The lesser of two evils (Spring Break or Christmas)?

[BensWife]

We are stuck with going on vacations during typical school breaks. What is the lesser of two evils - Spring Break (last week of March) or Christmas? Summer is out because it is just too hot for me. I know Christmas will probably be more busy, but then you get all the wonderful Christmas decorations/feel. Spring break looks like 9/10 all week anyway. Just wondering what time would be better. My dad will be in a electric chair (had heart surgery back in Feb, but his recovery has been really slow and I don’t think he will be able to walk). Having never had to deal with those before, would using one of those be harder during Christmas since it is so busy? One last question: We are planning on staying off site in a condo - will that mean we will get zero cool fast passes since people staying on-site get to select fast pass before those off property? Would it be better to stay on-site for the fast passes? Thanks!

 

[winnieofpooh]

If you're planning on going in 2019, and aren't huge Star Wars fans, I'd highly recommend Spring Break. Christmastime will be insane because, well, it's Christmas, and Star Wars Land is supposed to open around Thanksgiving I believe. The crowds will be huge. If you're okay with missing Star Wars Land, I'd go in March.

In terms of FPs (assuming you go before SWL opens), it's actually not that difficult to get FPs 30 days in advance. You'll miss out on FoP, SDMT, and probably the Toy Story Land ones, but besides that you should be able to get most of the other ones.

 

[verleniahall]

I would go with Christmas - all the decor plus the Holidays around the World at EPCOT, etc...

 

[carlymcqueen]

My family and I have done both spring break and christmas. Both were equally amazing for us because of how we planned it out. Although people talk about how nightmarish it can be around Christmas, we got everything we wanted to do done and more because we hit the parks as early as possible to get on big attractions that would be very long waits later on, and in between our fastpasses we hit up those little-to-no-wait attractions with no issue, such as CoP, Tiki Room, HoP, you get the idea. You also take up more time in the parks looking at decorations, taking pictures, and shopping (try hopping the monorail line to see the resorts!). Same strategy goes for spring break, we just simply avoided MK on Easter Sunday.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

The ECV May help you avoid lines, I think they and their family get to skip a lot of lines or get a FP-like return ticket to several rides where they then go thru FP line. Not sure exactly, but I always see this happening.

 

[CAS239]

I'd definitely choose Christmas over spring break. Crowds will be large for either but way better weather in December and the decorations are a plus.

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

If you're planning on going in 2019, and aren't huge Star Wars fans, I'd highly recommend Spring Break. Christmastime will be insane because, well, it's Christmas, and Star Wars Land is supposed to open around Thanksgiving I believe. The crowds will be huge. If you're okay with missing Star Wars Land, I'd go in March.

In terms of FPs (assuming you go before SWL opens), it's actually not that difficult to get FPs 30 days in advance. You'll miss out on FoP, SDMT, and probably the Toy Story Land ones, but besides that you should be able to get most of the other ones.

i would normally suggest Christmas over Spring break because it is cooler and the decorations are so nice...but with the opening of Star Wars at Disney in the fall of 2019, if you are looking at that time frame, i'd pick Spring break to avoid those crowds. Star Wars will likely bring TONS of extra people into Disney in that opening time frame....either way you will wnat to plan your Fast passes well and arrive at the parks early ....have fun!

 

[DizneyMommy]

I would take extra crowds over heat anyday. The humidity in FL is brutal, and if your spring break is toward the later end (Easter is 4/21 I think next year) it could be miserable.

 

[MomOTwins]

If you are planning on this Christmas 2018 versus Spring break 2019, none of the star wars posts apply. They are referring to a year-and-a-half from now in Christmas 2019 and spring break 2020. But frankly, it is not going to make any difference because star wars crowds will be just as heavy in spring 2020 as in December 2019.

I can tell you from experience this past year, Spring Break was by FAR worse in terms of crowds than Christmas week. It probably varies a bit year to year. Both will be crowded, but if your kids have more than a week off for Christmas, then definitely do the week leading up to Christmas as it is much less crowded than the week between Christmas and new years. Good luck!

 

[FSU Girl]

March can be really hot, it just depends on how Florida is feeling that day. There could be a good chance of having really high temps for Spring break. December is typically cooler, but the crowds will be insane due to Star Wars Land. If the crowds are the biggest concern I'd go with Spring break and if the weather is the biggest concern I'd go with Christmas.

 

[Micca]

I'd definitely choose Christmas over spring break. Crowds will be large for either but way better weather in December and the decorations are a plus.

Gotta go with CAS on this one. Both spring break and Christmas will be busy but I think I'd go for the (virtual) guarantee of cool weather in December, plus the decor, the music, the general vibe.

 

[LilyWDW]

The ECV May help you avoid lines, I think they and their family get to skip a lot of lines or get a FP-like return ticket to several rides where they then go thru FP line. Not sure exactly, but I always see this happening.

This is incorrect. The majority of lines are accessible. Pretty much the only park with inaccessible lines is MK and there are only a handful there.

If the only restriction is that someone needs a wheelchair or ECV, they will not qualify for a DAS card. Even with the DAS you get a return time and return through the FP line so you are still waiting, just elsewhere.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

We are stuck... What is the lesser of two evils - Spring Break (last week of March) or Christmas?

Since that is how you are framing it, neither.
If you go into any week thinking badly of it, then you are going to have problems.
Especially if it also happens to be one of the two most expensive weeks of the year.
My advise is to find a week that you feel more favorably towards. Instead of aiming for a nine day visit, find a compromise week, and make the trip a little shorter. Find a three day weekend and combine with one missed school day. (Or even better, a week where your school system has two days off together.)
If you are trying to juggle extended family, limited mobility, etc....a shorter visit is usually a great way to vacation.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

My family and I have done both spring break and christmas. Both were equally amazing for us because of how we planned it out. Although people talk about how nightmarish it can be around Christmas, we got everything we wanted to do done and more because we hit the parks as early as possible to get on big attractions that would be very long waits later on, and in between our fastpasses we hit up those little-to-no-wait attractions with no issue, such as CoP, Tiki Room, HoP, you get the idea. You also take up more time in the parks looking at decorations, taking pictures, and shopping (try hopping the monorail line to see the resorts!). Same strategy goes for spring break, we just simply avoided MK on Easter Sunday.

but you probably didn't frame your choices as being "stuck with the lesser of two evils," no?

You saw both options as enjoyable and doable, and went into the options with a cautiously optimistic outlook, right?

We too have been both times of the year. Every time of year has pros and cons. the best trips are the ones that best meet our needs.

WDW is far too expensive a place to visit if you are dreading how it will be. The OP might be far happier finding a different vacation combination: maybe a different week or maybe a different destination.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

This is incorrect. The majority of lines are accessible. Pretty much the only park with inaccessible lines is MK and there are only a handful there.

If the only restriction is that someone needs a wheelchair or ECV, they will not qualify for a DAS card. Even with the DAS you get a return time and return through the FP line so you are still waiting, just elsewhere.

Sorry, Was just stating what I’ve seen... several times.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Will you get to stay longer on one trip over the other? Our Christmas break is 2 weeks long, and if we did that time of year, we would stay at least 10 days, if not longer. Another thing to consider is where you are traveling from and how you are getting there--if you are driving, is your route likely to have snow/ice in late December/early January? If you are flying, could weather-related travel delays be a problem?

We stayed offsite for the first time this month and eventually got most of the FP we wanted. Combination of checking often and looking at the right time when some were released, but we rebooked our trip at 12 days out.

 

[AMK53]

Christmas hands down . So many wonderful things to share. I travel with a handicapped friend with her own scooter and it is no problem . The only thing is you have to stake out a spot for Happily Ever After early as people in scooters can get blocked . Never have this issue for Illuminations or Rivers of Light or Fantasmic having to be so early

 

[gap2368]

We are stuck with going on vacations during typical school breaks. What is the lesser of two evils - Spring Break (last week of March) or Christmas? Summer is out because it is just too hot for me. I know Christmas will probably be more busy, but then you get all the wonderful Christmas decorations/feel. Spring break looks like 9/10 all week anyway. Just wondering what time would be better. My dad will be in a electric chair (had heart surgery back in Feb, but his recovery has been really slow and I don’t think he will be able to walk). Having never had to deal with those before, would using one of those be harder during Christmas since it is so busy? One last question: We are planning on staying off site in a condo - will that mean we will get zero cool fast passes since people staying on-site get to select fast pass before those off property? Would it be better to stay on-site for the fast passes? Thanks!

Spring break not every one has the same spring break but every one dose have the same winter break ( within a day or two )

 

[10CJ]

Are you comparing the last week of March in 2019 to Christmas 2019?

If yes, I would go with March. Easter is late next year so the last week of March should not be quite as bad as the two weeks around Easter.

I think December 2019 is going to be nuts with the Star Wars land opening.

 

[mom22boys]

We have been at both times. The distinct difference for us was the heat. At spring break (when we went I think it was early April and the week after Easter), it was hot. The crowds of people were hot (picture a lot of very hot people standing around searching for shade or a place to sit), and due to the heat, the crowds seemed a little harder to deal with. With great planning and rode drop arrival, we still got everything done that we wanted to do, but by mid-day we had to leave the parks to get out of the heat and crowds. Like by noon, my DH was looking at me and saying, "Get me out of here." However, if your trip is the last week of March 2019, you won't be dealing with Easter crowds just spring break crowds so your experience might be different, and perhaps, the heat won't be as bad.

At Christmas (our trip was more towards New Years), we didn't have that challenging heat. Our endurance seemed better. Also, WDW is just so magical at Christmas! The decorations are amazing! I loved it. And, it could just be my imagination, but since the crowds weren't dealing with heat (and maybe it also had something to do with it being the holiday season), they just seemed to be easier going. But, like I said, that might just be my interpretation or maybe it was my interpretation b/c I wasn't hot. LOL! Who knows??? Also, you asked about FPs, we only had a party of 4, but I was surprised how many FP I was able to get week of. We made changes to which park we were going to be in which day and we added park days during our trip which put us in the position of scheduling FPs just a couple of days out.

Regardless of which one you choose, I can't stress getting there at rode drop enough. I love that even during the busiest times of the year that the parks are still so magical during the first 1-2 hours after opening!