The UG has me scared of JUNE!!!!!!!

[wendyl]

I have read, and read , and read the Unofficial Guide to WDW and found it very informative. My only concern is the volumes of comments about how terribly crowded and almost unmanageable JUNE at WDW is.

We are headed there June 20th. I would LOVE to hear from all of you who have visited around that time. Please tell me:

1)if Fantasmic is REALLY impossible to get a seat for unless you show up 45 minutes in advance.
2)And what are the typical wait times for the E-rides.
3)How long did you wait to get seated with PS's, etc....
4)How were the lines waiting for buses--and how crowded were they.
5)How crowded were the resort pools (we are going to AKL)

I have only been previously with my students on school trips in MAY, so I have not experienced WDW in the summer. The UG is helpful, but a little negative. Would love to hear from the REAL experts---the DISers.

 

[motaei]

I'm sorry that I cannot answer any of your questions, but I will be going in June also. I am sure it will more crowded, as well as hotter, than my trip in December. But I figure it will be what it will be. However, if you bring a positive attitude, no matter how crowded it is, you'll have a good time!

 

[n2mm]

I have only been there in mid to late June once in 2001. It was just as crowded and hot as it was during our July 2002 and 2003 trips. The only difference for us for our June trip was that it rained for 10 straight days. Yes the lines are long, but fast pass helps. Yes it is hot, tour early and late, rest during the day. Yes the waits for PS were longer than our spring and fall trips, but everyone waits, not much you can do about it. Everyone is in the same boat as you and there's nothing you can do about it, but try to have fun, try not to stress about it, and hope you don't get 10 straight days of rain. BTW, we did encountered alot of tour groups, but not sure if this was because of June or just the summer time. We now go the last 2 weeks of July every year. Have a great time regardless and pack that sunscreen and drink plenty of water.

 

[Wish Upon A Star]

We were there last year June 20 - 26th.

It was crowded, but don't let that put you into a state of worry. You can go into the parks and then leave around lunch time and go back to your resort and swim and relax then go back to the parks at night.

It did rain daily, but not all day long. It is humid, but it's humid back home in Connecticut too. Just be prepared with your rain ponchos from home. We bought ours at WalMart for $2.88 each and they were of a heavy plastic than the really cheap ones and they lasted our entire trip.

The nice thing about going in the Summer is the parks are open later. I think we'll be in shell shock this October when the MK will most likely be closing before 7pm.

You'll have a great time!

 

[EEyorelover22]

We have only ever gone in June. It's really ok!! We didn't have to wait long for our PS. Usually we were seated right at the time for our PS time.

We did the Fantasmic dinner package so I cannot answer about the wait for Fantasmic. I would recommend doing the dinner package to avoid having to wait. I wouldn't miss this show that's for sure. We did H&V because it's the least expensive and we did Mama Melrose and we didn't care for it and DS is a picky eater and I have many allegeries.

The AKL pool was not over crowded and it was hot both times when we were there. Even in the middle of the afternoon is wasn't bad and the resort was 100% occupied last June when we were there.

We didn't have any troubles with long waits for the buses. We went to Spectromagic and the fireworks and only had to wait for maybe 5-10 minutes after MK closed. The bus service at AKL is GREAT!!! We never had to wait long either when leaving the resort.

We didn't do e-ride nights so I cannot answer that. I am not sure there will be any We were going to try them this year.

EMH: the parks were crowded by mid-day on these days at the park where the EMH was. Example: At MGM, the Little Mermaid show at 11:00 had the Fast Pass out till 4 pm already. However, our family saw/did/rode everything by using EMH and Fast Pass. DH and DS rode Test Track back to back with no wait. They got a fast pass and rode it again after seeing Honey I Shrunk the audience.

I cannot stand crowds...I Christmas shop in July to avoid them and I was not bothered at WDW. The only time it sort of bothered me was at DTD in the World of Disney store because it was packed, but I had to wait in line to check out which annoyed me to be wasting my time standing in line. Go there during the day...night time is a zoo there.

We didn't have any trouble seeing the parades except Spectro Magic was a bit nuts. But, it didn't run every night last year either and I think that's why. I see with the hours that it's running every night we are there so I would expect it won't be so nutso. We were also there on a Saturday and MK on Saturdays are very busy. I had to find a seat on the curb about an hour before, but I was so tired I could have cared less at that point and at my ice cream

Boma is great. Make sure you make a PS for dinner. We didn't need them for breakfast, but that might have changed since last year. We didn't have to wait long at Boma either for our PS time either except on Father's Day and it was very, very busy. They were turning people away that night with no PS.

Hope this helps!

Forgot to mention: Epcot was a Ghost Town the day we were there. If it rains, be thankful...lots of people leave Grab the Mickey Poncho and hang out with a hotdog at Casey's Corner.

 

[Del]

and everyone had said --"Oh no, not during Spring Break time." We did just fine. The park was crowded but not mobbed. We were able to do our things...crowds really picked up today, but then we flew home. Don't worry, be happy, you'll be at Disney.

Del

 

[Kaycee]

This will be our third June trip, so obviously it's not that bad!

The heat and crowds can really get bad, but if you know it going in you can prepare. We go to EMH whenever possible, always have a pending Fastpass, leave the park when it starts to get crowded and take long afternoon breaks to swim and relax, and then hop to a different park in the evening when it cools down.

Drink lots of water, plan on slowing down your pace and adjusting as you need to, and have fun!!

As far as Fantasmic, we have not seen it yet because the waits really are long - 45 minutes would be optimistic! That's why we're doing the dinner package this year - so we can finally see this show!

 

[wendyl]

THANKS GUYS---This is really great info. I don't feel so bad.

About Fantasmic--I really want to see this, but am not willing to wait forever for it. What about slipping in after it has already begun???? We want to have a late dinner at Sci-Fi and then slip in there.

Will there be any seats left in the back--what about standing room????

GREAT news about your bus experience to AKL, Eeyore. When I read the UG -- it made it sound like the busing would be so bad that returning to your hotel for a mid-day break would take too long.

I know we'll have a great time no matter what--I just like to prepare myself for what we will face. The UG is pretty negative!!

 

[jcemom]

I have never been in June but have heard that when there are two showings of Fantasmic the second one is considerably less crowded. If that is an option for you, maybe you should consider it. My guess would be that you could not "slip in" late and expect a seat anywhere. There were only a few seats left when we were there the first week of February. We got there 45 minutes early and our seats were way off to the side even though the parks weren't crowded at all.

 

[crazyforgoofy]

I agree with Kaycee on taking full advantage of EMH. Get up early and hit the park before it gets too hot, you'll get tons done while others sleep in and/or eat sit down breakfast. Use that Fastpass system to your advantage, it's a wonderful timesaver. And as Kaycee said STAY HYDRATED!

and Jcemom is so right about the second Fantasmic show. Unless you have little ones who can't stay awake the second show is always easier to get seating!

Wear light colored clothing, comfy shoes, take breaks and go with the flow. You'll have a blast!

 

[Leigha]

I too thought I would slip my family in at the last minute so we could have not the best seats but fair seats. Wrong! We missed it - twice! Ouch!! This time at least one of us will wait in line or we'll do the package. I'm also figuring it into our plans earlier in the week to guarantee we don't miss it. Hope this helps!

 

[wendyl]

YIKES--thanks Leigha

 

[Chica650]

Last time we went, it was early June and I really didn't think it was too bad. That IS during Florida's rainy season, but I thought the rain actually worked to our advantage. When it started raining, people tended to clear out a little or leave and we just donned our ponchos and stayed through it all! The rain thins the crowds out a little. We're going the first week in June this year, and I'm actually hoping for a little bit of rain to do the trick on the crowds again .

 

[Chica650]

oh, and as far as fantasmic goes, GET THERE EARLY! We went about an hour and a half early and not only got good seats, but got to take a much needed rest sitting and waiting.

 

[lentesta]

Hi wendyl,

Thanks for reading the Unofficial Guide. I believe you already have an answer to your Fantasmic! question. As to the typical wait times for the E-Tickey attractions, here's what we've seen in June during past years:

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad: 60 to 80 minutes.
Peter Pan: 60-90 minutes at peak.
Pooh: 60 to 90 minutes at peak.
Space Mountain: 75 to 115 minutes.
Splash Mountain: 90 to 135 minutes.

The low end of those numbers came during the summer of 2001, when Disney had already begun to notice a dip in attendance. The higher numbers are from subsequent years. I'd guess that the numbers for this June will be towards the middle to higher end of those ranges. As crazyforgoofy notes, stay hydrated. And bring two pairs of comfortable shoes.

For question 3, I always assume 15 minutes after my PS time is the time I'll be seated, but it's rarely that long. Then again, I tend to eat at off-hours and in less-busy establishments.

For question 4, Disney's done a good job with transportation lately. Their bus system seems to run more efficiently than it did a few years ago. I wouldn't worry about that aspect of your trip.

For question 5, I think you'll really enjoy the pool at the AKL. It's very elaborate, and handles crowds well.

Hope this helps. Have a great trip!

Sincerely,

Len Testa

 

[alliecats]

Hello! I was there last year in mid-June. It was very hot & humid but did not spoil my time. The longest line I stood in was for Splash Mountain. It was 45 minutes. Most ride times were 20 or less--unless we had a FP. We got tons of FPs. Although we didn't stay for the parades, we got to ride every single thing we wanted, as many times as we wanted. Lines at Epcot were very short, as was the case at MGM. Don't be anxious! I think you will have a great time!

 

[Tnkrbl2199]

We love going in June. Yes it is crowded and can be very hot. But, with fast pass, midday breaks and lots of water and sunscreen, you will have a great time. We love June b/c everything is open early, and late! You really get to see all the extras-shows, parades, nighttime shows. Have fun!

 

[CindyKansas]

We were there last year from June 25th till July 17th. Not just WDW we went to Tampa, Key West, Miami, Everglades, Universal and WDW. This said, I will never go back to Florida in the summer. I thought Kansas was hot and humid, NOT! When we got off the airplane back in Kansas on July 17th I thought "AH!, dry heat. It was 110 and it felt so good. No humidity. My biggest complaint is that we are used to having a breeze of some sort. They didn't seem to have any type of breeze. (Key West was wonderful though). The crowds were so so. Our last trip was Christmas/New Years 2001/2002 and that was crowded. We have also been during spring break and it wasn't that bad. We skipped Fantasmic since we had seen it before.

We had PS's for our meals at WDW and we never had more than a 15 minute wait.

Transportation was okay, we stayed a week at the Boardwalk Inn so we had the boats to MGM and EPCOT. The bus to MK wasn't that bad. We had a rental car so we did have access from one park to another if we wanted. We went parasailing one day so we did drive to the Contemporary.

Drink lots of water and wear comfortable shoes.

 

[McCall]

You COULD do the fantasmic dinner package and get a seat that way only have to show up about 1/2 hour in advance that way. and you have to eat anyway right?
other than that figure on getting in line 90 min early or more for the show.

 

[ThAnswr]

We go every year the last week in June. In fact, we'll be there 6/23-6/30.

Let's see if I can answer some of your concerns:

1) Fantasmic is REALLY impossible to get a seat for unless you show up 45 minutes in advance.

We always go to the later show, which I think this year, is at 10:30PM. You can do the Fantasmic Dinner package which gets you tickets to Fantasmic, but we've done that, forgotten the tickets, and still got great seats.

2)And what are the typical wait times for the E-rides.

Long wait time, but if you utilize Fast Pass, you shouldn't have any problems. Try to always have a fast pass when going on a ride. Have one in the wings so to speak.

3)How long did you wait to get seated with PS's, etc....

15-20 minutes tops.

4)How were the lines waiting for buses--and how crowded were they.

I found the lines to be long and the buses hot and crowded. That's why I always use my own car.

5)How crowded were the resort pools (we are going to AKL)

No problem there and the kids have a ball.

A word of warning about the end of June: It rains everyday in Florida and not just a few sprinkles. At that time of the years, we have downpours that can go on for hours. Make sure you have ponchos. Since the rain isn't a cold, a poncho will do just fine.

The upside to the rain is that it seems to take most people by surprise. The crowds thin out and it is the best time to go to the water parks. We did that one year and we had Blizzard Beach to ourselves. We got there at about 3:00 PM, in th pouring rain, and there was no one there. It stopped raining at about 6:00 and since the park didn't close until 7:30PM, we had a ball. Since the pools are heated, as long as you stayed in the water, it was beautiful.

Another word of warning: if you're going to do miniature golf at night, wear bug repellant. We've got bugs here that go on the war path. Forwarned is forearmed.

I hope this helps and if you have any more questions, ask away.