Early July or late October

minerva78

Mouseketeer
Joined
Oct 6, 2010
I managed to get free dining for July 5 - 13 this year but I have been very unsure about going to the parks with my family for the first time in July. I know how hot it gets in N.C. in the summer and I imagine Orlando is much worse! I already hate being outside in the heat here in July. I have read crowds are decent at this time though. If I instead moved the trip forward it would be the last week in October. No free dining and we'd probably stay at a Disney Springs hotel but we could go to a Halloween party evening and I think my family would LOVE that. But how do the weather and crowds compare?
 
We went the last week of October 3 years ago. I love this time year with the Halloween decorations and MNSSHP going on. The weather was perfect... shorts and T-shirts during the day and sweatshirts after dark. We found the crowds to be low. Maybe mid-October is busier around Columbus Day, and there are some districts that have fall breaks. I think most of these occur before the last week Of October. Jersey week starts prior to Election Day, so you may have some teachers arriving at the end of the month. I have also heard it is better to avoid the Halloween night MNSSHP. Epcot may be busy over the weekend for food and wine. We also were there this past August. The heat was yuck, and the crowds were not light. I prefer October if I have a choice.
 


Definitely October! We went over Halloween a few years ago (normally go the first week of October), and we LOVED it. Great weather, great crowds!
 
We were there around Oct. 11 this year. It was hot and rained every day. I've been every month of the year, while it wasn't as hot as August or Sept. we did not have to wear anything but shorts, day or night. We are from north Georgia so are used to the heat.
 
I was there Oct 26-30, 2019 and it was HOT. Heat index was 102F on 10/28 according my notes. Admittedly, you have a better chance for cooler weather in late October, but don't bank on it.
 


I think October just for Food and Wine and the MSNSHP would be the two benefits on top of more manageable weather. We are going in July because of school but I think summer time would be my last choice because of the heat, humidity and the fact that nothing special is going on - no festival or special parties.
 
I think October just for Food and Wine and the MSNSHP would be the two benefits on top of more manageable weather. We are going in July because of school but I think summer time would be my last choice because of the heat, humidity and the fact that nothing special is going on - no festival or special parties.

Yeah, the idea of not having to miss school keeps weighing on my mind about July. My girls would both be in middle school by October and I don't yet know how difficult it would be to miss several middle school days. Elementary school has been a lot easier to miss with only one teacher to deal with. The reason I chose the last week in October is the school calendar shows the girls will have a teacher's workday on Monday, so they'd be missing only 4 days vs. 5 days, and that week is the first week of the new grading period, so there is plenty of time to make up work. I figured if I do decide they will miss school I can make an effort to find the most ideal time to miss and that week is one of the most ideal times to miss in the entire fall. I'd prefer not to miss school at this age but It really sounds like October may be a great time to go, and this week of school may be a less stressful time to miss.
 
The reason I chose the last week in October is the school calendar shows the girls will have a teacher's workday on Monday, so they'd be missing only 4 days vs. 5 days,
Just make sure that you know the schools policy for missing school. I think some districts can be really strict. I did find that once my twins reached middle school missing school had more of an impact because class are more demanding. So for us instead of going in April and actually having to shorten our trip to 7 days we chose to go in July and take a longer trip. We can go for almost 2 weeks and take everything at a slower pace. It is a tough call, but talk to your kids too. They may not want to miss 4 days of school and have that much work to make up. My twins are now in junior high and they stress missing just a day, so do include them in the decision making.
 
Just make sure that you know the schools policy for missing school. I think some districts can be really strict. I did find that once my twins reached middle school missing school had more of an impact because class are more demanding. So for us instead of going in April and actually having to shorten our trip to 7 days we chose to go in July and take a longer trip. We can go for almost 2 weeks and take everything at a slower pace. It is a tough call, but talk to your kids too. They may not want to miss 4 days of school and have that much work to make up. My twins are now in junior high and they stress missing just a day, so do include them in the decision making.

They can have up to ten excused absences before the schools make it difficult, although the schools have really been shoving the importance of missing NO days down our throats because even one day can alter our children's academic life forever. How irritating.

But you do bring up good point about asking my girls because they may not want to miss school. They made a big deal out of possibly needing to miss ONE day when I was scheduled to have surgery! Sheesh. It was the day before the last day of the grading quarter and they were doing a lot of classroom and benchmark tests so yes, that one day was a pain.

Having the summer to rest before and after the trip might be good for all of us too. In order for us to get in two full rest days (I insist on plenty of rest time) we'll need to stay for 8 nights which would mean travel from a Saturday to a following Sunday with school days sandwiched on both sides. I know Disney is not as relaxing as cruises are, which are the week long vacations the girls have done before. I guess there is a lot for us to consider beyond just weather and crowds to decide our best vacation time.
 
My daughter will be in middle school when we return, so we are leaning toward the last week of school and letting her miss those last few days. We get out before Memorial Day, so maybe can catch a sweet spot before summer kicks into gear.
Missing school gets more and more stressful the older they get!!!
 
We'll be there for the last week of October and the crowd calendars look promising! My daughters school break is that week.
 
I was there Oct 26-30, 2019 and it was HOT. Heat index was 102F on 10/28 according my notes. Admittedly, you have a better chance for cooler weather in late October, but don't bank on it.
This has been our experience traveling late October-early November. It might not be July hot but it is still plenty warm. For F&W the weekends and evenings will be pretty crazy, and the Halloween party at MK will also likely be slammed. That said, I'd sure pick October over July.:earsboy:
 
We’re from VA and although our August trip was HOT, it didn’t feel much different than VA summers. We went the first week in October in 2018 and that was also a HOT trip. The heat index was over 100 several days. As much as I love the fall decorations at MK, I’d probably opt for July if it meant free dining, staying on property and not worrying about school absences.
 
We did both last year. We were there at the end of June and beginning of July. Obviously it was warm, but it was definitely manageable. We took afternoon breaks to avoid the hottest part of the day. I was pleasantly surprised at the crowds. Even though we were there over the 4th of July, it really wasn't that bad.

Since we currently have APs, we returned at the end of October for a 4 day weekend. My girls were already off on Friday, so they just missed the following Monday of school. We had a great time then too. The weather was pretty nice other than a little bit of rain. The crowds were manageable as well. I love going in the fall because of the Halloween decorations and MNSSHP. But I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable taking my children out of school for more than 1-2 days. It can be hard to get everything made up. I'm a teacher myself, and I find it hard to get caught up when I miss a day or two!

I do think right now it's hard to compare crowds from last year though. Now with Star Wars completely open, it seems like this year 2020 has already been much busier than last year. So it may not matter when you go, the crowds may be high regardless.
 

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