June or July...am I crazy?

[got15]

So...thinking about not taking kids out of school during the year and going during the summer. (EEEK!!!) Our summer options are WIDE open between mid June to mid July. How crazy crowded is it? Will I actually be able to do anything? What weeks are the best (if any)... and what tips or pros/cons should I know. As an ex- Floridian I know about the humidity and heat.. the rest of my family... not as resilient.

 

[Shanti]

So...thinking about not taking kids out of school during the year and going during the summer. (EEEK!!!) Our summer options are WIDE open between mid June to mid July. How crazy crowded is it? Will I actually be able to do anything? What weeks are the best (if any)... and what tips or pros/cons should I know. As an ex- Floridian I know about the humidity and heat.. the rest of my family... not as resilient.

Summer is less crowded than it used to be, actually, now that so many families take kids out of school for visits in the fall. You will be able to do plenty, plus you'll really enjoy the resort pools. Set a day aside for at least one of Disney's awesome water parks, too. I recommend mid-July for the lowest crowds & rates of the period you mentioned.

A few summer touring tips:

• Utilize EMH whenever possible: in addition to lower crowds during EMH, the summer weather is at its nicest in early morning and late evening.
• Schedule FP+ for outdoor rides for before noon. That gives you the least chance of an afternoon rain interfering with the ride. (It hardly ever rains in the morning in summer.)
• Wear water-friendly shoes; avoid wearing denim, which shrinks & clings when wet & dries slowly; overall pack light for the parks. Carry only what is absolutely needed. Buy water there instead of carrying a bottle for everyone: water is heavy.
• Wear a good hat with a wide brim, or carry a mini-UV umbrella, to provide some shade from the sun.
• Schedule at least one table service meal per day for the afternoon or early evening, to have a scheduled time to get out of the heat and/or rain.
• Avoid staying at value resorts in July, as it is a popular month for touring groups & they tend to stay at values.

Summer at Disney has an especially carefree feel. It just feels like the right time of year to be at a theme park. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

So...thinking about not taking kids out of school during the year and going during the summer. (EEEK!!!) Our summer options are WIDE open between mid June to mid July. How crazy crowded is it? Will I actually be able to do anything? What weeks are the best (if any)... and what tips or pros/cons should I know. As an ex- Floridian I know about the humidity and heat.. the rest of my family... not as resilient.

Things change with WDW crowds over time, but looking back over my trips so far this year..... I'd take my July trip (week of July 4th) over all of them, except maybe what we just experienced over Labor Day weekend. I love June/July... it's not as crowded as people think and resorts are generally cheaper with more plentiful discounts.

If I compare our Spring Break week (first week of April) to July 4th week this year... there's really no comparison. April was expensive and crowded. July was a breeze, relatively speaking, and materially cheaper.

I could see us going sometime late June/early July every year. April/Spring Break, not so much.

 

[DisMommyTX]

We travel July-ish every year. It seems like June is usually less crowded, then the mobs really increase the week after July 4th. It will be crazy hot. Like insane, melting, feel like I opened the oven and can hardly breathe hot. We love it! Standard advice is good--rope drop, afternoon pool break, back to enjoy the evenings as crowds die down. But, we take the opposite approach. We sleep in, and enjoy the pools before heading in to the parks. We usually arrive mid afternoon and shut the parks down every night. I hope they go back to the later hours next year because 10pm-midnight is the best in any park!

 

[kathy884]

For me it wouldn't be the crowds that would be so bad, but it would be the heat and humidity. Let's just say that I went down once in the summer and only did one park day. After that I switched to water parks and did a beach day too. // Each to his own, but if I travel in the summer now, I like to go the mountains where it's cooler, not the tropics.

Many aren't bothered by the heat and humidity like I am, though.

 

[got15]

Thank you guys so much for your thoughtful responses!