help prepare me for June Crowds

[GoofyJim]

3 year old daughter and wife are trying to convince me to go to Disney in late June (15-30). I have been several times but only in early December which I now know is historically the slowest time of the year. There are two things that I hate 1.) crowds 2.) being in a crowd when it is 90 degrees out!

Just how bad are the mid-late June crowds? We will only be going to the MK so I would be curious about line lengths, etc at this park.

Thanks for all of your help!

 

[CindyKansas]

Bumping, since we are too going in June/July for the first time. We have been there in October, November, December, January and March. Never any HOT months.

 

[laceemouse]

We have been in July and August. Both of those are usually hotter than June and we survived. We are from the south though. This year we hear it has gotten really HOT really early. The best thing to do is go EARLY, see and do all you can in the a.m., and go back to the hotel in the afternoon if it gets really hot. Don't foget to use fastpass for the popular rides. MK, IMO, is not the hottest park. The attractions are close together and you are constantly in and out of the good AC. We got much hotter at EPCOT, I think it just has a lot more concrete than the others! Just take your time, stay hydrated, and don't go nuts if you miss something. You can catch it next time! Have a GREAT trip with your little one!!! Lacee

 

[ThAnswr]

>>>help prepare me for June Crowds<<<

And presumably the June heat!

I live in Florida and here's my tips:

It is not just hot here, it is brutally hot. I always go to WDW in June and the one thing I hear most from out-of-state and foreign visitors is "I can't believe how hot it is". Believe it, it is HOT.

Since the MK hours are so screwy this year, the advice to leave in the afternoon, and return in the "cooler" evening, isn't that good when there is no evening to return to. However, get to the park early and plan your day. Utilize FastPass and don't use your FastPass until you have one for another attraction. In other words, pay close attention as to the time limit stated on the FastPass you have in your hand and get another one as soon as you can.

Now, here's something I don't see addressed here at all. When you're running around Florida in the summer heat, your clothing makes a big difference. Too many tourists wear summer clothes for their summer, not ours. Heavy knitted short sleeve shirts with long down-to-the-knee shorts are not good. Wear light, airy clothing. If at all possible, wear sandals as high-top sneakers with crew socks are really hot. Wear a light hat to keep the sun off.

WEAR SUNSCREEN! DRINK LOTS OF LIQUIDS!

Take frequent breaks by ducking into something air-conditioned. Buy one of those mister fans and use them.

In June, it rains every afternoon. And I don't mean a few drops here and there. I mean downpours. Buy rain ponchos and count on using them. Don't go anywhere without them. Touring WDW in the rain, in a poncho, doesn't spell the end of your vacation. There is an upside to the rain; it really feels good on a hot day.

I'm sure there are other things I'll think of as this thread progresses, but this is good for a start.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

May be a silly question, but why would ponchos be necessary? Being wet will be kind of exhilrating. The only thing I have against ponchos is having to fold them up and carry them around after they are wet the first time -yuk!

 

[ThAnswr]

>May be a silly question, but why would ponchos be necessary?<

For several reasons the biggest being that when it rains here it POURS and it may not be a passing shower. Walking around in the rain like a wet dog gets old after an hour or so. Or not.

>>> Being wet will be kind of exhilrating. <<<

And, if it's just a passing shower, it is exhilirating. But, whatever floats your boat.

>>The only thing I have against ponchos is having to fold them up and carry them around after they are wet the first time -yuk!<<

For me, the "yuk" factor goes up when I go into an attraction or restaurant in my wet clothes. It can be downright cold and uncomfortable. And, you don't fold rain ponchos up after you've used them. Even if you don't have children, rent a stroller, throw your stuff into it, and throw your rain ponchos over the railing.

 

[grinningghost]

Finally, someone who tells it like it is (Th Answr)! How refreshing! I have read so many guidebooks and threads on these boards about those "quick afternoon showers" in Florida. Well, my experience has been anything but that. We have to go to WDW in summer, and we've yet to see a "quick" shower. The mornings are hot, humid and sort of sunny, but once those storm clouds roll in, forget it - it's raining all day. I know, we're just unlucky, it's not always like that - but go prepared for just that scenario. Bring an UMBRELLA! The ponchos are great - and necessary - but the umbrella stops the pouring rain from pounding on your poor little hooded head.

Wear sandals that dry fast - Teva's are great. And if you're really not into hot, hot weather - don't go in June. You'll be miserable and wish you'd gone some other time. Sad, but true.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

[For several reasons the biggest being that when it rains here it POURS and it may not be a passing shower. Walking around in the rain like a wet dog gets old after an hour or so. Or not.

It would be pretty dumb for me to dispute a Floridian on the subject of Florida weather. I guess I'll be one the guys buying 4 Mickey Mouse ponchos for $6 a pop because I was too stubborn to bring them from home. .

 

[cookie2001]

We went last June, 1st week. It is very hot. With fast pass the crowds weren't bad at all. I expected it to be worse. So my advice is to expect it to be really bad and then anything will be better! We are going again this year!

Do take a jug of ice water. When we were getting grumpy it was mainly because we were getting dehydrated.

 

[drusba]

Have been there that time of year several times. It is always very hot. The original poster said he hates being in a crowd when it is 90 degrees out -- daytime temps are usually higher than that; 90 is more what it is like at 8 in the evening.

As to crowds, they are huge and, unfortunately, the worst is at MK. Most years were manageable but then came last year. Last year was the worst I had ever seen at that time of year for MK as it was as crowded as it gets at Easter and Christmas (the usual worst of the year; other parks were not that bad). Two hour and longer lines for popular rides existed at MK most of the day and evening (and you can tell the crowd is really bad when Swiss Family Treehouse has an hour line). The major contributor to the larger crowds last year was Disney itself which cut the hours from prior years (and it is apparently cutting them even worse this year) which means more people per hour cram into MK than when there are longer hours. Disney was whining about decreased attendance last year as justification to cut the hours but there was absolutely no sign of such a decrease in MK when we were there. Possibly the same will happen again this year.

Last year was also bad because of rain. Often at that time of year all you do get is a few showers in the afternoon and evening, and sometimes a steady rain for a couple of hours. Last year was different during those two weeks in June as it rained about 16 hours of every 24 and much of that was constant downpour. Hopefully, that will not be repeated.