January or February

[Zeike]

Hi we are starting to plan for our next vacation and are considering 2 dates: january 4-12 2016 or january 30-february 6th. Which one would you recommend and when should any offer for the dates listed should come out? Thanks as always!

[faline]

Well, your first set of dates falls right when Disney will be hosting a series of marathons. These events get more and more popular every year. Your second set of dates brings you almost into Mardi Gras - a time when lots of folks from Louisiana leave town and head to Disney. Unless you plan to be involved with the marathon events, I'd probably go with the second set of dates.

Discounts are posted in the Accommodations forum as Disney announces them. If you book with Magical Journeys, they'll track applicable discounts for you and apply them as they occur

[NewDVCowner]

Honestly, I can't give you any real insights on those dates as this January is the first time I'm going that time of year, but I wanted to let you know that the marathon weekend runs January 6 - 10 so you might want to keep that in mind.

[Strmchsr]

I definitely agree with Linda. The later dates would probably be less crowded, but there will still be some crowd impact. And Magical Journeys is definitely the way to go. You can book now and get any discount that might be released later with no worries on your part. Those usually come out later in the fall - Oct/Nov.

[Cass&KenziesMom]

You'll probably miss most of the Mardi Gras crowds with the later dates since Mardi Gras is the Feb. 8th - 10th. People will probably start coming in on the day you leave. We went during Mardi Gras week a couple of years ago and the weather was great and we didn't find it was crowded at all.

[MNNHFLTX]

I would say go with the Jan. 30--Feb. 6 dates too. Aside the reasons mentioned above with crowds, etc., it's likely to be a little less chilly!

[DebK]

I agree with the 1/30 to 2/6 dates! Hope to hear from you soon!

[Cass&KenziesMom]

Just a heads up...after I posted my initial response my co-worker came to work with an info sheet on the cheerleading comps and they will be going on the weekend of the 6th. So depending on when they get there crowds may pick up a bit at the end of your trip because of that, but we didn't find the cheerleading groups to have much impact on our trip when we went.

[Zeike]

Thanks to all! we are really needing this vacation time, february is looking like the time to go. Surely I will contact you Debbie! you are and best! Thanks!!

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

We did a late January-Feb trip this year, our first time going during this period (normally we do Nov/Dec). As far as discounts go, I don't recall any out and out free dining being offered during this period. We were able to book under the Stay-Play-Dine offer, which I think may be the norm (of late) for this period. Not as good as free dining, but better than nothing and I think it still saved us about $1000 for our family of 5 staying at POR.

Other than weekends at the MK, I don't recall the crowd levels being too bad for that time frame, crowded at times, but manageable.

[Zeike]

Thanks we love to stay at por but have learned that Caribbean beach has some new rooms for families of 5 like ours ...guess is another alternative and would depend on which hotels Disney limits is stay play dine but anyone with an insight into Caribbean beach ? Like it ?