Will we regret going the 1st week of August?

[gatorchinsky]

This will be our first and probably only trip (at least for quite some time) to DLR. We live in Florida and have been to WDW many times. We have a son who will be starting kindergarten mid August and my husband's busy time at work starts in September.

We thought going the first week of August would be good for all of us so that our son could adjust to coming back (with long flights and time change) and not have to go back to school right away. The school frowns on taking children out for vacation (not that they really do anything about it), but then he would have to go back to school right after we come back from our trip.

We never, ever go WDW during the summer time, because we don't have to. We also never take a full week to go to WDW because we live 1 1/2 hours away. We go during off-season for a couple of nights. I have taken our son out a couple of days to do that (he is in Pre-K) and everything was fine.

How crowded does it get? We are staying for 7 nights and will have 6 day park hoppers. I know that seems a lot, but if it is going to be busy, we might as well go as many times as we can so we can possibly get everything done. Also, since it is our first time, we don't want to miss any rides that might be down during the slow season.

If I do decide to take our son out of school, we could possibly go the first week of September and leave before Labor Day weekend. How much less crowded would it be then? Would there be a lot of rides down, or do they usually wait until after Labor Day?

Thanks for the help. I am driving myself crazy trying to decide what to do.

 

[PinkBudgie]

We went last year at the end of July. We always go during the summer because DH and I are teachers and our kids are in school. We live by the school schedule. It was not bad. If you get there at opening every morning that is "prime time". You can get some good ride time in then. We usually then go over to DCA in the afternoon where it is less crowded. You have a week. You should be able to see plenty.

When we went this year on Jan. 2 I couldn't believe how crowded it was. I kept saying I couldn't wait to come back in the summer when it was less crowded! We are going for a week at the end of June.

As a pre-K teacher I wouldn't pull my kids out of school, even kindergarten. They miss too much and it is hard for small kids to get back into the swing of things. And a holiday like Labor Day may even be more crowded. I haven't gone then so I'm sure someone else can answer that. Have fun!

 

[Queenbillabong]

And if you live in Florida, you're used to heat, so it should all good

 

[gatorchinsky]

What is the weather like at DL the first week of August? I know here in Florida it runs in the 90s (more mid 90s than low 90s) and can be about 100% humidity. It can't be that bad there, can it?

 

[PinkBudgie]

Not humid at all. It might be 90 but will not be humid. I went back east once and the difference struck me instantly. It seemed oppresive. Also, it is very rare that we have rain in the summer. Just doesn't happen.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Not humid at all. It might be 90 but will not be humid. I went back east once and the difference struck me instantly. It seemed oppresive. Also, it is very rare that we have rain in the summer. Just doesn't happen.

I agree, nothing like the east coast.

Jack

 

[gatorchinsky]

The weather here in Florida is another reason I don't do WDW in the summertime. Very heavy crowds and extreme heat and humidity doesn't make for a nice vacation for me. I am use to the heat and humidity (I don't care for it), but add a ton of people to that mix and it is miserable.

 

[vbecky]

I went last year the 3rd week in August and it was very easy to get everything done and then repeat the days that follow! Weather was warm but cooler in the evening. Like mentioned above we were always there early we used ridemax and by 2ish when we would leave DL we always had done everything we had set out to do that day!! You will have a blast!!!

 

[PinkBudgie]

Also, many schools now start in mid to late August! Ours does! My boys were born at the end of Aug and it used to be summer. Now their birthdays are during the school year. That might make August a good choice.

 

[Mike_M]

Our trip two years ago was in Mid August and the only issue I had was the heat. I grew up in CA and lived in Florida for two years as well before moving to Seattle so heat is not something I haven't experienced but for some reason, it was more hot that trip than any previous one that I remember. (Maybe the Seattle weather has ruined my tolorance for warm weather )

Bring plenty of water with you and avoid soda in large quanties. I saw a couple kids get sick in line from the heat and our DS wasn't feeling too good on the 4th day so we took a break as a result. Lines weren't too bad IMHO but I don't mind long lines in most cases so everything was tolorable. Only exceptions were Nemo (Opening year), GRR and Splash Mtn (The heat was helping those rides popularity. FastPass those and you'll be fine).

 

[HydroGuy]

What is the weather like at DL the first week of August? I know here in Florida it runs in the 90s (more mid 90s than low 90s) and can be about 100% humidity. It can't be that bad there, can it?

It is not that bad. I too avoid Florida in the summer but love DLR in the summer.

Here are some threads that might help:

"Comparison of Weather For WDW and DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1711098

"Getting The Most Out of a Summer Visit To DLR" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1345319

 

[gatorchinsky]

Thanks for all the advice. I feel better about going in August now. It will be interesting to see how DL compares to WDW in August.

 

[pjstevens]

Thanks for all the advice. I feel better about going in August now. It will be interesting to see how DL compares to WDW in August.

We are making our very first trip to DLR in August and were wondering all these same questions, thanks for asking.