32.1 Best Time To Go To Disney World WINTER EDITION (Magic Version)

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[00:00:29] Coming up, we are continuing our Best Time To Go series and we are focusing today on winter. Is it Disney magic or is it that's so tragic? We're going to break it down by category and I got to tell you, some of the winter months, while we do love it, can be kind of tragic. Hey there M&Ms, welcome to a Magic Version episode where we revisit content that helped build this podcast. The conversations our listeners still reference, the advice you still message us about, and the moments that created the community we have today.

[00:00:58] This isn't a replay. This is a reimagining. The same heart with more experience and yes, still the same opinions. I'm here today with Carla and Stacy and we are completing a series about when is the best time to go to Disney World. And I'm really excited to dive in today because I think I probably said this on every episode, but I really love going this time of year that we're going to be talking about. But how are y'all doing this morning? Going great.

[00:01:28] Fantastic. Wait, have we completed the whole series? Did we do spring yet? Did we already do spring? I feel like this year has been so long. We're working towards completion. We're going to make sure that everybody knows when is the best time to go based on all the different factors, which has been really, really fun. But as we are recording this, my anniversary is coming up. And also I closed my pool yesterday, which these two things are related. I swear. When I was closing the pool.

[00:01:57] Weren't we together when she opened her pool? We were. Yeah. Yeah. I think we were. Yeah. And so we closed it yesterday, which was really sad. And I was thinking about all the summer memories we had. And the week my kids went to camp, which I talked a lot about on the show, and we had this adult week. We went out to dinner a bunch and we had these awesome meals with just, we did a double date. We did a date just us. We did a girls night. We did it so many different ways. It was awesome. Now we haven't had a really good meal since like that.

[00:02:25] And our anniversary is coming up. And so I was saying, should we go back to one of those restaurants we went to? Should we try something new? Because I'm all about trying new food. But it made me think like, what is a night for you all look like when you go out? And how do you prefer it? Like, do y'all like to go on girls nights or dates more? Nobody has an answer. I was waiting for Stacey to answer. Apparently she doesn't like to do either. I like to do all of the above. But I love a date day with my husband. There are three things we like to do.

[00:02:55] We like to listen to music. We like to shop. And we like to eat and drink. Okay, is that four things? Eat and drink. I'm going to count as one. But we love to do those things. So my ideal date day would be going somewhere that's really cool, like a outdoor, kind of like a Disney Springs, but what would be the equivalent here in Tampa, which would be like Hyde Park or something.

[00:03:16] Just a nice retail day. I get him a little tiny, insie-binsie, leakered up so that he can, you know, face the price tags and become the yes man that I always wanted him to be. And then we always cap the day off with a great meal. That's like my dream day. Oh, that's nice. We don't mutually like to shop. I actually hate going shopping with Sam. It's long and I just, I don't like it. That's my least favorite thing to do with her. Yeah, I am not into shopping. That is not fun at all.

[00:03:46] Stacey, I could just see you and Donnie going to the outdoor mall, going to Disney Springs together and shopping. No. I mean, and we enjoyed Disney Springs, but our dating life has really gone through the stages. We, when we were early dating, it was definitely multiple times a week, multiple movies a week. Like we would, on some Saturdays, if there was a couple of movies we wanted to see, we'd watch two in a day and try all the restaurants. We loved it.

[00:04:11] We had one favorite restaurant that is no longer, it has gone for many years, called Daryl's. And I don't think it was a chain. I don't know. It could have been a chain. Daryl's. Daryl's. I know. And it was great. It had a Ferris wheel, what is it? A gondola. A Ferris wheel gondola is one of the table booth seatings and it hung out over the rest of them. And that was the hit. If we could get that, it was great. And all the little booths and tables were unique and special. And it was really fun. We loved that place.

[00:04:39] And we actually, just recently, on another date night, we were at a pizza joint downtown and we ran into our waiter from Daryl's. And we had not seen him since Daryl's. I was like, I know this is a crazy question, but can I ask you, were you, did you work at Daryl's? And he just about fell on the floor. He said, yes. Also, it's really funny, Carla, are you also thinking about how bad Stacey always says her memory is? But she was able to recall this guy from Daryl's.

[00:05:06] Yeah, the face of her server at Daryl's. Yeah. Only remember the things that were a really long time ago. Ask me what I did yesterday. I have no idea. Yeah, that's relatable, honestly. We have this brewery in town that we can walk to from our house because we can walk to our downtown area in our small town. And we love our brewery so much. Two weeks ago, as we're recording this, Zan and I, on a Friday, we didn't have to work, which is, we work so much because we own the dance studio, right?

[00:05:33] So nights are always filled with us teaching. And when the kids are out of school, it's a prime time for us to be able to work. So honestly, finding the time to just go do something is really hard. So while our kids were still in school at like two in the afternoon, we didn't have to work that night. We were like, let's just walk up to the brewery and have a little day date. Like you said, Carla, it was fantastic. We were like, we have to do this every Friday. Yeah, we were sitting outside. It was gorgeous. People were walking all around town. You know, we were having a drink. It was fantastic.

[00:06:01] But then I was mad when I had to leave and go get the kids, but it was great up until then. Yeah, I'm guessing fall festivals are coming up. We have a couple here and they're just so freaking hot. They're just so hot that I just can't get into it. You know, it's funny you say that because we had two. Our two biggest ones were last weekend. And they're kind of like competing festivals right here within our town. It's really odd. So it just makes the whole downtown really crazy. The traffic is wild. You can't get anywhere. But it was 93 degrees. That's nuts for you.

[00:06:30] Yeah, I was like, I'm not definitely not doing that. You know, I want to do it. That's the thing is I want to do it. It's like I have all these plans for like the first weekend that the temperatures go down. I always say this of you all living in the South. I think I say it all the time on the podcast is that it would be really depressing for me to go to a corn maze and it be 90 degrees. That sounds terrible. We have them, but it's not happening for me. That's how it is. Just when I want to be like lost in the beating sun in a field. Horrible. Horrible. Horrible.

[00:07:00] A guy named Daryl lurking around the corner. Stacy will jump out and be like, do I? Yeah. Do I know you, Daryl? His name was not Daryl. Well, and let me tell you something. The reason I remember things from the past is there's no fact checking. None of you can really check. So you don't know how really true. There was no phones back then. I mean, my memory may be really as bad as I know it is. Maybe I'm just making stuff up. I don't know. No. This guy was real. And this Ferris wheel table was real. I need all of my locals to chime in.

[00:07:30] Support me on this one. Was it like bar food? It was a restaurant. It was a steak restaurant. Steak and seafood. Allie, what anniversary are you coming up on? 11. 11. And we wanted to do something big for 10. And we went out to a really nice dinner. But we didn't go on a trip, which is really what we wanted to do. And we are going to this time. We're not over our anniversary. But I think we're going to plan it. And we want to go to Tulum. So that's kind of the plan at some point.

[00:07:58] Now, do you and Zan ever just go on trips with only you two? Well, all the time for work. And for my birthday, we're going to be going to New York with a bunch of friends. So no kids. We try. It's been a while, I would say. But we do travel without kids. I guess that's two different questions. We travel without kids all the time. But not vacation. Yeah. So we're going to do Tulum. And I'm excited about that. So that's on the horizon. Still thinking about those horrible temperatures for the Fall Fest. And it's lending really well into what we're going to talk about today,

[00:08:28] which is the best time to go. And we're going to be focusing on winter at Disney. And we're going to do it like we've been doing the other ones, sort of a make it or break it type rating with seven topics that we consider, that you consider when we're helping you plan. And when you're deciding to go to Disney, should you consider going in the winter, which we are considering to be December through February? And we're going to label each of these categories. Is it Disney magic or that's so tragic? Once this is all done and all of our series are complete,

[00:08:57] you're going to be able to step back, look at all of the that's so magic versus the that is so tragic, and decide really what matters most to you as a family and when you should be going to Disney. We're going to do winter on the other side of this break. This episode of Moms Behind the Magic is brought to you by BabyQuip. BabyQuip.com. Use code MAGIC to get $30 off of any order of $150 or more. BabyQuip has grown. It's not just about babies anymore. BabyQuip offers a huge range of baby and toddler gear, cribs, strollers, car seats, toys, and more.

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[00:10:50] So head to BabyQuip.com. Use code MAGIC to get $30 off of any order of $150 or more. That's BabyQuip.com, code MAGIC. Pack light, travel happy. In my head, there's nothing that beats this time of year. Mm-mm. Yeah, we're going to talk about each category as reasons why, but I already kind of knew your answer when I asked the question, is winter your favorite time? I knew, Carla, you were going to say yes, like for sure. Plus, you can wear your cute sweaters. Cute sweaters.

[00:11:19] I love Christmas too, and I love everything about the holidays. So not my favorite time to go for one particular reason, which we'll talk about, but everything other than that, love it. What about you, Stacey? Is winter your favorite time to go? Yeah, February has always been my favorite time to go. We have done that many, many, many times, and I think it's just about the best month that you can choose. And we have definitely experienced the weather that we're going to be discussing here.

[00:11:46] Or we've got all those stories as well. Yeah, I'm excited. So let's dive into our first category. The way we look at this is when we get a new family that we're working with, the most common thing they always say to us is, well, when's the best time to go? And it's so funny because that means so many things. I think people just want us to say, you know, they're hoping that we can say the best time to go is, you know, March 3rd. And it's just not, it's not like that. You know, there are so many different- Can you imagine if we- I'm sorry, finish this up. No, do it. No, do it. What?

[00:12:16] Can you imagine if there was one time we're like, oh, this is the best time to go. And we sent everybody who asked that, that would be the worst time to go because everybody would be there. Yeah. I think, you know, the best time to go is really going to matter. Everybody's vacation, they have different priorities, right? That matter to them. So for purposes of this, we're going to talk about crowds. That is one thing people always say. We don't want to go when it's going to be really long lines. Like some of the other seasons we've discussed, from December through February,

[00:12:44] you're going to notice a very, very large swing in the crowds. I would say that there are times in the winter when you have low to moderate crowds, maybe some of the lowest all year round. And that's going to be maybe the first week of December. My brother went last year. My niece did the Dance of the World program. So they had to go first week of December last year. They were a little bit nervous. They had like walk-ons for many of the rides. Their resort pricing wasn't that outrageous. Everything felt fun and magical

[00:13:13] and not as overwhelming for it being holiday season. That was first week of December. Also January. January and February, which we are talking about, it does have a couple of run Disney events and holidays that you want to avoid. But if you get between those, also going to find low, low crowds. Yeah. We always take our podcast trip at the end of January. At least we have the last, what, three years? Great time to go. Yeah. We choose it specifically because a couple of reasons. It works well with our schedule, but we know crowd-wise,

[00:13:43] we're going to be able to get awesome photos, right? Without a ton of people. We're going to be able to get on attractions more easily. And we do need to ride them for the show and all of that. So we've loved going that last week of January. We're doing it again this year. That's a hint. If you're going to be there at the end of January, make sure you're looking out for us. We're going to be there. On the flip side of that, winter also holds the biggest crowds you're going to find all year. Yeah. That week between Christmas and New Year's can be pretty brutal.

[00:14:10] But listen, is it still worth it? Absolutely. Are there ways to navigate around those crowds? We have so many episodes on them. Go look them up. All of our Lightning Lane episodes. This is when you are for sure going to want to invest in those things. The Lightning Lane Multipass. You know, maybe even the Premier Pass. Maybe even a VIP tour. We have episodes on all of those things. So if you're looking to go that time of year, hit those episodes up and figure out how to best navigate crowds. Yeah.

[00:14:40] I think if you're looking at wanting to go in winter and that's what's making sense for your family and you want to go in one of those higher crowd times, which is going to be the holiday stretch, I think you just have to level up your strategy at that point. Otherwise, you're going to find some really crowd-friendly moments in the winter, December to February. Some of the lowest all year round, like I said. I think avoiding those long weekends is going to be in your best interest as well. A lot of schools are taking long weekends,

[00:15:07] President's Day and Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. So those are going to be a little higher as well. Again, as a general rule of thumb, holidays. Okay. So what do we give it? Knowing that it has a massive swing, that we've provided great strategies, you can find lowest times of year or most crowded, no elbow room times of year. We think this is that's so magic or that's so tragic. How do we even, how do we even distinguish when there's such a, it's magic, right? It's magic. Absolutely.

[00:15:35] I think crowds in the winter are absolute Disney magic. Because you can get such low crowds and because we have really gone into detail about how to strategize for that very small amount of time, really, in the winter that's not crowd friendly. It's Disney magic. Absolutely. All right. Let's go to our next category then. That's going to be cost. Cost in the winter. This is going to be super similar to the crowds because I think crowds drive pricing, right? What do you all think of the cost of winter?

[00:16:05] Yeah, this is a tough one when we're doing winter months. Like you said, it's just such a swing time because December can be really painful when it comes to pricing. And it's not just that it's Disney pricing is so hard. It's just that December can be a really expensive month for a lot of families. And so it's hard to consider another expense. With a vacation, you want it to, you know, you just don't want it to always add on to everything else. But then you look in January and February and it becomes pretty reasonable.

[00:16:34] And we're going to be in the same situation here where we're saying, I think it's going to be magic. We're going to say magic, even though there's going to be times where you might see and go, ouch. Yeah. I agree. I think that, I feel like Disney always has some sort of promo. I think the only week right now that doesn't really have a promo is that last week in December. But I just feel like the promos aren't as good as some of the summer promos, like the free dining package, that type of thing. Like when I hear that package,

[00:17:04] my eyes light up and I'm like, oh, that's a huge deal. So I think that there's still promos out there, but maybe they're just not as big as you want them. And we're already seeing, let's say we're almost into October. We're already seeing promos come out through halfway next year. Yeah. As of this morning, right? Like a huge promos just dropped. So Disney is always dropping promos. It's just, I feel like this time of year, like you said, Stacey, costs are already, you're just already spending so much money that if cost is a factor,

[00:17:33] then maybe this isn't the time of year to go. But also maybe this is when you say, well, I'm going to go at the end of 2026, or I'm going to go at the end of 2027 and start planning that trip now, start saving for it and just find ways to navigate around your budget. Well, I think it's definitely Disney magic because like you said, planning early is so easy with Disney and promos can be applied. It's really only that holiday stretch through New Year's that's really, really tough on the price because once you get into January,

[00:18:03] February, you're seeing low pricing and solid promos again, even this morning for my 2026 travelers that are in that February, January frame, which the new promo covers, they're seeing hundreds of savings and so hundreds of dollars in savings, I should say. So I think as a whole in the winter, again, it's just one of those times of year that's such a big swing. And if the holidays, you know, that time off school, the time off work are when you want to go and you're scared of the cost, like you said, Carla planning early,

[00:18:33] but also I am so into the idea of experience gifts and the idea of planning early with a low deposit to give the gift of the trip, you know, maybe a year out. Now you've given yourself the strategy, the time to really make it happen. So I think with good strategy and utilizing what Disney offers, Disney magic on cost for sure, but just being aware that it's not going to be the lowest time of year by a lot. I think we're back to that word expectations again. When people,

[00:19:02] they're just getting started with the idea of looking into Disney and they really don't have any idea what the prices are looking like. By listening to us now, you can know if you're wanting a December trip and you need it to be friendly to your budget, planning ahead is the key where you're not necessarily looking at your overall price tag, but you're looking at what you're paying per month to get you there. That expectations of knowing, it's like people get the idea of, oh, I want to give this trip for Christmas. It's going to be such a nice thing

[00:19:32] to not have to buy gifts and we can do this instead. Assuming that it's going to be a lower price decision to do that is not always the case. And I do feel for the families that it's disappointing to hear the prices, but the excitement of the time at Disney is why it's drawing so many people and why the prices are up, but it's worth it. It's worth it to figure it out. If it's something you would like to do for your family, it is totally worth it. Planning that year ahead is the way to go. All right. So I think it's so magic. Absolutely.

[00:20:00] Disney magic on the cost. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. We just gave crowds and prices. So cost magic ratings. Is there anything bad on this list then? Yes. And it's coming. We're not there yet, but I actually see two that are coming. Okay. I read it earlier, but I don't remember, but. I see crowds and costs as magic because of the big swing. Because if you want to go in the winter time, it is available to you for low crowds and low costs. You just have to be available January, February.

[00:20:30] December might not be your jackpot, but there are times. Right. Because when I, in my head, when I'm thinking winter, I'm only thinking about the holiday season. Don't. Yeah. Don't do that. My gosh. Right after the holidays come mid January, smooth sailing. Yeah. February. Exactly. I think if you're only looking at Disney winter, as we are discussing today as holidays, you're looking at it from the wrong lens. If you want to hear about holidays specifically, we have a few episodes that point to festivals and activities and Disney magic at the holidays in general.

[00:20:59] So find those. And while we are, especially in our next category, going to talk about the holidays a bit, it is not the sole focus of Disney winter. So think about it as that swing all encompassing December to February. But here's where we will touch on the holidays because we're going to move into our next category, which is perks. What are the perks of going in the winter? Why is it special? And for that whole swing that we're talking December to February, there are really special things going on. Things that make a huge difference. Number one, of course, being in December,

[00:21:29] you get full holiday swing. If you celebrate Christmas, you are getting Christmas immersion, resorts, parks, Disney Springs, the whole deal. The decorations, the merch, the treats, the holiday treats are gorgeous and very tasty typically, right? The Christmas tree stroll, which we talked about on our holidays episode. That is happening at Disney Springs, the Christmas cookie walk. I love everything about the parks during this season in particular. It's the only,

[00:21:58] like in fall, you really only get that taste of fall at Magic Kingdom. During the winter season, you get the holiday season at every single park, every single resort. They all have Christmas trees, they're all decorated, they all have specialty treats, specialty drinks. It's really, really a magical time to go to Disney. Do you all have a bucket list? Of course. One of my bucket list things is to see the Cincinnati Bengals play an NFL game overseas. The NFL goes to Dublin, Ireland

[00:22:28] or wherever they go. It's on my bucket list, right? I've got to go see it and do it and I'm already mentally preparing to spend that. Disney at Christmas, don't you think that that is probably bucket list for a lot of people? I do. I hear that. I've heard that for sure and it's a worthy bucket list item. I'm here listening and I'm wondering if I'm going to be the bad guy in this, how we have allowed for January and February's benefits in crowds

[00:22:57] and costs swing us towards magic because there's more in January and February than if we're comparing it just to December and now I feel like the reverse may be also true. Now we're saying all the holiday things. It's so fantastic in December but to be honest walking into the parks in January and February the parks feel a little empty. Which park are you going to say? I know you're not. Because you know that's one of my favorites too.

[00:23:27] I know you're not talking about Epcot fans. No, because I love that but other than that everything else goes a little deflated to me. It feels a little and of course we're there because we've seen it in person in those months and not everybody's getting the comparison and I think that is very helpful that people don't always see the comparison. Can I just say there's a time at which the holidays have to be over whether it's like in your house in your bank account the holidays do have to come to an end. So again

[00:23:56] like if you're coming in the winter season and you're not thinking about the holidays just let the holiday season be the holiday season but the winter season as a whole it's like the holidays were there yes and then the parks have moved on and they're you know fresh face again all that normal programming is back which you might not get if it's the holiday season so everything's back in place and you have the Festival of the Arts which is Stacy's favorite festival which is what we were talking about yeah

[00:24:26] but that's but if we're saying perks what is the perk of January there's not a lot being presented now is the perk that oh it's just fresh clean slate I can go for that well I think in January the holidays are still up to a certain time that's probably well into the first second week second I would say middle to second week and then you have the run Disney weekend yeah so that's huge for runners out there yeah and

[00:24:55] Stacy Walker and and as soon as this holiday decorations come down it's only like a week and Festival of the Arts is launching at Epcot you know it's usually in one park yeah yeah and that but I almost think that's enough I think having that big of a draw in one park is enough of a perk because it is okay I think the Festival of the Arts is that good I agree now you know I agree I love it yes yeah of course but you know what I'm thinking right now if you haven't been at Christmas like you just said Stacy and then you're there

[00:25:25] you don't have the comparison so you're not going to feel empty but if you did go to both you all decorate your houses for the holidays right yep I love when we take the decorations down I love putting them up and we put them up the day after Halloween like we want them up we want to enjoy them we go all out we have like 12 trees the day they come down we deep clean the whole house and it is the most refreshing feeling so I could almost argue the other point and say if you do have that comparison you could almost compare it to saying okay

[00:25:54] but now you're back to the roots and it feels really clean and nice and you know back to just Disney magic ordinary magic I'm just asking the question are we saying that a fresh clean start in January is a perk I just you know or is the holiday are the holiday perks and festival of the arts are they strong enough to make this a Disney magic I am going to say yes I'm just wondering if our arguments and our using logic here are a little inconsistent

[00:26:23] I know we do what we want okay Stacy us inconsistent kind of like our the one we are playing we just make it up somehow we lead to the right places I no I don't think so because I don't think we're being inconsistent at all I think holidays are among the most magical things you can possibly imagine at Disney World bucket list type stuff and the festival of the arts is the best festival that's not even an opinion so boom best festival best holiday you're done perk perk perk

[00:26:52] and a time between December to February that doesn't have all of that so if you do want a lower key time of year it's also in winter so you can have a great holiday a great festival and traditional magic there you go there's our reason traditional magic sounds so sad like it's magic it's like yeah no come on it's just plain boring magic but here's here's where we need to hear this we need to hear the underlying of what we're saying

[00:27:21] because there is less going on that does allow for the crowds to be a little lower I'm curious is this a time for locals to go maybe when it's less crowded but it's why there's lower crowds is because there's less going on but by less by less going on you mean one of the best holidays of the year the best festival two race events two long weekends two festivals two festivals yeah festival of the holidays look I'm gonna bring up this other thing I'm gonna bring up another thing you know what I'm

[00:27:51] trying to do no I'm trying to keep people from going it's not gonna happen lower the crowd so we can keep enjoying it all right one more negative Nelly here okay because it's also the lower crowd time what does Disney tend to do during these months renovations they this is when they're gonna do their refurbishments closing some things down because they know that it's gonna be easier to do with less crowds and it's gonna be things like your Skyliner is almost always closed for a week

[00:28:21] in January there's gonna be ride closures of course we're in a big ride closure time right now anyway but I see prices dip yeah yeah prices do go down I mean I think the answer here is yes there are perks there are events there are festivals there are holidays there is downtime you're gonna see some refurbishments to be fair that can happen any time of year I mean Stormalong Bay which is the best pool on property was closed for some summer months you know you would have never expected that yeah yeah

[00:28:50] so don't run away from times that are gonna have refurbishments because you'll never go to Disney if we want it to be ever evolving and changing and getting better then we have to embrace that so I think it's a magic for perks by a lot gotta be it's some of the best events during the year I agree I agree I was just being a devil's advocate that took way too long Stacey argue a non-argument okay well if you want to bring in some negativity I think now is going to be your chance oh what are we talking about now talking about weather it's not a negative

[00:29:21] I'm living for this time of year even when it was 24 degrees and practically snowing last January when we went practically I mean I didn't see snowflakes I think this is the first time out of our seasonal episodes that we can bring weather as a magic it's not tragic but one time here are the good things you're out of rainy season it is the lowest humidity of the year by far and you might be experiencing 60s

[00:29:51] 70s wonderful right yes we agree right right right yeah okay that's all magic I mean yeah waiting for you to say something bad I'm getting there aside from the fact that I got the cutest clothes for our podcast trip last year we went the end of January and three days before the trip we're looking at the weather and we're having this whole realization that we're really gonna have to change direction with the packing right I got some of the cutest winter jackets and a pair of Mickey Mouse earmuffs that I am obsessed with because it was legit 20 degrees

[00:30:19] it was almost hard to enjoy it was so cold and I have an issue with my ears when I go outside in the cold it like really really hurts and so if I didn't have those earmuffs that would have been I couldn't have gone outside yeah but you're talking one week maybe two weeks out of the whole winter season it was brutally cold and not only that it was drizzling literally the whole time it was cold so you're wet and you're cold it was rough it was colder I left Ohio in the middle of winter to go to Disney World and it was colder

[00:30:49] where we were that's so rare like it was wild it is so rare and I don't want to give off the impression that that is normal but I also want to be clear that because it is winter and we have said this on every one of these episodes the weather is unpredictable period in Florida you could experience this get yourself a cute Mickey Mouse winter coat out of it and some earmuffs and go to the parks but it was it was brutal I would say if that's if that's what you're looking at pack accordingly bring the blankets

[00:31:18] for the strollers bring the hand warmers bring hats and mittens I'm talking even if it's like 50 degrees in the morning and you live in the southern states you're probably going to need it because for some reason 50s in Florida feels like 30s I don't really understand it but it's the truth and specifically early mornings if you're rope dropping it could be super cold and those late evenings in the park and just be ready for it or if you're not ready for it have a budget

[00:31:48] for a sweatshirt or a jacket or those other things that I just mentioned having to buy them because you're going to need them that's the other thing too is I brought two winter coats with me which was a great move because one was not as warm as the other and I learned that really quickly that which one I needed to take with me it was kind of puffier and in the morning I absolutely needed it but by afternoon I maybe didn't need it but then I had this giant coat with me so it's just a little bit of a nuisance too yeah jackets are

[00:32:18] a nuisance period like I said we have gone in February so many times and we have been freezing so many times to be honest now the cold rainy stuff we have not had I don't know if I've ever had that except with with you guys but the thing I want to point out even in our trip and our trip was what we were only there like three days we still had a beautiful day so like it wasn't the whole trip it's like never just the whole time and I can think back to some of the trips that we had that

[00:32:48] we were so cold we also had really warm days in that same trip so it just fluctuates so dramatically I think that it's absolutely magic weather in these months this also all has to do with your perspective too and your approach because if I'm being honest when I think back to our trip in January when it was really cold I remember laughing at the boat dock waiting on that boat for after hours I remember our delicious dinners I remember our

[00:33:17] really beautiful day at Epcot the sun came out was so cold but it was such a fun day I remember how cold it was but Carla said it drizzled the whole time and what's so funny is I had blocked that part out I had forgotten I remember all those good things I remember that it was cold but I had really forgotten about the rain and it and it really did and I think that just goes a long way into saying your trip is going to be what you frame it and how you make it anyway right I blocked the rain out and I remember all the good things including

[00:33:46] the fact that I got to wear those earmuffs I loved so I can definitely get on board with Disney magic for weather I just want it to come with a warning sign that you have to pack preparedness pack to be prepared yeah that are we all on board yeah it is a lot of it's a lot of luggage in these months for sure I agree yeah plan to check a bag if you're flying I just think you have to be more prepared than other times of year whereas like in the summer you're throwing the thinnest tank top you have and move on about your day yep okay I'm really curious then to hear what you all have to say about this one Carla why don't you

[00:34:16] start us off talking about pools well I have to start off talking about pools I don't know because I want your perspective because you dogged me about weather every resort has a pool some resorts have slides they're all great right they're heated now does that mean when it was January and it was drizzling and snowing outside practically that I'm gonna go in a heated pool no but if you're from the Midwest or up north in Wisconsin maybe that's your jam the pools are

[00:34:44] there they're open they're definitely not crowded so I guess it could be magic I don't know what's y'all's take on it all I know is that when we were at the Grand Floridian in January and I walked by that pool and it was open and there was a lifeguard on duty I could not believe it so bad for them oh that was so sad yes it was empty and drizzle and gray and cold and there's those little those little lifeguards walking around

[00:35:12] the pool awful awful I I'm gonna say that pool tragic this time of year I obviously want everybody to realize that you can swim the option is there and you may have a beautiful pool day and you're right it very much depends on where you're from if you're going to swim in this weather I've said it before we had an 83 degree pool day in December that was amazing but I would say that the majority of the days December January and February are going to be

[00:35:41] more like 70s right low 70s high 60s for me to go to the pool yeah that is fine swimming weather but for our family at a pool day it's usually my kids are swimming and we're hanging out in the lawn chairs I don't want to hang out in the long chairs in a long sleeve shirt with towel like a blanket you know and that's more I think what the experience is going to be in the winter but you still can use the pool you know I get families all the time that say my kids would swim in ice cubes you know right they don't have to because these pools are heated right and that's the thing the water is

[00:36:11] great when you're in the water you can enjoy it but man just that little dash from out of the water to your room can be really brutal but these kids they'll do it their little blue lips and their teeth are chattering and they're like you're like are you cold don't you want to get out no it's great this is fun please don't let me get out ordinary magic yeah so what do we think okay so we're calling this tragic I'm not having a pool day in the winter I'm glad they're there and I like you said there are people that are going to want to swim and you are going to have those fluke days

[00:36:39] or it is 90 degrees at the beginning of December whatever you have a pool if you want but for the most part I don't think you need a rest day so that you can have pool time okay yeah I agree it's that's so tragic I think this is the time of year where you refer back to our rest day itinerary and you think those down days are going to be better spent doing some of the other really awesome things that Disney has to offer and if you get a great pool day awesome but I wouldn't bank on several of them I just don't think it's what's going to happen all right

[00:37:09] moving right along we only have two more categories mostly we've decided that this is a magical time to go let's talk about schedules this is a time of year where kids usually have two solid weeks off of school and two long weekends usually I mean at least here in Ohio we've got a long weekend in January and a long weekend in February what about you all think that's right you know we did the homeschool thing that's why we actually went in February often is because we could we had that freedom all I know is that kids have a lot of time off and by the end

[00:37:39] of it I'm ready for them to go back to school that's all I know and even in even in like my county we have fair day and strawberry festival day so we have extra days off in February really so yes we have a lot of time off in general that time of year for sure interesting yeah I'm gonna go with this is a great time of year you can find a lot of open days where maybe you're off work kids are definitely off school I know a lot of people are very hesitant to pull the kids from school you can

[00:38:08] do it for fewer days or no days missed several times during the winter including I would say each month has its own little section of time where you're not having to really balance the schedule so much so for those reasons I think it's Disney magic there you go all right and our last one we've already really touched on because I think perks and events are kind of crossovers you know pretty big time we're gonna talk about though just events going back through what we kind of talked about in a few others that we didn't obviously the holiday

[00:38:37] parties are going on so Mickey's very Merry Christmas party and Jollywood night are extra ticketed events we have a whole episode about them but they are after hours in Magic Kingdom they are after hours in Hollywood Studios they are bringing themes and characters and food all kinds of different things that you absolutely cannot experience any other time of year both of those parties you should be figuring into your day if you're there in January the festival of the holidays obviously we talked about a little bit

[00:39:07] as well as the festival of the arts you can go back to our festivals episode if you want to deep dive about what each of those offer but if you're at Epcot and there's a festival then you're at Epcot during a good time and there are festivals at Epcot for a considerable amount of time during the year and you have two during the winter would you all say that there's festivals more in Epcot during the year than not in Epcot during the year yeah for sure I think so yeah I think so too more of the year has a festival than not so yeah you know that's wonderful you get two during the winter you

[00:39:37] also get to run Disney events we already touched on it but runners it's kind of a bucket list item for people that run too so look at this we're crossing off bucket list items at Disney World during the winter I know Becky has done a race have neither of you have have you not you're gotta be kidding no yeah I haven't either but I would I would I would be one of those cheerleaders on the side for sure I think that would be super fun and don't forget that during the race events they do the yoga event and I have done that I've talked about that before they do a morning yoga session before Magic

[00:40:05] Kingdom even opens with when I went the barbershop quartet was there what are they called I always forget Dapper Dans you do always forget I forget every single time the Dapper Dans were there and there was a firework show it was fantastic it was really great way to start the day and then New Year's Eve at Disney World I mean a countdown on the castle or yeah that's a bucket list item it is so fun I have done two New Year's Eves at Disney one was at I think only two I may have done more than more than two but I know I've done one at Magic Kingdom in front of

[00:40:34] the castle so amazing and then the other was back in the day when it was downtown Disney which is now Disney Springs the music the crowds were so fun I think if you want a party you know like the idea of New York City for New Year's Eve something like that is just not really what I want to do when I watch that I'm like too many people but I don't think that at Disney yeah for some crazy reason but it is that vibe yeah if you're willing to do if you're willing to be crowded and you want to party

[00:41:04] Disney's a great place to do it and don't don't only count on Magic Kingdom Epcot also does a celebration I know there was a silent disco happening in the American Pavilion I know at least two years ago but I just think that all kinds of unique offerings so events are in there not only in the parks but in the resorts I don't think that it's going to be this year but the infamous gingerbread house in Grand Floridian like I said I don't think it's happening this year because of the construction in the lobby right but I'm sure they'll

[00:41:33] bring that back in the future doesn't the board walk or the beach club have something the boardwalk has a small gingerbread house like in a case type thing it's really cute but all of the resorts do fun things like that yeah so maybe instead of the rest day being pool focused your rest day is resort hopping to see all the different offerings check out the treats you know all those things it's definitely worth a monorail crawl to the different resorts or walking around the boardwalk resorts oh hang

[00:42:02] bar at Disney Springs yeah holiday overlay so that's a nice perk again I'll just mention for the second time that Christmas tree stroll really fun hangar bar yeah hangar bar hangar or hangar bar hangar it's like an airplane hangar hangar right right right right yeah okay I think Disney events obviously Disney magic so many good ones going on all the way through December January and February good time whatever you want you're gonna find it at some point during those months okay all right well that's our

[00:42:31] list we're gonna take a quick break then we're going to review wrap it up and do a lightning lane all right we're gonna review really fast on winter and is it a great time to go is it the best time to go based on the things that matter most to your family of course this is covering December January and February don't just isolate this to holidays in your mind we talked about crowds gave it a magic rating Disney magic talked about cost what can I say something because I don't think we mentioned this in the costs we talked about just kind of the resort and

[00:43:01] ticket pricing costs but I do think that you need to be aware that if you want to hit some of these events like very merry Christmas party like Jollywood nights that they do cost extra so make sure that you account for those in your planning because if you don't you're gonna for sure get FOMO and you've got to plan early for some of these things yeah pretty sell out yeah sorry I just had to put that no I'm really glad you did planning early for them for the availability is going to be really important but

[00:43:29] Epcot festivals not a charge no correct those are included in your Epcot visit yep absolutely just to distinguish the difference yes absolutely yep after hours parties are different than festivals for sure so crowds and costs both get a Disney magic rating from us perks all the different perks going on while you're at Disney World in the winter months absolute Disney magic weather low humidity yes please Disney magic pools that's so tragic while some of your kiddos might get in the water and swim it's probably going to be a less

[00:43:58] enjoyable pool day than you might find other times of year so we're given it of that so tragic schedules all three of these months you're going to find some good time off school hopefully you can get off work Disney magic and events the parties the festivals the activities all of it is wonderful it is Disney magic so overall winter you're going to find great times to go you're going to find that the things that matter to you most when you're picking your time of travel are going to be included in the

[00:44:27] winter month and I love going in the winter we're going to go back in the winter together we are can't wait all right you ready for a lightning lane I'll go Carla versus Stacy has a little extra time thanks you're welcome which resort are you staying at for a winter trip wilderness lodge I was thinking somewhere along the Skyliner so I can get in and out of Epcot frequently so let's say you know what let's say Beach Club love that I pick boardwalk in the winter because I'm going to use the pool left and I really love the

[00:44:56] lobby decorations of the boardwalk at Christmas if I'm in that area but I'm also going to throw a cabin in Fort Wilderness into the mix like that what what advanced dining reservation is a must grab for a winter trip gosh I don't know all of them something specific to winter I don't think there is one but I I'm going to shoot for the hangar bar to see the overlay of the holiday because I have done that and it is very cool that's super cute you don't need a reservation no just go there yep I think

[00:45:25] I need to go storybook dining and get that soup got to get the winter soup absolutely somewhere that they have good soup is a good answer and I was also thinking something like Liberty Tree so not Hollywood Brown Brown Turby they have the worst the worst soup on property uh the what park is a must do for your winter trip oh gosh they're all so beautiful I I think that Magic Kingdom is probably the right answer if you're saying December it's got to be Magic Kingdom but if you're saying January or

[00:45:55] February it's got to be Epcot that's the right answer that's the right answer what is your favorite thing to do outside of the parks during the winter months I would say exploring the resorts I think looking at Disney Springs might be fun even when you don't like shopping there might be some fun things to see and it's festive there the music's good it's fun I'm with Carla I want to go in December and see all the different trees and holiday decor which month are you choosing if you're going in

[00:46:22] the winter months oh that is difficult I'm gonna say early December or late January I'm going February I fave I would say definitely late January but only because we usually do our Christmas holiday trip in November because everything is ready in November and the party is going we're going to the party in November this year that's like if you have the choice you have to see the holidays but if you don't yeah exactly see and that's another caveat we need to

[00:46:51] throw in I guess I'm going to the holidays in the fall right because I hit up all the Christmas parties in November me too just like you were mentioning so yeah so I don't need it in December yep exactly kind of like it's October now and I feel like I did Halloween forever ago yeah yeah exactly you did it's so crazy it's just now October and you were there forever ago so that's why it's like oh yeah it's Halloween still I forgot exactly going to these parties this early has us acting like

[00:47:20] holiday start months before they actually do and it really just messes especially in Florida it's like hot it's just all confusing that's going to do it for us on another episode of the moms behind the magic podcast make sure you're joining us in our social media feeds on Facebook moms behind the magic podcast get all of your questions answered so you feel even more like a pro and until next time we are sending you some fun love and joy and you send us back some five-star reviews on Spotify or wherever you listen hashtag FLJ and

[00:47:50] we'll see you real soon