July 2016

[hiroMYhero]

As everyone continues planning for your July park visits, merging you over to "Do the Happy Dance" with other July-goers!

Have fun planning!

 

[blemon]

The regular extra magic hours are posted, you can find them in your MDE itinerary or on the Disney website.

akfan, maybe you can help answer my question. I just saw on another thread where disney had sent someone an email saying EMH had been changed. This is something that just happened for a trip in June.

So do you think they would ever add EMH for a Saturday in July? I just made reservations for CRT for that morning so that we could get a couple of pics of the castle without a million people around. I don't want to spend that kind of money if we can get in an hour early without the Res. I want to have that experience but I will try to switch the day it is on.

Does that make sense?

I'm assuming they make the EMH based around low attendance days. I can't imagine a Sat. ever being a low attendance day.
Would love some thoughts. Thanks.

 

[Momof2Singers]

We are going on the 30th thru August 8th. So I guess that puts us in both months. My 16year old had a bad year last year and could not leave the house, she is all well and we will be celebrating her and also my other daughter who will be graduating from college. We are staying at the Port Orleans - Riverside, our favorite resort

 

[PirateD]

We are going on the 30th thru August 8th. So I guess that puts us in both months. My 16year old had a bad year last year and could not leave the house, she is all well and we will be celebrating her and also my other daughter who will be graduating from college. We are staying at the Port Orleans - Riverside, our favorite resort

It sounds like a great trip with a lot to celebrate!

 

[Sunnyside]

Hi!
This is my first post here, and we are planning our first trip. My mom, my two girls and I are going to be in WDW 7/6-10, then at the beach with family for a week. I'm not sure where we are staying yet, but she will be booking on Monday. My older daughter will have her birthday (6th) on the trip, and I've already booked a lunch CRT for that, but nothing else. My youngest is only 15 months. My 5yo is a little scared of rides, so I am thinking that we will only be going on ones the baby can come on too, but I haven't been to Disney in decades, so I don't remember it too well.

I am really hoping that we can stay at the Poly, but I'm not sure what will happen. I thought that might be worth it, since the kids are so small, and the trip is kinda short. Easier to the MK and back for pool time and naps.

Any other ideas for special things for a birthday there? I booked BBB, but I think I'm canceling it.. not sure she'd enjoy it so much. She's sensitive about her hair.

 

[Shanti]

Hi!
This is my first post here, and we are planning our first trip. My mom, my two girls and I are going to be in WDW 7/6-10, then at the beach with family for a week. I'm not sure where we are staying yet, but she will be booking on Monday. My older daughter will have her birthday (6th) on the trip, and I've already booked a lunch CRT for that, but nothing else. My youngest is only 15 months. My 5yo is a little scared of rides, so I am thinking that we will only be going on ones the baby can come on too, but I haven't been to Disney in decades, so I don't remember it too well.

I am really hoping that we can stay at the Poly, but I'm not sure what will happen. I thought that might be worth it, since the kids are so small, and the trip is kinda short. Easier to the MK and back for pool time and naps.

Any other ideas for special things for a birthday there? I booked BBB, but I think I'm canceling it.. not sure she'd enjoy it so much. She's sensitive about her hair.

Be sure to get your 3 FastPasses per park right after booking, as your window for booking will be open at that time and slots book quickly. You'll want one for meeting Anna and Elsa, if that's still available at MK in July (those two princesses aren't at CRT). You'll also want them for Peter Pan and Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Try to reserve a meal at Be Our Guest(lunch will likely be easiest availability, if there is any availability).

For Epcot, your top FastPass priority will be for Frozen Ever After, which doesn't have FP availability yet as it opens this summer, but probably will by July. You'll have to keep checking to see if it's available but that will be worth it to get a FP, as the standby line will likely be impossible. Epcot character spot, where you can get photos with characters, is probably your next priority. Soarin' is great for the kids, but I don't think you can bring the baby on.

At HS, your FastPass priority is Toy Story Midway Mania. Not much else for you to do at HS, so you might want to skip this park this trip.

In AK, your top FP priority is Kilimanjaro Safaris, followed by either the Lion King or Finding Nemo musical, followed by FP for photos with characters.

 

[preemiemama]

Be sure to get your 3 FastPasses per park right after booking, as your window for booking will be open at that time and slots book quickly. You'll want one for meeting Anna and Elsa, if that's still available at MK in July (those two princesses aren't at CRT). You'll also want them for Peter Pan and Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Try to reserve a meal at Be Our Guest(lunch will likely be easiest availability, if there is any availability).

For Epcot, your top FastPass priority will be for Frozen Ever After, which doesn't have FP availability yet as it opens this summer, but probably will by July. You'll have to keep checking to see if it's available but that will be worth it to get a FP, as the standby line will likely be impossible. Epcot character spot, where you can get photos with characters, is probably your next priority. Soarin' is great for the kids, but I don't think you can bring the baby on.

At HS, your FastPass priority is Toy Story Midway Mania. Not much else for you to do at HS, so you might want to skip this park this trip.

In AK, your top FP priority is Kilimanjaro Safaris, followed by either the Lion King or Finding Nemo musical, followed by FP for photos with characters.

I agree with most of this, but HS does have some things that could interest you. There are the Disney Jr. Characters- you can meet them in the courtyard near Star Wars Launch Bay, or at breakfast or lunch in the Hollywood and Vine restaurant. I believe it is Doc McStuffins, Princess Sofia, and Jake (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates). I am not sure who the 4th character is right now... You can also meet Buzz Lightyear and Woody, Mickey, Minnie, and Olaf. I believe there are a few others (Daisy, Chip, and Dale maybe?) that are also meeting around the Great Movie Ride periodically throughout the day? Muppets 3D would also be cute for the kids. If the 5 year old likes Star Wars at all she can also do Jedi Training, but you have to sign up right as you enter the park- the spots for it tend to go quickly. I think Voyage of the Little Mermaid is also still running, and that might interest her as well. I'm not sure it is a full-day park for your family, but there are some things that might interest your daughter!

I would also look into character meets at MK- Mickey and Tinkerbell are at Town Hall. Merida is by the castle (and does not have a FP+), Stitch meets in the front of the park, Daisy/Minnie and Goofy/Donald meet near Dumbo and Barnstormer, Peter Pan is sometimes by his ride, Woody and Jessie from Toy Story are out by Splash Mt... There should be times listed on MDE.

Some character meals are MK- Crystal Palace has Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore; Epcot- Garden Grill has Chip, Dale, Mickey, Pluto and Akershus in Norway has the princesses (though you have that covered with CRT); HS has Disney Jr. as I mentioned above; AK has Donald, Daisy, Mickey and Goofy at Tusker House. You could also consider Ohana for breakfast at the Poly- Stitch, Lilo, Mickey, and Pluto are the characters there. All ears.net has menus for all the restaurants available if you want to see if it will appeal to you and your family.

 

[PirateD]

Hi!
This is my first post here, and we are planning our first trip. My mom, my two girls and I are going to be in WDW 7/6-10, then at the beach with family for a week. I'm not sure where we are staying yet, but she will be booking on Monday. My older daughter will have her birthday (6th) on the trip, and I've already booked a lunch CRT for that, but nothing else. My youngest is only 15 months. My 5yo is a little scared of rides, so I am thinking that we will only be going on ones the baby can come on too, but I haven't been to Disney in decades, so I don't remember it too well.

I am really hoping that we can stay at the Poly, but I'm not sure what will happen. I thought that might be worth it, since the kids are so small, and the trip is kinda short. Easier to the MK and back for pool time and naps.

Any other ideas for special things for a birthday there? I booked BBB, but I think I'm canceling it.. not sure she'd enjoy it so much. She's sensitive about her hair.

You have gotten lots of great advice already. My nieces were very afraid of rides when they were little. It was tricky touring with them for awhile. I can share some that they really liked though and had a low fear factor for them. Of course, every child is different so there are no guarantees.

In the MK, they really loved Dumbo, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The WDW Railroad, Peter Pan, Magic Carpets, Jungle Cruise (although that one scared my sister when she was little with the one section that goes into the dark and some of the scenes), Tom Sawyer Island (raft ride over and then more of a place to explore), Regal Carrousel, it's a small world, Buzz Lightyear, Liberty Square Riverboat, and walking through the Swiss Family Treehouse. Even though the Peoplemover is a mild ride, it does have a section where it goes through the dark into the Space Mountain building. My then two year old niece said we "scarred her for life" on that one which we now have proof is not true as she will ride anything at age 11. She was even afraid of The Country Bears, lol. The moving moose head on the wall freaked her out. She was ok in Philharmagic as long as we shielded her from the tiny spray of water that comes out of the seats in one scene. I think that she would have been ok with the new Ariel ride. Enchanted Tales with Belle may be an option, however, I have yet to do it so I'm not sure what it is like other than seeing some video clips which make it appear to be pretty safe.

At EPCOT, they loved Nemo, Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land, Turtle Talk with Crush, walking through all of the aquariums at the Living Seas, the Gran Fiesta Tour boat ride, and all of the Kidcot Fun Stops around the country.

At AK, we had success with Triceratop Spin and Kilimanjaro Safari. They really loved taking the train to Rafikis Planet Watch. There are lots of things to do and see out there including the Affection Section petting zoo. They also really enjoyed seeing all of the animals on the trails. Even though there is not as many rides, it has always been one of our favorite parks.

For us, HS is our least favorite park and we did not find a lot to do there especially with young kids. They did like Toy Story Midway Mania and Muppet 3D Vision. We survived the Great Movie ride by sitting more to the back and diverting their attention from anything scary and we found some shows that they liked.

 

[Shanti]

.

 

[Shanti]

Hi!
This is my first post here, and we are planning our first trip. My mom, my two girls and I are going to be in WDW 7/6-10, then at the beach with family for a week. I'm not sure where we are staying yet, but she will be booking on Monday. My older daughter will have her birthday (6th) on the trip, and I've already booked a lunch CRT for that, but nothing else. My youngest is only 15 months. My 5yo is a little scared of rides, so I am thinking that we will only be going on ones the baby can come on too, but I haven't been to Disney in decades, so I don't remember it too well.

I am really hoping that we can stay at the Poly, but I'm not sure what will happen. I thought that might be worth it, since the kids are so small, and the trip is kinda short. Easier to the MK and back for pool time and naps.

Any other ideas for special things for a birthday there? I booked BBB, but I think I'm canceling it.. not sure she'd enjoy it so much. She's sensitive about her hair.

I forgot to add that you should go to Enchanted Tales with Belle at the Magic Kingdom. If there is no Anna and Elsa meeting available, make that your 3rd FastPass option. It's great for young kids.

 

[karalecia26]

Today was fast pass day! I got everything I wanted, except for the new Frozen Attractions in Epcot because they aren't available yet. Will do some tweaking of a few to make the best plan, but it is getting real now!

 

[lauralarissa]

Made my fast passes this morning. Everything was available we wanted but Animal Kingdom night time and Frozen at Epcot. Just waiting on those to open up. 60 days to go!!!! Can't wait!!!

 

[karalecia26]

Made my fast passes this morning. Everything was available we wanted but Animal Kingdom night time and Frozen at Epcot. Just waiting on those to open up. 60 days to go!!!! Can't wait!!!

Waiting on those same things! I made our FP on Monday so you aren't too far behind us!

 

[disneyygirrl]

I did my FP+ selections and got everything I was hoping for! I'm looking forward to an awesome trip! Happy planning, all!

 

[lauralarissa]

Waiting on those same things! I made our FP on Monday so you aren't too far behind us!

I am also waiting on the updated hours. This is our 3rd July visit and I believe the updated hours were posted by now.
We are taking our niece for her 1st visit. I'm pretty excited about that! It's getting real close and starting to do my Happy Dance!!!

 

[preemiemama]

Just made my FP+. Got pretty much what I wanted. Hoping LWTL returns to tier 2 once Frozen opens in Norway... Was glad to see Soarin open!

 

[akfan513]

One thing about the DIS boards - there is a ton of amazing information but it is spread out over different threads so it can be easy to miss stuff (even if that "stuff" is just rumor.).

Two things I recently read that related to this thread were that the hours for the est of July (post July 3rd) at AK may not be posted until mid June. I also read in a JTA thread that they may not be letting folks in as early to sign up for Jedi Training sign up, but are now letting folks with morning ADRs in first. After reading this, I was able to pick up a morning H & V reservation! As with everything Disney, these things could change or could be opinions, but they were of interest to me.

Anyone else pick up an interesting "nugget" of information on any other thread recently that applied to their July trip?

 

[akfan513]

akfan, maybe you can help answer my question. I just saw on another thread where disney had sent someone an email saying EMH had been changed. This is something that just happened for a trip in June.

So do you think they would ever add EMH for a Saturday in July? I just made reservations for CRT for that morning so that we could get a couple of pics of the castle without a million people around. I don't want to spend that kind of money if we can get in an hour early without the Res. I want to have that experience but I will try to switch the day it is on.

Does that make sense?

I'm assuming they make the EMH based around low attendance days. I can't imagine a Sat. ever being a low attendance day.
Would love some thoughts. Thanks.

Sorry I missed this question earlier! I'm not sure if there will be EMH hours on that day. What there might be is "Early Morning Magic". The July calendar hasn't been released, but for June I think it was on Saturdays. Now, you aren't going to save money with this option because you have to pay, but it presents a different option for you. With this, you get breakfast included plus you get to go on the rides in Fantasyland with ultimately no lines. This includes Peter Pan, Mine Teain, and Pooh. You also would have really low crowds to get a pic at the palace. People have reported riding those rides multiple times in a row with now lines. Either way you'd have to pay,, but you could decide what you preferred...princesses or rides....

I hope that helps a little!

 

[preemiemama]

One thing about the DIS boards - there is a ton of amazing information but it is spread out over different threads so it can be easy to miss stuff (even if that "stuff" is just rumor.).

Two things I recently read that related to this thread were that the hours for the est of July (post July 3rd) at AK may not be posted until mid June. I also read in a JTA thread that they may not be letting folks in as early to sign up for Jedi Training sign up, but are now letting folks with morning ADRs in first. After reading this, I was able to pick up a morning H & V reservation! As with everything Disney, these things could change or could be opinions, but they were of interest to me.

Anyone else pick up an interesting "nugget" of information on any other thread recently that applied to their July trip?

The new Star Wars fireworks/projection show should be open the first week in June, so that should be the one we see in July. (This also means no more closing TSMM for the fireworks since there will be a new launch site that is not close enough to necessitate closing attractions!)

 

[Sunnyside]

Thank you all so much for your help! I forgot I posted and just posted again, but edited it LOL.