DW in July - too crazy an idea?

[Paposa]

Me and my wife are currently thinking about doing a 12 days Disney World trip in July 2019 (early planning, I know).

It will be our first time there, so we have no experience, but I know that it will probably be crazy humid and crazy packed. But unfortunately July will be our only option for taking the kids to Disney World (They will be 12 and 8 in 2019).

So my question is, shall we drop our plans, as July will be hell on heath in Disney World?

 

[JennyDrake]

July is OK IF you go in with realistic expectations. Rope drop is your new best friend! Seriously. Rope Drop. Be there every single day. Exit no later than 1:00 and return no sooner than 4....

 

[Linkura]

The summers haven't been as crowded as you'd expect over the past couple of years. But they sure are hot. The main thing to watch out for in 2019 is Star Wars Land. It might open later than July, but if it's open then, yes, it'll be a madhouse.

 

[mamamelody2]

I wouldn't even be concerned about crowds for July. The heat, though... If there was no other option at all, I would try July in WDW. We would have to take lots of air-conditioned breaks.
Also, as Linkura said, Star Wars land could be freshly opened in which case I WOULD be concerned about crowds.

 

[NeuroCindy]

I've done in WDW in July. It's hot, but you drink water and take breaks in air conditioning.

 

[Lovetherodent]

All my early WDW trips were in the summer. It's hot, like surface of the sun hot, but go in prepared: Sunscreen, hat (if you have either dark or little hair), light clothing, and water, water, water. Go early, take a mid-day swim break, and go back at night.

 

[WEDWDW]

Go early, take a mid-day swim break, and go back at night.

Do this and you will be fine.

Also respect the almost daily afternoon lightning storms and brush up on your Spanish and Portuguese!lol

 

[only hope]

Avoid July 4th. Spend every minute you can inside and don't attempt the World Showcase in the afternoon- there is no shade between the pavilions and not much in them. Invest in spraying fans and/or rubber towels.It is miserable here in July. The feels like is usually in the high 90's, humidity is typically at least 90%. Even just walking to the car after work is a sweaty affair. Locals mostly try to stay inside and wonder why all these tourists flock to the theme parks and beaches And yes, be very careful with lightning. It is safest to remain under shelter until it passes.

The good news? July is not usually as bad as August.

As far as crowds, use your FP wisely. Have them back to back at attractions near each other, starting 30 mn to an hour after opening. Make your first fp for the hard to get attractions that won't have much/any availability the day of. Use your first fp after the lines get too long to wait in. As soon as you scan a fp, open the app and try to move your next one to a time starting as soon as possible-as you're walking through the queue if there's nothing you care about seeing. Make a 4th as soon as you use your 3rd, etc. Even on busy days I manage to do many attractions without waiting in any long lines. If you don't go in and change your fp times, it will take you 3 hours to use 3 fastpasses. If you do change them, you can use 3 fp in just over an hour.

 

[tnolan]

We went this year in August and were it not to get one last ride in on Great Movie Ride and Universe of Energy, we defintely would not have gone in the summer. Despite all precautions, I had some dizziness everyday because of the unbelieveble heat. Be very careful if you do go in July!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

Honestly, we've been to WDW in just about all parts of the year the last few years (take a look at my signature lol) and we've gone the week after 4th of July the last two years and found it to be one of the least crowded times. It is HOT though so we took mid-day breaks daily. We found that if we didn't, even as adults, we were too hot, tired and cranky. We would get up early for rope drop, have an early lunch and then head back to the resort. Take a nap or drink by the pool and then shower and return to the parks for evening.

 

[kathy884]

I'd go to the mountains instead lol. This is just me, of course, but I avoid Florida in the summer (I only made the mistake of traveling down there at that time once. But I guess for everyone it might be something you have to do to know whether or not it's for you and how you react to heat and humidity). The one time I went I found theme parks unpleasant in the heat, hadn't purchased my tickets in advance, so switched to mostly water based vacation activities -- day trip to Clearwater beach and hitting water parks (These water based activities were great because the water was warm and I hate cold water). I just did two theme parks on my six day trip. I found crowds to be lower than spring break crowds. My trip was in June, though, not July.

Some of the things I do to survive at theme parks and not pass out in the heat are carry a spray mist van and use it a lot, carry one of those Frog Togg towels -- there are other brands too, I just have this one (towel that doesn't drip for wiping your face off) and use it when I feel the need, and drink lots of liquids. We are offsite visitors and have never done mid day breaks. Maybe that's what I was doing wrong in the summer. It's tough for me to leave if I have paid about $100 plus or so to get in for everyone and don't have some kind of multiday ticket with a low cost per day and want to hit a full day's worth of things at the parks. On that one summer trip we did one day at the MK and one day at SeaWorld. Other days were resort, waterpark, or beach. I will say that SeaWorld has some summer night time shows that are really fun that they don't have at other times of the year, so those were kind of cool to see. It hasn't gotten me to do another summer trip though.

I should point out though that I have never been a big fan of heat or humidity, and I think both of those things tend to bother me more than the average person.

 

[UpStNYmouse]

Absolutely do not drop your plans. If July is the only time you can go then you go! Whether it's heat or crowds, there are ways to work around them but setting expectations is key. Your instinct, usually because of cost, will be to do it "all" and stay at the parks all day. But you will know when the kids (and you) have had enough. I still remember my 1st family trip 7 years ago...it can be very overwhelming. Use your resort to decompress, stay out of the heat and get refreshed for evening visits.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We have gone for 4th of July fireworks ( MK's on the 3rd ) for many years. Drink water, early days, breaks, it's fun!

 

[ArwenMarie]

We always go in August because that's when we can go. Yes, it's hot We get up early, always take a break midday. Try to get into as much AC as possible. And not just rides, but work the shows that have AC into your plans. Drink lots of water. Have a good touring plan, no backtracking. Prioritize what you want to do and realize you probably can't go-go-go all day

 

[Paposa]

Thank you so much everyone! I think I will continue with my planning then. My biggest concern was the crowds. I think we will stay onsite, so we can take the midday break.. I will have to look into FP strategies
Thanks all!

 

[Klayfish]

I have a different take than many here. We travel to WDW in July often, and stay for between 10 and 17 days. Our kids are about the age that yours will be when you travel in 2019.

No, you do NOT need to rope drop. We never do...ever. Sometimes we show up within 10 to 15 minutes of park open, but never 30-45+ minutes before. It does not hinder us in any way, shape or form. We still get on each and every ride we want to. Learn the FP+ system and you will have no need for rope drop. I'm not saying you shouldn't do it, but don't feel like you have to. Standing outside the gates in a crowd just isn't for us.

Midday breaks. You can do them, but definitely not necessary. So many of the rides and shows in WDW are in the air conditioning, so it's VERY easy to stay out of the worst of the heat in the midday. Again, I'm not saying you shouldn't do a midday break...we do them sometimes...however, it's not because of fear of the heat, it's just because that's how our plans work out.

It will not be crazy, insane busy. WDW is always busy, and July is really no exception or different. The 4th of July week is a bit busy, but honestly only MK itself on the 4th itself is truly nuts. Nothing else is really that big of a deal (we've been there for 4th of July 5 or 6 times including the past 3 straight and again next year). July is the month for South American tour groups. It's a bunch of 15 year old girls who travel in giant packs and chant as they walk. Just be aware of them.

So yes, absolutely go!

 

[disneyvoice]

It's a fine time to go as long as you are willing to be flexible. Not only will you being dealing with the heat and humidity but we always find that the typical afternoon storms seem to linger into the evenings more frequently in June and July. We still always have lots of fun during those months. Just make sure you are okay with canceling FPs and ADRS if anyone in your group is just DONE for the day because of being hot and tired. For us, it is NEVER worth it to force ourselves to go to an ADR when we really aren't hungry or are just too tired to enjoy it. We just reschedule for a date sometime in the future and then cancel the new ADR, but we would also be willing to incur the cancellation fee if we had too. We make sure to be at the parks at rope drop and then we just go until we get too hot and tired. Some days that means by noon we head back to the resort and find something to do there. Or we might resort hop or go to Disney Springs. We don't mind touring the parks if the rain is light or it's a storm that is going to be in and out quickly, but we do NOT enjoy touring the parks when it is pouring rain for hours. In that situation we leave and find something else to do. We just always go with an open mind during June and July knowing that it's not a matter of IF we might end up having to adjust our plans but when we WILL had to adjust them. So we are never disappointed when we end up not being able to do things we had planned but we are just DONE for the day. You will have a great time!

 

[anniemae]

It's a fine time to go as long as you are willing to be flexible. Not only will you being dealing with the heat and humidity but we always find that the typical afternoon storms seem to linger into the evenings more frequently in June and July. We still always have lots of fun during those months. Just make sure you are okay with canceling FPs and ADRS if anyone in your group is just DONE for the day because of being hot and tired. For us, it is NEVER worth it to force ourselves to go to an ADR when we really aren't hungry or are just too tired to enjoy it. We just reschedule for a date sometime in the future and then cancel the new ADR, but we would also be willing to incur the cancellation fee if we had too. We make sure to be at the parks at rope drop and then we just go until we get too hot and tired. Some days that means by noon we head back to the resort and find something to do there. Or we might resort hop or go to Disney Springs. We don't mind touring the parks if the rain is light or it's a storm that is going to be in and out quickly, but we do NOT enjoy touring the parks when it is pouring rain for hours. In that situation we leave and find something else to do. We just always go with an open mind during June and July knowing that it's not a matter of IF we might end up having to adjust our plans but when we WILL had to adjust them. So we are never disappointed when we end up not being able to do things we had planned but we are just DONE for the day. You will have a great time!

This. We have been in Aug and it is incredibly hot. The heat really takes a lot out of you. One day we had gone back for a break and were back at the bus stop to go to an evening ADR. We were done. toast. dead. exhausted. We wearily looked at each other, then looked at the kids who were sprawled out on the bench and said, "we just can't do it." The thought of walking through epcot to Le Celier was just daunting. We canceled the ADRs and went back to the room. We changed in to bathing suits, got dinner at the food court and swam. Best decision ever.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Did I read somewhere above that WDW isn't super crowded in the summer any more? If so, what about a visit with lots of hanging out at the resort and/or by the pool, maybe visit the parks for an hour or two, maybe just in the evening? I'm a frequent WDW visitor, DVC member, and have thought of doing this, but I was always scared off by thoughts of big, crazy crowds in the summer.

 

[disneyvoice]

Did I read somewhere above that WDW isn't super crowded in the summer any more?

We were there for a week in both June and July this past summer. Both trips we commented to each other while we were at Epcot that we were shocked at how empty it was. At MK we found the crowds extremely manageable. Even at AK in Pandora it didn't seem that bad. I would agree that both of those trips seemed much less crowded than trips we have taken in October.