Best time to go to Florida in 2015??

When's the best time to go in 2015?
I'm just back from Florida at the weekend and it was the best fortnight a weather we've ever had, it was just me and my mum and we are looking to go back next year but unfortunately other people already have their holidays in so we can't go back at the same time.

We just stay in a villa and won't be doing the parks but like to shop a lot and laz by the pool and visit beaches etc

When would be the best time to go do you think forthe best weather chances and best shoppng deals, last 2 weeks in April. 1st 2 weeks in June or last 2 weeks in September.

Thanks in advance

[Neil]

That is a really tough question, we have been to Florida at various times through the year on numerous occasions and very rarely is the weather the same.

April is usually good as as the temps are high but the humidity isn't so it is more comfortable. June would be very warm but you are getting close to the stormy season. September is usually very good, similar to April. Saying all of this, you can't predict rain fall or unusual cold spells, and we've had both in April & September.

I go to Orlando at least once a month and would have to say my favourite times of year is probably either late April or October.

As Neil says, it is difficult to predict, but we find September and October to be good months. Generally hot, lower chance of rain and quieter around the parks/shops.

Remember that June & September are with in the hurricane season when considering when to go. Although I believe hurricanes are much rarer during June.

We like February. The weather is generally in the low 70's which is fine for the beach, and it's so refreshing to go then after the grim UK winter.

Easter is warmer but can be busy particularly if you hit spring break or the Easter weekend itself.

Later Oct and Nov are good times too.

I've been to Florida at various times over the years - here are my thoughts...

January - can be cool. Be warned though, the theme parks are VERY busy with school trips from Brazil. (And I do mean VERY busy).

February - again, can be cool, but the Brazilian school trips have all but finished by the end of the first week of Feb. Presidents Day weekend can be busy, but other than that, the theme parks are generally quiet.

I generally give March & April a wide-berth to avoid Easter & Spring Break.

May - definitely my favourite time to visit. Weather is getting warm (hot) and we have in the main been lucky on the rain / thunder storm front, i.e. in a fortnight there, have generally only had one real prolonged shower or storm. Be warned though, a few years back as we departed MCO a major storm was just starting & it rained for the best part of a week... we were very pleased to have departed when we did.

Again, I generally give June, July & August a wide-berth as it really is too hot for my liking and the humidity is really quite high. Afternoon storms are a frequent feature. I know people who have had to visit in July / August because they are tied to school holidays - they all had a great time, but did echo the comments about the heat / humidity / frequent storms.

September & October is hurricane season, so there is that risk to consider.

November is my second favourite time to visit. Ensure you go in the first 2-3 weeks of November though to avoid Thanksgiving. We have been very lucky with the weather in November over the years - generally quite warm and dry. Of course, if you like killer bargains in the shops, then Thanksgiving / Black Friday could be a good time to visit - you may have problems moving round in the shops & theme parks though.

December - never been in December personally. An ex-colleague went for Xmas / New Year a couple of years back and regretted it. Whilst they had a great time & good weather, the theme parks were insanely busy (like no queues under an hour, anywhere - most were closer to 2hrs).

The above are just my experiences, but I have been to Orlando at least once a year (often twice) most years since 2001.

Hope this helps!

I've lived in Central Florida for many years and it is my opinion that April and May are the nicest months weather wise. Hurricane season runs from 1 June through 30 November. December, January, and February can be quite chilly at times.

We've been a couple of different times of the year

Normally we go the beginning of May which is nice, not too busy and the weather isn't too unbearable. That said having just got back the parks were full of Brazilians ! So there were some long lines, which was unusual. There were a couple of days when it reached 100F also but we just sat by the pool.

We also go October towards the end into the beginning of November and again its a lot quieter and a bit cooler.

Steer clear of July/August its way too hot, when we went in the August we spent most of the time in air conditioned shops and i hate shopping !

Have also been at Christmas & New Year, much cooler and the parks are insanely busy but we did it to experience Christmas Day and New Years Eve in Magic Kingdom which was awesome, and as it was a one off we didn't mind the long queues, we really only went for the Christmas Day parade and New Years eve fireworks.

We are going again at the end of November for thanksgiving, i know it'll be busy but the Christmas shopping will be done and dusted !

I've been to Florida at various times over the years - here are my thoughts...

February - again, can be cool, but the Brazilian school trips have all but finished by the end of the first week of Feb.

I'm afraid they hadn't gone well into the late 3rd week of Feb this year. I wouldn't rely on this as great advice. Every park, every day had a huge South American school trip this year.

Apparently they were staying at moderate/swan/dolphin/value Disney resorts - and sometimes were causing disruption to other familys with antics in evenings from what we heard from some other Brits staying on-property. Unless staying at a disney deluxe, or offsite villa resort, I'd personally avoid Jan & Feb just based on the horror stories we heard from other people there.

My two pence worth would be May or October.
As many others have said the months outside of these have risk. Of course, there is never any guarantees, still better than working whatever the weather brings

I've been to Florida at various times over the years - here are my thoughts...

February - again, can be cool, but the Brazilian school trips have all but finished by the end of the first week of Feb.

I'm afraid they hadn't gone well into the late 3rd week of Feb this year. I wouldn't rely on this as great advice. Every park, every day had a huge South American school trip this year.

Apparently they were staying at moderate/swan/dolphin/value Disney resorts - and sometimes were causing disruption to other familys with antics in evenings from what we heard from some other Brits staying on-property. Unless staying at a disney deluxe, or offsite villa resort, I'd personally avoid Jan & Feb just based on the horror stories we heard from other people there.

Just to say my advice about the Brazilian trips in particular was based on info from 3 sources - Guest Services & Ride Staff at both SeaWorld & Universal, and also from an ex-colleague from our Brazilian office who said January was all but a national holiday in Brazil, but the kids were generally back at school by the end of 1st week of Feb.

I admit, I did visit Orlando sometime around 5-12 Feb a couple of years ago (Harry Potter was open then) and we did see a few Brazilian / South American trips - but absolutely nothing like in January. They are not hard to spot, as they all go round in groups of about 50, with a flag-bearer at the front & rear of the group, all in identical t-shirts & with identical trip rucksacks. The unlucky few in each group who don't want to ride a particular ride are left to guard the huge pile of rucksacks.

I have also read comments - on The Dibb I think - about these groups liking to stay at the more-budget Disney hotels & that these are possibly better avoided in Jan & Feb.

I suppose the only thing I missed from my original post is that back in 2008, we had an early November fortnight planned in Orlando. We got unlucky with a very late hurricane a couple of weeks before we were due to fly out that removed the roof off a lot of the apartments at the complex we were hoping to stay in. Thankfully, it was a timeshare exchange, so finding somewhere else was pretty easy (we actually got a better located resort in the I-Drive area).

When I went last in 2012, it was in Sept, it was busy but not overly so. Weather was very warm but with the odd storm/shower (no hurricanes tho) on a few of the days, it was just a case of holing up somewhere while it passed. Obv the more popular rides will have big queues but if you are staying at Disney itself you will have the ability to pre book rides in advance (Altho the limit is 3 per person once you have used them up on the day you can use the kiosks around the parks to add as many as you like and I have read it now includes park hopping.

[Neil]

Just a reminder, the OP isn't planning on doing the parks, so I guess the weather or any potential sales in the shops are probably the two key factors.

We go at the end of September every year. Generally we've been very lucky with the weather, although the odd tropical depression/weather system has caused a couple of days rain max. It's still very hot and humid, but generally sunny for the most part with the odd evening storm.

I've also found the Premium Outlets have some good discounts at this time of year as it's quite quiet around.

Does this advice apply to Miami and driving down to The Keys?

October always gets my vote.

October always gets my vote.

We were on the Gulf coast in Oct 95 when hurricane Opal hit 5 miles up the coast.
It was quite fun. We had to evacuate to the basement of the building and a communal meal was laid on. It was a great evening.
Some of the roads were flooded next day for a few hours but all in all no big deal.
I would happily do October again.

Dick D

We've been three times and are heading out again this year, we always go for October but we are going for the parks!

In October, the parks are very quiet (apart from the Halloween Horror Nights, they're busy but well worth it).

As you're not doing the parks, you may find a couple of days that are overcast but certainly not cold. I found a big difference after acclimatising to Orlando (two and a half weeks), then driving down to Miami and the Keys, they're much warmer. We've been lucky and never encountered a hurricane!