Crazy for going to Disney in July or August?

[natb213]

Would we be crazy to consider going to Disney in July or August? Is it just too hot and crowded to be fun? This would be our first trip with a 4 and 9 year old. Would LOVE any thoughts/opinions. Thank you

 

[mesaboy2]

It will be hot, it will be crowded. Only you can decide if it will be fun.

 

[csmom]

Really depends on your tolerance for heat/humidity and crowds. Almost all of our family trips have been at crowded times (Spring Break, President's week), so we can handle crowds. We went once in July and will never go in the summer again. Crowds combined with heat and humidity was just not our thing. However, their are lots of people on these boards who always go in the summer and love it.

 

[AmyB2006]

It will be hot, it will be crowded. Only you can decide if it will be fun.

 

[Tomh]

We visited Disney world in July of 2008. It was hot, and crowded, we survived.

Every year since then, we have visited in the end of August, just before schools start back up here in the North East.

I find that toward the very end of August, the heat is just a bit more tolerable than in the middle of July, and the crowd levels tend to drop a bit. As a result, park hours usually go down some during that time period, but there are still plenty of hours to have fun.

I enjoy that time of year. I think a bit of planning to beat the crowds and heat, and you will do just fine. Our son was 4 for our first trip, and our daughter was 13.

 

[Perditamarie]

We went in August last year, and are going again this year. Honestly, it was hot, but not unbearable...daily we would take a midday break to relax by the pool to re-energize.

As pp mentioned, the crowds do drop off at the end of August, so that is a plus.

If you can handle humidity, it is fine. If you are from the west coast, really consider how humidity affects you! I think the biggest worry this time of year is how possible hurricanes would effect the weather/touring the parks.

 

[Karbase8]

If you could go in the 3rd or last week in August it's not that bad crowd wise. I have went the last 3 years in the 3rd week in August the crowds are moderate/low at times. The evenings we actually had cool comfortable weather last year. It does rain often at times due to the humidity. It is hot, but I ship a case of water and my best advice is to go early in the morning leave the parks or choose an air conditioning attraction or lunch. Returning to the parks at dinner time when it's cooler is helpful. Using the FP plus system and touring strategy. Easywdw.com is a good resource.

 

[Meggysmum]

We did August last year and we are doing July this year. Yes it was really hot and humid and it was certainly crowded but we enjoyed ourselves and paced our days and just did the stuff we really wanted to.

If it is a first visit then the crowds may make it overwhelming but if you have been before and know your way around and what you like doing then it is manageable.

I must add that we are from England so we even find it hot when we visit in October!

 

[WINTER]

We go in July ONLY because we go to the race in Daytona and we are so close.

 

[kimj88]

We just went in January with a 4 and 9 year old, first trip. It was not hot at all, not crowded, and even with that, it was tough on the 4 year old. We even took breaks and rented a stroller, but he got tired so fast and so easily, which made for a grouchy little boy. I don't think I would even try the hot weather with my family, but that is just our situation, others are different. It doesn't help that I think over 70 is too hot Hence, why I am not a big fan of my local Maryland summers ;(

 

[smbowtie]

We went in July a few years ago. Never again. Over 100 every day. Probably not like that every year but not going to chance it.

 

[Funfire240]

We went in July last year with the kids 3 and 5 and we're going back this year (have to work around DH's work schedule). It was very crowded from what we are used to from the end of September. However, we made it work. We are early morning people so we were there for rope drop and did many things in the morning with minimal to no waits. In the afternoon when it would get hot and more crowded we headed back to swim or even just relax in the air conditioned resort room then we would head back for the evening.

We liked best that the restaurants weren't as crowded. We normally would go during free dining when restaurants were so packed and were surprised at how open they were, as we planned last years trip about a week before we left. The character meals especially were wonderful because extra time was spent at the tables.

 

[ArwenMarie]

It's hot. Like hotter than hot. And humid.

That being said, it can be done and be super fun. We have gone the last week of August and always had a great time. Crowds are lower and prices too.

Frogg Toggs cooling pads are our best friend in August. Everyone gets one. It's amazing how much they help. We put them around our necks and down our t-shirts.

While I usually hate rope drop, it's good to get up early and make sure you are out and touring before the brutal midday heat. Touring plans are important, weaving in plenty of air-conditioned attractions that you might skip on cooler visits helps (cough, Hall of the Presidents). Count on a daily storm. Touring at night is a good option. Still hot, but at least the sun is set.

If you're staying onsite, having the prebooked FPs would help. I would schedule them in the morning and rotate in other rides, or in the evenings, due to the rain storms.

 

[pixiemama91]

It's not my favorite time to go because if the humidity but you can make it work. I would just plan to be in the parks early morning to early afternoon and then be back at the pool to swim a have lunch an then he's back out to the parks in the early evening. We definitely didn't get as much done we we were there the beginning of August, but we also didn't plan as much and I wasn't as knowledgable as I am now on how to plan our day.

 

[wiigirl]

It will be hot, it will be crowded. Only you can decide if it will be fun.

Exactly....

 

[linskypens]

It will be humid, thats for sure. Lots of water...rope drop the parks, and get out of there by 1. Resort for nap or swim. Back in parks after 6.
You will beat most of the crowd that way, and be out of the heat in the middle of the day.
We have done summer for the last 5 years. If you can beat the crowd for rope drop, and get out in the middle of the day, when its hottest, and most crowded, you should be fine.

 

[4forMe]

Would we be crazy to consider going to Disney in July or August? Is it just too hot and crowded to be fun? This would be our first trip with a 4 and 9 year old. Would LOVE any thoughts/opinions. Thank you

It is extremely hot and humid with rain showers every afternoon. The rain can be brief (ie. 20 minutes) or last several hours.

We strongly prefer August over July as the large tour groups are there in July, and we found it to be much more crowded vs. August. I've been there the first 2 weeks of August, and IMHO, we found it better crowd wise than the last 2 weeks of July.

I would suggest hitting the parks at rope drop to beat the heat and leaving each afternoon for a pool break/rest. We also bought cheap misting fans from Walmart that we brought to the parks daily - they were a lifesaver for my kids.

Also, it's a great time of the year to hit the waterparks if you have that added to your tickets. My kids also enjoyed Disneyquest which gives a nice break from the heat for several hours.

 

[MissScara]

I don't know if anyones said this yet. But, its hot. And all the crowds...make it feel even hotter. However, it gives you a fantastic excuse to ride a water ride, visit a water park. Disney Quest is a good indoor alternative if you want something a bit different. As long as you take your time, keep cool, and keep your cool, you can have a blast!!

 

[Dis703]

It really depends on what you can tolerate as far as heat and crowds. I've heard the August crowds aren't terrible. Especially late in the month when some kids have gone back to school.

Me personally, I was born and raised in Florida and avoid June through August completely. I just can't enjoy myself when it's so hot. Even last May we were there the week before Memorial Day and there were a few days that got too hot for me and it still was nothing like the summer heat.

But we have friends who only do August because he's a teacher and it's the only time they can go that isn't super high crowds and they still have a great time.

 

[mill4023]

If I had better options, I would NOT choose to go in the summer.
But our last trip was in mid June and not only did we survive, but we also had a great vacation.

Now that we have kids in high school, the only choices we really have are:
1. Easter week
Weather is perfect
Crowds are crazy
We only get 7 days there.
2. Christmas week
No heat, but could be chilly, so pools and water parks might be out
Crowds are even crazier
3. Summer
Brutally hot
Crowded(depending on which month), but not nearly as crowded as first two options
We can do a longer trip

We chose summer for our last trip for a few reasons:
We don't like long lines and huge crowds.
It allowed us to spend two weeks there.

My top summer survival tip is to stay out of the parks between 1pm and 5pm. Even though it's hot 24 hours a day, the mornings and evenings are more tolerable.

On most days, we did a morning at the park, then went back to our rental house and relaxed and let the kids swim. Some days we went back to the parks for the evening. With longer summer hours, this is easier to do. Then on some days, we slept in and didn't even go to a park until evening. Being able to go for 2 weeks made it easier to do some half days without missing anything.