Need Help Deciding when to go this summer

[bizziemom]

I have several questions I was hoping someone could help me with. I hope this is the right forum to post in.
My dad lives in FL and has offered to fly me (and my 11yo DS) down for a week this summer. He even wants to take us to the parks for a couple days... he was thinking SW and MK. (I'm so excited!) This was totally unexpected and last minute! We will, of course, be driving and probably not even staying at a hotel (he lives about an hour away from wdw)
So, I looked at my calendar, and there are really only two weeks we can go...
July 11ish-18th-ish, or, August 17-24.
The problem is, I start school on August 25. I have to be in class by 9am, and I'm worried about the possibility of flight delays/cancellations, especially during hurricane season!
So, if we go in July... crowds will be higher, naturally. We would probably hit MK on a Wednesday, which easyWDW recommends. But we are already past the 30 day FP+ reservation date.
For those of you who will be there the second/third week of July, and are staying offsite:
1. Did you have any problems reserving your FP+? Were you able to get the ones you wanted?
2. What can I realistically expect the crowds to be like if they are an "8" that week?
3. Have any off-siters waited in line for lunch at BOG recently? Is it worth it?

4. For the experienced summer-visitors: Should I just take my chances and go in August, when crowds are much lower? (they are a 5/6 that week)

This is my one chance to get my disney-fix until god knows when, so I don't want to spend too much time in crowds and lines, and I really hope to ride 7DMT!

 

[MulanMom]

Okay, I am an official long-term lurker of this forum, and I am still very much "newbie" because I really don't get most of the inside jokes or unspoken "rules" of posting, (like, what is this popcorn?) but whatever...
Anyway...
I have several questions I was hoping someone could help me with. I hope this is the right forum to post in.
My dad lives in FL and has offered to fly me (and my 11yo DS) down for a week this summer. He even wants to take us to the parks for a couple days... he was thinking SW and MK. (I'm so excited!) This was totally unexpected and last minute! We will, of course, be driving and probably not even staying at a hotel (he lives about an hour away from wdw)
So, I looked at my calendar, and there are really only two weeks we can go...
July 11ish-18th-ish, or, August 17-24.
The problem is, I start school on August 25. I have to be in class by 9am, and I'm worried about the possibility of flight delays/cancellations, especially during hurricane season!
So, if we go in July... crowds will be higher, naturally. We would probably hit MK on a Wednesday, which easyWDW recommends. But we are already past the 30 day FP+ reservation date.
For those of you who will be there the second/third week of July, and are staying offsite:
1. Did you have any problems reserving your FP+? Were you able to get the ones you wanted?
2. What can I realistically expect the crowds to be like if they are an "8" that week?
3. Have any off-siters waited in line for lunch at BOG recently? Is it worth it?

4. For the experienced summer-visitors: Should I just take my chances and go in August, when crowds are much lower? (they are a 5/6 that week)

This is my one chance to get my disney-fix until god knows when, so I don't want to spend too much time in crowds and lines, and I really hope to ride 7DMT!

We visited WDW last summer around the same time in July that you are considering. It's crowded, but if you plan right, it's doable. I'd go with July rather than August, only because you don't want to have that worry hanging over you about returning home and getting back to work.

As for BOG...last summer, we were waiting to check in for our BOG reservation and a woman and her daughter in front of us were walk ups checking to see if there was any availability...and there was! I was in shock. Not to say that it will happen for you, but it can happen.

Good luck. I'm sure you'll have a good time no matter when you decide to visit.

 

[Aliceacc]

We're teachers too.

Our first trip, we arrived home 48 hours before we had to report to school. (Though our kids, thankfully, had another week.)

It was NOT a good idea. We were tired, we had tons of laundry, and it felt as though summer ended too abruptly. It sets the tone for a much better school year when you arrive at school well rested.

I realize that lots of families have no choice-- they get their vacations when they get them, and when it's over they have to return to work immediately.

But since we're in a profession with that whole summer off, I would absolutely suggest you choose the first set of days.

We always go late July/early August (this year we arrive on July 29th.) The right combination of being in the parks early and careful planning works out just fine. With one single exception, I've never waited more than 20 minutes for any ride.

 

[bizziemom]

Wow, thanks very much for the advice. I was leaning towards August due to lower crowds and more time to plan. I will look into flights in July. We always went in July when I was a kid, but that was long before FP+.
I'm just worried we won't get the FP+'s we want if we go in July!