The Whole Month of Feb??

PSUGuy

Bill From PA
Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Yep, I'm here to rub it in again. We're retiring this Spring and starting in 2020 we'll be spending the month of Feb in sunny (hopefully) Fla., we're already casing vacation homes and villas for a place with a pool and room for guests. Except for 2 or 3 times when we arrived for our Spring Break trip on the last day of Feb. we've never been to WDW that month. In short, is there anything special going on then? I'll be checking weather averages but what's you opinion of conditions then? Should we avoid any times or events for any reason. We'll have APs and our car if that matters. I know it's a tad early but I'm hardly the only compulsive WDW planner here.

Thanks for any insight offered.

Bill From PA
 
We were there the first week of Feb this year. Many ride & attraction closures, especially at DAK. Nemo, bird show, Kali River Rapids, all closed while we were there. Not sure if it will be the same every year with so many things closed, but I have heard the same for January.
Other than that, we loved the weather, high 70s/low 80s for highs. Sun was behind the clouds most of the time (which I love b/c I get heat/sun sick), Magic Kingdom was foggy once or twice. Very little rain which I could have done more with since I love the rain. EPCOT Festival of the Arts goes on in February. We watched people from the Broadway version of Lion King sing several songs from several different Disney movies. There are all kinds of activities going on around EPCOT, along with very cute Photopass opportunities.
President's Day weekend is horrendous from what I've read, although I haven't been there for that weekend. Super Bowl Sunday is in February, and the winning team will do their mini parade in the Magic Kingdom the next day if you're into that.
So happy for you on your retirement and getting to spend February at Disney! Just check ride closures & President's Day weekend, the rest will be a cake walk. pixiedust:
 
Presidents Day week (2/15-24 in 2019) can be very busy in the parks.
 


Don't have advice, only went to WDW in Feb once, for a very short trip. But that's awesome you'll spend a month there. I keep thinking I'm going to do it too...maybe in 2020. DW works for the local school district, so she has off when the kids do. I do a combination of work remote and use of vacation days that allows me to do a 17 day trip now...I work 3-4 days, take off 7-8 days, plus 6 weekend days. I'm thinking maybe in 2020 I'll try to convince them to let me work remote for 2+ weeks, then use vacation for the rest. We'll get a nice house with a private pool so DW and the kids have something to do during the day and hit parks at night.
 


@PSUGuy ~ moving you to the Orlando Board because there’s a lot of discussion on vacation home rentals throughout the area. :)

We’ve been in February a few times specifically for the Princess runDisney events. The parks are crowded for a few days after Princess Weekend and DSprings is extremely crowded in the evenings - especially after the 1/2 marathon.

We’ve stayed in High Grove a few times and like that subdivision - it’s a gated community and is very quiet. You can get to/from the parks using 192 to Sherberth Road. The one you’ve linked (https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p361237) is nice because it’s single story. There is a lake with a number of alligators so just know to stay away from the water.
 
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I'm sure a few ride closures won't matter when you have four parks to enjoy and a whole month in Orlando!
We are going for two weeks on Saturday and I know we will not rush around and completely soak in all the Disney magic.
Congratulations on retirement! What a fun way to celebrate!
 
@PSUGuy ~ moving you to the Orlando Board because there’s a lot of discussion on vacation home rentals throughout the area. :)

We’ve been in February a few times specifically for the Princess runDisney events. The parks are crowded for a few days after Princess Weekend and DSprings is extremely crowded in the evenings - especially after the 1/2 marathon.

We’ve stayed in High Grove a few times and like that subdivision - it’s a gated community and is very quiet. You can get to/from the parks using 192 to Sherberth Road. The one you’ve linked (https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p361237) is nice because it’s single story. There is a lake with a number of alligators so just know to stay away from the water.
@PSUGuy ~ moving you to the Orlando Board because there’s a lot of discussion on vacation home rentals throughout the area. :)

We’ve been in February a few times specifically for the Princess runDisney events. The parks are crowded for a few days after Princess Weekend and DSprings is extremely crowded in the evenings - especially after the 1/2 marathon.

We’ve stayed in High Grove a few times and like that subdivision - it’s a gated community and is very quiet. You can get to/from the parks using 192 to Sherberth Road. The one you’ve linked (https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p361237) is nice because it’s single story. There is a lake with a number of alligators so just know to stay away from the water.
believe it or not we're actually looking at that on our short list of properties to rent! Thanks for moving me to this board, maybe I'll get more suggestions on places to stay.

Bill From PA
 
Have you looked at IPG Florida Vacation Homes ?

Why spend ALL of your time at the Theme Parks ?


There are many many other things to visit on Day Trips

Airboat rides at Midway near Christmas City ., Boat trips at Hontoon Landings , A Boat tour at Winter Park & Morse place.
 
Have you looked at IPG Florida Vacation Homes ?

Why spend ALL of your time at the Theme Parks ?


There are many many other things to visit on Day Trips

Airboat rides at Midway near Christmas City ., Boat trips at Hontoon Landings , A Boat tour at Winter Park & Morse place.

Such things are definitely on tap for us, that's one of the reasons I wanted to learn which days to skip at WDW.

Bill From PA
 
Yep, I'm here to rub it in again. We're retiring this Spring and starting in 2020 we'll be spending the month of Feb in sunny (hopefully) Fla.,

Congratulations Bill!

I can attest to all of the benefits of retirement. Including being a Disney snowbird. You will love your month at Disney.

February is a great time to visit FL. As others have noted President's Day week can be busy but certainly not Christmas busy. I have found the first and last weeks are the quietest in the parks. The weather starts to warm up while still having a lower chance of precipitation.

I can't help with specific rental possibilities but I can say that the West Haven development near Champions Gate is a nice area.

And, if I might be bold, I will pass along a possibility to help occupy your time in FL. Consider a few hours of volunteering at Give Kids the World Village. It is a wonderful, well organized operation that depends on volunteer effort to keep things going. DW and I do a couple of shifts a week while we are in FL.
Wishing you a pixiedust: time at the F&W!
 
Congratulations Bill!


Wishing you a pixiedust: time at the F&W!

Thanks, and we will look into Give Kids the World Village. We're definitely not going to be slugs in retirement and doing something for others is appealing.

Bill From PA
 
President's week is really busy. The first time we went in 2007 we did that week so the grandkids would miss less school. It was so busy but we didn't know any better. We did a Tuesday to Tuesday week and our last day in MK was Monday. We were shocked how much lower the crowds were. We decided we would never go that week again. By the way, we are also retired and go for a month. We used to stay at Windsor Hills until we found Indian Creek. It's so nice not to have to go through the guards as it's not a gated community but we feel very safe. We go at the end of Feb. one year, and then the end of Jan. the next year to get the most out of our annual passes. We love the Feb. weather and March can sometimes get too hot for us. Congrats on your retirement.
 
Yep, I'm here to rub it in again. We're retiring this Spring and starting in 2020 we'll be spending the month of Feb in sunny (hopefully) Fla., we're already casing vacation homes and villas for a place with a pool and room for guests. Except for 2 or 3 times when we arrived for our Spring Break trip on the last day of Feb. we've never been to WDW that month. In short, is there anything special going on then? I'll be checking weather averages but what's you opinion of conditions then? Should we avoid any times or events for any reason. We'll have APs and our car if that matters. I know it's a tad early but I'm hardly the only compulsive WDW planner here.

Thanks for any insight offered.

Bill From PA

CONGRATS!!! party:
 
Congrats on your upcoming retirement! I'm sure you will have a great month in Orlando and find plenty of fun things to do (or just relax some).

I went from stay at home mom to a mom of "adults" last year, and enjoyed a month in Hawaii (at our Marriott timeshare). It was very relaxing, with some fun mixed in. There are benefits to being over, well, a certain age!
 
I've been a few times in February and it's really a perfect time weather and crowd-wise to go. Of course president's day and adjacent days may be a bit busier.

My parents used to do VRBO and Home Away in the Davenport area and would stay for at least a month. It was a nice area with lots of places to eat and shop. Most of the home-owners were British and had local property management companies take care of the place. Never had a problem. My biggest piece of advice is to find a villa that the pool looks out to a lake/pond or trees and not another villa so you have more privacy.
 
I've been a few times in February and it's really a perfect time weather and crowd-wise to go. Of course president's day and adjacent days may be a bit busier.

My parents used to do VRBO and Home Away in the Davenport area and would stay for at least a month. It was a nice area with lots of places to eat and shop. Most of the home-owners were British and had local property management companies take care of the place. Never had a problem. My biggest piece of advice is to find a villa that the pool looks out to a lake/pond or trees and not another villa so you have more privacy.

Thanks for the tip, we've been searching VRBO and HomeAway, I'll put in Davenport and give it a look. I did see one villa with pool and a lake just steps away, lots of good choices, I'm just wondering haw far in advance to book, Feb 2019 is pretty much gone, 2020 still all available.

Bill From PA
 
My parents used to do VRBO and Home Away in the Davenport area and would stay for at least a month. It was a nice area with lots of places to eat and shop. Most of the home-owners were British and had local property management companies take care of the place. Never had a problem.

Yes, we bought our villa from a British couple and our real estate agent was a Brit who had decided to move to Florida.

My biggest piece of advice is to find a villa that the pool looks out to a lake/pond or trees and not another villa so you have more privacy.

Agree! Check the lanai pictures to see how close the neighbors are. There are a few villas that will have green space behind them. They usually make a point of mentioning it in the description. You'll pay a little bit more but I think the privacy is worth it.

Thanks for the tip, we've been searching VRBO and HomeAway, I'll put in Davenport and give it a look. I did see one villa with pool and a lake just steps away, lots of good choices, I'm just wondering haw far in advance to book, Feb 2019 is pretty much gone, 2020 still all available.

For extended rentals booking a year in advance is common.

One small caution about nearby lakes. Alligators can be found around water. We have two large ponds near our villa and while I have never seen one in person we did hear one once. Two years ago a neighbor sent us pictures of an 8 footer wandering through our neighborhood right after we had left.
 

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