Just got back July 1 - July 5

[rk9295]

My honest opinion: Going in the summer is waste of time and money.

First the good:

We took your advice and avoided EMH. When we got there in the morning, most rides were walk-ons. Crowds on Friday and Saturday didn't pick up till about 12noon - 1pm. Restaurants on fri + sat were walk-ins. We went to MGM on friday and magic kingdom on sat.

Most cast members were nice, but they obviously are phoning it in, meaning it's their job to fake smile and act nice. But only 2 or 3 really went above and beyond the call of duty. Those 2 or 3 really enjoyed their job. Those people made me feel the magic. The best waiter I ever had was the guy named Walt that works in The Brown Derby.

Now the bad:

Sunday at seaworld and Monday at epcot were unbearable. we waited 3 hours for the fireworks at epcot because thats what everone else was doing. Most people would walk by commenting on how stupid we were for waiting for 3 hours as I was slowly dying from heat exhaustion. But, as expected the fireworks were magnificent. The best I had ever seen.

It's was very hot and very crowded, most of the first two days and all of the last two days. There were some rude cast members and guests.

Everything costs too much (each restaurant meal costs between 50 and 70 dollars). People have no problem pushing, shoving, bumping, and cutting past you. And then they looked at me like I did something wrong.

Also, people need to learn how to control their kids. As I was waiting in line for various things (food and photos), kids would simply plow right past me, and parents would say nothing. You would be waiting in line for a photo and out of nowhere parents shove their kids past you. Perhaps I want a photo as well? Also being repeatedly kicked in the back during a parade was wearing me down.

The Swan resort was not worth the money and offered nothing to make it special. I'd rather stay at the All-Stars from now on, as well as go in the off season from now on, if I do return.

And the comments:
It may not sound like it, but I did have fun When is was good, it was pretty good. And when it was bad, it was aggrivating and exhausting. And at times you want to just punch someone out.

We took afternoon naps to rest and keep our sanity. It was the wisest strategy and I recommend it. I did expect it to be hot and crowded, however, once you are there, hot and crowded takes on a whole new meaning.

It was overwhelming. And I would go again. LOL.

But this time maybe in January.

 

[Purrrrfecta]

Thanks for your report!
Heat and rude people does not equal fun

I would love to experience Disney in the off season, Unfortunately, I am a school teacher, and that would be difficult. Glad you have the oportunity to do so.

 

[3lilprincesses]

if you do try january, i'm sure you'd love it. it is less expensive, wayyyyy less crowded, and not hot at all.

hope you did find some happy memories on this trip.

 

[imsorry]

If at all possible, try going in early May or any time in October. The weather is much better and the crowds are more tolerable. Glad you managed to have a good time anyway

 

[jennymouse]

Yes, it's a whole different experience in the off season. The past two years I've done the last days of January into the first week of February and it's so nice for touring. A little cool for swimming although some do swim. No crowds at all, just enough folks around for it to still be festive. Definately my favorite time of year to go.

I also went June 2003 & 2004 and after June 2004 I said I was done with summers in Florida. Even standing waiting for the parks to open sweat was pouring off us and we were hot & miserable before we even got started. I'd rather do spring breaks. It's crowded then too, but at least it's not hot & crowded at the same time.

Oh, and late October is great too!

 

[Alicnwondrln]

thanks for the report
a buch of us at the recent meet were talking about how people are just so rude doesnt seem to be getting better

 

[CPer'sMom]

Most cast members were nice, but they obviously are phoning it in, meaning it's their job to fake smile and act nice. But only 2 or 3 really went above and beyond the call of duty. Those 2 or 3 really enjoyed their job. Those people made me feel the magic.

It's was very hot and very crowded, most of the first two days and all of the last two days. There were some rude cast members People have no problem pushing, shoving, bumping, and cutting past you. And when it was bad, it was aggrivating and exhausting. And at times you want to just punch someone out

My daughter is a college program CM right now; she's been at WDW working in Epcot since January. I've been down to visit her quite a few times and met many of her CM friends, both CPs and 'regulars'.
The CPs absolutely LOVED their 'jobs' (in quotes because many times they would remark that it was just so much fun they didn't feel as if it was a job) up until the end of May/beginning of June. They didn't "fake smile and act nice" ~~ they truly enjoyed what they were doing and loved talking to all the guests throughout the day. I know many times they brought a bit of 'magic' to someone's day -
Then came the start of summer season along with the hot, humid weather-the huge crowds-and the many grumpy, nasty 'guests' they have to deal with every day. The kids knew it would be different in the summer months, but they had no idea just how bad some days would be. To top it all off, right now there aren't enough CMs (lack of Disney planning maybe?) so many are required to work 6 days a week.
My daughter is a captain on the Friendship boats in the gateway between Epcot and MGM and on the lagoon in Epcot ~ they also work in World Showcase during and after Illuminations. I'm really sad that she didn't leave WDW at the end of May when she still had wonderful memories of her time at Disney.
Over the past month she has had to deal with 'guests' yelling at CMs, usually mad about something that is totally out of the CM's control. She also deals with many guests who've had too much to drink; then the yelling usually involves language that isn't very "Disney". The 4th of July was especially bad.

So, please don't judge these CMs too harshly. When pushed too far, yes I'm sure some of them do react in a way that you may see as 'being rude'.
What they're probably trying to do is bite their tongue so hard they are having trouble with their "Disney smile".

 

[arubalisa]

My honest opinion: Going in the summer is waste of time and money.

We just returned also, July 1 - 6 and definitely agree with your words of wisdom. We went knowing it would be hot and crowded. DH is a school teacher and it is difficult for us to get there any other time of the year.

If you cannot do it before 1 pm forget about it. With our 9 yo, even with a nap, it was just not possible to do early mornings AND then late evenings too.

 

[ChrisLei]

Sorry to hear that you had a not so eventful time at the World. Personally I avoid Disney like the plague over the summer months. It is way too crowded and extremely hot and humid to be standing on long lines. Glad you said you did havesome fun though

 

[Minniespal]

Thanx for posting.

 

[Gramgwen]

Just got back (July 2 - 6) and totally agree about the heat and crowds. I went into this knowing (having lived in Florida) about the heat, but it was unbearable, especially with a 5 and 3 1/2 year old. We made it to 2:00 or 3:00 each day and went back to the resort (POR) to swim and nap. That strategy worked, but I felt we missed so much. The absolutely best part of the theme park visits was the extra hours we took advantage of for the Animal Kingdom on July 5th. From 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM we just walked up to the attractions and got on. That is a plan everyone must take advantage of. We almost forgot about it until a very nice bus driver included that information on the way back to our resort the night before. We are planning our next trip for November 2006!

Just a note: On July 4th it took us 2 hours to get to the Polynesian for our 8:00 reservation at Ohana. Buses kept passing us because they were too full. We had to go from POR to Epcot monorail, to MK, to resort monorail (that was stopped 3 times for trouble up ahead) to get there. We were 15 minutes late and still had to wait. Had to take the same route back. A very long night.

 

[klofan]

Yeah, your right about the people. They have no problems bumping or anything!

 

[arubalisa]

for NovemberJust a note: On July 4th it took us 2 hours to get to the Polynesian for our 8:00 reservation at Ohana. Buses kept passing us because they were too full. We had to go from POR to Epcot monorail, to MK, to resort monorail (that was stopped 3 times for trouble up ahead) to get there. We were 15 minutes late and still had to wait. Had to take the same route back. A very long night.

We had a some what better experience the evening of the 4th. To get to the Steakhouse at the Contemporary, we were going to take the boat from the WL. Couldn't get on the boat 'cause it was full. FIL said we would just take a taxi. Hoofed it back up to the lobby and went out front and asked a bell hop to call a taxi for us. This man was kind enough to drive us to the Contemporary in an SUV which was parked right there. The license plate was from the WL. When we arrived, which took just minutes, for payment he just asked for what we felt comfortable giving. Don't know if it was "kosher" for him to do, but above and beyond what we thought someone would do

 

[rubberband1293]

While waiting for the nightly parade (90 minutes before the start of the parade) I bought my family of four hotdogs, french fries and cokes - to the tune of $35.00! The heat rising up from the pavement and concrete was almost unbearable, the rude people pushing and shoving was almost intolerable, but once the parade started - Disney magic was in the air. I forgot about the "meal" that would have cost me no more than $8.00 at my son's little league game and left the rude, ignorant people behind and enjoyed the fantastic parade and fireworks! My kids did too. I met my share of rude, inconsiderant, ignorant people - but I see the same at the local mall on major sale days ---but they did not ruin the magic for my family. I would not let them! What I thought would absolutely be the WORST possible week to visit WDW turned out to be the ABSOLUTE BEST because we planned ahead, make PS reserverations well in advance, heeded the advice of experienced WDW guests and CM's and used common sense to schedule our days during the week of July 4th. One thing is certain, if you plan to be miserable - you will be. If you plan to have a bad vacation, you will. If you MAKE it the best vacation ever - it WILL BE.

 

[DisCapeCoddr]

I agree with rubberband! We just returned from our July 3-9 trip and had a magical experience. The key was planning...planning...planning. Getting to parks at openings, having Ps's and taking breaks to swim every afternoon made for a wonderful trip. We did not find many rude people at all and many CM's went out of their way to make our stay magical!

 

[mickeymom629]

We just got back, too. We had a great 12 nights in Disney, but the heat was overwhelming! Yes, I'd rather be in WDW than home, no matter what the weather, but the heat really makes it harder to enjoy. We were there in March and had beautiful weather, and my family agrees that they are not in a hurry to go back in the summer again. I just was very thankful that in all those days, we only had one day of total rain, and a couple of others with isolated showers. There wasn't one evening that we didn't get to see the "fireworks". We were in Epcot for the 4th, too, and my family thought they were SPECTACULAR! It was also a bonus that we could see MGM's from where we were standing!

 

[airhead]

PLANNING PLANNING PLANNING!!!

Personally,I LOVE going during the Summer! Especially the 4th!! We'll be there again for the next 4th!!
Really,you have to plan on getting up and into the parks early,back to your hotel to swim in the afternoon and A P.S for dinner and then back to the parks!!!
Also,Discovery Cove will be our destination again for next July 4th. They only allow 1000 people in that park.
Sorry to hear your trip wasn't a great one. Maybe you'd like WDW better off season.

 

[joannelee217]

Just got back (July 2 - 6) and totally agree about the heat and crowds. I went into this knowing (having lived in Florida) about the heat, but it was unbearable, especially with a 5 and 3 1/2 year old. We made it to 2:00 or 3:00 each day and went back to the resort (POR) to swim and nap. That strategy worked, but I felt we missed so much. The absolutely best part of the theme park visits was the extra hours we took advantage of for the Animal Kingdom on July 5th. From 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM we just walked up to the attractions and got on. That is a plan everyone must take advantage of. We almost forgot about it until a very nice bus driver included that information on the way back to our resort the night before. We are planning our next trip for November 2006!

Just a note: On July 4th it took us 2 hours to get to the Polynesian for our 8:00 reservation at Ohana. Buses kept passing us because they were too full. We had to go from POR to Epcot monorail, to MK, to resort monorail (that was stopped 3 times for trouble up ahead) to get there. We were 15 minutes late and still had to wait. Had to take the same route back. A very long night.

We must have passed one another we werethere too.
did you enjoy the food....
We had monorail trouble too.....

the place was pretty the kids had fun

 

[llij]

Our neighbors just returned from Disney and said the same things that the OP said.....rude rude people and very very hot. They won't be returning anytime soon which is too bad.

We go in 13 days and I am a little nervous b/c I am not used to summer down in Disney. I'm also preggo too which should make for an interesting trip!

Thanks for the heads up!!!!