Planning trip for 2008

[fanofdisney]

We are starting to look at dates for 2008. We are looking at the following:
Sept 27- Oct 4
Oct 25 - Nov 1
Dec 6-13
We will have a big group this time, 7 adults and 4 children ages 13, 11, 5 and 3. We, the adults, are leaning towards Oct 25-Nov 1. How is the week of Halloween? We've been to MNSSHP before and would go again if we end up going in Sept or Oct. Any input into these dates would be greatly appreciated. I can't believe 2 out of 3 of these choices is less than a year away and I don't have this figured out yet! By the way, we have never had a magical gathering before do they still do that and if so is there anything magical offered or is it just the name they give a big group?:mickey:
Thanks for your help

[faline]

Personally, I'd probably pick the December dates just because I love being there over the holidays!

Late September would be my second choice for low crowds.

Yes, they still do Magical Gatherings. Essentially, it's the name they give to planning for larger groups. You can sign up on the Disney site and set up a vacation planning section that can be seen by all members of your party. It does qualify you for some special events - at a cost, of course.

[Beast_fanatic]

We were at WDW for Halloween a couple of years ago, and we didn't find the crowds to be that bad. I think the crowds were heavier for our early October trip.

I also love to be there for the Christmas holiday time period, so I'd personally either go with the Halloween dates or the December dates.

[fanofdisney]

How are the crowds the first two weeks of December and how about the weather? It looks like it could be a bit chilly. We are coming from Illinois and would like somewhat warm weather. Is it too cold to swim or go on water rides?

[illini]

I vote for December. It will be warm compared to Illinois, and you would probably be able to swim a couple of times. Weather will be hit or miss, though. Sept/Oct would be warmer, but also hurricane season so there's drawbacks weather-wise to any of the dates.

The MVMCP is absolutely amazing, though, and I now think everyone should experience it. I'm hooked!

Your other dates will probably hit a MNSSHP, though, and those are also a blast. You can't lose with any of your choices, IMO.

For weather, if you go to Info Central and click on Weather, you can find historical weather data. Not a guarantee of the weather for your trip, but a good indicator.

[Tink#64]

We're planning our next trip for the same Sept - Oct. dates! I'm not sure how it's going to be, we've always gone in May. But I've read that the crowds & weather at this time are much like May, and we've always enjoyed fantastic, mild weather & very doable crowds with very reasonable wait times! We're hoping to experience the MNSSHP for our first time during our '08 trip!
:mpumpkin:

Good luck & I'm sure you'll enjoy whichever you choose!:thumbsup:

[faline]

How are the crowds the first two weeks of December and how about the weather? It looks like it could be a bit chilly. We are coming from Illinois and would like somewhat warm weather. Is it too cold to swim or go on water rides?

December weather is the luck of the draw. We've been when we've been able to wear shorts and tees throughout our trip regardless of time of day and have enjoyed the pools on these trips.

On our last December trip, we hit a cold spell. You couldn't have dragged me to the pool (though we did see a few hearty souls in the pool - they certainly did have lots of space in there!). It was quite chilly throughout the trip. Most days required jeans and sweatshirts. The night we did the Christmas party, we were dressed in multiple layers, wore winter weight coats and still found it chilly. Keep in mind that we're from Massachusetts so we're used to fairly cold weather!