Help deciding on a time to take my family!

[NanaOsaki06]

I have been to Disney World a handful of times during my life, and its been a dream of mine to take my kids once I felt they were old enough. Well, we're getting around to the saving and planning portion of the trip, and this has been the most frustrating thing to decide on! The trip is going to be myself, my mom, and my 2 kids. My son is on the autism spectrum, but is high functioning. This trip is a total surprise. They know we're planning a trip, we just haven't told them when.

I'm stuck between essentially two dates. Either the second to last week of September or October of 2020. We plan on doing a 9 day, 8 night trip. We'd like to do MNSSHP as well as Food and Wine. My kids are obsessed with Halloween. So this is the perfect time to go. I'm a little worried about weather (we're from Seattle, so humidity is a concern). When would you go? Thank you!

 

[meghannnmouse]

We went that exact time this past year and had a great time!!!! Parks seemed busy but waittimes were pretty low and we did everything we wanted and more. It was HOT for sure. But we’re from Florida/Georgia so we’re used to that! I think it’s a great time to go despite weather bc low crowds and fun at Halloween party!!

 

[NanaOsaki06]

We went that exact time this past year and had a great time!!!! Parks seemed busy but waittimes were pretty low and we did everything we wanted and more. It was HOT for sure. But we’re from Florida/Georgia so we’re used to that! I think it’s a great time to go despite weather bc low crowds and fun at Halloween party!!

What time did you go? September or October? We've heard there is a slight difference in the weather between the two. Thank you for your response!

 

[meghannnmouse]

We went the last week of September. 22-28!

 

[Amy11401]

What time did you go? September or October? We've heard there is a slight difference in the weather between the two. Thank you for your response!

There is supposed to be some slight difference in weather between September and October but this year there really was not. October was unusually hot this year.....we were there October 14-20 and the feels like temperatures were around 102 degrees. I do think it cooled off alittle bit a few days after we left.

 

[NanaOsaki06]

There is supposed to be some slight difference in weather between September and October but this year there really was not. October was unusually hot this year.....we were there October 14-20 and the feels like temperatures were around 102 degrees. I do think it cooled off alittle bit a few days after we left.

Yeah, I heard that on a few vlogs as well. I did look back and there was a slight temp drop. How was the crowds around that time? It's essentially around the time we're planning on going.

 

[Amy11401]

Yeah, I heard that on a few vlogs as well. I did look back and there was a slight temp drop. How was the crowds around that time? It's essentially around the time we're planning on going.

Well we had not been for over 20 years so we do not have alot to compare it too. I would say it was crowded but not insanely crowded. Magic Kingdom on a non party night was insane....there was even a wait for the People Mover. I am not a member of Touring Plans but I was curious what the crowd levels were when we were there.

 

[Macprincess]

I also have a son who is high functioning on the spectrum. He is now a 20 year old college student. We live in Florida and our family has been to the parks often during your two proposed dates. As I'm sure you're aware you may have to adjust your schedule if something triggers or sensory overload happens. It's helpful to scope out quite places before hand, ac helps too, to take a break if need be. I'm not sure how old your son on the spectrum is but once our son was able to understand we gave him a code word he could whisper to us if he needed a break. We also payed close attention to his physical cues to avoid melt downs. Also, we gave our son the choice as to if he wanted to ride or sit out on attractions. My husband or I took turns sitting out with him when need be. We also found sometimes he would love a ride and then sometimes, even the next day, he didn't wish to go on it. There was no logical reasoning behind it as far as we could tell, but he had his reasons that made sense to him, and we honored them in order to have everyone's day go smoother. I also suggest looking at menus in advance and having ADR's if your planing on eating at sit down restaurants. Having familiar snacks & water on hand is always helpful as well. I also kept a small backpack with small toys to keeps his hands and mind focused when overstimulated. Our son loved trivia pursuit game cards and we always had a egg of silly putty with us. This help when flying as well.

I highly suggest you avoid Epcot on weekends and Friday evenings if at all possible during food and wine as it will be over run with locals. It gets particularly crazy with groups drinking around the world on the weekends. Also, If you plan on doing Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party try and do a mid week party during your stay for less crowds.

Odds are either set of dates you are looking at will be hot, sticky and humid. Since you are coming from the west coast and are not use to humidity it's going to be an adjustment for sure. September may be slightly worse weather wise. October will probably be more expensive and more crowded. Yet, you might luck out and get less humidity & heat but typically it's mid November before we get a break from the weather. Be forewarned hurricane season is at its peak September and goes until Nov 1st.

What we found most helpful with our visits with our son was to try and do the opposite as everyone else. For example, if you know that most of the park will be at the hub watching Happily Ever After try and hit Splash and Big Thunder then. We would eat a big breakfast before we left and then wait until around 2 to do a counter service lunch when it was less crowded. My son hated the noise from the fireworks so we either tried to be out of the parks by then or let him know when they were happening and made sure we were indoors when they went off. It's little adjustments that allowed for much smoother trips to the parks for us.

Good luck with your planing.

 

[NanaOsaki06]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply! We have thought a bit about these things. My mom was freaking out about the cost of so many sit down meals, until I pointed out my son needs to have the time to sit and relax to eat. Plus the needed break from the heat. Thanks so much for the advise! I think we'll probably do the late October week. I know it'll be a bit busier, but with planning we should be ok.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I used to live in California, now live in Southeast (closer to WDW...yippee!). But let me tell you, it’s HOT. This past September we were above average temps the entire month, mid to high 90’s. It can still be hot in October, but if we’re lucky, cooling a bit. I got married @ WDW 17 years ago in mid October & I remember the weather being great. Not hot at all, but that was a long time ago. And one other thing to add: I think September is still hurricane season.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Why not go the week that is less expensive assuming there is a cost differential? A time frame that is less expensive would generally mean it's not as busy.

 

[Nancyg56]

I have been to Disney World a handful of times during my life, and its been a dream of mine to take my kids once I felt they were old enough. Well, we're getting around to the saving and planning portion of the trip, and this has been the most frustrating thing to decide on! The trip is going to be myself, my mom, and my 2 kids. My son is on the autism spectrum, but is high functioning. This trip is a total surprise. They know we're planning a trip, we just haven't told them when.

I'm stuck between essentially two dates. Either the second to last week of September or October of 2020. We plan on doing a 9 day, 8 night trip. We'd like to do MNSSHP as well as Food and Wine. My kids are obsessed with Halloween. So this is the perfect time to go. I'm a little worried about weather (we're from Seattle, so humidity is a concern). When would you go? Thank you!

I have found that October is much more crowded than it used to be. It is also kind of hot, so if I had to choose, and I needed to keep crowds in mind, I would choose September. If your son does not mind crowds, choose whatever fits into your budget better.