June vs. July vs. August: weather and crowds

[goofyintoronto]

The 2nd last and last week in August is much quieter (esp the last week of Aug)...yes its brutally hot, but the crowds are much better than June-July. We go every year at the end of August and really like it.

 

[goofyintoronto]

While I would enjoy the lower crowds of later August, I'm worried that the heat/humidity will be worse.

The heat isnt any worse at the end of August than in June/July to be honest.

 

[PatsGirl]

When and if we go in August, we go the week ending Labor Day, or this past year it would have been the first week of September. It is hot and humid but because the crowds are so low, you don't sit in hot lines waiting for rides and parades. You can find a shaded space to sit and relax when you need to. The restaurants are generally easy to get into and because there aren't long lines waiting for tables we always felt more relaxed about taking our time. Is it my favorite time, no, but it works for us if necessary.

 

[ChimCher-ee]

We've been late June/early July, but not August, so I can't offer an opinion on that. We planned to minimize the impact of crowd levels, and I have enjoyed each trip. In fact, we're going again July 2016.

The biggest thing I learned, though -- and maybe you all have come to the same conclusion -- is to choose FPs around likely thunderstorm hours, say 4 to 6 or 7. I know t storms can pop up at any time, but I've been happy, or lucky, enough to not have rides shut down during my FP window. There's nothing more disappointing!

 

[North of Mouse]

Thinking (way) ahead, our next trip will either be summer 2017, either the end of June (likely the last week, spilling over into the first week of July), middle of July, or in August. In August it would likely be the second or third week.

Looking at historical crowd calendars, June looks to be the busiest (running about an 8/9), July seems to be a pretty consistent 7, and August seems to be a 7, dropping to a 6 after the middle of the month.

But what is the difference in weather between end of June,middle of July and say middle of August? Is there much difference in the heat/humidity/thunderstorms?

For those who've done those months, which would you choose?

We have been all those months, and what difference between crowds and weather is very little that you would notice. It's all hot, muggy, and likely stormy (with storms maybe less in June).

 

[Aurora0427]

While I would enjoy the lower crowds of later August, I'm worried that the heat/humidity will be worse.

It's much easier to manage the heat in low crowds vs. high crowds. I've been every week in August, and to get the benefit of lower crowds, you really have to go the last week in August. I'd personally avoid every other week in August. If the last week in August isn't an option, I'd choose June. Our climate is very similar to Orlando, and although June is hot, it doesn't seem quite as miserable as August. July at WDW is just plain crowded. June may be slightly better.

 

[North of Mouse]

Just bumping this back up as we were discussing our options again last night. I would like to try later in August due to crowds, but DH is worried about the heat. It was 92-95 every day we were there this June, not sure what the humidity ran. Is there normally more rain in June or August?

The dates we'd be going if August, our park days would be August 12-23

Probably the likelihood of more thunder storms as getting more into the prime hurricane season, but rain alone being the deciding factor, would not factor in that much more between the two months. To me, it's the extreme heat, humidity, and crowds that are the worse all summer. Also, I'm a deep south girl, and very little noticeable difference in June to August for the 'misery'!

 

[AL_Girl]

I can't compare the three but we went the last week of June and the first few days of July 2014 and honestly the heat or the crowds weren't nearly as bad as I had anticipated. We were there for Dance the World. I don't remember seeing any tour groups at all.
It is what you make of it. No matter what time of the year you go you can have a great time if you have a good plan but also plan to be flexible when you need to be!

 

[Madame]

We've been at the end of Aug for the last 2 years. 2014 was scorching & heat makes us irritable. We were less cranky in the Christmas and March crowds than we were in the heat.

2014 we went the week ending in the Labour Day week-end. 2015 we had to go the week before b/c there was a PD day scheduled the Thurs before Labour Day. There was a *very* noticable difference between these 2 weeks.

 

[kohlby]

The humidity is normally worse in August than June. I say normally because there will be days that are exceptions. Late June is hot as well though - so you need to be prepared to handle the heat either way. Lower crowds mean you can spend more time doing rides though and that gives a nice break from the heat.

We went the first week of Sept in 2014 and were dreading the heat. The heat index was over 100 most days. I thought it would be terrible, but we did just fine. I handled the heat much better than I thought I would. But, my husband and one of my kids struggled more with it, so it meant we did shorter days than normal. At the start of Sept, the crowds were super low so doing a little less time in the parks didn't effect what we got done at all. For the crowds in August, look up the area FL schools to see when they go back to school that year. When I looked it up in the past, they started around the same time as the SC schools. SC schools usually start the 3rd Monday of August. (They used to start earlier but then a state law was passed not to start before the 3rd Monday of August, so most schools start then). GA schools near me usually start 1-2 weeks before the SC schools. So - go as late as possible to increase the chance of the southeast kids being back in school.

As for rain, the normal summer pattern is to rain most days, but not rain for long. When we went in early Sept, we did have a day that it poured for the entire day so keep in mind that isn't out of the question too - just more unusual than the quicker pop-up showers.

 

[webcreatrix]

We usually alternate June and August, going as early as possible or as late as possible in the month to avoid crowds. There is a bit more rain in August, IMO, but temperature and humidity differences are negligible. I am always surprised at August feeling less crowded, though, so if you prefer less people, pick August!

 

[Aurora0427]

We've been at the end of Aug for the last 2 years. 2014 was scorching & heat makes us irritable. We were less cranky in the Christmas and March crowds than we were in the heat.

2014 we went the week ending in the Labour Day week-end. 2015 we had to go the week before b/c there was a PD day scheduled the Thurs before Labour Day. There was a *very* noticable difference between these 2 weeks.

I agree... We went December 2014. Highs were in the 50s, lows in the low 40s. It was amazing, and now we are so spoiled. We've done Disney pretty much every month of the year, and the weather that December was just incredible. It'll be difficult to go back in the summer....

It was also nice not having to shower and change clothes twice a day!

 

[redsbe]

Just bumping this back up as we were discussing our options again last night. I would like to try later in August due to crowds, but DH is worried about the heat. It was 92-95 every day we were there this June, not sure what the humidity ran. Is there normally more rain in June or August?

The dates we'd be going if August, our park days would be August 12-23

In 2009 we went in mid August, just before daughter started school. Use RP at opening and plan to get as much done before noon and crowds and heat started to become an issue. Retreated to resort and then back to parks in evening. While in park get out of heat as much as possible, anyways look for shade (while eating or at parades) and do not spend hours in line in the heat! It is possible and managable but takes some planning and sticking to a schedule and tools to avoid the worst of prolonged exposure in heat.

 

[cocoachip]

Have been at WDW during mid - June, mid - July, and early and late August. The heat and humidity seemed about the same. Later in August is my first choice due to relatively lower crowds and lower moderate resort prices.

 

[TXDisneyFan1]

I read an interesting prediction on easywdw in the July 2016 crowd calendar post. Josh predicts that there will be fewer South American tour groups this coming summer. He explains why...mostly due to their collapsing economies. He thinks July won't be as bad as in years past.

I have been in June and July and it really comes down to planning and expectations. We had a fantastic time this past July amidst the crowds and heat, so much so, that we are going back for more in July 2016.

 

[andreajanowiak]

We did a trip from June 27th to July 4th in 2014, and split it between Disney and Universal. The weather was normal Florida summer weather- super hot, humid, and thunderstorms every afternoon. But what else is there to expect? On the other hand, we didn't think the crowds were that bad. We're usually first week of Novemeber visitors, but that year we changed it. Yes, there was more people than there would be in November, but it was totally bearable if you had fast passes. (This was also before you could make more after you used your first three)