Difference between May and June?

[Hopingforpixiedust]

Hi! We were planning on visiting the first weekend in May and now we might switch to the first week in June. Any pros or cons to this? If we go in May we would be visiting the parks on the weekend, if we do June it would be weekdays. June would be very early June-starting the 2nd. Thoughts?

 

[Brett Wyman]

May is a great month to go, outside of the heat. Its much better crowd wise than June as most schools start letting out late-may early-june for the summer. If crowds are a factor in your decision go with early May. It may be a tiny bit cooler then too. More expensive summer ticket prices also start June 11th. The Flower and Garden festival (my favorite) also runs through 5-30 at Epcot.

 

[gharter]

I would agree.
However, we were shocked at the number of local students that were at Disney and Universal for School trips. From 5th grade to 12th as they all had shirt proclaiming their school trip.
Unfortunately, many were also as badly behaved as some of the oversea groups we complain about.

 

[Raven01]

I second the local crowd issue. I went to Universal a few years ago in May during what they said was a slow season. Tons of local student groups were having end of year trips.

Weekdays in June versus weekends in May seem like they may even out. Weather would not be as bad in May though.

 

[Disneypro1]

IMHO, May..earlier the better is the best time to go to WDW. VERY low crowds. Hot but not high humidity. Its just perfect. Only time we go is early May.
May is also less rain than June.

 

[MouseMamaToMany]

Honestly, I’d lean towards June. I was at WDW the first week of May this year, and there were TONS of school groups. And the love bugs???? Don’t get me started. So very, awfully gross. Some folks might not be bothered, but it really had a negative impact on my experience. Heat-wise, it wasn’t a big difference from when I went in June last year either. May was still lots of fun, and everything I mentioned was still a blip on a great week. But if I had to choose, I’d pick June.

 

[Kamy04]

I’ve been in early May and early June. Weather etc can be a crapshoot, but...

LOVED early May. We went May 2-9, 2017. It was hot but not oppressive. Crowds were a little bit lighter, but honestly it wasn’t much different for us. This is not normal, but the only time it rained that entire week was when we landed. There were lots of cheerleaders for Summit on the weekends.

We went this June (5-12) and it was oppressively hot. I feel like I missed out on causally strolling/people watching because it was so hot we just needed to get stuff done and get out lol. And I like hot weather! It was also a heat wave, though. I said we will NEVER do summer again. Next time I will take unpaid days at work to go another time, preferably early May! It also rained a decent amount, but we didn’t mind that because it cooled stuff off for a bit. Missing Test Track was a bummer, though. The crowds were not bad at all at this time, either. I think some schools weren’t out yet.

 

[Hopingforpixiedust]

Thanks for everyone’s replies! Still haven’t decided what to do! I’m leaning toward June even though everyone is suggesting May. As a teacher we would just have a more relaxed time if we went after the school year was out. My biggest concern is the oppressive heat as mentioned in the last post.

Here’s two more questions.

1.Which parks are the best/worst when it’s super hot out?

2. If we stay at animal kingdom lodge how easy is it to take a midday break from animal kingdom and then return to the park at night?

 

[summerw]

And the love bugs???? Don’t get me started. So very, awfully gross. Some folks might not be bothered, but it really had a negative impact on my experience.

How often did you see them? What happened?

 

[kwdw]

Thanks for everyone’s replies! Still haven’t decided what to do! I’m leaning toward June even though everyone is suggesting May. As a teacher we would just have a more relaxed time if we went after the school year was out. My biggest concern is the oppressive heat as mentioned in the last post.

Here’s two more questions.

1.Which parks are the best/worst when it’s super hot out?

2. If we stay at animal kingdom lodge how easy is it to take a midday break from animal kingdom and then return to the park at night?

In terms of which time - May is definitely cooler overall. When I travel with my significant other - this is a MAJOR factor in decision-making about when to go. However - this year I am traveling in August and September - two HOT and HUMID months - due to (1) August is out of school time for my niece (and when she didn't have other camps planned), and (2) September is a light work period for me. So - given your situation - I can see either as a better choice!

1) It depends on what you are doing. I personally hate HS in the heat because two of the large shows are NOT air-conditioned - and I find this the hardest park to escape from the heat in. Maybe SWGE will change that up a bit - but that's yet to be seen. AK can be super humid in the morning - making the heat seem worse - but I think it's the easiest park to escape to the shade and quiet places. Overall, though, I think MK is the easiest in the heat. The shops - with AC! - are throughout the park - and easy refugees.

2) The DRIVE time between MK and AKL is about 15-20 minutes - assuming light traffic. So - it's definitely harder to take a mid-day break here than say at the resorts close to MK. Unless you are staying at one of the resorts right by MK - I just don't think the difference in "time" between MK and the other resorts is significant enough to have that play into your decision-making of where to stay. AKL is a deluxe resort, so the bus stop is closer to MK entrance than the bus stop for AoA, for example. The drive to AoA might be a couple minutes shorter - but the walk time to the bus stop is definitely longer. In general - some resorts are closer to some parks/farther from others. Unless you plan to spend most of your time at one resort - just pick the resort you want. Some days you have longer transport time, other days, less. No biggie, IMO.

 

[SillySallySews]

We've only gone in May once, just before Mother's Day so it was definitely early May. We were super excited for all this pleasant weather and low crowds people speak of. Maybe that was our problem, we had unrealistic expectations lol. It was just as hot and humid as our summer trips (I actually think September is by far the worst for heat and humidity in FL, not summer, late April through August all feel the same to me) and everywhere we went it seemed like the AC wasn't working properly. It also felt like everything closed earlier than normal, CMs all seemed stressed, rides definitely weren't operating at full capacity like they are during summer, and crowds were just as heavy as any other time of year we've visited except maybe NYE. I think AK is the worst park on a hot day but WS at Epcot with the sun beating down on you is a close second in my book. The best "hot day" parks are the water parks lol, but also MK for all the plentiful air conditioned queues. Getting from AK to AKL and back to AK in the evening should not be a hassle at all. We love having dinner at Boma and exploring a quiet AKL and then going over to AK in the evenings. We've never had to wait long for a bus.

 

[familyman123]

1) It depends on what you are doing. I personally hate HS in the heat because two of the large shows are NOT air-conditioned - and I find this the hardest park to escape from the heat in. Maybe SWGE will change that up a bit - but that's yet to be seen. AK can be super humid in the morning - making the heat seem worse - but I think it's the easiest park to escape to the shade and quiet places. Overall, though, I think MK is the easiest in the heat. The shops - with AC! - are throughout the park - and easy refugees.

I agree a lot with KWDW above. Rankings for heat from best to worst:

1. Magic Kingdom also has a lot of great indoor attractions - Pirates, Haunted Mansion, where you can keep cool. I plan for those in the afternoon.
3. Animal Kingdom - just beats out EPCOT because there is a lot of natural shading, and because of Kali River Rapids.
3. EPCOT - Most attractions are indoors, but it is essentially a big exposed concrete surface.
4. Hollywood Studios - Toy Story Land is like death valley. Jedi Training (which we do every time), dresses kids in long robes and has them stand outside. No water rides.

 

[familyman123]

(I actually think September is by far the worst for heat and humidity in FL, not summer, late April through August all feel the same to me)

September may feel the hottest, but the lines are the shortest. So you can get more done in less time. Works best when combined with afternoon pool times. Works poorly when you want to linger in the parks (say afternoon stroll around the EPCOT countries).

 

[DOOM1001]

In May the heat starts getting really bad,the wet,rainy season usually starts late May or June,this year for example it started in June so late May we were dry but got some record high temperatures,like 96-100 for like 2 weeks in late May,it was as hot as it gets here but since rainy season had yet to start it wasnt humid,heat indexes were 105-106,with humidity sometimes the heat index is 110 with the air temperature at 93-94.Sometimes the daily rain is preferred,it brings clouds and makes it cooler,usually this happens after it hits 95 and feels like 110,the black clouds come in and ease off the heat,again this is al summer during rainy season,late May or June through September or early October,mid October the weather usually starts to cool off and dry off.

 

[gharter]

How often did you see them? What happened?

We were there May 15-22. Friends were there the week before and the "love bugs " were worse the week before. They were everywhere, from where you walked , to sitting. Just a nusiance. They don't bite or sting,jst fly around and land.

 

[CastAStone]

2. If we stay at animal kingdom lodge how easy is it to take a midday break from animal kingdom and then return to the park at night?

If you rent a car it’s VERY easy to get from AKL to AK and back. By bus it’s still fast but you have to wait for the bus.

 

[Farro]

How often did you see them? What happened?

Last May was apparently one of the worst love bug seasons Florida had seen in a while, and unusually hot. Here's hoping May got it out of it's system last year. Otherwise I'll be making a million little new friends next year!

 

[gharter]

If you rent a car it’s VERY easy to get from AKL to AK and back. By bus it’s still fast but you have to wait for the bus.

When we stay at AKL, we would drive there in the morning, take the bus back for a break and back to the park. Then drive home at the end of the day.
We found we could get to the park faster in the morning driving than waiting for the bus.

 

[Oneanne]

I was also there early June this year, and as other posters have said, the weather was hot, oppressive, and stormy... everyday there was a thunder/lightning/heavy rain storm, sometimes in the afternoon sometimes in the evening. When I got home after the trip, I was shocked to think back and realize how many things I didn't do, even though it was a seven day trip. I often go in early May and while it can also be hot, I haven't experienced those types of storms.

 

[Day-Day]

We visited May 26 to June 4 this year. The early part of the trip was very low humidity and very high temperatures (record and near record for a couple of dates) and bright sun with clear skies. Nights were pleasant as air did not hold the heat with low humidity. Clouds finally showed back up during the last 3 days and night time was very warm and humid. We cannot officially say that we did not get any rain for the entire trip because one day we had a minute or less of very light rain; didn't get anything wet and maybe had 10 or 12 drops hit me. The dry weather and lack of afternoon thunder storms is not normal.

We have visited early May and crowds were much smaller than early June. There were more school groups. I think a lot of the groups are field trips on weekdays but can't remember for sure if the weekends were affected.

Are you only visiting for two days or does the May visit include some other days of the week plus the weekend?