Category — a. When to Go to Walt Disney World

OVERVIEW

(Update: you can find specific forecasts for Spring Break 2011 at Disney World by clicking this link.)

I started digging into Easter and Spring Break analysis as work in preparation for the release of 2011 Weeks to Visit Walt Disney World, Ranked in Order.

2011 has a couple of interesting calendar features.

One is that Christmas Eve and New Years Eve are both in the same week–both are Saturdays. This means that the week starting Saturday December 24, 2011 is gonna be a real zoo at Disney World.

Second is that Easter is unusually late. It occurs on April 24, 2011, as late as it has happened since 1943. I did a fair bit of research to estimate the effects this would have on March 2011 attendance at Walt Disney World.

Some of that research is reflected in this post.

GEEKY DETAILS

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OVERVIEW

This page outlines October 2010 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, operating hours, and weather, and then ends with week by week summaries and recommended itineraries.

The second half of October, with near-perfect weather (unless a hurricane is nearby), low crowds, and moderate prices, has some of the best weeks of the year to visit.

October is also the peak month for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, a special evening event–with its own ticket–that has become a family tradition for many.

However, because of this party, the standard Autumn-Winter-Spring itinerary and its To-Do List need to be adjusted every single week this month–see this for more on required adjustments.

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DISNEY WORLD’S SPECIAL HALLOWEEN PARTY

While Halloween itself is October 31st of course, Walt Disney World provides a special celebration at the Magic Kingdom many evenings in September , October, and even November.

This celebration is called “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.” 

At the party, many of the Magic Kingdom’s rides are open, and trick or treating, special events, and slightly different parades and fireworks are offered.

The official Disney World page for this event can be found here.

MORE ON MICKEY’S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY

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OVERVIEW

This page outlines September 2010 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, operating hours, and weather, and then ends with week by week summaries and recommended itineraries.

Also in September is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, a special evening event–with its own ticket–that has become a family tradition for many.

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SUMMER 2010 DEALS FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD ANNOUNCED

Hey–for the latest on Disney World deals, promotions, and discounts, see this page.

Walt Disney World has announced discounts off of its normal prices for the summer of 2010. 

The deals include most nights from June 4 through August 14, and provide the following discounts for stays of one night or more:

• Value resorts: 25% off
• Moderate resorts: 30% off
• Deluxe resorts: 35% off
• Disney Vacation Club Villas: 40% off.

(See this page for the difference among these resort classes,  see this for Walt Disney World’s  normal summer prices, and this for a deal it commonly makes available in the later summer but has not, so far, announced for this year.)

To book these deals, see this page.

LINKS FOR WHEN TO GO

• For when to go to Walt Disney World, see this
• For the next best dates, see this
• For the best and worst times to visit, see this
  • For 2010 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
  • For the 2010 Week Picker App, see this
  • For 2011 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
• For forecasting crowds at Walt Disney World, see this
• For seasonal pricing at Walt Disney World, see this
  • For 2010 price seasons, see this
  • For projected 2011 price seasons, see this
• For weather at Walt Disney World, see this

WHAT TO BUDGET LINKS

For the basic December trip recommended by this site,

• See this for what to budget during the basic December trip
• See this if you are on particularly tight budget, for (difficult) ideas to reduce the December trip budget by more than $1,000

If you can’t go the week this site recommends, see Estimating Budgets for Different Trips

For help getting to much lower budget numbers,

• See this for a summary of current Walt Disney World deals and discounts
• See this for basic Disney World budgeting concepts: Planning Your Walt Disney World Budget
• To design a trip around a specific budget target–e.g., what can you do for $2,500–see this
• For reducing your lodging costs,
  • See The Tightwad’s Guide to Where to Stay at Walt Disney World
  • See this for a summary of current Walt Disney World deals and discounts
• For reducing your dining costs,
  • For ideas on cutting your dining costs compared to what this site recommends, see this
  • For a period during which dining is sometimes free, see The Tightwad’s Guide to When to Go to Walt Disney World

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OVERVIEW

Summer at Walt Disney World—loosely defined as Memorial Day in late May through Labor Day in early September–is an often difficult season.

The weather is hot and humid, and in mid-August shifts to hot, humid, and the peak of the hurricane season.

Crowds are very high most of the summer–lightest in the latter part of August, and also a little lighter in early June.  They peak over the Fourth of July holiday.

Prices begin fairly high, peak over the Fourth of July weekend, and drop to their lowest level of the year at the Deluxes in mid-July, and at the Moderates and Values in mid August.

Deals and discounts are available for this period.

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