summer trip planning help - usually go during christmas

[collegejunkie]

family is coming to visit from overseas and they want to go to WDW in july. we went to the parks once in the summer and said never again because of how hot it was. our visitors can't come at any other time of the year. there will be a 5 year old with them

is it best to spread things out, like morning parks, pool/hotel during peak sun hours, parks at night again?
would you recommend the water parks? how crowded do they get during the summer?
any other general summer tips?

i don't want them to miss certain things like la nouba, the usual fireworks, parades, and big shows, meeting loads of characters, so on. my family goes for 2+ weeks so we don't have as much of a time issue and the weather doesn't get in the way as much during the holidays. what would some of the more unique disney activities be for international travelers?

this is my list of dining must-dos if anyone cares to add or comment on them too:
F! dining package to save time in hollywood studios, 50s prime time for the fun factor (though language may be an issue for the child here), cinderella's royal table to experience eating in the castle, chef mickey's for the fab 5, coral reef if they can wait for a table by the tank, crystal palace for pooh and friends, sanaa to watch the animals, mickey's backyard bbq or hoop dee doo to have a different dinner experience, ohana because i think it would be new for them, rainforest cafe or t-rex for the theming, sci-fi for the fun of eating in a car

 

[Alesia]

Are you sure that they are going to be happy with all of those table service meals? That would make my family miserable. We would much rather be spending all of that time in the parks rather than sitting in restaurants. How many days will you be there?

 

[mzsarah10]

This past June it was so hot. We did rope drop every morning and after lunch we went back to the resort for pool or nap time. Then back to the parks when it cooled down a little bit.

 

[Parker Clan]

We go every August, our go-to strategy is Park at, or close to, Rope Drop, break by pool / nap for a few hours in the afternoon, Dinner and then Park at night. I highly recommend Hoop Dee Doo! It is a very entertaining show and great food!

 

[belle7708]

We did the water parks for the first time in early fall, so I can't speak to the crowd level, but the relief from the heat was great. I recommend Typhoon Lagoon if you want to lounge in the pool and Blizzard Beach if slides are more important. We usually get an early start and then go back to the hotel around lunchtime for a swim/nap/AC time before going back to the park in the late afternoon and a 8pm-ish ADR. It's going to be humid...and crowded...so bring your patience and don't overschedule yourself.

 

[brinkley07]

We went in the summer a while back and the heat was tough. I prefer to be in the parks early and take an afternoon break after lunch time. The water parks are fun, but we did like to go there early to get chairs that weren't in the sun. We always go back to the park in the evenings for a parade or fireworks. Have a great time! We are table service people as well, so your list looks good to me. I like the ability to go sit in a nice air conditioned location to get out of the heat, and I think your family will too. Have fun!

 

[Shanti]

family is coming to visit from overseas and they want to go to WDW in july. we went to the parks once in the summer and said never again because of how hot it was. our visitors can't come at any other time of the year. there will be a 5 year old with them

is it best to spread things out, like morning parks, pool/hotel during peak sun hours, parks at night again?
would you recommend the water parks? how crowded do they get during the summer?
any other general summer tips?

i don't want them to miss certain things like la nouba, the usual fireworks, parades, and big shows, meeting loads of characters, so on. my family goes for 2+ weeks so we don't have as much of a time issue and the weather doesn't get in the way as much during the holidays. what would some of the more unique disney activities be for international travelers?

this is my list of dining must-dos if anyone cares to add or comment on them too:
F! dining package to save time in hollywood studios, 50s prime time for the fun factor (though language may be an issue for the child here), cinderella's royal table to experience eating in the castle, chef mickey's for the fab 5, coral reef if they can wait for a table by the tank, crystal palace for pooh and friends, sanaa to watch the animals, mickey's backyard bbq or hoop dee doo to have a different dinner experience, ohana because i think it would be new for them, rainforest cafe or t-rex for the theming, sci-fi for the fun of eating in a car

Yes to spreading touring out, via shorter days and breaks by the pool. Extra magic hours are more useful than ever in the summer, because the weather is nicest early in the morning and late in the evening.

Booking a resort with a great pool should be a priority. The quality of the resort in general is more important, as you'll be there for more breaks & swims, and you'll want it close by. Fortunately, summertime is a relatively affordable time for deluxes, with deals available almost all summer.

Good hats and/or UV umbrellas (look online- these are fantastic) make hot, sunny days more bearable.

Special indoor activities like La Nouba and Hoop Dee Doo are welcome in the summer as they get you out of the heat. I recommend booking those special shows for afternoon times (as opposed to evening) when possible, because part of the attraction will be to get out of the mid-day sun. Example: choose the 4pm Hoop Dee Doo Revue, not the 8:30. In general, schedule dinner early, so some of the hot or rainy late-afternoon is spent indoors, and more evening time is free.

The Epcot Aqua Seas Tour (in which families get to snorkel in Epcot's aquarium) is a great activity for summer.

Yes, the water parks are wonderful and unlike the parks they don't feel oppressively crowded, even on July 4th weekend. They have activities for kids of different ages, so in summer I would consider them a must-do.

I would add Be Our Guest and Crystal Palace to your list of special restaurants.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I wouldn't bother with Typhoon Lagoon with a 5 year old. There are 3 signature attractions in that park:

The wave pool
Shark Reef
Crushin Gusher


The first 2 aren't really appropriate for a small child, the 3rd has a 48" minimum height. And the rest of the park is just "meh" to be honest. Go to Blizzard Beach and lose count of the number of times you do Teamboat Springs.

 

[IamJBo]

I used to be able to only go in the summer.. July 4th weekend to be exact. I've never been during Christmas but I've heard the two crowds are comparable.

I'm not sure how common it is during Christmas but I feel like I've seen more tourist groups during the summer months vs. the fall so keep that in mind.

My biggest tip for you is to take your time especially with the visitors and the young one.

As far as park tips it can go numerous ways. I think you've got it down in regards to Morning Parks, Midday breaks, and Evening Parks considering the company you're bringing.

Stay hydrated. You'd be surprised how miserable the queues can be if you aren't.

I've always knocked out the priority rides in the early mornings. If you and your group find yourself exhausted but still want to utilize your time head over to Tomorrowland and hope on the TTA or CoP. CoP was always a way for my parents to refresh while keeping me occupied / nap as a young child. Now I just go because they've become some of my favorites.

 

[ParrotBill]

We've had to visit in the summer the last 5 years while our daughter was in middle and high school.
- Start your days early, take a break, go back later - the park hours are long
- At least one table service meal for lunch or dinner helps you cool off and rest
- Don't try to go at commando pace with kids and summer heat - someone will explode, possibly you if not the kids
- Drink, drink, drink. Wear hats. wear sunscreen. A sunburn makes people really miserable.
- Don't let limited FP+ schedule availability make you stay out all day to get to those rides.
- Agree water park is a waste for 5 year old. Best for pre-teen and teen. A pool at the hotel is just as good, costs no more, and saves time.

 

[GillianP1301]

We go the last week of August every year and we are not bothered by the heat at all because there are so many opportunities to be out of the heat/sun with various indoor attractions/shows and my number one tip is take advantage of TS dining. I don't bother with mid day breaks, but I do love having a nice TS lunch planned in the A/C. You get a little bit of a rest, you get a cool down and you get a nice meal and often the restaurant can be an attraction in themselves. Looks like you have several TS planned, so that's a good start.

Otherwise the usual advise of wear a hat (I'm always shocked how many people go around Florida in the summer with no hat - just not very smart).

Be prepared for rain, lots of afternoon downpours. The good news is, they are almost always very quick and even if they do linger, they do a good job at clearing people out of the park. Throw a poncho in your bag and keep on going. If you have a stroller, cover it when you park it and go on an attraction, I can remember several times in our strollers days of parking it for 15 minutes and coming back out to rain stopped by evidence of an obvious downpour while we were inside.

As for waterparks, we did try half a day at Blizzard Beach once and it was just okay for us. We prefer the parks and if we want to swim, we use the resort pools.

And finally some specific comments on your dining (since you asked )

F! dining package to save time in hollywood studios - Absolutely good idea. I skipped this last year and the aggrevation of having to line up early and then still end up with a seat pretty far to the side which resulted in taking forever and a day to get out of there after the show proved to me that this dining package is well worth it. We show up 5 or 10 minutes before the show, grab a seat in the centre section and out immediately when it ends.

I started to write out comments for each of your TS choices and realized I was writing almost the same for everything. Love your choices, many of them are on our must do list each trip. For the dinner show, I would go with Hoop Dee Doo over the BBQ. To me the BBQ was pretty chaotic and not overly enjoyable and the food was just okay. HDDR the food is still just okay, but the show is far more entertaining. Plus it's inside so no inclement weather concerns or worrying about being too hot.

 

[redsbe]

While in a park take every chance to escape to the shade or air conditioning to give your body a break, even for a few minutes, avoid long lines in the sun, watch parades from the shade, take breaks and meals in shade or indoors - and yes use mornings with RD plus FP+ and avoid peak heat in the middle of the day.