My family and I recently returned from a trip to Disney World, and much to my surprise, even though our six day trip was in mid February, we had to fight crowds the entire time. I thought the very best times to go to Disney World and avoid crowds were the winter months, but at as luck would have it the park was extremely crowded.
I realized Valentine’s Day fell on the weekend we were to arrive at Disney World, but I did not think that would matter. President’s Day made it a three-day weekend, but I thought by Tuesday the crowds would thin out. Unfortunately we were not given accurate information by the Disney World customer service representative when asking questions on the best times to avoid crowds. East coast families were on winter break, and the crowds were immense. When combined with the holidays and the three-day weekend, the aggravation caused by crowds of people put a major dent in our first and possibly last experience at Walt Disney World.
Instead of trusting someone with your precious vacation time and hard-earned money, use the following tips on how to find out the truth before booking your trip to Walt Disney World. A little investigating could make the difference between having a good time and fighting pushy crowds of impatient people. Hopefully my experience will help others avoid long lines and major overcrowding on a costly trip that should have been leisurely and far more enjoyable than it turned out to be.
Do Not Ask Disney World Customer Service or Travel Agents
Many people assume that Disney World representatives know the best times to avoid crowds. They also assume they will be given accurate honest information. After all, Disney World is a friendly magical place, and why would anyone avoid answering an honest question? Walt Disney World reps know the best times to go and avoid the crowds, but do not count on receiving a completely honest response when asking customer service this very common question.
The Disney World customer service representative I spoke to never bothered to mention that east coast kids were on winter break. We were told we had to respond quickly if we wanted a room in Port Orleans because few rooms were available in any of the Disney World resorts beginning on the day we preferred. Valentine’s Day weekend was the excuse we were given. We could have taken our vacation any week of the year, but we were not informed of the massive number of east coast people that were booked for the full week we were interested in. If we had been given accurate information by the Disney World representative, we would have booked our trip for the following week to avoid the crowds.
When trying to avoid crowds, never trust travel agents or resort representatives to provide straight answers on the best times to go to Disney World or anywhere else for that matter. Their goal is to fill resort rooms and sell vacation packages. Suggesting that people visit at a later date could mean losing a customer and thousands of dollars. Places such as Disney World are huge money-making corporations, and they do not always provide the correct answers on the best times to go and avoid massive crowds of people.
Avoid All Holidays to Avoid Large Crowds at Disney World
Who would think Valentine’s Day or President’s Day would draw large crowds to Disney World? Three-day weekends and all types of holidays draw crowds, and locals as well as those flying in for just a couple of days take advantage of vacation opportunities. When looking to avoid crowds, do not plan a Disney World vacation around any American holiday listed on the calendar. Just because you do not celebrate a particular holiday does not mean that many other people also ignore that holiday. A government holiday could provide an extra day off, and many people plan their Disney World vacations around holidays.
Do Not Use Your Child’s School Schedule to Avoid Disney World Crowds
Many people planning a Disney World vacation do not look past their own kid’s schedule when considering dates, and this is a big mistake. Breaks fall on different dates in different areas and school districts. Just because your child should have been in school does not mean others are not on break. For example, kids on the east coast have a shorter summer vacation, but they receive more vacation days throughout the year.
Avoid Crowds by Consulting Online Travel Forums
To find honest answers on the best times to visit Disney World and avoid the crowds, check out the forum at TripAdvisor.com. Consider holiday dates, and ask questions regarding the dates you are considering before booking a Disney World vacation. You will discover the very best times to go to Disney world and avoid the crowds as well as long lines, congested walkways, and the aggravation that comes with visiting any theme park flooded by incalculable numbers of pushy impatient people.
