Will we regret doing Disney World in July?

[Anonymous]

Crowds in the summer are apparently lighter than in the past, while holidays and spring breaks sometimes see parks closing due to the crowds. Which is worse? Super hot and (somewhat) less crowded, or better weather but packed? My husband HATES crowds, and we are beholden to a school schedule that has us breaking the same time as everyone else. Other than finding a random 3-3.5 day weekend to go, it seems summer is our best worst option (that, or don't do Disney at all, lol). -OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Crowds in the summer are apparently lighter than in the past, while holidays and spring breaks sometimes see parks closing due to the crowds. Which is worse? Super hot and (somewhat) less crowded, or better weather but packed? My husband HATES crowds, and we are beholden to a school schedule that has us breaking the same time as everyone else. Other than finding a random 3-3.5 day weekend to go, it seems summer is our best worst option (that, or don't do Disney at all, lol). -OP

Well I’m the one who said I’ll try anything once and I don’t have plans to try Disney during winter break again

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crowds in the summer are apparently lighter than in the past, while holidays and spring breaks sometimes see parks closing due to the crowds. Which is worse? Super hot and (somewhat) less crowded, or better weather but packed? My husband HATES crowds, and we are beholden to a school schedule that has us breaking the same time as everyone else. Other than finding a random 3-3.5 day weekend to go, it seems summer is our best worst option (that, or don't do Disney at all, lol). -OP

Well I’m the one who said I’ll try anything once and I don’t have plans to try Disney during winter break again

Lmao! I wonder how President's weekend is. We could take advantage of an early release school day on Friday (or convince hubby that missing one half school day is ok!) and travel day Monday!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:2 suggestions if you do it:
1) Get a refillable water bottle with a filter for each member of hte family so you can refill regularly with the bathroom water and stay cool.
2) You can order Dole Whip from the app and not have to stand in line to order/pickup. Dole Whip helps a lot.

No!
Just ask for water cups from the outdoor food carts.
1. Always ice cold
2. Not heavy like carrying your own water (I know bc for one time I brought our waters, and it just adds up esp for multiple family members - and then the water gets hot sitting in the sun)
3. If stroller has cup holders, can keep a couple of cups for kids / refill a sippy cup
4. Free, and maybe a teeny bit better than going into a smelly bathroom to use the sink (*another pro tip. If you have a choice, use a restroom in a newer built area of the park. Automatic everything. No touching door handles bc I think they’re all wraparound/open doors now. Well ventilated. Cleaner.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Crowds in the summer are apparently lighter than in the past, while holidays and spring breaks sometimes see parks closing due to the crowds. Which is worse? Super hot and (somewhat) less crowded, or better weather but packed? My husband HATES crowds, and we are beholden to a school schedule that has us breaking the same time as everyone else. Other than finding a random 3-3.5 day weekend to go, it seems summer is our best worst option (that, or don't do Disney at all, lol). -OP

Your kids are too young to be beholden to the school calendar. Pull them out in the late fall or winter like most families do. Seriously.

Summer in Orlando is miserable.

[Anonymous]

I took my kids in August, and it was fine. Was worried about the heat, and it was not as bad as I expected. Things that worked for us:

-scheduling sit down lunches for a nice, long AC break (and we did quick dinners since the kids were too tired to wait much at the end of the day)
-planning shows for the hot part of the day
-using touring plans to minimize walking
-lots of ice cream and water breaks
-cooling towels

Many of the ride lines are inside with AC, or shaded with fans. I really didn’t feel like we spent that much time outside baking in the sun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crowds in the summer are apparently lighter than in the past, while holidays and spring breaks sometimes see parks closing due to the crowds. Which is worse? Super hot and (somewhat) less crowded, or better weather but packed? My husband HATES crowds, and we are beholden to a school schedule that has us breaking the same time as everyone else. Other than finding a random 3-3.5 day weekend to go, it seems summer is our best worst option (that, or don't do Disney at all, lol). -OP

Your kids are too young to be beholden to the school calendar. Pull them out in the late fall or winter like most families do. Seriously.

Summer in Orlando is miserable.

Maybe it's not about her kids. Maybe OP or her husband are teachers, administrators, etc. and can't take too much vacation time during the school year.

[Anonymous]

We went to Disney in July when I was a kid, and it was brutal. In fact, my Dad brought it up the last time I saw him, and that was over 30 years ago!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 suggestions if you do it:
1) Get a refillable water bottle with a filter for each member of hte family so you can refill regularly with the bathroom water and stay cool.
2) You can order Dole Whip from the app and not have to stand in line to order/pickup. Dole Whip helps a lot.

No!
Just ask for water cups from the outdoor food carts.
1. Always ice cold
2. Not heavy like carrying your own water (I know bc for one time I brought our waters, and it just adds up esp for multiple family members - and then the water gets hot sitting in the sun)
3. If stroller has cup holders, can keep a couple of cups for kids / refill a sippy cup
4. Free, and maybe a teeny bit better than going into a smelly bathroom to use the sink (*another pro tip. If you have a choice, use a restroom in a newer built area of the park. Automatic everything. No touching door handles bc I think they’re all wraparound/open doors now. Well ventilated. Cleaner.)

Absolutely. Don't lug around water bottles. Just not necessary.

[Anonymous]

Simple...don't try to do to much.
Get your fast passes for the morning, then go back to your hotel for pool/rest time. Head back to the parks around 3 or 4 when it cools down a bit, and gets a little less crowded.

[Anonymous]

We have poor heat tolerance but we did fine last June. We got to the park before rope drop and left by 1pm or maybe did an indoor show and then left. Then we went back in the evening around 5 or 6pm for several more hours. The question for you is whether your children will actually nap in the afternoon. I have one child who would never nap in a new place even as a 2yo. You also need to be okay with just not going back in the evening or skipping a park morning if everyone needs more down time.

We've also been to Disney many times and are very familiar with the parks and how to avoid standing in long lines. This was the first trip where I felt it was really necessary to go back to the hotel every afternoon. We tried, IIRC, one day of going in late and powering through with more indoor stuff in the afternoon but we were all miserable. Not to mention that it will thunderstorm every afternoon and rides will be closed.

[Anonymous]

It really just depends on your expectations OP. We've been in the summer several times and had great trips each time. And I guess we got lucky because while it did rain sometimes, it was certainly not every day. Many of the rides and attractions are inside, and even many of the outdoor attractions have shaded queues. Yes, spring break weather is nicer, but hotel prices are more and I personally find the spring break/Christmas crowd to be more entitled and rude than the summer crowd. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would not do Disney land this summer. Star Wars is open in May 2019 and the parks will be crazy. It doesn’t open until end of August in FL.

Crowds are less in the summer than fall and spring. Take frequent breaks, get fast passes, do a mid day break. I go in August with my kids 3&6 and it’s been fine. We had fun.

Well, if your kids aren’t going to be in ‘Star Wars Land’ then your area of the park will be less crowded. So - win-win.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2 suggestions if you do it:
1) Get a refillable water bottle with a filter for each member of hte family so you can refill regularly with the bathroom water and stay cool.
2) You can order Dole Whip from the app and not have to stand in line to order/pickup. Dole Whip helps a lot.

No!
Just ask for water cups from the outdoor food carts.
1. Always ice cold
2. Not heavy like carrying your own water (I know bc for one time I brought our waters, and it just adds up esp for multiple family members - and then the water gets hot sitting in the sun)
3. If stroller has cup holders, can keep a couple of cups for kids / refill a sippy cup
4. Free, and maybe a teeny bit better than going into a smelly bathroom to use the sink (*another pro tip. If you have a choice, use a restroom in a newer built area of the park. Automatic everything. No touching door handles bc I think they’re all wraparound/open doors now. Well ventilated. Cleaner.)

All indoor restaurants will give you a cup of (filtered) ice water for free.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:From Florida. You couldn’t pay me to go to Disney World in july.

Sure, maybe DC is hot but Fl is generally more humid and has been hotter for longer, so pools, concrete, etc are even hotter.

And daily thunderstorms are a PITA.

WHY WHY WHY?

+1. Also, in DC it's hot and sticky, but I'm not spending tons of time outside in the summer, by choice (unless I'm adjacent to a beach or pool). If I'm hoping to have a pleasant vacation, I wouldn't sign up for hours in the sun and humidity at Disney World. YMMV.

+3
I thought the kids and I would die of heat and humidity when I went to Kings Dominion in August. Cant imagine DW in their long lines (even with FP) and hordes of people.

Places like Kings Dominion and Six Flags have no place to cool off, whereas Disney provides many opportunities for your comfort. There’s no comparison.