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Old 06-13-2011, 07:02 PM   #1
phoebec
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best time of year to go

I am thinking about another trip in a year or two. We just returned yesterday. I definitely would like to plan a trip next time during a period of cooler weather and lower crowds. My perfect scenario would be low crowds and weather that is sunny and in the mid 60s to high 70s. Not asking for much, right?

Any thoughts about the best time of year that would be close to this? We definitely learned that crowds and high heat are something we would like to avoid in the future.
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Old 06-13-2011, 07:26 PM   #2
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I have read that January is a good time to go. Low crowds and nice weather. We are going in Jan. 2012. Will let you know how the crowds and heat are but I have been told it is great. Hope they are right.
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Old 06-13-2011, 07:31 PM   #3
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I love December for all the Christmas decorations but it sometimes can be chilly. October is great if you want to use the pools so I guess it depends on what you would like to do.
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Old 06-13-2011, 08:18 PM   #4
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I have read that January is a good time to go. Low crowds and nice weather. We are going in Jan. 2012. Will let you know how the crowds and heat are but I have been told it is great. Hope they are right.
We went in January a few years ago and had the best time! The crowds were low and weather was great. We were planning to go this January but the weather where we are (winter storms! ) prevented us from going - that is really the only possible reason I would be hesitant. People will tell you that the park hours are shorter in January (true) and some rides close during this slower time (also true) but the low crowds more than make up for that, IMO. You can do so much more that it doesn't matter to us - it was a great experience and I can't wait until we will be able to plan another January trip!
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Old 06-13-2011, 08:23 PM   #5
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If you're interested in the nity grity, try touringplans.com. They have crowd calendars that will help give you an idea of what to expect on particular days. Really, these people spend A LOT of time figuring out the "science" behind it all.
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Old 06-14-2011, 01:46 AM   #6
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We like October/early November, as it's still warm, but not unbearable. Once you get into December, it can get very chilly (we've had highs in the 50s and lows in the 20s before now! )
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Old 06-14-2011, 10:30 AM   #7
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We went in January a few years ago and had the best time! The crowds were low and weather was great. We were planning to go this January but the weather where we are (winter storms! ) prevented us from going - that is really the only possible reason I would be hesitant. People will tell you that the park hours are shorter in January (true) and some rides close during this slower time (also true) but the low crowds more than make up for that, IMO. You can do so much more that it doesn't matter to us - it was a great experience and I can't wait until we will be able to plan another January trip!

Thanks for the info. I am hoping that this winter won't be as bad as the last. I am from MA and was so tired of the snow storms like many people up here. We are driving down so hopefully we get lucky. We'll see.
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Old 06-14-2011, 10:33 AM   #8
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We like the end of November time. The weather is nice, the Christmas decortations are up andthe crowds are not bad.
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Old 06-14-2011, 10:50 AM   #9
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My favorite week for low crowds paired with excellent weather is the week before the Thanksgiving week.

The crowds are so low that I've had Cast Members from Peter Pan's Flight *beg* me to come on the ride because they hadn't had anyone in line...

And the skies are blue, with puffy, white clouds... zero humidity. Warm enough to swim!

The only drawback is that park hours are fairly short, but... you get so much done in a day, that you don't really need them to be longer! And you finally have the time to spend in Downtown Disney, or at La Nouba, or in DisneyQuest...
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Old 06-14-2011, 01:04 PM   #10
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.....I would imagine that ANY time you're at WDW...is a great time to be there!!

.....but...having been there "all 4 seasons"....I'd have to say that fall was the best time...and the reason we went so many times during that time-frame. We loved the last week of Oct into the first week of Nov...because the weather was great...hurricane season is ending......the Food & Wine Festival was still going on.....we could catch Mickey's Halloween Party......Christmas decorations started going up.....and the crowds were lighter than when we went in the spring.
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