and learned my lesson. Never again .

Actually, we have been there so many times the crowds really weren't an issue. We simply did not go into the parks during the day. Night time was better, though the lines for some rides were very very long. We skipped anything that had too long of a line.

Going on rides during parades & fireworks at the Magic Kingdom helped a huge amount.

But - all the parks closed several days, as did Universal & Sea World. I'm almost 100% certain they closed on NYE. Insane I'm not - There was no way I was going to even try to get in.

Traffic was a horror on I-4 at almost all hours. The outlet malls didn't have parking. Getting to Disney from the Hyatt took about 20 minutes. Normally it's a 2 minute drive.

Thankfully, the weather was outstanding all weekend and the Hyatt is a gorgeous property with a great pool area. I had a couple of books and enjoyed sitting in the sun than attempting to go anywhere that involved I-4 . I aslo managed to get in a little shopping .

My recommendations - if you're looking for a weekend away and can live without seeing/doing everything in Disneyworld and deal with the traffic it's ok to go. You need to keep an open mind about the weather - it could go either way. 2 days before we arrived the temps dipped to the upper 30s at night. When we got there it was the high 60s to low 70s at night with low 80s during the day.

If you want to take your family on that special one time trip (or your kids for their first trip) DON'T DO IT. You will be sorry. Very sorry. You will also waste a huge amount of money, as it is the single most expensive week to go. Better you take them in the spring or fall when the weather is ideal and the crowds are much much smaller.