Love DVC so much we are considering a JULY visit - is this crazy?

[deva]

We are fairly new members and thoroughly enjoyed our first trip home at the end of March (I think we beat the spring break crowds by about a week). Original plan was to go every October (as we had done when we just stayed at Disney hotels) but now we are wanting to go for an extended time. DH is a teacher so this really limits options for a full week's vacation. We've always just enjoyed long weekends in October, November or January, so I'm assuming we've been somewhat spoiled by the crowds...but now that we're in DVC we see it as more of a vacation destination - not just all about the parks.

It is crazy to consider July? FWIW we are the type who gets to the park early, back to room for nap after lunch, maybe return to park in the evening or else just hang out at the pool. Are the pools unbearably crowded? How about lines for snacks/food?

Not sure if I need someone to talk me out of it or into it

 

[allshookup]

We go in August quite a bit & we love the summer in WDW. Yes it's crowded & hot, but it sounds like you'll be doing the right thing by avoiding the hottest part of the day. If you head back to the pool mid-day, you might have trouble finding a lounge chair at the main pools and it will be crowded, but the quiet pools aren't as bad.

As far as lines, yes the counter service locations & kiosks have very long lines during peak dining hours & honestly it's impossible to find a seat sometimes. Plan ahead & it's not so bad. The great thing is that the parks are open later, it's cooler in the evening & the lines are much shorter for snacks & rides late at night. Go & have fun, but dress cool, drink lots of water & take it slow!

 

[oakmanner]

We've done August once and let me tell you it is HOT. If you can tolerate heat go for it. Also, no matter how hot it is, it's always 20 degrees hotter at AK.

-Dennis

 

[buzz5985]

I dislike the heat - at home. It doesn't seem to bother so much when I am on vacation. The way I look at it - would I rather it 95 with the 3 HHH's(hazy, hot and humid) in Boston?? or Disney?? I always put a face cloth in a plastic bag and frequently will go in the bathroom and wipe my face and neck with cold water, this seems to help. Mister fans help. Good deodorant helps a lot. LOL Midday breaks for the pool. Take it slowwww and easy.

Last summer my sister and I kept looking at each other saying - gee the heats not that bad. Never got about 90 the week we were there - the last week of July.

Janis

 

[Corinne]

We visit WDW every summer~usually in August, but we have visited a number of times in July. I love WDW in the summer! Sure it is hot, but if you plan your days right you will be just fine. I will not be talking you out of it! Part of the beauty of being DVC members is you know you will always be back again, so if a line at a certain attraction is too long, you skip it. I say go for it!

 

[Cee]

My daughter and I went the last week of July last year(2008) and had a fabulous time. It wasn't that hot, it rained only once in the mid-afternoon and we rode buses and boats practically alone. Having said all that.....it was a non-park trip. We didn't go to any of the parks. They may have been crazy crowded, but everywhere else was not. Go and have a blast.

 

[DisneyWalker44]

We hate heat and crowds. But as kids get older, summer is more and more becoming the time we can go. We actually enjoy it much more than we expected.

For us, the key is how you tour the parks. It isn't going back to the room for a nap in the middle of the day. It's being there near open and leaving by noon--1PM and not coming back. After that it's just too crowded, too hot and too full of cranky families (the thing we enjoy least). Every now and then we will go back *late* at night (especially if there are EMH) but usually not.

 

[Sandisw]

I am a teacher and always have to go to the WDW in the summer. We have been every week from July 4th week (WAY too crazy!) to the 3rd week in August.

It is hot and some days, just way too crowded. But lots of drinks and an attitude that we will see what we see, enjoy what we enjoy, and head back to the room when we're not having fun anymore.

Last time, we were there from the 13th to 20th of August and we were on the dinning plan. Every day, we went to lunch around 11:30 am which was nice and relaxing (before the crowds). Once we were done, we were at the rides when many were at lunch. The lines were still long, but not overwhelming. We usually stayed until 2:00 - 3:00 pm and then went back to the resort to relax for dinner. Sometimes we went to the parks after dinner for a bit, and sometimes we didn't.

You will have a great time and just remember, you are DVC, you will be visiting WDW all the time now!!!!

 

[dwelty]

Just don't expect the pools to be refreshing. They are like bathwater this time of year.

 

[Anal Annie]

We always vacation in July or August....will probably go in August for the most part from now on because DS now does summer swim team which runs thru the end of July. Sure it's hot, but it's hot at home too!! As someone else said, I'd rather be at Disney!! At least we have the option to go to a water park or the resort pools.

We have learned to eat a light breakfast in the villa before we head out & stop for lunch on the early side to avoid the crowds & to be able to get a table without a hassle (11:30ish). At home we don't usually eat lunch until 1:00 or later but between Noon and say 1:30 or so you will find the lines long & tables hard to find at the CS places. It's annoying enough that we'd rather just adjust our schedule to avoid eating at that time. The other thing would be to hold off eating until 2:00 or so. OR you could always make lunch ADR's if you wanted to avoid the lines and don't mind spending more on your food.

We have learned to work the lines & FP's. We know the park layouts & often split up. DS and I will go get into a standby line while DH goes to get us FP's somewhere. Then he comes & hooks back up with us in line. We know which lines will have FP times that extend longer than what we're willing to wait. We know which standby lines have the best shade & fans etc. (I think the Big Thunder Mountain line is HOT and would rather FP that ride & wait in the standby line for Splash Mtn. 'cuz it's a cooler line IMO.) Just stuff like that that we've learned over the years... We don't find it unbearable and really, really appreciate a good soaking on Splash Mountain in August!! Oh, and we would also rather skip watching the afternoon parades as that's another hot wait. The lines are less while people watch the parades so it's a good time to hit some rides & wait to watch the parades at night when the sun isn't beating down on you.

 

[hockeyprincess]

We'll be joining you in July this year!!! We went once 2 years ago in July and we swore we'd never do it again, but we're not hitting the parks hardly at all this trip, will be doing at least one water park day so that will of course help. We're just relaxing, shopping, and hanging by the pool. Hope you go, you'll enjoy it...how can you not? It's Disney!!

 

[Inkmahm]

I don't set foot in Florida from May through mid-October. It's just WAY too hot for me and we have beautiful weather at home that time of year. Why give up great weather to go someplace to be miserable? YMMV.

 

[bookwormde]

It sound like your vacation style is perfect for summer, If you are worrying about the pools being crowded, try the “quiet pools” we have often found them almost empty (of people that is).

bookwormde

 

[drusba]

Don't do July 4 or two days either side of it unless you really enjoy shoulder to shoulder crowds. Rest of July is very crowded but it is all relative -- its stifling in comparison to October, much of November, or January crowds. It will feel like off-season if you usually go at Christmas or Easter time. In comparison to your last trip during last week of March it will be more crowded but if you can survive then you can probably survive much of July. (Note, you did not miss spring break crowds-- we were there the same time -- but what you missed was one of the two Easter weeks which are the worst spring break weeks.) Generally, you should expect 90 minute or more stand-by lines for popular rides almost all of the day and evening and 2 hours or more for Soarin and Test Track.

It is definitely hot, 90s every day, and most uncomfortable point is that it stays hot at night -- you can sweat standing still outside at midnight. Worst park during this time is Animal Kingdom because its design traps heat in the walkway areas and it can be well over 100 in those areas when it is in 90s. Also, it is hard to find temporary relief in that park because the store temperatures stay over 80 even though they have air-conditioning because they leave the doors open.

Liguids are consumed in great quantities and when you get to a restaurant remember they don't automatically bring water so ask for water for everyone even when ordering other drinks. You can get a lot of rain but it usually comes in 30 to 40 minute downpours via thunderstorms that may happen every 3 to 4 hours or so in the afternoon and evening, and otherwise you usually get sun in the day. Those can particularly be a problem for Fantasmic which more often than other times of the year gets canceled during the summer months because of a thunderstorm (with lightning); same can happen to parades. Pools do get quite crowded mid-day and waterparks can get to capacity by 11:00.

 

[jade1]

Summer is awesome at WDW. We usually go in August. After the rain shower in late afternoon-we head back to a park and stay as late as possible to reduce the heat. Lots of AC down there. You can even make your way down mainstreet inside if you want to stay cool. Early AM is a good idea as well. But by 10 or 11 its still time to head back for us.

I dont think in the last 4 summer trips we have been in a park between noon and 5PM. Just not necessary.

 

[Mtnman44]

it is extremely hot and humid. If you are not used to it, it can be quite a shock. Your clothes will be "moist" all day, and you need to drink a bottle of water every hour if not more. In my opinion, it is a very difficult time to do disney parks, especially if you have other options. Best advice: arrive early and stay for a few hours getting fast passes. Then leave and get lunch, go rest, do something indoors. Come back in the evening at hit the small stuff and use your fast passes for the big stuff. Avoid the EMH evening parks for best results.

Crowds are very thick and there are huge groups of youths from Brazil that add to the crowds and the fast pass scarcity. (I routinely saw youth leaders at the FP machines running a three inch stack of park hoppers through.)

Good luck with your decision.

 

[5forDiz]

Most of our trips have been in July & August; we love it for late night extra magic hours and swim when we get back afterwards too. We do try to get to parks first thing in morning and out by noon or sometimes depending upon how late emh will be on that evening we may opt to skip morning and go from 5 pm on.

During day don't plan to carry much else beyond bottled water around parks - no backpacks, bulky cameras, etc. because you'll end up hotter & more tired than you need to be. A waistpack is best, and a bandana that you can soak with water can be helpful when hot & humid.

 

[IndependentW0N]

July is great... just don't sit out in the sun waiting for a parade. We did that years ago and it ruined the day because we all got far too hot and it was tough to get our energy back.

As many of the folks before me have said... hit up the pools in the afternoon. Take naps. Enjoy all there is to do at your hotel. You'll love it!

 

[marvali]

We typically go the end of July, first of August. It is between three of our five birthdays, so a good time to celebrate. With kids in school and DW a school teacher, we are limited if we want to stay any length of time. We do basically what you said; early in the parks, out when it starts getting hot and crowded, then back to the resort and pool or rest. We were at OKW last summer and the pool had people, but not that overly crowded, and DW and I didn't have any problems getting chairs.

As for July 4th, I totally agree. Everyone needs to avoid that at all costs. That is when we are going this year and I won't mind if everyone stays away so our lines are (relatively) shorter. Yes, it is hot and humid, but so is South Carolina so no biggie. And like others have said, since you are DVC you aren't so worried about standing in long lines for rides and attractions because you know you will be back. We have done them so many times (again, relatively) over the past year (we actually got APs) that we plan to take it very slow at the parks, and spend a lot more time just relaxing at the resort and pool this trip.

Kidani will have a Community Hall, and lots of scheduled activities to keep us busy and provide something new to do away from the parks. DW and I are looking forward to ditching the commando mode and finally getting the relaxation and enjoyment we envisioned when we joined DVC.

 

[OurDogCisco]

Yikes... We are going this year the last week of June through July 6th... I hope it isn't too bad. My kids are in school so we usually have to travel during school holidays. We've been in May, August, Thanksgiving Week and New Years' Weeks. I always use TGM and it isn't too bad. I don't have the option going other times of the year.

I just make sure I plan for it. We usually hit the parks first thing in the morning just like the other mentioned and then, swim in the afternoon and dinner out and maybe another park.

I do echo another person's statement that the CS lines are CRAZY. In fact, I'd rather make ADRs for lunch than stand in a line and then, look for a table. It is almost a frenzy to get a table. People can get rude so, don't let them bother you. I honestly believe that it takes the same amount of time to do CS as it does to do TS during holiday weeks. The only difference is price. But you really don't have to order a ton of food at lunch. I like the idea of going to lunch early around 11:30 AM but sometimes that didn't work out especially if you go during a hot time of year. You just might not be hungry then.

The only thing I dislike about going in July/August is the rain. I love how people say it only rains for like 10 to 20 minutes and then it is over. Obviously... they didn't go the year we went in August. It RAINED every night during dinner time for 3 to 4 hours. I kid you not. It was horrible but we made the best of it. That year we had made most of our reservations around Epcot. We had to miss a few because it was basically flooding every where. Also, it was worst for us because we were traveling with little kids. Now that my kids are older it will be a lot easier to travel in the rain.