Planning Your March 2015 Disney World Vacation

So you are planning a vacation to Disney World in March 2015? Lucky you! March is a wonderful time of year to visit the “happiest place on earth”. The temperatures begin to moderate, the flowers are in full bloom and the park hours are extended. Keep in mind that this is the month that crowds begin to pick up as all of us people with school-age children who live in snowy places (like my state of Colorado 🙂 ) flee the cold over Spring Break to soak up some of the Florida sun.

Weather

The weather in Disney World during March can be beautiful. The average high is about 78 degrees, the average low is about 54 degrees and the average rainfall is about 4.01 inches. March is the fifth rainiest month of the year with generally mild temperatures. Hurricane season has not yet begun, however there are the occasional severe storms with tornadoes during this time of year. Remember that although it can reach the upper 70’s by afternoon, low 50’s waiting for the bus in the morning can be very chilly, especially given the high humidity levels in Florida. When traveling in March, I always pack a couple of Disney hoodies to keep me warm in the mornings and evenings.

Crowds

March typically begins with moderate crowds and by mid-month when a lot of schools begin their Spring Breaks, the crowd levels become high. With Easter occurring fairly early this year (April 5), the crowds are anticipated to pick up the weekend of March 14 and 15 and to continue to be high the rest of the month.

March 1 – March 7 – Average Crowd Level 5.6 out of 10
March 8 – March 14 – Average Crowd Level 7.1 out of 10
March 15 – March 21 – Average Crowd Level 7.2 out of 10
March 22 – March 28 – Average Crowd Level 8.0 out of 10
March 29 – March 31 – Average Crowd Level 9.0 out of 10

Park Hours

With bigger crowds comes longer hours at the Parks. As the month goes on each Park stays open later.

• Magic Kingdom: Open most days from 9am – 10pm (or later during last half of March, plus Extra Magic Hours)
• Epcot: Open from 9am – 9pm (plus Extra Magic Hours)
• Hollywood Studios: Open most days from 9am – 8:30pm (or later during last half of March, plus Extra Magic Hours)
• Animal Kingdom: Open most days from 9am – 7pm (or later during last half of March, plus Extra Magic Hours)

For specific hours on each day during March, please click this link. Remember that park hours are subject to change and are often extended during the busier seasons.

Events

Another terrific part about visiting Disney World in March is the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. This year the event will run from March 4 – May 17 and features over 100 topiaries, interesting gardening demonstrations, beautiful flowers, weekend music concerts and several outdoor kitchens serving delicious foods and beverages. For more information about the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, please check out this article.

For an exciting St. Patrick’s Day celebration, head over to Raglan Road Irish Pub & Restaurant in Downtown Disney for music, food, and fun. For more details, please check out this article.

Refurbishments

Periodically throughout the year, Disney closes attractions for refurbishments and enhancements. Here are the scheduled closures during March (subject to change without notice):

Magic Kingdom

• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin: March 4 – March 5, 2015
• Central Plaza Area (between end of Main Street and Cinderella Castle): Ongoing – To Be Completed In 2015
• Cinderella’s Royal Table: January 5 – March 6, 2015
• Harmony Barber Shop: February 2 – March 30, 2015
• Stitch’s Great Escape: March 1 – March 2, 2015
• Peter Pan’s Flight: March 5 – March 6, 2015
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid: February 2 – March 6, 2015

Epcot

• Maelstrom and Spirit of Norway Film: Ongoing – Reopening in 2016 Reimagined as a New Frozen Attraction

Hollywood Studios

• Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular: March 14 – March 15, 2015

Animal Kingdom

• Creature Comforts: Reopening June 2015 as the New Starbucks Location
• Flame Tree BBQ: January 5 – April 22, 2015
• Kali River Rapids: March 10 – March 13, 2015

Water Parks

• Blizzard Beach Water Park: January 4 – March 14, 2015

Downtown Disney

• Downtown Disney is undergoing a major transformation to become the reimagined Disney Springs. Construction will be finished in phases with the final completion date set for Fall 2016. Please check out this article for more details and photos!

Resort Hotels

• Beach Club Resort: Ongoing Guest Room Refurbishments To Be Completed In August 2015; Stormalong Bay Lazy River and Bridges 3 & 4 February 2 – March 3, 2015
• Contemporary: Main Pool Closed March 9 – March 11, 2015
• Grand Floridian Resort: Beach Water Activity Pool March 6 – April 9, 2015
• Polynesian Resort: Ongoing Nanea Volcano Pool Refurbishment To Be Completed In Spring 2015; Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto To Be Completed In 2015; DVC Polynesian Villas & Bungalows To Open In 2015
• Walt Disney World Swan: Ongoing Guest Room Refurbishments To Be Completed In 2016

Planning Tips

If you are traveling to Disney World in March 2015, your planning is probably well under way at this point. Here’s a checklist to make sure you are on track:

• Make sure you have created your My Disney Experience account. If you haven’t, click here to sign up now.
• If you haven’t already made your dining reservations, be sure to make them now by clicking here.
• If you are staying onsite, be sure to customize your Magicband on your My Disney Experience account by picking the color and adding your name.
• Whether you are staying onsite or off-property, now is the time to purchase your admission tickets and link them to your My Disney Experience account.
• Once your tickets are linked and at exactly 60 days out (midnight EST time) if you are staying onsite, login to your My Disney Experience account and book your Fastpass+ reservations.
• If you are staying onsite, be sure to check in online at 60 days out from your arrival date.
• Double check your flight times and if you will be using Disney’s Magical Express for your airport transportation make your reservation now by clicking here.
• Now is also a great time to start creating a packing list so that you don’t forget anything.
• Need more help planning? Please check out my new book 501 Ways to Make the Most of Your Walt Disney World Vacation, ask a question in the comments section, or take a look at the Planning section here.

Special Offers

If you haven’t already made your March 2015 reservations, Disney has some great offers going on right now!

• Save up to 25% on rooms at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels when booked between now and March 28, 2015 for stays most nights March 2 – June 15, 2015.
• As an added bonus you can receive one more ticket day FREE when you upgrade to a room and ticket package with a minimum 4-day Magic Your Way Ticket.

To take advantage of these incredible deals, please click the image below and fill out the form to receive a quote from my friends at Destinations in Florida.