AH!!! Help me pick a date!!!

[Pipalotta]

Ok so I thought I had it all figured out but of course I do not.

I thought I had is figured out to go Jan 5-12, 2008 leaving of course on the Saturday of the marathon, then we thought this might increase crowds dramatically.

Well so we changed it to Jan 19 -26, well this was dumb because of it being MLK Jr. Weekend and those 3 days seem to be really busy and people have been talking about black out dates and all kinds of hoo ha.

So then I ask some advice from someone at MJ and she said she loves going the very end of Jan/begin of Feb so I was thinking that hey maybe we could go Jan 26 - February 2.

I think I am driving my self crazy!!!!

I also know that during this time period not only is it the marathon, mlk jr but also it seems lots of cheer and dance championships are going on and the last thing I really want is crazy giggling girls/teenagers at every turn.

[Disney Doll]

I would definitely avoid MLK weekend.

I was there same time as the marathon in 2001 and I didn't notice a problem with extra crowds.

There seems to be cheer or dance teams all throughout January and February. I think it would be hard to avoid. We usually go in February the week before President's Day. There are high school cheer teams, but we've never been bothered by them. This year and last they were even at our resort, but I had no complaints. Maybe it's just me, but I find a screaming toddler way more annoying than giggling teens.

[Belle's Mom]

I have never been bothered by teens, but I am a high school teacher! Shh, don't tell my principal I am on a Disney site at school!:blush: I have 2 kids and they are 7&4. I don't seem to bristle as giggling girls like I do at screaming tots! Go Jan/Feb!! Just my :twocents:

[Dopey's Girl]

We went at the end of January a couple of years ago (2005 I think) and had a wonderful time! One of the days was a bit chilly (middle 50's) but the rest of the time it was sunny and wonderful! Crowds were really low, but so were park hours, so be prepared for that!

I wouldn't hesitate to go the last week of January again!

Good luck in your planning!

[Pipalotta]

After I posted this I started to think about other factors, other than just crowds and such. And Im pretty sure we are going to go Jan 5-12 since I am a college student and any of the next two options would cause me to miss either the first class or 2 or the whole first "full" week of classes for the Spring semester, along with the fact that I dont want to do school work on vacation right?!?! LOL.

Thank you so much for your opinions!!

Any additional information on the 5-12 would be great!!!

[tinksmom02]

My vote is for Jan/Feb. That's when we were there, and there were no crowds! I mean, we walked onto Soarin', walked onto SM, walked onto POTC, waited 10 minutes for Peter Pan (longest ride wait all week)! The worst wait we had was 45 minutes to meet the Storybook Princesses in Toontown. We were seated immediately at all of our ADR's (w/the exception of CRT, but hey! I was able to make ressies for CRT, and only 2 months out!)

We did pay a price for the low levels, though--the weather was very cold for a lot of the week. We left NJ with temps of 8, so 35 doesn't sound that bad, but that's pretty chilly for Florida!

But if I had to go again during January, that would definitely be the time i would go!!! :thumbsup:

[EvilQueen2006]

I was there during the marathon this year. The actual weekend was a little crowded. (nowhere near crowds during easter or christmas, but heavier than usual for january) After we got through the weekend, crowds were much smaller. During the week, we saw wait times at 20 min for major attractions, walk-on's for less popular rides. I think Soarin was the longest wait at 45 min, but that's why they made fastpass right? (The marathon was a week earlier this year than it will be in 2008, I was there Jan 5-12, Marathon was Jan. 6-7)