Slowest weeks for WDW for 2017:
1st full week of February, starts 2/4
2nd/3rd full weeks of September 9/9-9/22

Worst weeks:
1st week January 12/31 - 1/6
3rd full week February 2/18-2/24
2nd/3rd/4th weeks March 3/11-3/31
2nd week April 4/8-4/14
Summer 5/27-8/4
3rd week November 11/18-11/24
3rd/4th weeks December 12/16-12/31

Best month is September after Labor Day
Followed by 2 weeks after Thanksgiving.

Last two weeks April/1st three May are not bad.

We go 3-4 times a year, season pass holders for last ten years. Make Spring Training every year, Flower Festival, Fall Food And Wine or when Grandkids want to go. Planning is name of the game. Travel from NE Texas and always two days down and two days back. Stay 5-7 days.

Are you guys DVC members if you go that often? If so, how much does it cost per month?

we are currently finalizing plans for our Disney trip coming up in December. I tried to do everything myself then a friend of my wife referred me to a Disney Travel agent. They are an absolute must and their cost to you is free, they are paid through Disney. I had a hotel reservation off Disney property and our agent was even able to find us better accommodations on Disney for a lower cost. We told our agent what we were looking for as far as what to do in WDW and she planned the entire trip including fast passes, meal plans, shows to attend,airport transportation.....everything! All we had to do was approve. Save us a tremendous amount of time and stress.

chrissy@simplymagicalvacations.com

Riding back from DW right now. We are about 2 hours from home.

I'll start by saying that DW was GREAT!

I'll keep it short, but I'm more than willing to answer any questions.

- Driving there wasn't bad. Though there were four wrecks near Baton Rouge on the first day going, and four wrecks near DW on the first day coming back.
- Glad we had meal reservations and fast passes for rides. Some waits were up to 3 hours and 10 minutes for some rides.
- The Ariel at the Princess Breakfast at Akershus was SMOKING hot.
- Skip the character breakfast at The Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh. We were there over an hour, and only two of the four characters were able to make it around the restaurant to our table.
- Chef Mickey character breakfast was great.
- Animal Kingdom wasn't very entertaining. Will probably skip it when we go back.
- We made the mistake of taking my four year old daughter on Pirates of the Caribbean for her first ride. She didn't want to ride any other rides because she was so scared.
- I was amused by all the people SPRINTING to the Frozen ride once EPCOT opened.

Humorous Username said:

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- Glad we had... fast passes for rides. these are free as part of admission, correct? Just have to schedule way in advance?
- The Ariel at the Princess Breakfast at Akershus was SMOKING hot. go on... (and rule 1?)

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Finally, we have 2.5 yo and 4 yo girls - should we wait?

Fast passes are free. If you stay on property you can get them much earlier (I believe 30 days sooner).

My four year old was amazed with most everything. She flipped when Tinkerbell "flew" down from the castle during the nightly fireworks show at MK.

I don't really know, but I don't think your 2.5 year old would get much out of it.

Additional notes this morning.

- There were a lot of people from: Texas, Oklahoma (I think people from Oklahoma don't realize that you can wear other clothing beside Sooners shirts/jackets/hats; had a group of them break out in to "Boomer! Sooner!" at the Nemo ride); Mississippi; and, of all places, Toronto.
- Cold front blew in on Monday night. Actually got into the 30's for a time at our hotel. I was not packed for cold weather, and had to buy a jacket at the gift shop.
- Of all the places we went, Animal Kingdom and Tomorrowland seemed like they were poorly planned out for having large crowds in them/pass through them.
- Went to Disney Springs one night for dinner/shopping. Big crowds, unique stores, but not sure if I'll go back there.
- The staff at the Port Orleans Riverside were outstanding, and were always happy to help.
- Had the meal plan. Had just the right amount of table services and quick meals, but had 28 snacks left on our final morning. We spent those on breakfast pastries, water bottles, and rice krispy treats. My wife spoke with one of the cast members, and he said his personal record was a lady that used 141 snack credits in one purchase right before she left the resort (she had to purchase another bag in order to hold all of the snacks).
- Wife and I could have spent a day or two at EPCOT. A LOT to see this time of year, but it was the one day we were there that it rained (and rained, and rained).
- In regard to Extra Magic hours, the earliest I saw a park open was 7 or 8. The latest was 1AM.
- If we go again with the kids, we'll schedule one day where we don't go to the parks at all. By the end of the trip, we were all exhausted, and could have used a day to just be lazy in the room or at the heated pool.

Is the dining plan really worth it? $70/nt for adults for 1 table-service meal, 1 quick-service meal, 2 snacks and 1 refillable mug seems steep.

Unless you are a teenage boy or an obese, the dining plan is not worth it IMO

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Is the dining plan really worth it? $70/nt for adults for 1 table-service meal, 1 quick-service meal, 2 snacks and 1 refillable mug seems steep.

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This is really a pretty complicated question. We used the DDP a couple of times in its early years. The first time, it covered everything--tip and taxes included. It was much more food than my family could eat, but we did enjoy it and I think probably saved a little money. The next time, the rules had changed and we had to pay the gratuity (IIRC). I think it was probably about a wash. We haven't done it again. The rules have changed several times since and there are now several options for the plan.

If you compare the cost of the plan to the totals on the check when you use the plan, you will probably be saving money. Most families would not order as much food as you actually get, however. It is a lot of food, and only makes sense if you view dining as part of the WDW experience and plan on having a sit down meal or character meal every day. If you book the DDP, make your dinner reservations early.

I have heard some people say they like the DDP because it makes budgeting for food easy and/or when traveling with a big group or extended family and you don't have to worry about splitting up the check, etc. This idea seems particularly appealing to grandparents paying to take everybody.

Search "disney dining plan calculator" and you will find several websites offering analysis of the DDP for your anticipated eating habits. Be sure the calculator is up to date, however, as Disney is constantly tinkering with the DDP.

We've bought DVC in 1997 and our home resort is Boardwalk and could sell if for much more than we paid for it.
Points for the current timeshares they are selling are around $175 per point and then you have the annual maintenance fee. If you are interested, you should research buying resale. You can save a lot of money that way, but you give up certain "perks", like buying annual passes at a discount. Perks can be changed every year. Just remember that you you are prepaying for accommodations and if you plan on going every year or to, it could be a good deal for you. It has been for my family.

http://www.disneytouristblog.com/disney-dining-plan-v-paying-out-pocket/