3 Reasons Why the Off Season is the Best Time to Go to Orlando

Winter has set in. Even the Sunshine State feels the cool breath of winter a couple months out of the year. By and far, this is my favorite time of the year to visit the theme parks in Orlando, FL. Seriously, how do people even enjoy spending hours outside, in lines, and crammed into attractions among hordes of other sweaty people in the heat and humidity of high summer.

Most Floridians plan their Disney visits during the off-season for good reason—not just for the resident discounts.

3 Awesome Reasons to Visit Orlando During the Off Season

1. The crowds and lines are much smaller.

People who live farther from Orlando tend to visit Orlando longer. Since a longer trip would result in absences from school, most out of towners visit during school breaks. The lines and the crowds can get oppressive during the peak season. Prepare to sail through most of the lines, with the exception of the newest or most popular attractions. Even if you do have to wait, at least you aren’t melting in a puddle of your own sweat.

2. The weather is perfect for all day sightseeing and walking

I love Florida. But I loathe the humidity. The cool weather of winter and the sun make the “winter” the perfect time to spend outdoors and walking through the parks.

3. You save money on lodging!

We were provided with a room at this hotel in return for this review. However, all thoughts and opinions are 100% our own.

Hotel rates are much lower during the off season. There are vacant rooms that hotels want filled, which translates into savings. We were invited to visit the Wyndham Orlando Resort International Drive on our recent trip.  The description of the Family Fun Suite was just up my alley so I was more than happy to accept the invitation.

Because we have kids we ended up arriving far later than we planned. Everyone was cranky and tired by the time we pulled into the parking lot. The hotel is spread out near I-Drive 360, and is the official I-Drive 360  resort, and we had a little bit of trouble finding the lobby entrance at first. The silver lining is that we were very familiar with the parking lot and surrounding restaurants before we even checked in.

All of the frustration melted away as soon as we walked into our room. We all loved the layout! The hotel was recently renovated with families in mind.

The kids “room” was in a little nook offering privacy without leaving them completely unsupervised behind a closed door.

They made themselves at home, claimed their bunks, and fought over the bean bag while oohing and ahing over their own little tv.

The bathroom had lovely subway tile. The room was HUGE and clean. And there were literally places to eat all around us, within walking distance. The grounds were gorgeous too! There was plenty of space for the kids to run around. We didn’t get to try the two pools but though it was fairly warm–it was still December.

The biggest negative was where our room was located. We were closer to the restaurants and on the outskirts of the hotel. The music coming from Mangos (the club waaaaaay on the other side of the parking lot) made it hard for me to fall asleep. However, the rest of my family didn’t seem to have any trouble sleeping.

We ended up having to leave early because my youngest woke up after our evening at Star Wars Galactic Nights (which was AMAZING) with a fever and sore legs. (Her arthritis tends to flare more during the winter.) I got to peek into the fitness center but never got a chance to go try it out. I don’t ever really feel guilty when I don’t hit the gym in Orlando though. We get plenty of exercise walking through the theme parks but I heard that the renovations in the hotel’s fitness center were worth waking up early and getting in a work out.

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A post shared by Gym Craft Laundry (@gym_craft_laundry) on Dec 17, 2017 at 8:02am PST

So if you are looking for a hotel that is in the center of things, has a great room made for families with young kids, and is clean and updated, check out the Wyndham Resort on International Drive and if you book a room from my link then you get 30% off of the lowest available rates! Score!

When is your favorite time to visit Orlando?

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Plus, here are 4 Fun Ways to Surprise Your Kids With a Disney Trip.