Timing is everything if you want to enjoy your Walt Disney World trips to the max. There are four factors that you have to keep in mind as you plan your dream vacation and these include the weather, the crowds, the park hours and any special events you want to attend.
Walt Disney World Trips Special Events
You will obviously need to do your research first to find out about any Walt Disney World Trips special events and when there will be extended park hours. These usually happen during the busiest times of the year.
It may be your first instinct to avoid such dates, but you may want to reconsider once you have found out about the extended hours that the parks operate and events happening all over the place like the special parades.
If it is getting too hot during the day, you may want to take a break and rest for some time at the hotel or resort where you are staying. You can go back to the park at night where things can get a lot more exciting, especially at theme parks such as the Epcot, Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. What should you expect during the night?
At night, some of the attractions that you will get to enjoy include fireworks, special night parades and other special shows that run at special times of the year. You may also get to enjoy the rides that you’ve always wanted to try without having to stand in the long lines, that usually plague daytime visitors.
Christmas may be one of the best times to visit the Walt Disney parks because this is synonymous to festivities and spectacular lights. This is a wondrous experience and usually worth the extra money, but you must obviously expect huge crowds.
Other fun times include the Flower and Garden Festival during springtime at the Epcot that features Flower Power concerts and the Star Wars Weekends in June. You can also keep an eye on the calendar of activities for all the theme parks as it is usually kept updated with all the upcoming events.
In this way, you can plan your visits wisely and so that you can take full advantage and make the most out of your Walt Disney World Trips.
Weather Considerations
If you bring your children on the trip, you have to brief them about the weather, especially if you plan to go during summertime.
It can really get humid in summer and these are many people at the park, so long lines in the sun can be expected. Luckily, most of the lines of the various rides are located in shady spots or in air-conditioned areas.
You can help your kids cope better with the heat by enjoying a wet ride to help all of you to cool down. You can also opt to leave the park when the heat is unbearable and return at night time to enjoy the special events during these times, especially if you can take advantage of the extended hours.
Thunderstorms usually occur during the summer, so you may want to bring plastic ponchos or buy a Mickey poncho at the park.
It is not every day that you get to enjoy such wonderful treats that you can only experience on Walt Disney World trips. You have to make sure that you have planned accordingly for your trip. This way, you won’t regret anything that you have missed out on once your holiday has come to an end.
Prices
In the past, Disney has increased prices in school holidays and in tandem with the opening of new rides and attractions.
Both resorts will see other new experiences debuting in the next couple years, including attractions based on characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Disney-Pixar film “Ratatouille,” and classic characters like Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. When these events take place, the price always goes up, so you need to decide if that is something that you are willing to pay extra for.
While the timing of ticket-price increases generally follows the addition of new attractions, travel experts say it is more a reflection of rising guest demand. “Disney is increasing the prices because they can,” said Tom Bricker, who owns DisneyTouristBlog.com. “With consumer confidence high people are willing to spend big on travel.”
Regardless of when you go, it will almost always be better to visit the theme parks at Disneyland on a weekday. “Weekends are busy and more expensive year-round. Mid May and August seem to be the cheapest times to visit the park.
Many people who travel to Disneyland choose to stay at third-party hotels located in Anaheim near the theme park, since nightly rates are more affordable than the Disney-owned hotels. However, guests will need to watch out for any conferences that could be happening at the nearby Anaheim Convention Center, which can cause rates to spike.
The summer months can also be fairly affordable at Walt Disney World, unlike Disneyland. “Summer in general is not as busy at Disney World as you’d think, because it’s so hot,” Munsil said. “If you’re willing to brave the heat and sun, it can be a fairly nice experience. Just take a lot of sunscreen and a hat, and take advantage of air conditioning as much as possible.”
