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You are here: Experts > Travel > Theme Parks > Walt Disney World > time to travel
Expert: Sue Holland - 10/11/2008
Question
QUESTION: I work in the school and am limited to when to travel to WDW. This will be
our first trip (family of 4: 5 and 7 yr old). I am unsure between April 10 -17 (
easter) or Feb break 14th -21st. How is the weather in Feb? Is it still to late
to book for feb? Looking at the Port new orleans riverside resort? But if you
could tell me the difference from the French Quarter / Riverside? And lastly
can we travel to Sea World without having rented a car?
ANSWER: Hi Tricia,
You'll find almost perfect weather in April, but it will be very uncomofortably crowded that week! That's the 2nd busiest week of the year, 2nd only behind 12/25-12/31 and the lines will be long. Prices will also be at their highest - it's NOT an enjoyable time to go unless you are a frequent visitor and mainly focus on enjoying the resort with limited time in the parks. February 14-21 is leading into Presidents week, which is also busy, but it'll be much less crowded than Easter week. Weather should be nice - cool at night, but warm during the day. If a cold front comes down it could be chilly for a day or 2, but most likely you'll find it warm enough each for swimming outdoors (during the afternoon). If you want to go with Feb, call now. Ordinarily I'd say you're taking a chance on being too late, but perhaps the economy will work in your favor!
The 2 Port Orleans resorts are right next to each other and guests at one can use the pools & amenities at the other. French Quarter is smaller, with 1000 rooms. It is themed after New Orleans, but a CLEAN version without drug dealers & pimps on the street <g>. Riverside is larger, with 2000 rooms. It's themed after the old south, with 2 distinct areas. Alligator Bayou is more rustic, with beds that look like they're made from tree branches, with 2-story buildings set among the trees & marsh. Magnolia Bend has 4 larger 3 or 4 story buildings themed like plantation mansions. The decor here is prettier, and the grounds are more landscaped. You really can't go wrong with either resort, but I give the edge to French Quarter. Being smaller, no room is very far away from everything, and I think the decor in the rooms here is much nicer than at any other moderate resort. It's also a more romantic resort, in case it's just you & your husband. When the 2 resorts share buses, French Quarter will be the first stop (so no standing - you should get a seat).
SeaWorld is not far away, but a cab might be fairly expensive. Bell Services at any resort can arrange Mears transportation to/from the resort - I think it used to run about $10/person but that was before gas prices got so high. There is a public transportation bus, but you'd have to get to the Ticket & Transportation Center or Downtown Disney to catch it, then I'm not sure about transfers. It would be cheap, but you'd likely tie up hours on the round trip. Someone at your resort could give you all the options and help select the best one for your particular party.
Have a great trip, whenever you go!
Sue Holland
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: You said call now...What is your recommendation for booking via internet? walt
disney world website...or should we call?
ANSWER: You can do it via the internet, but I prefer to call. By talking to a live person you can have them check several resorts at one time, and not have to start over for each one. Also, any discount codes that you might be eligible for (FL resident, annual passholder, etc) are easier via phone - I've never seen a place online to find out what codes there might be & then a place to enter them.
The reservation people work 7am until 10 or 11pm....I think Sunday is only 10pm, but the other 6 days are 11pm.
Sue Holland
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hi I have another question.....Do we need to book all of our dinner reservations
before go? I know the character dining is 180 days. What about dinner
reservations? Do you have any suggestions?
Answer
Hi Tricia,
I STRONGLY encourage you to book your meals at any sit-down (table service) restaurants. You're going during a busy time, but even during the slowest periods it can be impossible to get into the most popular places even 2-3 months ahead of time. I cannot count the # of times I've heard people turned away - at lunch and dinner. If you do not have an advanced dining reservation there's a good chance you won't be eating where you want to eat.
The reservations that are necessary at 180 days (do not wait until 175 days) are anything at Cinderella's Royal Table (inside the castle), LeCellier, character meals, Boma, and probably Jiko & California Grill. Anything else you have a little time, but I'd book during the 5-6 month period. I called to book 3 dinners about 5.5 months in advance for a slow time and could not get 1 of my choices ('Ohana) unless I would eat dinner around 9pm. That's not acceptable to us, so we chose a different spot.
The spots most likely to have availability at the last minute would be many (not all) of the restaurants inside the resorts, Nine Dragons (chinese) or Restaurant Marrakesh (Morocco) at Epcot, and some of the spots at Downtown Disney. The popular places and most restaurants inside the parks will be off-limits even if you were willing to wait hours.
There's no penalty if you make a reservation & then cancel it. Also, I've had success showing up early & being seated quickly...sometimes hours early. So, if you can't get the time you want but really want to eat there - book what time you can get, and if you show up right when they open there's a good chance you'll be able to eat earlier because you HAVE a reservation for that night. Without one, you'll most likely be told "sorry - we're full".
Sue Holland
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