I would rather not go than go in july. It will be ridiculously hot and crowded. No thanks.

We have been 5x since having kids. Early December or spring (not spring breaks) are my favorite times for weather.

This isn't as straightforward of an answer as you were looking for, but I'd say do as many days as you can. Also, if it's her first trip I'd limit it to one or two of the parks (IMO MK and AK are the best) and allow for at least 2 days at each. It will make your trip so much more relaxing if you aren't trying to scramble to every single thing on your list in one day (and not have time to go again on favorites) and have no time to rest and take it all in.

The crowds can be thick and the lines can take a long time, so know going in that you will either need to have a super strategy and elbow your way through a lot of people, or you will need to pad your time so you can take your time. I know you mentioned Frozen - I was online at midnight 60 days in advance to get that coveted fastpass plus and it was already gone. My 5yo has decided that a 90 minute wait isn't for her and is happy to see them in the musical in Hollywood Studios. We haven't told her in case it ends up not happening or in case the crowds are outrageous, but we are also going to be there on the rumored opening date of the new Frozen ride.

I love visiting Disney World but the crowds have really gotten insane in the last 5-10 years. It's still worth going to me (we have a trip coming up next month), but it's a lot more fun if you have a plan before you go so you can be sure to see what you want to see.

OP, if your family is planning on eating in the parks, if you haven't had the chance to make reservations yet you need to do that asap. They can be made 180 days in advance and the more popular locations like Cinderella's Royal Table go quickly.

If you're looking for a convenient and budget friendly option, you might want to look into hotels that are near Downtown Disney on Hotel Plaza Blvd. The Holiday Inn, Doubletree, and a couple of others are equally as nice as Disney properties as far as room quality and they are significantly cheaper. (I planned a last minute stay a little over a year ago and got rooms for $104/night) and they have a really good shuttle system that runs to the parks every 10 minutes, unlike some others that say they have a shuttle but it only runs once there in the am and then once back in the pm.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

OP, you are the type that has a miserable time at Disney because you don't listen to good advice. You are going in the hottest, most crowded time of the year. I've been to Disney more than 100 times, and I'd never go in July.

To have a decent time, you need to:

---Go first thing in the morning. Be there when it opens. You will have about two hours before the crowds start.

--Go back to your hotel, nap, swim and eat in the afternoon.

--Go back to the park in the evening for nighttime parades, fireworks, and other rides.

--Stay long enough to enjoy it. As others have said, its the first few days that are expensive. After a certain point, adding days is only about 20 bucks.

Not the OP, but this PP sounds like a jerk.

Guess what, pp? We did none of the things you suggested, and we had a blast! We weren't waiting for rope drop. We let the kids nap in the stroller or found a quiet place to rest at the park. We didn't swim at all. We weren't on a mission to see and do everything. Instead, we picked a few things to do, hopped the parks, and filled our days with fun.

Anyone who has been to disney 100 times has issues IMHO...there's a great big world out there, so you might want to broaden your horizon.

No, not a jerk. I'm a realist. And I grew up about an hour from WDW. It was a weekend amusement for us growing up. When I was in college, you could get a 3 month pass for $69, so we went all the time.


WDW has changed a lot in the past few years. It's a lot more crowded. It's A LOT more expensive.

Now it's true, if your OK just doing a few things, you can have a great time no matter the crowds. We had annual passes, and would go just to walk around Epcot when my son was a toddler.

But now that it's almost $400 for a family of 3 to walk through the gates during peak seasons like summer, most people won't be content with that.