March or December?

[JoF]

I am trying to plan a trip for 2014. For us in the UK it seems the most economical time to visit is mid March or late November/early December (after Thanksgiving).
Our preferred time for visiting is October but we just can touch it money wise. I think because of school holidays in October the prices really escalate!
I am looking for info on weather and crowds really - anything that can help me make up my mind.
Thanks for your help:mickey:

[PopPhan]

Haven't visited in March, but I can tell you that the week after Thanksgiving is typically a low crowd week. The only exception is for the Magic Kingdom the first weekend of December.....That is typically the weekend used to film the Christmas Day Parade. On that Friday and Saturday (Sunday as well, if the weather does not cooperate on Friday and Saturday,) the Magic Kingdom, and Main Street USA and the hub primarily, tends to be packed tightly.

The weather during that period tends to be warm and rather dry. High temperatures in the 75F - 85F range (trending to the lower end of the scale) and lows in the 55F - 65F range.

Big bonus, if you have never been there during the "Christmas Season," is all the decorations in the parks and resorts. Disney goes all out during this time.

Whichever time frame you choose, have an enjoyable trip!

[AgentC]

March is hard. The weather is beautiful . You also have the Flower and Garden Festival but you also have Spring Break.

If you hit the busy spring break weeks, it is really busy. This is just a guess on my part but I would expect mid March through Mid April to be very busy. Easter is late in 2014 (4/20).My children's spring break is falling from 3/17 through 3/22. Traditionally a lot of FL schools take similar spring break weeks, so I would expect a lot of other schools to be out that week.

Late November /early December is a nice time to go. The weather is usually beautiful (though every now and then there is a cold snap). Crowds are very manageable in late Nov (after Thanksgiving). They pick up during the beginning of December but are not nearly as busy as Spring Break. Christmas decorations are up as well as some of the special Christmas events.

[DisneyDINK]

You'll have crowds no matter when you go. So I'd just pick a time that is best for you. That said here are some things to look out for:

In early December you might run into the WDW Xmas Parade taping. It is usually the Friday and Saturday after our Thanksgiving at the MK. You can work around it by avoiding the MK those days and not staying at the MK area resorts (WL, CR, GF, Poly). Once you get into mid/late December the on site prices really start to climb and the crowd levels go up, especially about 1 week before Christmas.

Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is March 4th and the state of Louisiana will be there in force that week. I found this out the hard way this year. I had a great time and I met some nice people, but I hadn't anticipated the extra crowds.

You'll run into a lot of people on Spring Break in March too.

[faline]

March is one of the only months in which I have never visited Disney World. Part of the reason I have never been during March is because it does fall within the busy spring break season and I try to avoid going during the busiest times of the year.

I have been in early December a number of times and have found this to generally be a nice time to visit. Crowds are typically manageable but you won't find the parks empty by any stretch of the imagination. Weather, however, can be all over the place. You might have warm days - even warm enough to spend the day at the pool. Or, you might have weather that is rather chilly and even downright cold. We have been able to attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party in shorts and tees. On the other hand, one year we attended wearing multiple layers and winter coats and we were still cold (Keep in mind that I come from a part of the country which experiences quite cold weather in the winter so it's not like I'm not accustomed to such weather!).

[BelleBeauty]

I have to put my bid in for early December. The last trip we did was right before Thanksgiving. The weather was perfect and the crowds (in the earlier part of the trip) were really great. The decorations in December add that X-factor that make it a bit easier to put up with any other possible negative factors. There is extra magic during the holiday season! :mickey:

[JoF]

Thanks everyone - really helpful as usual.
I am steering towards early December because of Christmas decor etc. Plus it will give me longer to save up.
If we stay in a Disney moderate resort in 2014 the UK holiday companies are offering free QS dining and $200 spending money which seems like a good deal to me!
:thumbsup: