For some, your work schedule will dictate when you can take a vacation but if you have some flexibility there are a few things to consider before you book your trip in order to make the most of it and get the best “bang for your buck.”
Crowd Calendars
Yes, these exist…and, in my opinion, are a huge factor for when we book our trips to Universal and Disney. We do not like spending our entire vacation waiting in lines! Picking a time that is historically less busy can make a huge difference in how enjoyable your trip is and what you feel you get out of your vacation.
Here are my two favorite crowd calendars…
Park Hours
Traditionally, less busy times have shorter park hours. You need to find a balance between the crowds and the hours you want to spend in the park. Keep in mind that on less busy times you don’t need as many hours in the park to get on all the rides you want to.
Hotel Prices
Hotel prices can vary a lot throughout the year at Universal and Disney. Generally speaking, the busier the parks the more expensive the hotel prices will be. This means if you pick a less busy time to go you’ll generally save a bunch of cash too; it sounds like a win-win to me!
Flight Times
Flight times can also vary a bunch depending on what day you’d like to leave. It can also affect whether or not you can get a direct flight depending on what airline you’re flying with. You may want to leave early in the morning so you get half of your arrival day in the park. Depending on how far you are from the airport you may want to leave in the afternoon so that you have the morning to get to the airport and navigate the weather. Keep in mind… if you’re flying from the United States, but live in Canada, you will need to leave yourself time for the border crossing. The bonus is you will then be taking a domestic flight and won’t have to do customs when you land and you only need to arrive 2 hours ahead for a domestic flight
Picking the right flight time is especially important if you are flying with young children. This factor alone often decides what kind of flight you have. (read more about this in my Flying with Children post, coming soon)
Flight Cost
Changing your flights by even a day or two each way can drastically affect your overall cost. It can easily make your flights half the price or less. Midweek, Tuesday or Wednesday is often your best bet. A bonus is that the airports are much less busy midweek.
Check out our favorite airline to fly with to Orlando, Frontier Airlines, here.
Special Events
Certain times of the year see special events happening in the parks. These events can draw larger crowds. Some of these events (ie. Halloween Horror nights at Universal or Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disney) are separately ticketed events. What this means…you will have already paid for a ticket to the parks, some will close early to accommodate these events and you need to purchase a separate ticket for it. This means the park may be busier during these special events and it could cost you more or decrease your time in the parks.
Deals
Certain times of the year will offer incentives for visiting the parks, generally the historically less busy times of the year. For example, Disney often offers a free meal plan with vacation packages in the fall. This can save you a huge chunk of cash if you’re willing to travel when it’s hot and stormy (which I actually love). Travel agents are a great place to start with finding these deals as they often get this information much earlier and they generally know what to look for.
As you can see, there are a lot of factors that can go into planning your trip to Universal Studios and Disney World. You certainly can just pick a date that works, but if you take the above into consideration you will not only save some cash but you will set yourself up for a much more enjoyable and fulfilling trip!
