Is the heat really too miserable from July-Sept for a trip to WDW?

[LindaLeigh]

Given the choice, I would, without a doubt, go in October. Even though I've lived in the Midwest for years, I still do not like heat and humidity, and it definitely impacts my enjoyment of a vacation. For that reason, we avoid traveling to Disney during that May-Sept period. Hurricane season is officially June 1-Nov 30, but the most Atlantic hurricanes occur in Sept., followed by August, and then October. You would be decreasing the odds of encountering any problems by waiting until mid-October to go. And, as others have said, the other bonus of going during that time is that Food and Wine and the Halloween party are taking place!

The best Disney vacation we ever had was when we went 6 years ago from Nov 6-14. It was cool in the evening, warm enough during the day to swim, the crowds were non-existent, and to top it off--the resorts were already decorated for Christmas and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party was going on! I would love to go again during that time, but am now reluctant to pull DS12 out of school.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Dacky619]

Both DW and I work in education so our vacations can only be between end of May-mid August. We like to try to go as early as possible in the summer, but have taken some late summer trips. We still enjoyed it very much, but it was very different from our early June trips. I really don't think you'd be miserable, but October would be much better.

 

[Karebear]

Sent you an email

 

[Sappermont]

We went in August of 2011. I live in Colorado where it is dry-VERY DRY! I used to live in CA and CA is like a rainforest compared to CO. So, I was VERY nervous about the heat/humidity in FL in August. I don't do well in humidity.

It was very hot here before we left but not at all humid. Now, don't get me wrong it was HOT and it was HUMID but it really was a fun trip and except for one morning at DTD it really didn't feel all that bad. Now, that's because we were in and out of A/C and pools. I also did a lot of planning in terms of the types of clothes, etc. to bring and we drank a LOT of water throughout the day. I don't think I could operate in that type of heat/humidity on a normal go to work day (in and out of cars, wearing work clothes) but I wouldn't hesitate to go back for a WDW vacation during that time.

Have fun!!

 

[TwistGrl101]

We go in August and coming from NJ there's really not that much of a difference temp wise, although it is more humid in FL. Like someone else mentioned, there are plenty of indoor attractions to keep cool, plus the pools feel great in the heat. The only downfall is it will rain every day, but that does cool it down.

 

[I Love Pluto]

Teacher schedule - We go to WDW every July. Yes, it is hot. I have never spent a July in PA which was cold. However, I don't feel that the heat is intolerable. Simply put - it is July.

We added a late November trip to WDW this year. We were soooooo cold - we all hated it! I guess we have become used to WDW being hot, so it doesn't feel wrong at all for our July trips. It felt wrong in the cold!

 

[bluepirategrl]

We go the last two weeks in September and have great weather! Not to hot and doesn't get cold. Crowds are low and the longest wait for anything was about 45-60mins on major attractions and 20mins on everything else. Also it only rained maybe 20mins the whole week!

 

[JVP1]

We like going in the summer and pace ourselves. So much of Disney world is based around warm weather activities. We love staying at the poly and enjoy pool time for a few hours every afternoon

It depends on your tolerance for heat and humidity. We live in Nebraska where we can have some pretty miserable summers- some with long stretches of dry heat waves and others with long stretches of humidity and heat together. So for us, we don't mind the summer trips to Disney. Just drink lots of water and take breaks! There are so many indoor attractions/restaurants to cool off in, so you would be fine.

 

[TrentzMom]

I'm a teacher in VA so we don't have an option, summer is the only time to go. We always go in mid to late August... in 2009 we went August 20-27, last year August 18-23, and this year August 7-15. We did a Fourth of July trip back in 2005 and I will NEVER do that again. By the end of summer we are accustomed to heat and humidity so I don't find August to be miserable. We are a family that likes to go early in the morning, come back to eat lunch and swim, and then go back later in the day till close. We also mix up the attractions...do a few outside and then cool down with a show or inside ride.

With the exception of our July trip, I don't find the crowds to be bad. We always try to stay away from the park that has EMHs as usually that is the busiest park.

 

[deakam]

I have been there the week of Christmas and had to wear winter coats. I have been there over Thanksgiving and in the evening it was too cold to swim. I have been there for Halloween and it gets very chilly at night. Mid May was too hot for me. I actually had to sit down I thought I was going to faint. My daughter got me on the mono rail and we rode between the MK and Epcot until I cooled down. I was just there in February and we had 1 pool day which was nice and every other day we needed a light jacket for part of the day. We have been going the last week of September since discovering free dining. I book the trip to start the last day Free dining is available. Crowds are low and the weather is wonderful. A few times we had rain but just a down pour or 2 and it was over. It is not quite boiling but no jackets are needed at any point. I would say mid to upper 80's.

We always do an indoor air conditioned lunch and all is well. Even at the AK for QS there is Pizzafari and the Burger place in Dinoland but we prefer Yak and Yeti's. They have wonderful cool drinks.

So my point is, I think, if it was to hot Mid May there is no way I would go in July or August. September at least the end of September is my new favorite time.

 

[dizcrazee]

As you can see from the variety of opinions expressed, it really depends upon the person. As for me, I will never, repeat never, take a trip to WDW again between the end of May and the middle of October.

The heat is just unbearable to me and as much as I love WDW, it pretty much ruins my trip. I mean, the heat and humidity are just unbelievable! It's hard to describe really, but here's a few hints based on my personal experience...

You start sweating immediately after walking outside and your clothes are soaked through shortly thereafter. You reach for your bottle of water, and it's no longer cold, in fact it's almost boiling hot, but you chug it down anyway because you are in survival mode and must have liquid of some sort.

You spray yourself with your water-spray fan-thing, but again, you've just squirted hot water all over your face. All around you, kids are crying and miserable, little babies are rolling around in their strollers with sunburnt faces, and moms and dads are at each other's throats and screaming at the poor little kids that just want to go to the pool.

People are dragging around, soaked in sweat, reminiscent of the Bataan death march. Or maybe "Bridge on the River Kwai" when the soldiers had to stand at attention in the hot, blistering sun until they fainted.

You want to get a lemonade, an ice cream, anything cold - but everyone else wants the same thing, and you have to wait for an eternity in the sun, flirting with sunstroke, sipping your boiling hot water, while you wait your turn for the life-sustaining cold substance. You don't care anymore what you see or do, as long as you are in the air conditioning. You wonder if you can just hide in the big ride vehicle at Ellen's Universe of Energy for the rest of the day because it's so deliciously dark and cool in there.

Finally, you give up and go back to the hotel, but the pool is also boiling hot, so you take a shower and a nap, and go back out to the park that night, thinking that it will be much better and you'll get to do more. But alas, humid is the night and sweaty/sticky is again the result. So you take another shower when you get back to the hotel and fall exhausted into your bed, thanking the higher power of your choice for the wonderful person that invented air conditioning.

Anyway, that's my summer-at-WDW experience. The word "hot" just doesn't do it justice. It's Dante's fifth circle down there in the summer.

Your mileage may vary, of course.

 

[darkwing818]

July-August the sun is set to 'Broil' in Florida. Add the crowds to that and you could have a miserable time if you're not ready / can't handle it. Mid-to-late September is better, and less crowded. If you can push it to October, it'll be even nicer.

Agree 100%, except that July & August weather is MISERABLE.

 

[cantslowdownptwn]

As you can see from the variety of opinions expressed, it really depends upon the person. As for me, I will never, repeat never, take a trip to WDW again between the end of May and the middle of October.

The heat is just unbearable to me and as much as I love WDW, it pretty much ruins my trip. I mean, the heat and humidity are just unbelievable! It's hard to describe really, but here's a few hints based on my personal experience...

You start sweating immediately after walking outside and your clothes are soaked through shortly thereafter. You reach for your bottle of water, and it's no longer cold, in fact it's almost boiling hot, but you chug it down anyway because you are in survival mode and must have liquid of some sort.

You spray yourself with your water-spray fan-thing, but again, you've just squirted hot water all over your face. All around you, kids are crying and miserable, little babies are rolling around in their strollers with sunburnt faces, and moms and dads are at each other's throats and screaming at the poor little kids that just want to go to the pool.

People are dragging around, soaked in sweat, reminiscent of the Bataan death march. Or maybe "Bridge on the River Kwai" when the soldiers had to stand at attention in the hot, blistering sun until they fainted.

You want to get a lemonade, an ice cream, anything cold - but everyone else wants the same thing, and you have to wait for an eternity in the sun, flirting with sunstroke, sipping your boiling hot water, while you wait your turn for the life-sustaining cold substance. You don't care anymore what you see or do, as long as you are in the air conditioning. You wonder if you can just hide in the big ride vehicle at Ellen's Universe of Energy for the rest of the day because it's so deliciously dark and cool in there.

Finally, you give up and go back to the hotel, but the pool is also boiling hot, so you take a shower and a nap, and go back out to the park that night, thinking that it will be much better and you'll get to do more. But alas, humid is the night and sweaty/sticky is again the result. So you take another shower when you get back to the hotel and fall exhausted into your bed, thanking the higher power of your choice for the wonderful person that invented air conditioning.

Anyway, that's my summer-at-WDW experience. The word "hot" just doesn't do it justice. It's Dante's fifth circle down there in the summer.

Your mileage may vary, of course.

this really craacked me up!

 

[MichiganDVC]

we went once in July 4 yrs ago. never again. over 100 every day with very high humidity. I would definitely wait til Oct.

Which is strange, seeing as the record temp in the area is 102°. Ever. All time. And that was in the month of September! Jury's record is 100°...from 1998. So you must have been there when they had their record temperatures!

Actually, the average high in Orlando is 90-92° in the summer. It doesn't usually get past 96°.

Now heat index is an entirely different story.

 

[fairytalelover]

As you can see from the variety of opinions expressed, it really depends upon the person. As for me, I will never, repeat never, take a trip to WDW again between the end of May and the middle of October.

The heat is just unbearable to me and as much as I love WDW, it pretty much ruins my trip. I mean, the heat and humidity are just unbelievable! It's hard to describe really, but here's a few hints based on my personal experience...

You start sweating immediately after walking outside and your clothes are soaked through shortly thereafter. You reach for your bottle of water, and it's no longer cold, in fact it's almost boiling hot, but you chug it down anyway because you are in survival mode and must have liquid of some sort.

You spray yourself with your water-spray fan-thing, but again, you've just squirted hot water all over your face. All around you, kids are crying and miserable, little babies are rolling around in their strollers with sunburnt faces, and moms and dads are at each other's throats and screaming at the poor little kids that just want to go to the pool.

People are dragging around, soaked in sweat, reminiscent of the Bataan death march. Or maybe "Bridge on the River Kwai" when the soldiers had to stand at attention in the hot, blistering sun until they fainted.

You want to get a lemonade, an ice cream, anything cold - but everyone else wants the same thing, and you have to wait for an eternity in the sun, flirting with sunstroke, sipping your boiling hot water, while you wait your turn for the life-sustaining cold substance. You don't care anymore what you see or do, as long as you are in the air conditioning. You wonder if you can just hide in the big ride vehicle at Ellen's Universe of Energy for the rest of the day because it's so deliciously dark and cool in there.

Finally, you give up and go back to the hotel, but the pool is also boiling hot, so you take a shower and a nap, and go back out to the park that night, thinking that it will be much better and you'll get to do more. But alas, humid is the night and sweaty/sticky is again the result. So you take another shower when you get back to the hotel and fall exhausted into your bed, thanking the higher power of your choice for the wonderful person that invented air conditioning.

Anyway, that's my summer-at-WDW experience. The word "hot" just doesn't do it justice. It's Dante's fifth circle down there in the summer.

Your mileage may vary, of course.

LOL!!!!!! This was the best review I have ever read!!! You actually helped to make up my mind to go in mid October!! LOL!!!

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I would actually go even further and say I think it is too hot from April to September. I went April 2012 and had great weather but went April 2013 and we had 90 degree days. So I am ruling out going any time between April and September.

I have been twice in October and the crowds and weather are great in October. And it is still warm enough for pools and water parks.

I love Disney but when I am miserable and sweating I do not like being there at all.

 

[kristinesgeorge]

We went on our first trip last August and it was pretty hot! I think the heat wasn't as overwhelming for us as the crowds - by noon it was wall to wall sweaty people and strollers. We STILL had a great time but we definitely had to plan to start early, nap during the height of the sun/heat and then come back for the evening. It rained a lot too - but again, a rainy day at Disney is still a day at Disney! We won't be going back in the summer months anytime soon - I have just heard how lovely it can be in the later months. Good luck and have fun!

 

[dizcrazee]

LOL!!!!!! This was the best review I have ever read!!! You actually helped to make up my mind to go in mid October!! LOL!!!

Glad to have been of service. I've been in mid-October and it's a much nicer experience. While it's still warm, the humidity isn't nearly as bad and the crowds are much more manageable. I hope you have a great trip, and give my regards to Ellen if you ride the Universe of Energy. She saved my life that summer.

 

[daneenm]

We visited last time in late July/early August and will be there at that time again this year. School and summer swim team dictate for us. We were up early, at rope drop, back to the hotel for a swim after lunch and then back out again for dinner. One day out of 11, we would say the heat was oppressive, the rest was very manageable.

FWIW, we are from CA and are not used to the humidity at all.

 

[pigletto]

It's hot but we're headed back for our 5th late August trip so we find it doable. More than doable.. enjoyable. However if it was my one trip for the year and had another cooler week I could go, I would pick that week.