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Vote of the week: Favorite holiday to visit?

2007-08-31

By Robert Niles: To celebrate the Labor Day holiday in the United States this weekend, I'm asking which is your favorite holiday for a theme park visit.

Note that I'm asking about the day itself, not the season surrounding. So you'll need to balance your ability to be off work, what's open, the atmosphere at your chosen park and, not least of all, how crowded the park will be.

FWIW, I didn't put Halloween on the list because (a) it isn't technically a holiday and (b) c'mon, it'd win in a walk.

Defend your pick in the comments. Previous votes of the week

Readers' Opinions

From Bruce Lane on August 31, 2007 at 6:27 PM
Another 'None of the above' here. I prefer not to visit any park over any major holiday. Too crowded, too noisy, too much.

My favorite time to visit any zoo, oceanarium, or (rarely) theme park is as far off-season as I can get without running into winter weather.

Happy travels.

From Mark Walker on September 1, 2007 at 2:01 AM
I would have put down summer holidays, but since I couldn't work out where all these Ameriacan holidays were, I gave up voting...
From Erik Yates on September 1, 2007 at 3:59 AM
I voted Christmas Day, then I ralized....Christmas Day sucks at a theme park. A bunch of people in a park, and a bunch of angry workers who should be home for the holidays.
My favorite day is actually going to have to be NYE. We went to MK once and got stuck n Space Mountain for three hours. It was the most fun I've ever had.
From Anthony Murphy on September 1, 2007 at 7:19 AM
I like NYE personally too!
From Franki Brock on September 1, 2007 at 7:23 AM
I usually go around the thanksgiving holidays to Disney and I have a great time the crowds arent that terrible and you have already started decorating for the Christmas holidays!! Go Yankees!
From Ben James on September 1, 2007 at 9:44 AM
Why wasn't Halloween on the list. I picked Veterans Day since Halloween wasn't available.
From Larry Zimmerman on September 1, 2007 at 10:52 AM
Veterans Day - it's cooler here in FL, and there aren't as many tourists yet.
From Iris Hernandez on September 1, 2007 at 11:19 AM
I picked July 4th...I just love seeing x-tra fireworks.
From Robert Niles on September 1, 2007 at 1:38 PM
Mark me down for Veterans' Day. Used to be Presidents' Day, but over the past decade I've noticed that holiday getting more crowded.

Now, obviously, I live in SoCal, where the parks remain open throughout the year, so these days aren't options for everyone (without travel). But I like the three-day weekend holidays during the school year because you don't have nearly as many out-of-market tourists as during summer, Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays.

Veterans Day (in November) is the best, I think, because its proximity to Thanksgiving -- and Christmas shopping (when people are eyeing other things on which to spend money) -- keeps the crowds relatively small.

From Edward Hodge on September 2, 2007 at 8:31 AM
HOW COULD YOU NOT PUT HALLOWEEN !!!
From Mark Fairleigh on September 2, 2007 at 8:36 AM
Okay, since the undisputed winner isnt' on the list..I went with Christmas.
From Russell Meyer on September 2, 2007 at 9:58 AM
Veterans Day is our choice. Whenever we plan a trip to Florida or California, we do so over Veterans Day. We will be going to Tampa/Orlando this year in fact. The weather is almost always great (mid 70's), and there's typically never a chance of a hurricane. Additionally, some of the parks have already begun their Christmas transformation and/or are still decorated for Halloween. However, our favorite reason to go to Orlando during Veterans Day is that it is typically during the final weeks of the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, the most incredible culinariy experience a theme park guest could ask for.
From James Adams on September 4, 2007 at 9:50 AM
Gotta go with New Year's Eve. I'm actually a little strange in that I like crowds of people - all of the energy and excitement. New Year's has the holiday decorations and fireworks, open late and it's cold - it's great! It's the heat that I can't stand so leave me out of any summer trip to a theme park. But, I live in Florida so the winter is when it gets comfortable down here.

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