Late March vs. President's Day Weekend?

[ruadisneyfan2]

I have off work several days around President's Day weekend and ds16 has off school that Friday and Monday. I've been to WDW many times but never over this weekend because I've heard it's very crowded.

I also have off a Friday in late March. (Ds16 is not off then at all.)

So I was thinking a 3 night weekend, Thurs night-Sunday sounded good. Of course, I'd love to stay longer but ds16 can't miss more than a day or 2 of school.

When I looked at the crowd calendar on Undercover Tourist, it shows the last 2 weeks of March as all red, 8 out of 10 for crowds which is the same President's Day weekend.

I thought Spring Break for most colleges is in early March and Easter was in April so late March would sort of be between 2 busy times of year.

Are they really the same amount of crowds? If so, we might as well go over President's Day weekend and be able to stay longer. FWIW, we'd be able to fly down the Wed. evening before PD so those days would hopefully not be so bad compared to the weekend.

Though it's probably too cool in mid Feb to have a pool day. I don't know what to do.

 

[senadler]

The last week of March is Spring Break for all of the schools in our area, and I think it is the most common Spring Break week just after Easter. If you can stay longer I would go with Presidents Day, the crowds should be similar.

 

[Micca]

All things being equal I'd opt for the longer trip. Only thing is you may encounter getting some ADRs and FP+ on either trip. I'm seeing some rope drop mornings in your future.

 

[GovieMom]

I thought Spring Break for most colleges is in early March and Easter was in April so late March would sort of be between 2 busy times of year.

While most colleges do tend to have their breaks in early March and many schools have theirs around Easter, there are still many schools with scattered breaks. Not only that, the months of March and April draw tons of visitors from everywhere who want to enjoy the milder weather at that time of year. March is considered peak season for a reason!

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Thanks everyone. PD is less than a month away. I wonder if there's any good FPs left.

 

[tlovesdis]

Thanks everyone. PD is less than a month away. I wonder if there's any good FPs left.

There are! We are going the 18-25 staying off site so I started making my FP+ 4 days ago, one day at a time and I have been able to get everything we've wanted so far...Frozen, 7DMT, Everest, Safari, Tower, Rock n Roller Coaster...

 

[fbarker]

The last week of March is Spring Break for all of the schools in our area, and I think it is the most common Spring Break week just after Easter. If you can stay longer I would go with Presidents Day, the crowds should be similar.

Just an FYI, Easter this year Sunday April 16th so the last week of March will not be just after Easter. We go every year at this time, while I cannot compare it to Presidents Day weekend we find it very tolerable even last year when we were there on Easter Sunday.

 

[tiggerfan6]

I am still able to switch fass pass times for rides, the only thing I have not been able to get was QS for BOG.

 

[Shellyb84]

Thanks everyone. PD is less than a month away. I wonder if there's any good FPs left.

We recently booked a trip over PD weekend and were able to get all the Fast Passes we wanted, as well as an ADR for 'Ohana.

 

[senadler]

Just an FYI, Easter this year Sunday April 16th so the last week of March will not be just after Easter. We go every year at this time, while I cannot compare it to Presidents Day weekend we find it very tolerable even last year when we were there on Easter Sunday.

Sorry if this was not clear. I meant that Easter week is the most crowded but the last week in March is probably the second most crowded during that period. I have found that a lot of schools that have a set week for Spring Break like ours it is scheduled for that week.

 

[Praying Colonel]

I'd choose late March. We did a late March trip in 2014 and it was one of our favorite trips. Easter was later in April so we didn't have to worry about the crowds that come along with that. It was probably the best mix of great weather and manageable crowds we've experienced. And we also enjoyed Flower & Garden much more than we expected.

 

[SamIAm21]

Given that Easter is so late this year, most kids have that last week of March off. If they had spring break the last weeks of April it would seem odd given that the schools near us are usually out by the end of May. I had a very hard time finding accommodations for last week of March (in my price range) and pushed my trip back to Presidents Day weekend where the room rates were more reasonable.