May vs. June

[Cakesy]

We are planning to go to Disney the second week in June. We is me, my husband, and 2 kids in 6th and 3rd grade. Our school doesn’t let out until June.
We recently discussed going the first week of May instead. I’ve never been in Summer and it terrifies me (heat + crowds + masks.) I know early May will still be hot, but I’m thinking less humid and less crowded.
But I’m not sure I can bear to pull them out of school for a week (they have that Friday off, so it’s 4 days.)

Is early May better enough than early-ish June that you’d think it’s worth it? They’ve had a ROUGH YEAR obviously, and deserve a treat! But maybe missing school in 6th grade is just going too far.

we haven’t been to Disney since my daughter was 3, so this is sort of an extra special event that we cannot afford to do regularly.

 

[Dakota731]

It’s luck of the draw weather wise. We’ve been to Disney several times in May and twice those weeks were hotter than our June visits so you just never know.

 

[Jack & Monica]

We have gone several times in early June. I would not make the swap. It would bring too many unnecessary headaches. You did not say whether you were staying on property or not. If you are staying on property (and maybe even if you are not) with your kids' ages, I would follow the script: Early park to take advantage of the cooler mornings then 11:00 lunch followed by trip back to the hotel pool. Then back to the park for possible dinner and cooler evening hours.

 

[Cakesy]

Are the hours likely to be a little longer after Memorial Day?
Are the crowds just UNBEARABLE in June? Rain abundant? I’ve been in March and in April, but there were fast passes then.

 

[Nabas]

We've been many times in March, April, May, and June. The weather is always hit-or-miss. You can have incredibly hot days in April, even sometimes in March. But by the time you get to May, pretty much every day is hot.

Still, early May usually is noticeably less humid than June.

Crowds also tend to be lighter after Easter and before Memorial Day.

When our children were younger, we most often took them during this period. Our children are grown now and with advanced degrees. They were straight-A students throughout school and college, so pulling them out for a week had little effect.

However, you wrote:

"But I’m not sure I can bear to pull them out of school for a week (they have that Friday off, so it’s 4 days.)"

I assume you wrote this because you are worried about the impact taking these days off will have on their educations.

If I were you, I would go with your instinct and stick with your June plans.

Remember, Disney is limiting theme park capacity to 35%. This means that even if June is more crowded than May, the difference can't be as much as in previous years.

As for the weather, early May probably will be better than mid June. But the operative word here is "probably". You just can't be sure.

Again, based on what you wrote and why you are considering moving to early May, it's probably better sticking with the second week of June.

 

[Cakesy]

Thanks so much! I really appreciate the perspective on this.
my concern with pulling them out of school has more to do with a general guilty feeling than with any specific concern lol. I have zero qualms about my 3rd grader. But my 6th grader, I just wonder if 4 consecutive days of school is too disruptive.

 

[holden]

I don't like pulling my kids out of school for vacation. It causes more stress to make up the missed work. That's just my kids though. Yours may be different.

Weather wise, May might be a little nicer, but you never know. We have gone in June, July and August. June is more tolerable than August for sure, so I wouldn't choose May over June just because of the weather.

We have never found the crowds to be heavier than "normal" in June. This summer will be totally unpredictable. Will more people travel because they are tired of staying at home? Will less people travel because of the reduced offerings at WDW? There is really no way to know.

I'd say stick with June.

 

[LSUfan4444]

But my 6th grader, I just wonder if 4 consecutive days of school is too disruptive.

My thoughts would be you know your kid, his teachers and school the best and if you think it would be too disruptive, then it probably is.

Personally, for me, our child and her school I do not have those concerns at all. Especially now with more emphasis being put on the ability to learn/go to class remotely we have pulled ours for two trips already this year and plan a third in May and her grades and grasp have not suffered.

In regards to heat/weather, it's splitting hairs. It might be better in May and it might be better in June, no way to predict. For crowds, sure....when most kids are in school crowds are generally smaller. That being said, even at park capacity at 35% things will still be very, very manageable.

 

[bakerworld]

We prefer early May - less heat and less rain. Late May and June there is more heat and more rain but lots of pool time.

 

[gharter]

Either month could be warmer.
Not sure if its changed, but in the past, May was the month the Orlando schools had multiple school groups visiting the parks. All wearing their I graduated from (kindergarten to 12th grade shirts) on. Multiple groups every day. Saw this at Universal and WDW. Currently, I would expect Co-Vid may have decreased this .

 

[mjkacmom]

One if my biggest regrets as a parent is not pulling them out more before high school. Four days of elementary doesn’t sound like a big deal. I’ve pulled some out of high school on short weeks. Take advantage now when it doesn’t count.

 

[gharter]

One if my biggest regrets as a parent is not pulling them out more before high school. Four days of elementary doesn’t sound like a big deal. I’ve pulled some out of high school on short weeks. Take advantage now when it doesn’t count.

We did that up through 8th grade. They still had homework to make up.
Once they were in High School where the grades counted, we stopped.

 

[Bullseye]

The difference between May and June weather/crowds is not significant enough that I would take the kids out of school. Just go in June and do the best you can. If it becomes unbearable fit in as much as you can and then go back and jump in your pool.

We went last October for 12 days which averaged around 85-90 degrees, but was made markedly worse by wearing the masks. We're going again this June and I'm already preparing for it to be even hotter. Right now I'm researching breathable masks. I also bought a hydro flask which I plan on carrying with me in parks. As long as you are eating or drinking you can stop at a socially distanced spot and remove your mask, which really helps. Also, we're going to divide our time between parks and resort/waterparks a little more equally than usual....probably 60/40.

 

[Nabas]

Thanks so much! I really appreciate the perspective on this.
my concern with pulling them out of school has more to do with a general guilty feeling than with any specific concern lol. I have zero qualms about my 3rd grader. But my 6th grader, I just wonder if 4 consecutive days of school is too disruptive.

You're in the best position to know how disruptive taking off 4 days from school will be for your 6th grader.

Where possible, we avoided June for the reasons you describe (i.e. heat & crowds). Still, we experienced plenty of 90+ degree days in May.

Again, with Park Passes, you can be assured that the parks will only get so crowded during the week.

 

[citygirl27712]

The difference between May and June weather/crowds is not significant enough that I would take the kids out of school. Just go in June and do the best you can. If it becomes unbearable fit in as much as you can and then go back and jump in your pool.

We went last October for 12 days which averaged around 85-90 degrees, but was made markedly worse by wearing the masks. We're going again this June and I'm already preparing for it to be even hotter. Right now I'm researching breathable masks. I also bought a hydro flask which I plan on carrying with me in parks. As long as you are eating or drinking you can stop at a socially distanced spot and remove your mask, which really helps. Also, we're going to divide our time between parks and resort/waterparks a little more equally than usual....probably 60/40.

I was there in October and I had let it fade from my memory about hot it would get, especially since my last 5 trips were in colder weather.
I bought this fan from amazon (see the link below) and it was a life saver!! I pretty much ran it all day and if the battery got low, I just plugged into my portable battery pack. Many people stopped and asked me where I got it from. It will be the 1st thing I pack for my May trip.

https://www.amazon.com/viniper-Hand...id=1614033306&sprefix=neck+fan,aps,198&sr=8-9

 

[Blondie58]

May 2019 at WDW. Every day at least 88 and three high days 92. Also, very high humidity. Anyone's guess if June will be any worse/better You asked for opinions or I would never say the following: I believe children belong in school when school is in sesssion. School and the responsibilities that go with are setting the stage for the world of work in adulthood. Per teachers: I was dismayed when I heard teachers were "instructing" remote classes from WDW. (And had the nerve to complain about connectivity. OMG.) Again, my opinion: Teachers are being paid with taxpayer dollars and thus should not be vacationing during the school year unless on Board approved instructional breaks. Yes, I am a retired educator. Yes, I am old fashioned. Yes, I felt an obligation to my community as they paid my salary. I challenged myself to be the best I could be for the children I taught and the families I worked for and with.

 

[debdebdebby13]

Normally I don't love pulling my kids, but it's 2021, the year following 2020 and this year we just need a break. We are not at all fond of the heat so we are going during April. My daughter is a 9th grader and I'm fully expecting her to have a load of work before, during and after to make up. I asked her if she thought that would be too stressful and it was her preference to go during school. She's an honors kid so she's not just trying to get out of school.

 

[Nabas]

March, April, and May tend to have the lowest humidity.

Having experienced both below and above average humidity days at WDW in May, low humidity makes a tremendous difference at the theme parks.

 

[dd316]

We went early May 2 years ago. It was never too hot, but it did rain almost the entire time we were there. Not that it mattered much, we definitely got our money's worth out of our ponchos!

 

[bigcrit]

We are planning to go to Disney the second week in June. We is me, my husband, and 2 kids in 6th and 3rd grade. Our school doesn’t let out until June.
We recently discussed going the first week of May instead. I’ve never been in Summer and it terrifies me (heat + crowds + masks.) I know early May will still be hot, but I’m thinking less humid and less crowded.
But I’m not sure I can bear to pull them out of school for a week (they have that Friday off, so it’s 4 days.)

Is early May better enough than early-ish June that you’d think it’s worth it? They’ve had a ROUGH YEAR obviously, and deserve a treat! But maybe missing school in 6th grade is just going too far.

we haven’t been to Disney since my daughter was 3, so this is sort of an extra special event that we cannot afford to do regularly.

We have been to Disney in nearly every season. I have to say May is probably the best time to go. Flowers are in bloom. I believe Food and Wine Festival are going on in Epcot. I would go in May every chance I could go. We never hesitated to pull our kids from school. To be fair we never allowed them to miss much time, so taking a week off was never a problem with the school. I never really asked them, I told them.