WDW in mid-late July?

[Seabean]

I read through the "Disney in June" thread, and is there also a similar discussion on Disney in July? (I couldn't find it in Search)

If not, let me ask.... how is WDW in mid-late July, say about the 15th-30th?
(this would be just after the July 4 crush)

Crowds... heat and rain... potential for hurricanes?

(we're used to always in going in February, so this would probably be a major change )

 

[Bob P]

Hi,

Crowds: LARGE.

Heat: Relentlessly hot and humid. Good chance of a thunderstorm every afternoon that will last between 15 minutes and a couple of hours.

No matter what month, it is very rare that a full strength hurricane will hit Central Florida. When the WDW area has been hit in the past (mostly by the remnants of hurricanes) it has usually been August or September.

 

[Seabean]

OK, how large are the crowds then?

I was at the MK on an Easter Sunday back in the 80's.. that crowded? Large enough that the line for a ride like, say, Nemo's Living Seas goes nearly out the door?

 

[zulemara]

MK is blacked out to cast members the entire month of July. That should tell you how busy it is.

Yes, it will be hot, it will be crowded, and you'll probably get wet. The rain doesn't cool anything off and in fact it makes it worse because it just releases the heat that is built up on the pavement, therefore making the surface temp even warmer.

The best thing to do is get up early, hit the parks before the majority of the crowd, then go back to the room for AC/ice cream/food in the middle of the day, then venture out again about 5 or 6 at night. That's the best way to handle the heat and the crowds IMO.

 

[JoeyNumbers]

I've been to WDW in mid July to eary August every year for the past decade and I have one word for you. TourGroups. There are a ton of groups there at that time. You will see groups of 30 - 50 kids all wearing yellow t-shirts standing in line for an attraction. Keeping that in mind the crowds are what you would expect in the summer. Sure it's crowded but that is typical of WDW in the summer. The rain is a different story. I've seen it all downpours that last from 5 to 50 mins. I've been there for a week and not seen a drop of rain. That being said aftrenoon rains are pretty much the norm. I've never had a hurricane scare, and I wouldn't worry much about that. So to sum it up you can expect:

Crowds
Heat
P.M. Showers

All taken in stride will not impact the amount of fun you will have.

 

[Seabean]

Thanks folks! OK I understand the weather. let me just focus on the crowds...

We're thinking of staying at either the Poly or BC. Do these tourgroups tend to avoid the deluxe resorts?

Could we expect the Poly pool to be shoulder-to-shoulder crowded in the afternoon? (in late July)

How 'bout the BC/YC pool crowd density in the afternoon in late July?

 

[Bob P]

Hi again,

All pools will be packed in July (except when the thunderstorms start, when you will have to leave the pool area).

 

[Mrsdisneyb2b]

I stayed during the dates you listed last year in CBR and we honestly weren't that crowded... We woke up early when we wanted to do something and did it, and then headed back during the day to one of the pools. If you are planning on going non-stop throughout Disney, it may be a bit much...

I did have a terrible issue last year with one of the brazil tour groups. The kids who were probably aroune 15/16 began to run around while we were waiting for the MK spectromagic to begin. One of the girls (while jumping over me again) slipped and sliced my knee open.... Followed by another one she was holding on to who kicked me in the head. One of the cm had spoken to their group leader and they didn't care. He even threatened to kick them out...

I am calm by nature, and learned to stay away from those groups because most do not have common courtesy...Instead, we headed towards the second "round" of spectromagic by adventureland, and that was fine!

 

[JoeyNumbers]

Thanks folks! OK I understand the weather. let me just focus on the crowds...

We're thinking of staying at either the Poly or BC. Do these tourgroups tend to avoid the deluxe resorts?

Could we expect the Poly pool to be shoulder-to-shoulder crowded in the afternoon? (in late July)

How 'bout the BC/YC pool crowd density in the afternoon in late July?

Every time we go we stay at the Beach Club, so to answer your questions, I have never seen any tour groups at the BC, They tend to stay at the value resorts. As far as the pool goes it will be crowded, but very enjoyable. Because we go so much we follow a laid back approach to WDW. A typical day is: up early and at the park we choose that day. Stay until 12 - 1 then back to the BC for an afternoon in the pool. Leave pool around 5 and head out to another park for dinner. With that in mind on a typical 7 day vacation you might see 1-2 afternoons at the pool that are extremely crowded, most days are perfect. You will have lines for the big slide but they come and go. Lunch at Beaches and Cream can be crowded but that is to be expected as the rest. is not very big. As far as the pools during the afternoon rain. As long as there is no lightning the pool will stay open. I swam ther many times in the rain, it's the lightning that will close the pool.