Will Never Ever Do Summer Again

[sportears]

WILL NEVER EVER DO SUMMER AGAIN
7/16-22
It was our 11th trip to WDW, though I think it will be our last for a very long time. In the past we always went during the fall, but this year I thought a summer trip might be nice. Maybe it was the 3 hispanic boys smoking in the boat ahead of us on splash mountain, or the 10 bzillion Brazillians singing, chanting like at a soccur match in many of the lines. or the Brazillians cutting in line in the fast past lines to catch up with their group members, or the 90 minute wait at midnight for space mountain, or the fact that the food quality at 2 of our favorite restaurants (San Angels and 50's PT) has dropped considerably. I just don't know. What I do know is that July is not the time to go the WDW.

 

[Viki]

It's hard to imagine how the food quality at PT Cafe could DROP!!!

That said, having lived in Fla for three years way back when WDW first opened, now we always go in the fall, and this year the winter EXCEPT we do have have plans next year to venture there at the end of August - but it will only be the two of us and we'll pick and choose activities.

 

[tammy]

What I can't get over is just how RUDE people are. Everyone is so self centered. If your not careful, it can ruin your trip. What is up with the finger scans in the parks. I swear it would take 15 - 20 minutes just enter only to be stopped by families that decided to look at the maps and have a conference at the enterance of the park.

Please don't get me wrong, I LOVE Disney World, it's just the people that I could do without. LOL!

I agree with you regarding 50's Prime Time Cafe, it has really declined both food and service. We went to Whispering Canyon Cafe for the first time and didn't think it was all of that. Loved the entertainment.

We still had a great time. We will probably not return in July. We usually go at the end of August. We are going to try mid-December.

 

[disneyfamilyof5]

We were there from July 16-21st as well and will NEVER do Disney World in the summer again either!! We had a great time, had no problems w/tour groups, the heat was bearable (we're from TX), but it was the crowds that made everything impossible. We are now planning a fall trip for next year and are debating whether or not to take the kids out of school for a week just to avoid the crowds.

 

[marcyinPA]

We did June once and never again!! We loved May, and we used to love October. But June....no way! It rained every single blessed day of our trip. I mean poured. All day. It was miserable. The crowds were so heavy that even fast passes didn't work well.

We're doing a late Sept/early Oct trip this time. It will be our first time back in Oct since 1997. We are really looking forward to it.

 

[krismom]

high five on that one! We were there at the end of June since all the adults in our group are teachers- BIG mistake! Heat stroke, tremendous rain storms, humidity that felt like you were swimming up Main Street, CROWDS, tour groups, UUGGGGHH! I lovingly told my sister and the rest of the group- sorry, next time I'm pulling the kids out of school and going in November!

Glad to hear yuo had some fun despite the summer stuff!

 

[lindylou]

We've always gone in Dec. Due to conventions being held at the Cont. we are considering trying a June or July 06 trip. We are from CA so we're not really use to much rain or humidity.

You know how it is; contemplating a WDW trip at any time is exciting. You think you can handle anything, your intense disire is just to get there!
But will we end up regretting it?

 

[cottontail]

Viki: When you mention going in the fall, which month do you refer to. I am looking at going the first week of Oct. but after looking at historical weather I am starting to think maybe the end of november as I cannot stand the heat and humidity. Temps in high 70's would be okay but the high 80's and 90's would make me sick.

Anyone else with experience in fall can reply.

Thanks,

Deb.

 

[jan&theboys]

...Maybe it was the 3 hispanic boys smoking in the boat ahead of us on splash mountain, or the 10 bzillion Brazillions singing, chanting like at a soccur match in many of the lines. or the Brazillions cutting in line in the fast past lines to catch up with their group members...What I do know is that July is not the time to go the WDW.

Sorry for your experience. We were there on the same week, and I do have to agree that it definitely seemed like half of Brazil was there with us!! We also noticed a lot of the line cutting and pushing and so on. Without attempting to start any flaming, I do think that the language barrier does have quite a bit to blame for it. While the attractions have plenty of announcements regarding no flash photography, no videotaping, etc., it did not seem those announcements were understood by those that were visiting from another country where English is a second language. We noticed several times that unwanted behavior only stopped when the rules were explained in another language.

The rest of the reason for the rudeness I can't explain. Perhaps some people are used to acting a certain way in a situation, so it may come as a surprise when placed in a different environment. It could also be that many of the tourists were large groups in their late teens, and one might expect a bit of unruliness in that setting. I can tell you that no one outside of those groups appreciated the behavior, including others whose main language is not English. Sad but true.

With that all said, I do have to say that this past trip was one of the best we have taken. We were able to go to the Cinderella breakfast, Donald's Breakfastasaurus, Chef Mickey's and Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner, had a wonderful meal at Yachtsman Steakhouse with a view of the Illuminations fireworks from our table, and had a fantastic Illuminations cruise on our last night with no crowds in our way. We were able to get on all of our favorite rides, visit all four parks, ride Soarin' and Test Track multiple times in one day, see Turtle Talk with Crush, and enjoy ourselves in spite of the heat, humidity, and horrendous crowds. We can only usually visit the parks in the summer, so we will continue to encounter situations like that in the future. However, we were very fortunate to take advantage of early planning, FastPass, and breaks at our resort to make the impact as minimal as possible. Believe me, we are not going to spend that much on our vacation to let anyone ruin it for us, so we just have to make the best of it.

 

[Viki]

Viki: When you mention going in the fall, which month do you refer to. I am looking at going the first week of Oct. but after looking at historical weather I am starting to think maybe the end of november as I cannot stand the heat and humidity. Temps in high 70's would be okay but the high 80's and 90's would make me sick.

We usually go in Sept, but from the sound of it, that would still be too hot for you, not to mention dodging the hurricanes (we flew down in between two last year). If 70s weather is a must, I would go for November. But if crowds are an issue, please avoid Thanksgiving week. I hear the week after Thanksgiving is good.

On the other end, believe it or not, there can be snow flurries in December (I used to live there).

 

[nybound]

We just got back from WDW and had a wonderful time. Yes, it's hot, it's crowded, and people can be really rude - but we still had a great time.

That said, there was a moment each day where I was close to a melt down. Dealing with so many people (many of them cranky from the heat), and it can get to you. It was those moments where I tried to do the opposite of my instincts and let the frustrated actor in me take over and tried my best to lighten my mood and those around me. Most of the time it seemed to work as people would look at me at smile, and things got better for a moment. BTW, if any of you saw a stupid fool dancing around the parks pushing a stroller - that was me.

For every rude person I encountered, I met many more really nice people (cast members and other guests). That made it special for me.

Going in the summer took a lot more effort than at other times we've gone, but I thought the payoff was worth it. We'll see if this was a one time thing or not next year.

 

[Chicago526]

Ya know, I went in July of 2000. It was hot and humid and all the rest. But I still didn't notice bad behavior by other guests.

But just because of the heat, I'll never go in the summer again. I'll pull the kids (once we have them) out of school first.

 

[keishashadow]

We went the 3rd week in June & had a great time despite the torrential rain. I actually think it kept the locals away (one day's rainfall was close to 10 inches). It rained so hard it shredded our dollar store ponchos and we had to buy the infamous yellow Mickey Mouse models - still have them. The last day we were there it quit raining and became unbearably hot, made us glad it had rained most of our trip.

 

[MsMulan]

I just checked the forecast for our upcoming trip and there is a lot of rain predicted. All we can do now is pray for the best and hope the storms do not last the entire day. We are poncho ready and I have extra pairs of pools shoes that I will take along just to be prepared.

 

[newsiegirl]

What's with all of the Hispanic and Brazilian talk? The smoking and cutting in line is obviously wrong, but I can't tell you how many english speaking americans I have seen in the parks doing the exact same things. And as for the singing and chanting in lines, just sounds like kids having some fun on vacation. Usually what we all try to do! And there just might be someone from Brazil that is a part of the disboards. This is WDW we're talking about here. A place for everyone to enjoy! Sorry for the bad experience, but I can't believe that it would keep you from going back!

 

[jan&theboys]

I don't think the problem is either with the chanting or the ethnicities of the visitors. I think it was just a shock for some people to see so many foreign visitors behave in that matter at once in one location. I don't think anyone is trying to single out or prejudge against anyone else that would visit the parks. In fact, on our last trip we brought a family from Argentina with us. They were also surprised by the behavior they saw, and they don't speak English as their first language either. I think it's something you may just have to experience for yourself in order to understand what the OP was coming from.

 

[tigefan]

I don't think the problem is either with the chanting or the ethnicities of the visitors.

If that's really the case, then why mention the ethnicity ("hispanic" & "brazillion" (sic)) at all?

 

[LiteBrite]

We used to go every year in January, which was wonderful in every way except that it was too cold for a water park.

Two years ago circumstances dictated a trip in late August, and last year, we went in June. Although we managed to have a good time in spite of the heat (and *loved* our day at Typoon Lagoon!), it did feel like considerably more "work" than being there in the cooler months. By "work", I mean keeping ourselves hydrated enough and rested enough - the heat just zapped our energy. It was also "work" keeping a good, happy attitude in the face of how hot and tired we got.

All that being said, I would do it again if that was the only possible time for me to get there. Disney World in the heat is way better than no Disney World at all. If I had a choice, I would wait for cooler weather. This year we're trying late September/early October because of the free dining, but I hope we get the bonus that it will still be warm enough to enjoy a water park, but not as hot as it was in June or August.

 

[owtrbnks]

When "they" try to push past you in line, you just HAVE TO SAY "NO" like I have done. We were there in July (twice) and I found that "they" do understand NO. At splash mountain when I refused to let two "green tee shirted kids" past, they yelled ahead and the group of 15 or so green tee shirts all came back to the two people. After a brief discussion, they all left the line. NO ONE CUTS IN FRONT OF ME! (At least when I feel WDW security is close by!) It always helps to make friends with the people next to you in line, especially if the DH is a big guy!

 

[TAKitty]

When I was in Disney this past July I expected it to be hot and crowded. If you go into with the expectation, it isn't that bad. Also, don't bother checking the forecast too much before you go. When we left it said rain everyday and it only rained for an hour one day. My best friend lives in Orlando and said that they always say it is going to be worse than it really is.