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Best Time to Travel to Disney
If you're thinking it may not make a difference what time of year you go to Disney, you would be wrong! It absolutely makes a HUGE difference. Now, don't get me wrong. I personally believe that ANY time of year is a great time to go to Disney. I mean really, you're always going to have a good time. But many factors will be effected depending what time of year you go. Examples being, weather, crowd levels, prices, ride refurbishments, and Limited Time Magic (Ill explain later)
If you are a first time Disney-Goer, and want to soak up as much as you can in the time you are there (and btw, you will never get to see or do EVERYTHING, probably not even in a lifetime) then your best bet is to go in the off-season. The off-season for Disney consists of January 2 thru the end of February and right after Labor Day when the kids go back to school until about the beginning of October. As well as Nov 1st thru the start of Thanksgiving. I've also heard that the first two weeks in December are great until the crowds really roll in for Christmas vacation. Off-Season, is when the crowds at Disney are the LOWEST. The very LOWEST being January and February. Usually the PRICES are the lowest during these times as well. Obviously March-May are full of Spring Break, and Easter Break, so a lot of people travel to Disney during that time. The Summer is also very crowded of course with kids out of school. And Halloween and Christmas are both very, very crowded.
I personally believe if you're going for the first time, these are the best times to go. You will rarely have long waits for rides or shows and probably have a better chance at reserving dining reservations during these times. (another thing to hit on later) There are some disadvantages of going during these times. The weather is always up in the air (pun intended) Florida has its "Severe" weather season during the early part of the year. Interestingly enough, January through March, is Florida's "unofficial" tornado season. Storms can pop up anywhere and become severe in a matter of minutes. That's one thing to keep in mind. Also, the weather can be fairly warm during the day, but can change drastically at night to the point of needing jackets or hoodies. Florida's weather in general is very unpredictable. No matter what time of year you're there, you're bound to have a freak midday downpour at least once a day. ALWAYS CARRY PONCHOS AND RAIN GEAR. (buy it before you go or you will pay a lot more at Disney) and ALWAYS have it on hand. I can't stress that enough.
Another threat you will face during the off-season are ride refurbishments. Disney will usually close down one or two rides (sometimes popular ones!!) to make sure everything is up to par, or to update with some new effects! So, if you're going during one one of these seasons, and you really want to ride Splash Mountain or Aerosmith's Rock-n-Roller Coaster, you may be out of luck. I'm not saying these are the rides they will refurbish, just examples of some favorites! There is a place you can check on Disney's website that will show which rides are closed during that time. I will try to find a link to post at the end of this post.
Next, Prices. Yes, this varies throughout the year. During peak seasons, Disney prices will soar. The park tickets will remain the same but Disney Hotels will skyrocket during popular seasons. Keep that in mind. Also, inflation will also add increases to Disney's prices yearly. Ticket prices will usually go up a few dollars. (parks and parking) Disney usually puts out their prices for the following year by July of the Current year. This may not include special Events like Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party or Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. These events usually require an extra ticket and prices may not be listed until closer to those dates. Keep that in mind.
This brings me to the last thing I'm going to hit on in this blog. Limited Time Magic! Limited time magic occurs only for a Limited time! (duh, Megan) For Example, Disney's Not So Scary Halloween Party. The Park will be decorated for Halloween. There will be special fireworks, parades, and parties that you can only see at the Halloween Party. Also during Limited Time Magic, you have the opportunity to meet characters that are usually not found around the Disney Parks in other times of the year, or who are very rare. For example, the Halloween party is the only time you will be able to meet and greet some famous Disney Villians..such as: The Wicked Queen (from Snow White) The Queen of Hearts (from Alice in Wonderland) Maleficent (From Sleeping Beauty) etc. Or during Mickey's very Merry Christmas Party, Scrooge can be found in the park! Limited Time magic is not limited to just these parties, Disney does little things all the time that you may or may not experience throughout the year. From something as simple as to a performance by the "Dapper Dans" in the Magic Kingdom, or a special snack offered at Hollywood Studios for a limited time! Some merchandise can only be found during limited time magic as well, including clothing items and rare pins for Pin Trading (More on that later).
So you see, anytime you go to the Disney World resort, there will always be something for everyone and everyone will have a MAGICAL time!
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