What would you do?

[TheMartellFamily]

It is in the earliest planning stages but here it goes. It is DH family side for family vacation time. There has been a request to go to WDW with this group. The issue with this group is that we have one in that will be in 8th grade, one in 5th grade and two in Kindergarten and they are all boys. We all live in different states with all different school schedules. We also have our favorite time of year to go which in the end of October it would be in 2009. The SIL wants to go to WDW next fall because she wants to go before her older DS starts High School. She also really likes the same time we love. She also likes it when it is not as busy and as hot. My DS are getting older and have seen the cool pools at the other resorts and now wants to venture away from our beloved POP Century.

Well I got to thinking and thought how about June of 2010. My thought with this is, we will be able to save more money and maybe stay at a mid to upgraded hotel on site with the cool pools. The longer park hours would be great for the older boys and the pools would be great for the kids too. We could stay longer since there is no school. That would be 8 months extra of saving up which would be a really big amt of money to pay for trip. The downfalls is that it is much hotter( not our problem but other families issues), no MNSSHP, no EIFAWF, and the larger crowds. We would be doing the Dining Plan any time we go and the others may stay in a camper at FT. Wilderness and eat at their site. So this should not be a factor. Please help me with making a point when we are deciding when to go. Thanks for all your help.

[Beast_fanatic]

Personally, I'd rather go in October as the heat and humidity in June are too much for me.

[illini]

I'd have to vote for October, too. I couldn't deal with the crowds and humidity in June. Plus, MNSSHP is so much fun!

[thejens]

I've been the first week of June twice and it was great. I think it is not as crowded as a little later in the summer. I like the longer hours and enjoy the pools more in the warm weather. It is not as humid as late in the summer. I'd go for it. However, your attack may be different. We are up and at the parks at opening and are pretty organized about hitting the attractions strategically. Last year we only got hot and tired one day and headed back to the pool at the resort. For most of the other days it was great, we popped in and out of attractions and never felt overheated. The summer prior it was slightly rainy and cooler a few of the days. Our kids loved the heat and cooled off in the water attractions. We did enjoy the water park one day. Again, it is good to get there early to avoid the lines, but my little kids LOVED the ketchakiddie creek kids area at TL. I think there are probably pros and cons about both times. I've never been in the off season so I can't compare, but love the first week of June!

[PetefromRI]

It's tough these days to take kids out of school,which I don't have a problem with.I don't think a week out of school will kill em,but if this isn't an issue,we love the first week in May.The Fall may have free dining plus it's value season and of course October is a little cooler.It's tough planning for so many families because everyone has there own favorite time to go and I'm sure that they all have good reasons why.Early June will be hot(which is a good thing)and the crowds won't be crazy yet,so that may be a great time also.What ever you decide,don't stress over it and just go with the flow.It's always good at Disney World!

[FromKnoxvilleto Disney]

Irregardless of the money the summer is miserable. We used to go then but the last few years have been in early Dec., spring break, or Sept. This year we decided for all the resons you stated later hours, pool, etc. to go in the summer. Never Never again. Too hot and humid! The crowds were not the issue for us just the constant sweating and miserable heat!

[pink]

We went in June and the crowds were big, it was always hot and everyone was always cranky (especially the adults :secret:)

We just went in the end of September and it was vacant, the weather was wonderful, we had the best trip ever!

I know that it would be bad to pull the teenager out of high school and possibly it would be bad for the 5th grader but the kindergardeners won't miss much. What is the most they can miss?

Pros of going in June:
- You can save up extra money to stay at a pricier hotel with a better pool for the kids.
- Parks are open later hours and kids can stay up later because of no school.
- Kids will be off of school and not miss anything.

Cons of going in June:
- Very hot.
- Big crowds.
- Kids will get tired quicker.

Pros of going in October:
- Great weather.
- Smaller crowds.
- All of the extra parties.
- You already know you'll have a good time going then.

Cons of going in October:
- Kids will miss some school.
- It will be harder to work out a time to go with all of the kids.
- Parks will close earlier at night.:mickey:

[thumperbug]

I went for a few days in early June 2007 thinking it would not be too hot...yea...big mistake. It was hot...humid....We were sweating from the moment we left the hotel until after we took cool showers at night. I still had fun since it was Disney but if given the choice...October. June will be crowded as many southern schools get out early.

[gaffz70]

Depending on where u live...a possible alternate...we have to go in the summer b/c DH is a teacher and is not allowed to take off during the school year. We usually go toward the end of August - it is very hot, but it doesn't seem to bother us as much b/c it's very hot at home during that time too. The southern state schools are already back in school so it is much less crowded than June. It is a "value" season and they have also offered free dining in the past too!

[Mrs Bus Driver]

I could be wrong but I got the feeling reading your post that maybe "you" might need more time to save. If that is true why don't you go ahead and put it out there for the family to consider. It might turn out that you are not the only one wanting more time. You could do a couple of workups cost wise and do a list of pros & cons for different times of the year (including school issues). Whatever happens remember they are family and sometimes we all have to make sacrifices for family. You can have fun whenever you go. :mickey:

[Disney Doll]

I did a summer trip only once (I actually think it was June) and I will never go in summer again. It was just so darn hot. You don't realize it, but with all the walking and all the time outdoors the heat really zaps your energy. We were all tired, sweaty, and cranky. Add crowds on top of that and you have a mess. I would much rather sacrifice accommodations than weather. Feeling comfortable is a huge part of vacation enjoyment for me. We went in early October this year and it was still plenty warm enough for swimming.

I know that ultimately you will have to do what works best for everyone so if you end up going in June I would recommend getting an early start each morning, heading back to the resort for some AC, a nap, and some pool time in the afternoon, and then heading back to the parks in the evening. That way you get your park time in when it is less hot, plus everything will be less crowded in the early morning.

[TinkerbellT421]

Now, this is all in my opinion and assumptions lol but here goes.
Well I not have not YET (:cool:) been there in either June or October but let me say this about that. June I personally think would be wayyyy to miserable for me, too hot and too crowded no matter what time you decide to go. And not as many fun things. Heres the kicker, if you decide to go in October, a little less crowded, the kids will get a week out of school which I am sure they are fine with, lol, MNSSHP, Cooler, AND you might be able to score free dinning in the packages. They usually (through history) only give out those specials for that time of the year and never in June so you might be able to save money right there on the spot if you are able to get free dinning. Just a thought. But my personal vote is for October. :thumbsup:

[FenwayGirl]

it's tough when the kids get bigger. We took our 5th grader out earlier this year as she was dancing in a Magic Music Day program. It took her a while to catch up and the school was not really happy with us at all! :(

[steinx3]

We have been almost all the times of the year and I like June. That is saying a lot since we live in Wisconsin and hot is not something we are use to, but it wasn't that bad. The really nice thing was we were able to do the waterparks and really enjoy them too. It just gave you more to do. There are plenty of places to get cool if you need to (i.e. resort pools, indoor attactions, etc).

Taking a week off of school, especially with older kids, will mean both you and the kids have a lot of extra stress to go back to. It is a nice way to end a school year!:thumbsup: