Disney during the Summer

[aprilbabes]

The last two years we were very fortunate and went to DW in early May. The weather was ideal (well not this year- lots of rain, but not too hot) and the crowd levels were perfect. Now I'm going back to work pt-time. I'm a teacher so I can basically travel during school vacations or during the summer months. I always said that I would NEVER deal with the sweltering summer heat and the crowd levels that are typical during presidents week, spring break, or summer, but now I just need to get my disney fix and I think I'm willing to deal if the it's that or not going at all
Being that I work only a few days a week, I may be able to possibly "squeeze" in a 4 or 5 night trip in May. I could also go as soon as school gets out at the very end of June or any time in July. The upside is that I could go for as long as I want and wouldn't feel rushed. The downside is the Florida weather stinks then and I'm pretty sure crowd levels are at their higher.
For those that have visited in the summer, what would you do????

 

[mchllevns]

We too preferred school year visits until it became too difficult for DD to miss class...so we've been in the summer (twice in June, this year in July) for the past 3 years...and each year the temps have been lower in FL then they were at home in NJ. We were pleasantly surprised with the temperature and the crowd level...not too bad. It seems that there are larger tourist groups in the summer, but you can switch up your attraction order to avoid long lines.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We went in the summer this year, and it wasn't as bad as I expected. We were there June 4-15. We usually go as soon as school gets out, the Friday before Memorial Day, but it wasn't an option with DH's work schedule this year.

 

[Chott]

First two trips were in July, 07 and September, 08 as an extended family group. I was miserable each trip because of the heat and humidity. I was riding it's a small world for the AC! I didn't plan to go back again ever.

I was always curious about Disney for X-mass and on a whim, I booked a December, 2011 trip with free dining, I was hooked! Since then we returned in March of this year and have a trip planned this December 1-7 with a free dining pin. Twice in one year. The spring break trip cost more than I would have liked but the crowds really were not as bad as I expected and the weather was great.

I can see us going out of our way to go during December or Spring Break. I don't think you could pay me to go again in the summer.

BTW, we have an 8yo and are pulling him out of class. That said, I would go during X-mass week if I had too.

 

[720L]

If you can go as long as you want in the summer---go then! The longer you go, the more time you have to take your time. Get to the parks early when it's not so hot, leave in the afternoon and come back at night. I love the parks at night in the summer. I think June is better than July/August.

 

[emma'smom]

Oy! We went in August about 5 years ago and I swore I'd never go back! It was miserable....MISERABLE because of he heat and humidity. The sweat just poured off us before we even hit a park.

Fast forward 5 years and this year DH had some miles to use up and we had some DVC points that we needed to use up---so we decided to give it one more try (memory is a funny thing). The plan was to hit the parks in the morning, return to the pool at the resort and go out again later.....some days this worked, but most days it didn't matter as the heat/humidity was present from get go.

I was standing in the back of Animal Kingdom thinking "Why did I agree to this? I'm melting, melting! This isn't fun at all!" I'm sure I made my family miserable---but they were just as hot. We had heat headaches, etc.

 

[RHMH]

Hello - We love Disney in July. We go annually during the second week of July. Yes, it's Hot, Humid and you never know when the short bursts of rain will hit...

We are MH people, hit the parks early, take the afternoon off and go back around 6pm and stay until the park closes.

DD and I am one of the people that starts a conversation with anyone in line waiting for their turn on a ride. I know it irritates most people but DD and I enjoy meeting new people from all over the World.

Summer time is not so bad. Just take a back pack with a bunch of frozen bottled waters and take a break when you feel you and your family needs it.

 

[donac]

We were just there last week and the crowds were very light. We were there the week before a year ago and the crowds weren't bad but not as nice as the last week in Aug. For the most part the weather wasn't too bad until the last day we were there.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

We were there the first 10 days of August this year. I work at a school and our two boys are in high school, so school year trips are not an option. Yes, it was hot hot hot! Being from the San Francisco Bay Area, where the weather is usually really nice, we were not accustomed to the heat and humidity in Florida. Still, we expected it and planned for it. We carried portable fans and tended to pull them out whenever we were standing still. It seems like the heat feels worse when you're not moving. We also had small washcloths that we kept in ziplock bags. We would re-wet them every so often. I put ice cubes in my bag to keep it nice and cool. It feels good to run a cool washcloth over your face, and then blast it with a fan. The one rule was that anytime anyone wanted a bottle of water, they got one. We didn't put it off until after a ride or show. In fact, if one person wanted a water break, everyone took one.

Even though we survived our summer trip, we probably won't take another one. We went once right before Christmas, and the weather was perfect. I think we'll stick to December trips while the kids are in school.