First trip

[citizensnoopy]

I'm hoping to make a trip to Disney World in 2014. I've been to Disneyland hundreds of time, but I've never been to Disney World. I am thinking of going sometime between January and March 2014. Weather-wise and crowd-wise, when would be the best time to go? I'm not sure what Florida weather is like in the winter.

[JerseyDad]

...we've been to WDW in the winter and I didn't find it to be too cold. In fact the cooler weather made all the walking quite enjoyable. It was in the low 70's during the day and about 55 or so at night.

...regarding crowds ...you need to check the calender for the holidays that fall in the Jan to March time frame ...and then avoid them!!

....it's strange, but we were there once from Dec. 27th to Jan 3rd ...and it was crazy crowded until New Years Eve ...and than on New Years Day ...the place was a ghost town!!

...if there was any way you could swing it, the fall (to me) seems to be the most favorable weather months (October thru mid November)...and the crowds are not bad at all.

[mgmnut]

There is a week in February that the NorthEast has school vacation. The crowds at WDW pick up at that time. It is the week following Presidents Day which fell on Feb 18th this year.

We have been in January and have had some pretty cool weather. I have pictures of us in Jan 2001 bundled up in winter coats. I think in general it is pretty warm down there that time of year but Fla can still get cold spells.

[AllDisney]

The time frame you are looking the weather can be all over the place, especially January. One January trip the days were in the low 70's and evenings low 50's.

Our second January trip the first 3 days were beautiful......mid 70's. As the week went on the temps went down. By the time left, after a great week, the high on the day we left was 42. We were not prepared for that extreme cold. We did not pack winter jackets but did bring clothes that we could layer

The crowds were very manageable. If you go during the winter just factor in the varied temps that you might experience.

[E-OR]

I would be careful of March as well as that February date. Spring break starts and it can get really crowded. We are from Wasnington state and prefer early May and late September. The weather is warm but not too humid (fall is a bit more humid). We love the water parks and coming from the Pacific NW we want to have the higher temps for swimming.

[mgmnut]

I would be careful of March as well as that February date. Spring break starts and it can get really crowded. We are from Wasnington state and prefer early May and late September. The weather is warm but not too humid (fall is a bit more humid). We love the water parks and coming from the Pacific NW we want to have the higher temps for swimming.

We have been early May a few times ourselves and I agree, it is a great time to go for both weather and crowds.

[faline]

January' and February's weather can be quite variable and can range from quite pleasant to downright cold.

January brings lots of large tour groups from Brazil. It is also when the marathon is held. That is getting to be an increasingly popular time for a trip to Disney. That said, crowds are typically manageable in January. Early February isn't bad for crowds. Presidents' Day week is the start of the busy spring break season which runs from then through Easter.

[citizensnoopy]

Thanks for the tips! To elaborate, I don't mind cold weather at all (I actually prefer it). I just wasn't sure how much it rains in Florida.

[faline]

Thanks for the tips! To elaborate, I don't mind cold weather at all (I actually prefer it). I just wasn't sure how much it rains in Florida.

It rains quite a lot in Florida. January and February are typically drier. When you get into the summer months, there is rain on an almost daily basis - typically thunder showers which don't last a long time but which can be quite intense. Other systems come through, on occasion, which can lead to several days of rain - just keep an eye on Chris' weather forecasts.

[Davy Crockett]

I'm hoping to make a trip to Disney World in 2014. I've been to Disneyland hundreds of time, but I've never been to Disney World. I am thinking of going sometime between January and March 2014. Weather-wise and crowd-wise, when would be the best time to go? I'm not sure what Florida weather is like in the winter.

Citizensnoopy - Being the uber researcher & planner which you have to be to maximize your enjoyment time at WDW, I have two specific sites I would direct you toward, to look at specific historical weather & traffic studies. Both go back decades with the information being day / week specific. This should help in your decision making process. If you would like to private message me I will be more than happy to share.

[PETE FROM NYC]

Around 1984, we took DWs parents to WDW. Some days were upper 30s, totally unexpected.
Hope for the best, but be ready for anything.

[JesGettingStarted]

I have almost always gone during the winter. My last trip was in Jan of 2008 starting the very first Saturday. Crowds were extremely low and pleasant minus the "tour groups" which could be pushy at times. We used a crowds calendar to determine which park on which days which could be why we missed crowded parks.

At this time of year you have to remember that parks close early, certain rides are down for rehabs and there are less shows/parades at night.

As far as weather goes it was nice, not too cold or too warm. Looking back at pictures there were days were we had on long sleeves and jeans and days where it was capris and t-shirts. At night when the sun goes down you def need a sweat shirt. We didn't do any swimming so it wasn't that warm but there was no mittens or hats going on either.