is an awesome time of year to go. There were minimal lines. Fast pass was great. We did get the military discounts, but they're having a lot of specials right now. Business in general is down. We overheard several times employees talking about layoffs.

    I'm so glad we made it before Space Mountain was down. That was my 6 yo's favorite ride, besides Splash Mountain.

    We did take our kids out of school, but it actually worked out since there were snow days and delays, they didn't miss so much.

    We loved all the parks except for MGM studios. We thought it was a little boring so left early. Weather was beautiful except for 1 day when it rained.
     
  17. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

    Joined:
    Oct 29, 2002
    Messages:
    5,358
    Likes Received:
    250
    there is a optional management buyout going on right now... that's probably what you heard about. The rumor is after that settles down.. there could be staff layoffs after that.
     
  18. Audrey

    Audrey Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2004
    Messages:
    906
    Likes Received:
    11
    We just got back - were in the parks Thurs Fri and Sat and were delighted to find very few people in the parks. It was cold and rainy, and we just ran right up to whatever we wanted to ride. Saturday was the nicest and most crowded, and there were a couple of 50 minute lines we bypassed, but that was the worst. And at closing we rode Big Thunder Mnt Railroad three times in a row! It is definitely worth going in the off season and during the week. For what the tickets cost you do not want to wait 60+ minutes waiting to get on each ride, not to mention the stress of maneuvering through jostling crowds. I have the guidebook mentioned above and will pass it on to someone else who would like to have it. If I were to write a book about getting the most out of Disney it would be this book - it's great!
     
  19. JohnS

    JohnS New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 29, 2008
    Messages:
    24
    Likes Received:
    1
    We have gone with our 2 kids 3X during spring break. It is VERY crowded, but still a lot of fun. The weather is great, the water parks are open and the parks have extended hours. We stay in the park at the budget resorts and take the bus everywhere.
    Last summer we went in August because it is the "low season" for rates. That was also a great trip.
     

Share This Page