Should I be nervous about July crowds?

[CTDisneyfan816]

I hope it is scorching hot with sweat dripping off me like crazy. I want to sweat, sweat, sweat! I want to have to change my clothes 3 times a morning and 4 more in the afternoon! No I am not crazy. I am on dialysis and limited to 32 ounces of fluids per day. Last July I sweated so much I was able to drink almost freely. I can't tell you how great that was to have a break from having to watch every drop I take in.

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

I used to say crowds aren't a problem in July if you go at rope drop and use FastPass. But I haven't been to WDW since before FP+, and I don't really know how much different it is now.

I went last July and December with FP+ and this is still a good strategy. I'm staying with friends 40 minutes off site so I will get there at rope drop and hopefully be done at each park by mid afternoon so I can get back to the house and the pool to cool off.

 

[Flamingeaux]

I've been when it was hot and not crowded and when it was cool and crowded and I just can't imagine going when it was both hot and crowded.

 

[RachealM]

I've never followed the forecasted wait times, so I'm not sure how accurate they usually are. From personal experience, the crowd calendars seem very accurate though. From mid June until mid August it's always incredibly crowded and extremely hot, so definitely expect longer wait times than what you've usually experienced.

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

To me and my family the heat combined with the crowds would make for a very unenjoyable time. We were looking to book a trip end of July but couldn't justify spending all that money to be hot and miserable most waking hours.

 

[PAcpl]

Thanks for all the feedback. We have decided to head to Chicago for a few days instead. We will be in Disney in October for MNSSHP, F&W and HHN so we will have more than enough to do and the crowd levels and weather should be a little easier to manage..

 

[sersee05]

Nope! Nothing you can do.if this is when you can go. Just an the best you can and enjoy. We go first week in august.. and have a blast! Crowds schmowds!

 

[AngiTN]

I was there last July for the first time, going again July 11-19. The crowds are more noticeable but because they have more rides at each attraction open, I didn't notice that much of a difference in ride lines.

This is my experience also. When attendance drops at Disney, so does staffing. Attendance rises, so do staffing. An increase, or drop, in staffing directly correlates to ride capacity and dining capacity. So some of the increase in crowds are absorbed by these changes in staffing.

 

[Greg K.]

Often, the first couple days after the July 4th crunch will be a bit lighter, as folks head home. You'll experience a slight lull. But then, all bets are off. Pace yourself, plan, use common sense and you'll be fine.

 

[hookedonears]

I usually try to avoid Disney at all costs during peak times. It is just DW and I so fortunately we are able to go when most kids are in school. We were thinking about taking an impromptu trip from July 6-11. We are used to crowd levels between 3-5 and July is around an 8 which is scary to someone who usually avoids those numbers. But I was looking on the UTG forecasted wait times for July and they didn't seem that bad. We experience the same if not longer wait times when we go during off peak times. Are the forecasted wait times totally off or is it a slower week because it's the week after the 4th of July? I don't want to go expecting 30 minute wait times for something like BTMRR and get there to 90 minute wait times.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

We've been July 5-10 once. Once and only once. The bazillion Brazilian tour groups are the only thing you really have to worry about, with the exception of the massive crowds. Besides that, go and have fun.

 

[bbjunkie]

The OP has said they've decided to go to Chicago instead, but I wanted to add my 2 cents about the the heat and crowds.

We only have availability to go a peak times in the heat. I was initially nervous about that, but I have to say I have been very pleasantly surprised. I'll use our last trip from a couple of weeks ago as an example.

We were in the parks when crowds were at an 8. We used Josh's touring plans/models/examples to generally follow for our days there. We were at rope drop for 5 of our 7 park days, took long, leisurely pool/resort breaks in the afternoon, and went back to the parks in the evening. We were able to ride/see everything we wanted, never had to wait more than 15 minutes for anything, were not in the parks during the heat of the day with the exception of our arrival day when we got to MK at 2:50 and watched the Festival of Fantasy parade from the train station in the shade and then took the train around to Fantasyland. The evenings were the best, honestly. During/after the night shows, ride waits decrease DRAMATICALLY. We watched Celebrate the Magic/Wishes/MSEP on the first day we were there, and rode Splash Mountain twice, BTMRR, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain Twice, and 7DMT twice, and much much more. The evening EMH at Epcot were great! So relaxing walking out of World Showcase in the evening into Future World and riding there. We did EE, Safari, and saw FOTLK at Animal Kingdom before a late morning breakfast at Tusker House. Walked on Tower of Terror (2 Xs) and RnRC during the first Fantasmic, then was able to sit in the 11th row in the center for the 2nd Fantasmic.

The only time the crowds were really noticeable to us was during Wishes. We watched from MainStreet for the correct view because there were no fast passes available. The street was crowded. But there was room to watch...I wouldn't let this deter me from attending,

We did much, much more, but I wanted to give hope to those that go in the summer. We had a great experience. Don't let the weather and crowds discourage you!