Leave Friday-Any last minute tips to help with our first "summer" trip?

[MelanieC]

We usually go late Nov / early Dec. The crowds are usually light after Thanksgiving, its cool and it rarely rains.

So here we are with our first trip in the summer. I know its going to be hot and we have been twice in September (I also grew up in Vegas) so we are prepared for the heat. We plan on taking our afternoons easy. We eat mostly two sit downs per day (lunch and dinner) Between lunch and doing some of the longer indoor rides in the afternoon during the heat. We are traveling for two weeks. Me, DH, DD13 & DS7.

We are doing no EMH's unless we do AK in the morning prior to going to MK on our last day. We do not park hop (except the last full day). DH likes to stay in one spot and despises jumping around.

Any advice on how to beat the crowds, reduce wait times etc? Would love to hear any tips or advice we may have missed to help us have an even more fabulous time. Thanks in advance.

Here is my schedule:

7/16 Saturday- MK?? Arrival Day - This day is up in the air. It depends on what time we get there.

7/17 Sun-EPCOT - Lunch-San Angel Inn & Dinner - Biergarten

7/18 Mon-MGM- Dinner Mama Melrose - Going to 10:30pm Fantasmic-Only other plan is to get FP for 1pm Stunt show.

7/19 Tue-MK - Dinner - Chef Mickey's

7/20 Wed-AK - Dinner Boma

7/21 Thu - MK Lunch LTT Dinner Plaza Rest

7/22 Fri - Lunch Prime Time - Dinner Sci Fi

7/23 Sat - Beach day Dinner - Boma (MY pick for my Birthday!!)

7/24 Sun- EPCOT- Lunch Le Cellier Dinner Rose & Crown

7/25 Mon- Busch Gardens

7/26 Tue - MK Lunch LTT Dinner Ohana's

7/27 Wed - AK Dinner Whispering Canyon Cafe

7/28 Thu - MGM - Lunch Sci Fi Dinner Mama Melrose - Flat bread pizza's

7/29 Fri - EPCOT - Lunch Teppanyaki - Dinner Biergarten

7/30 Sat - AK EMH / MK - eat where ever for meals.

 

[monorailsilver]

My only advice is to take a mid-day break when the sun is extremely hot. Some people don't like to do that but it does refresh me & make me less of a crab when I can cool off & take another shower.

I will see you at Chef Mickey's on Tuesday, maybe? I have a reservation for 5pm for dinner-lets hope my plane gets in on time.

 

[matt&jakesmom]

Use Fastpasses wherever possible. If you are going to do Soarin in Epcot do it for thing for get a fastpass. The lines can run to up to a 2 to a 3 hour wait and the fastpasses can be gone by lunch time.

Drink lots of water, use sunscreen. Have a great time.

We were in WDW 2 weeks ago and I swear it took me a week to recover. We had such a great time and are already talking about another trip next year.

P.S. At Whispering Canyon don't forget to ask for the ketchup!

 

[Eljay]

Don't forget your plastic ponchos! It rains just about every afternoon in the summer. You can get them at the dollar store. They are reusable, just hang them up overnight to dry. Carry a sandwich size zip lock bag to keep them flat in your pocket or bag.

The frozen slushies sold in the parks save me from overheating. The least expensive place in Epcot to buy one is at the "Car Wash" near the exit to Test Track.

I swear by the cool-down bandanas. You can find them in the Sporting Goods/Camping Dept. at WalMart. They are strips of cloth that you soak in cool water for a few minutes. They magically swell up to be a gell filled roll to place around your neck. They really keep the body temp down! They last for days and are reusable.

Have a safe, fun trip!

 

[ShuisFan584]

I don't know how early your family likes to wake up, but try to be at the parks as soon as they open. Most people don't like waking up early, so you can usually get some of the major rides done in the first hour or two, before crowds start picking up. And make sure to use fastpass as much as possible, and use your wait time to go to attractions that hardly ever have a wait, like POTC, it's a small world and TTC.

I also don't know if you plan on seeing parades and such, but the best time to go on rides is during parades, especially Spectromagic. We always go in August when it's really crowded, and we can literally walk on Splash Mountain over and over again when Spectromagic is running.

Sometimes it's good to go back to your resort and take a break if it's really hot, but if you don't plan on doing that, it's good to have lunch or dinner at a different time as everyone else. Most people eat lunch probably somewhere around 12 pm - 1 pm. So if you eat around 3 pm instead, the restaurant won't be as crowded, plus some of the rides won't be as bad during the time everyone else is eating.

Make sure you definitely bring water with you, because you really need it to keep everyone hydrated. It's also nice to have one of those little fans, with or without the part that sprays water.

Anyways, I hope you all have fun!

 

[Renysmom]

Melanie -


Are you driving? If so see my thread *Warning to those driving thru DC this weekend".. Other than that I hope you have a wonderful vacation.. Mine is getting closer and closer!!

 

[kkozma]

We will here during some of your trip...We may see you at O'Hana's. Thats my sons birthday 7/26 and we will be there at 8pm.
Enjoy ...

 

[WDWLVR]

We just came back from our first summer trip a couple of weeks ago. Plan some down time in the afternoons. We would go back to the room and usually missed the afternoon storms. We'd relax and be ready to go back to the parks in the evening.


Have fun!

 

[webmomom]

Wear a hat. The sun really can get to you.

 

[goofy4tink]

We were there 2 weeks ago also!!! My advice would be...
1. Wear a hat...all the time. Try to get one that covers your ears and your lower neck with a wide brim.

2. Those cooling bandana's do work. We have several.

3. Get to the parks as early as you can. Grab a quick bite on your way to the park.

4. PS for lunch. Get cooled off. And re-energize with some good food, rather than snacks.

5. Go back to your resort and take a swim and a rest. I know you said your dh doesn't like to do that but it will make a huge difference. Just changing your shoes mid-day is a footsaver.

6. Lots of water...even if you aren't thirsty. We don't carry water with us. We have gotten used to the Florida water and grab a sip or two from the fountains/bubblers whenever we pass one. At least once an hour.

7. Sunscreen and lots of it.

8. PS for dinner early evening. It gets more decent food into you and helps you cool down from the hot parks.

9. Make use of those 'misting stations' in the parks.

10. Find a nice quiet attraction in each park. Our favorites are...
MK...PeopleMover..TTA, CoP, Hall of Pres., Liberty Belle
MGM...StarTours, Little Mermaid, for a quick nap..Sounds Dangerous
Epcot...Universe of Energy, Spaceship Earth
AK..Tough to be a Bug...this is just one hot park..no really good places to cool off.

11. Remember...WDW isn't going anywhere. It will be there for another visit. Do not try to do it all, see it all. You are setting yourself up to be made very cranky. Have a plan before you set out each day..however, don't be set in concrete regarding said plan. Be able to make changes on the fly.


Go and have fun...stay cool!!!

 

[MelanieC]

Thanks everyone-

Yep we are driving down. Do you think the I-95 northbound problems will affect us? We'll be going Southbound. We better push hard to get well into VA before 8pm.


Great advice everyone. I told DH we should go back to the hotel in the afternoon and he didn't like the idea. We never have even when the kids were little (they always napped in the stroller). Luckily most days we have sit down lunches so that should help keep us out of the heat and if we eat slowly and drink tons it should cool us off. I don't plan on having this be a trip where we MUST see everything. I'm planning on trying to stop and smell the roses and really enjoy everything.

 

[disgal1]

we always vacation in July with the family , and have done so there since they were born 20 years ago.
agree with just about everything posted above
most important
hat
sunscreen
take a break in the afternoon, if your DH doesn't want to leave, go to lunch, then carousel of progress, TTA, country bear, or any other long show.

Get to the parks when they open...this is crucial!!
get to a 8:00 character breakfast at crystal palace, this is one of the best tips I got from disboards.!on a non emh morning.
Avoid the Parks with EMH evening, if you go to an emh morning, you will have to leave by dinner, it is just a mob scene.

I didn't look closely at your schedule, but go to the parks that had an emh evening the night before, much less crowded

FASTPASS!!!! we didn't need them at all in the am at MK, due to using above plans, but sure needed them after lunch. we also used them up to an hour after expired with no problem.

WATER
Have a blast!! Expect heat, humidity and rain, although we were there 9 days and never got rained on. never unpacked the ponchos, but carried them anyway.stuck them in a locker with change of shoes.

 

[Renysmom]

Melanie -

I think what will happen, as it typical around here is that while the southbound lanes won't close, traffic will become very slow due to all the people who just have to see what is going on..That plus regular DC rush hour will make it a bit crazy,

Make sure as soon as you can get on a 95 South HOV2 lane, this will really speed up your drive time if you enter the DC area after 3:00 p.m.

Drive safe

 

[Kimberly815]

My tip: Have fun! Your on vacation after all!! Good luck!

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

Hi Melanie, I hope you have a wonderful trip. We're going back the first of Dec. After that we will have to go in the summer because of DS being in middle school. Have fun! Eats lots of .

Lori

 

[bopper]

There are often afternoon thunderstorms that pass quickly. Some people leave, some people use mickey rainponchos, some people buy disposable rain ponchos for a $1 at Walmart/Target. So go to any water parks early.

 

[MelanieC]

Hi again,

Thanks so much for all the wonderful tips.

We definately plan to arrive early. No EMH, but we will there about 8:30am for opening at 9am. We eat breakfast in the room (we breakfast bars) and then have an early lunch around 11am/12am. Then we normally have dinner at 6:30pm although we have a couple at around 5pm and one at 7:30pm (Rose & Crown-trying to get outdoor seat for Illuminations).

DS & I are taking our Nike shoes that are made from wet suit material. I love them. DH is taking Sneakers and I think DD is taking her sneakers and addidas slip ons. The 3 of us should be set for our shoes getting wet. DH will just have to suffer, lol! He is so set it in his ways and thinks sandal type shoes on men look funny. I think he looks funny in hot sneakers, lol!

kkozma- Our Ohana PS is at 6:30pm, we'll probably just be finishing up as your arriving.

monorailsilver- I hope your plane arrives on time and you get to Chef mickey's. We have a PS at 6:30pm.

 

[LadyLuc361]

Drink Powerade or Gaterade once in a while instead of water.

If you drink too much water, you can actually flush the electrolytes out of your system...and then you won't feel good! It's also a nice option just to have something other than water that isnt pop.

Have a great trip, ae are going end of August...our first summer trip too!

 

[MelanieC]

Wow- Great tip Rachel. I hadn't thought of that. I know I do that when I run marathons and I hadn't thought about it for this. I'm definately going to get a gatoraid once in a while.

Also- for the rain. I have a few of the disposable ponchos and I bought the tiny umbrellas made by totes. We are going to throw both in our backpack. I hope to just use the umbrella quickly to get to a building and do something indoors till it stops. We'll just take the rain on a case by case basis.

 

[goofy4tink]

Well, in my listings, I forgot about the poncho thing. I actually did buy a Mickey umbrella last month. It was nice to have in those really quick showers, and yes....we were very careful about banging into others with it!! As for the ponchos...we did buy disposable ones but wouldn't you know it...the one time I forgot them, it poured. So, dd and I bought Mickey ponchos. Someone here had suggested keeping one of the smaller bags from one of your purchases and using that to keep the poncho in. It worked wonderfully for me. In fact...I threaded my fanny pack strap through the bag handle and it just hung from my pack!!!