late Aug 2018, late Oct 2018, early Dec 2018, or Xmas 2018?

When should we go to Disney in 2018?

  • Late August 2018

    Votes: 2 25.0%
  • Late October 2018

    Votes: 3 37.5%
  • Early December 2018

    Votes: 2 25.0%
  • Christmas/New Years 2018

    Votes: 1 12.5%

  • Total voters
    8
  • Poll closed .

Best_Vacation_EVER!

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 30, 2005
G'day all. I have booked for August 2018 but with the current storm season being so unpredictable was wondering what people thought would be the best time of year to go. Please give me your thoughts, reasons, etc...

Our DS 11 is in Grade 6 this year (which is still Elementary School here) but will be in his first year of middle school next Fall/Winter 2018 when we visit again. He does well in school and we have done early Dec trips throughout his Elementary school phase --- in the past we've gathered the info about what is being studied in the curriculum during the time leading up to the trip and made sure to ensure he's a few weeks ahead of it. (Generally speaking he's done some sort of project/presentation when he missed school for our WDW trips.)

Our choices....

If we go in late Aug 2018 he will miss no days of school but it will be busy and we're in peak hurricane season and I've heard it be described as being like vacationing on the surface of the sun when it's hot and sunny... this will lead to much complaining from DH and DS. Likely this will be value/price time period.

If we go in late October 2018 he'll miss about 7 days of school (based on PD days). Weather should be nice and we'll get Epcot F&W and the Halloween parties.

If we go in early December he'll miss about 8 days of school. Weather can be beautiful or cold... We get the Christmas parties and decorations.

If we go at Christmas he'll miss no school... but crowds will be crazy and DS and DH will be grumpy because of it. (Confess this is my least favourite as it is the most crowded and expensive time.) Chance of discounts are slim.
 
We were just there, got back on Sunday. We were HOT. But it was tolerable, when it got to be too much we found an air conditioned place to hang out for a bit. Tried to eat indoors as much as possible. And we showered before bed to get the sweat and sunscreen off lol. We didn't find it at all crowded, except in the Pandora area of Animal Kingdom. We went to two MNSSHP... it was so easy to get on rides. We were there for some food and wine, but we didn't really participate as kiddo is rather picky. I've gone in February (it was cold at night!) and late May (hot and busy!). I don't think I could do Christmas, the crowds would do me in. We had a lot of fun. We rode everything we wanted to. There was some rain, a few good storms (one at night that kept me up). Not sure I've helped :) but if we go back next year it will probably be late August again. I will take some lighter weight shorts though!
 
G'day all. I have booked for August 2018 but with the current storm season being so unpredictable was wondering what people thought would be the best time of year to go. Please give me your thoughts, reasons, etc...

Our DS 11 is in Grade 6 this year (which is still Elementary School here) but will be in his first year of middle school next Fall/Winter 2018 when we visit again. He does well in school and we have done early Dec trips throughout his Elementary school phase --- in the past we've gathered the info about what is being studied in the curriculum during the time leading up to the trip and made sure to ensure he's a few weeks ahead of it. (Generally speaking he's done some sort of project/presentation when he missed school for our WDW trips.)

Our choices....

If we go in late Aug 2018 he will miss no days of school but it will be busy and we're in peak hurricane season and I've heard it be described as being like vacationing on the surface of the sun when it's hot and sunny... this will lead to much complaining from DH and DS. Likely this will be value/price time period.

If we go in late October 2018 he'll miss about 7 days of school (based on PD days). Weather should be nice and we'll get Epcot F&W and the Halloween parties.

If we go in early December he'll miss about 8 days of school. Weather can be beautiful or cold... We get the Christmas parties and decorations.

If we go at Christmas he'll miss no school... but crowds will be crazy and DS and DH will be grumpy because of it. (Confess this is my least favourite as it is the most crowded and expensive time.) Chance of discounts are slim.


I really enjoyed October when we went - if you haven't been before during that time, the decorations and the party are really nice and the weather is still quite nice, especially for us Canadians!

Having said that, when I do Disney again, I really want to see the Christmas decorations / party, so we are planning for a future November trip.

Personally, I would not want to go in August or over Christmas break.
 
Hey... My 2 cents.

Xmas/New years... that's just plain nuts... no way would I go at that time.
Oct is nice as well as early Dec...depends on how much school you wish to miss and late Aug is the start of hurricane season not prime, that is historically late mid Sept to mid Oct.

Enjoy your vacation!
 


We were just there, got back on Sunday. We were HOT. But it was tolerable, when it got to be too much we found an air conditioned place to hang out for a bit. Tried to eat indoors as much as possible. And we showered before bed to get the sweat and sunscreen off lol. We didn't find it at all crowded, except in the Pandora area of Animal Kingdom. We went to two MNSSHP... it was so easy to get on rides. We were there for some food and wine, but we didn't really participate as kiddo is rather picky. I've gone in February (it was cold at night!) and late May (hot and busy!). I don't think I could do Christmas, the crowds would do me in. We had a lot of fun. We rode everything we wanted to. There was some rain, a few good storms (one at night that kept me up). Not sure I've helped :) but if we go back next year it will probably be late August again. I will take some lighter weight shorts though!

Thanks! You definitely did help.

We are leaning towards August to avoid missing school days --- we figure since it's cheaper at the end of August we can stay a few extra days and take a more leisurely pace. Also gives us the option of driving down rather than flying since we'll have a more open schedule.
 
I really enjoyed October when we went - if you haven't been before during that time, the decorations and the party are really nice and the weather is still quite nice, especially for us Canadians!

Having said that, when I do Disney again, I really want to see the Christmas decorations / party, so we are planning for a future November trip.

Personally, I would not want to go in August or over Christmas break.

Thanks!

We've been in October and really enjoyed it... busy -- but not crazy busy. Enjoyed the Halloween events/decorations and F&W. As far as the Christmas break goes it is pretty much our least preferred choice due to cost and crowds. DH has sort of hinted he'd like to spend a Christmas there but the rational part of me knows that the crowds would really frustrate him.
 
Hey... My 2 cents.

Xmas/New years... that's just plain nuts... no way would I go at that time.
Oct is nice as well as early Dec...depends on how much school you wish to miss and late Aug is the start of hurricane season not prime, that is historically late mid Sept to mid Oct.

Enjoy your vacation!

Thanks! We love early December (but it seems to be getting more popular every year) and we may do that for one last year while he's in Elementary school ... love the Christmas events/decor and really have enjoyed the weather during this time of year.

I think if we did August we'd stay for a longer trip so that we could go to the parks in the morning then get back to the hotel pool or waterpark for the heat of the day, and back to the park in the evening once things had cooled off a bit.
 


You've been a number of times early Dec. so my vote would be for Late Aug. Yes it's hot but you have all summer to get acclimatized to the heat. Summer many places in Canada can be approaching the temps of Florida.

We've been a few times in late Aug and had the odd tropical storm run through. On days when it was raining cats and dogs we went to the water park and pretty much had the place to ourselves. There can be advantages to coming from a northern climate.

Whatever time of the year you choose you'll have a great time.
 
You've been a number of times early Dec. so my vote would be for Late Aug. Yes it's hot but you have all summer to get acclimatized to the heat. Summer many places in Canada can be approaching the temps of Florida.

We've been a few times in late Aug and had the odd tropical storm run through. On days when it was raining cats and dogs we went to the water park and pretty much had the place to ourselves. There can be advantages to coming from a northern climate.

Whatever time of the year you choose you'll have a great time.

Thanks! We're leaning towards end of August based on DS not missing any school and discounts (plus we can do the drive down which would be nice to have the car available.) Love the idea of going to the waterpark on a rainy day...

We're also in the general Ottawa area... have you done the drive down before? If you have how have you found it?
 
Haven't driven to Orlando since I was a kid but there are lots of others here on the Canadian board who have. Start a thread asking about it and you will have lots of useful info from others in Ottawa.
 
There is nothing like being at Disney over the Christmas holidays very crowded after the 25'th but so magical leading up to then. This is where wise planning comes in handy. Wise use of fast passes, early park going which results in plenty of time by the pool or water parks and relaxation. We usually only spend 6 hours max per day at the parks but we spend our time there wisely
 
I would go in late August or splurge and do the Xmas trip! Middle school can be a new challenge for some kids. Good luck with the planning!

Thanks. The pros and cons for the late Aug and Christmas trip are pretty balanced right now. I think if we can get a really good deal for late Aug we'll likely go for that otherwise we'll go for Christmas.
 
There is nothing like being at Disney over the Christmas holidays very crowded after the 25'th but so magical leading up to then. This is where wise planning comes in handy. Wise use of fast passes, early park going which results in plenty of time by the pool or water parks and relaxation. We usually only spend 6 hours max per day at the parks but we spend our time there wisely

Thanks! Unless there is a great deal for August I think we might do Christmas. I love the idea of a Christmas at Disney. Definitely planning will be key.
 
We just returned from our trip on Monday. It was our 5th August trip, but there were four years in between the last August trip and this trip. It was so freaking hot. I used to say it was tolerable.. this time.. not so much. I was getting a bit of a cough when we left and the heat and humidity made it hard to breathe. I would sweat just standing still. I was sweating buckets at 8 am, and so was everyone else on the ferry. It was just so freaking hot. I don't think I can tolerate it like I used to. My ds is a very serious student and he will not want to miss any school for vacation once he starts 9th grade. So I think we are going to stick to March Break. I'd rather the crowds and the temperate weather than that stifling heat.
 
We just returned from our trip on Monday. It was our 5th August trip, but there were four years in between the last August trip and this trip. It was so freaking hot. I used to say it was tolerable.. this time.. not so much. I was getting a bit of a cough when we left and the heat and humidity made it hard to breathe. I would sweat just standing still. I was sweating buckets at 8 am, and so was everyone else on the ferry. It was just so freaking hot. I don't think I can tolerate it like I used to. My ds is a very serious student and he will not want to miss any school for vacation once he starts 9th grade. So I think we are going to stick to March Break. I'd rather the crowds and the temperate weather than that stifling heat.

It was hot! We got back Sunday and it was so sweaty. But since our summer here kind of sucked it was nice to actually feel like it was summer. If that makes sense :) I wore the wrong shorts that's for sure, mine were made from terry cloth (I think?) any way, they were hot! I'd look for some kind of performance wear stuff next time, like I wear for working out ha ha. wick the sweat away! Kiddo made out better, he had more sporty attire :) But even he was sweaty, I made him shower a few times (he hate showers, but wouldn't take a bath). Swimming was nice but even that water seemed warm. I'd still do it that time of year though, it didn't seem too crowded, we got a great deal on the room (and Canadian tickets, which I guess we won't have for next time!). I'd probably add the water parks if we go again next year though. And I've made notes on which quick service places have indoor seating lol, the only time I'm happy kiddo is such a slow eater :)
 
I went from August 26 to September 3 and attended two MNSSHP. Usually we go a week earlier and the parks still open late in mid-August. So, a little getting used to early closing time especially for MK. We had a labour day deal on hotel and got the Canadian discounted tickets. I planned to go in late August this time due to lower crowds and MNSSHP. Food and Wine opened early this year and that was a nice surprise.

The heat was bearable comparing to our HKDL trip last year in July. Epcot World Showcase is the hottest place to be from 11 to 4 if it's a sunny day. There is no shade from one country to the next. For other parks, there are shade and rides you can go to stay away from the heat. Eating around the world during Food and Wine was sweaty and hot. We had afternoon break of 3 hours most days except on the party days to rest from the heat.

Crowdwise, I don't feel a lower crowd comparing to mid-August. Early morning is a good time to tour with less crowd but once you hit 11 am/12 pm, you can see waves of people coming into the park. We usually hopped to Epcot for lunch at this time and we saw the long lines of people at the park entrance. We were staying at Beach Club.

As a high school math teacher, I have had students going away for a vacation during school time and falling really behind afterwards. I am not sure about middle school but high school is serious teaching and learning time. If late August is too hot for you, I would choose Christmas time and get immersed in the festivities. Right now, Christmas is too expensive for me but I would go in early December once I retire for sure. I went once during Christmas time in 1997. It was cold and I was not prepared for the cold, but I loved all the decorations and it was crowded.

Have fun planning!
 
We have gone a couple times over New Years when the kids did not have to be back in school until Jan 6th or 7th. Went to the parks starting on Jan 2nd and the crowds were reasonable. Stayed off site and spent NYE at the resort in the pool and hot tub! Also went once when the school break started a week before Christmas, left on Dec 17 came back on Dec 23. Flights were much cheaper!
 
We just returned from our trip on Monday. It was our 5th August trip, but there were four years in between the last August trip and this trip. It was so freaking hot. I used to say it was tolerable.. this time.. not so much. I was getting a bit of a cough when we left and the heat and humidity made it hard to breathe. I would sweat just standing still. I was sweating buckets at 8 am, and so was everyone else on the ferry. It was just so freaking hot. I don't think I can tolerate it like I used to. My ds is a very serious student and he will not want to miss any school for vacation once he starts 9th grade. So I think we are going to stick to March Break. I'd rather the crowds and the temperate weather than that stifling heat.

Thanks... I really hate the idea of constantly feeling overheated but love the idea of maybe a slower time (I don't care if we wind up in rain) plus the fact that now F&W and halloween parties start in August.

When I mentioned to DS about missing any school he was definitely against that -- he actually enjoys school and wants to be there. As parents we definitely don't want DS to miss school in his first year in middle school. DS was also not sure about Christmas away from home. I was actually pretty happy that he seems to like the traditions we've set up for that week.

I think if we do late August we'll do 3 nights at Universal (HRH) and then move to Disney for 11 nights. We figure we'll definitely take our time and do early mornings and evenings --- with afternoons at the pool or water park.

We did a Spring Break trip in 2015 and the crowds at the airport and at WDW were crazy... It was probably our least favourite trip ever due to crowds --- plus there were a bunch of tour groups that really messed up the flow of the parks.... My DH made me promise never to book March break again.
 
It was hot! We got back Sunday and it was so sweaty. But since our summer here kind of sucked it was nice to actually feel like it was summer. If that makes sense :) I wore the wrong shorts that's for sure, mine were made from terry cloth (I think?) any way, they were hot! I'd look for some kind of performance wear stuff next time, like I wear for working out ha ha. wick the sweat away! Kiddo made out better, he had more sporty attire :) But even he was sweaty, I made him shower a few times (he hate showers, but wouldn't take a bath). Swimming was nice but even that water seemed warm. I'd still do it that time of year though, it didn't seem too crowded, we got a great deal on the room (and Canadian tickets, which I guess we won't have for next time!). I'd probably add the water parks if we go again next year though. And I've made notes on which quick service places have indoor seating lol, the only time I'm happy kiddo is such a slow eater :)

Thanks!

If we go in the summer we'll likely do BC with Club level for 11 nights ---- figure if we do a few hours per day at parks with lots of pool time we'll still be okay. Love hot weather but hate the humidity of Orlando so we'll definitely take the advice about the clothing. I'm going to Pm you about the deal you had so if you get a random PM from me I'm just curious about the deal....
 

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