February 2018 - anybody been this time of year?

[Beapay]

Hi
we're off to Orlando on 7th February 2018
I have been avidly reading through all the really helpful advice on here and was just wondering if anybody else had any experience of travelling to Disney/Universal around this date?
The things I'm not sure about are:
I know the weather varies, but any tips on what to pack?
We're staying at Cabana bay hotel at universal, could we uber to the Disney Parks?
Is it busy this time of year? I haven't booked any fastpasses etc, do we need to?
I also haven't made any dining reservations, would it be necessary around this time of year?

We last went mid October and to be honest it was great, there was queuing, but not much and we ate in most places without queues etc

Any help, tips or advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you

[Burgmeister]

We have been late January/Early February a few times. The weather is very variable at this time of year. We have had days which were bitterly cold but have also had days where we were at the water parks. The evenings tend to be quite cool (although they can also be pleasantly warm). I think the only thing you can do about packing is to pack for every eventuality!

We love that time of year as it seems quite quiet and the weather is not too oppressive but it really is a gamble with the weather. We have always had more warm days than cold and have spend a lot of time around, and in, pools but you have to be willing to change your plans. You can't, for example, say "Let's go to the water park on Wednesday" because Wednesday might be cold. Best to have a general plan but keep your eye on the forecasts. If the weatherman says "its going to 80 and sunny tomorrow" then that's probably a good day to go to the water parks. If he says "its going to be 35 tomorrow" you might want to go to a theme park or even shopping.

Overall, I would always choose this time of year to go as the good points outweigh the bad for us.

[keith1973]

Originally Posted by Burgmeister

We have been late January/Early February a few times. The weather is very variable at this time of year. We have had days which were bitterly cold but have also had days where we were at the water parks. The evenings tend to be quite cool (although they can also be pleasantly warm). I think the only thing you can do about packing is to pack for every eventuality!

We love that time of year as it seems quite quiet and the weather is not too oppressive but it really is a gamble with the weather. We have always had more warm days than cold and have spend a lot of time around, and in, pools but you have to be willing to change your plans. You can't, for example, say "Let's go to the water park on Wednesday" because Wednesday might be cold. Best to have a general plan but keep your eye on the forecasts. If the weatherman says "its going to 80 and sunny tomorrow" then that's probably a good day to go to the water parks. If he says "its going to be 35 tomorrow" you might want to go to a theme park or even shopping.
Overall, I would always choose this time of year to go as the good points outweigh the bad for us.

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Thank you we go the 8th hoping for more good than bad days

[Gryff]

We spent Jan to March here in Florida this year had trousers and a jumper 2 days out of 77
A light cardigan at night mostly for Baltic AC in restaurants and the cinema at Posner Park
We did find restaurants busy around the 192 due to the amount of snowbirds usually between 4/7 pm and at breakfast time

[Button17]

Following xx

[Burgmeister]

Originally Posted by keith1973

Thank you we go the 8th hoping for more good than bad days

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When I said that we have had more good days than bad - its not even close. I reckon, on average, we would have 3 "bad" days out of our usual 19 where we wouldn't want, or really be able, to sit around a pool for a couple of hours. Most of the days were "pleasant" and some were fabulous.

Mind you, the cold days can be really cold! One year we went to Discovery Cove in very pleasant weather, the next day it was about 3 degrees C with a horrible windchill making it feel much colder. 2 days later we were back in T-shirts and shorts.

[TORIMS]

We were there from 3rd to 17th Feb, back in 2012, and had great weather, apart from one randomly cold day in the middle!
It was chilly in the morning and we wore a fleece but it really warmed up during day!
We still wore shorts & t-shirts!
I would suggest taking a mix of clothes and hopefully you’ll be fine!
BTW - wait times were really low, as loads of stuff was a walk on!
Enjoy!
Vicki x

[Burgmeister]

Originally Posted by TORIMS

BTW - wait times were really low, as loads of stuff was a walk on!
Enjoy!
Vicki x

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This is the main benefit for us too. At Busch Gardens DD and I just went round and round on Cheetah Hunt. Rode it, got off, went straight round to the entrance and got straight back on. Did this quite a few times - until I started to feel sick!

It was exactly the same at Seaworld with Manta.

[loldis]

Depending how long you're going for, you might run into some crowds towards the end of your trip as mid-Feb can be busy due to President's Day weekend (17-19th Feb). But the first two weeks of the month are typically two of the lowest crowd weeks all year. That's the time we originally had booked and I love it.

Fast passes will depend on what time you plan on visiting the parks. In the mornings, lines should be pretty short but they can build up in the afternoons even with low crowds. My theory is you will never regret having a FP for must do rides but can't say the opposite is true. Then it's a bonus if the line is short - either cancel the FP or ride twice! Win win.

I also personally love the weather that time of year, but I HATE the heat. We had to push our trip back to end of April and I'm already not looking forward to the weather even that early in the year. Seriously considering pushing back again to winter 2019.

[Galela1986]

We went 5th Feb this year and was in shorts and tshirts every day with jumpers for early morning and evening