Disney World in July?

[aim3304]

We are making a quick 4 day trip to DW in July. Are we crazy to do this in July, with all of the people and incredibly hot temps???? Also, for those in the know - we are staying in a family suite at All Star Music. It is located pretty far out, as resorts go. Would you recommend renting a car? Thanks for the tips!

[onjbj]

We went for 10 days June 26 through July 5 in 2006. It was extremely crowded and insanely hot- but it was still Disneyworld!! Some tips:

Get out as early as possible- make use of the extra magic hours in each park so you can get in some things before the heat becomes too much.

Go to Walmart or similar store and buy those spray bottles with the fans- one for each of your kids. If you don't they'll want you to buy them at WDW and they are crazy expensive in the parks! They DO help to keep you cool. Fill them with ice in the morning and when the ice melts, you'll have nice, cold, refreshing water.

Take ziploc bags with you and a washcloth from the hotel. You can wet it at the parks and use it to cool off as well.

Freeze water bottles in your room's fridge.

If you can, leave the parks mid-afternoon and rest, hit the pools, etc. Then go back to the parks in the evening when it cools down.

Have fun, fun, fun!!

Karin

[Jacksonvol]

It is hot in Central Florida in July, hot and humid. And it seems like it rains every afternoon, monsoon type rains. It does not cool off the atmosphere much after the rain.

BUT, with the previous tips, it can be more enjoyable. Remember to drink water constantly. When we do visit the grandparents in O'do in the summer, we do freeze water bottles overnight and take them with us. Mom & Dad found "bottle straps" somewhere (Wal-mart?), so we can "holster" the bottle and wear it. I am constantly making DD drink water every 15 mins. so she doesn't get dehydrated. The fans are a good idea as you want to evaporate the sweat in order to cool down. Look for "misting zones" in the parks. Let kids jump in the "fountains" that come up from the sidewalk. Consider packing bananas into the park. Basically, treat it as if the kids were going to be playing hard outside for hours on a really hot, humid day.
Get fast passes early in the day, so you don't spend a lot of time in line standing near other really hot people. Disney has gotten a lot better about providing shade and/or fans when you are in line, but there is only so much you can do when the heat index is that high.

Sunscreen, water, potassium, etc. also, having BTDT, don't invest in face painting for the kids during the day!

Have fun!

[aim3304]

Thank you so much for the tips. For anyone at Disney in the summer, is there a difference in the number of people at the parks if you visit on a Monday instead of a SUnday? I am assuming the answer is 'no', but I thought i would just ask. Thanks!

[onjbj]

Actually, they say that Monday is always the busiest day no matter what the season at the Magic Kingdom. When we went 4th of July week, we stayed away from the MK for the entire weekend. It always seems to be the most crowded park.

Karin

[cmmama]

you won't need a rental car. Disney World has a fabulous bus system running between all the resorts, theme parks, and even downtown Disney/Pleasure Island. Even when we drive to see the mouse, our car simply stays in the hotel parking lot.

[beachmoms]

Been to Disney over 30 times. Just came home from a trip on 3/22/08. Just a few other suggestions if no one else mentioned them. Get some foam or other type of "coolies" for the water bottles. They will keep the water colder for much longer. I then wrapped them in a wash cloth to absorb condensation and put them in a big ziploc bag. Also, like I believe someone else said-freeze most of the bottles of water in fridge-if you are getting one. If not the water will be warm in seconds. Also, get those cheapo clear rain ponchos from Walmart. They are in the camping section of our Walmart in small packages. They are like .99 and are so worth it. Dont open the package till you need it, they never fold up as small and buy a few extras in case they rip, tear. Depending on how small the little kids are they may be big so consider cutting some of the bottom off of them. The transportation will be crowded. Very crowded. If you prefer not to wait in lines especially when exiting the park during busy times....after fireworks, closing time etc then I would get a car if you can get one cheap. Especially since you are doing a 4 day trip, you want to spend the time in the park not waiting in line. Dont know if you would be interested in this or not, or if you are getting the dining plan, but gardengrocer.com will deliver grocery items to your hotel. They charge 12.00 for delivery but considering a bottle of water is 2.00+ each it takes no time to figure out this is worth it. I usually get enough water for 4 bottles per person each day minimum and easy snacks to carry if you want. Done over order but they will leave your items with bell services and then bell services will deliver to your room when you call them. Reserve your order early because they are very busy over the summer and I know some of my friends have been told they could not accomodate them because they were all booked up. Have fun!

[aim3304]

Thank you so much for your tips! I think you have convinced me that we need to rent a minivan, rather than rely on the buses. With twin toddlers and a 4 year old...when they are ready to go, they are ready to go!

[onjbj]

I would think very carefully about renting a car.... I have twins as well, we've been to WDW when they were 18 months, again when they were 2 1/2, and we're going again this summer. (They'll be 3 1/2) We have only waited for the buses after fireworks when everyone in the world is leaving the parks. Other than that, we've never waited more than a few minutes for a bus. Plus, if you aren't familiar with the layout of WDW, it could take you just as long to drive to wherever you want to be as it would to walk. When you get to MK, you still need to park, get on a tram to get to the ticket & transportation center, and then get on the monorail or a boat to get to the park....

IMHO, Disney transportation works wonderfully well... with very, very few exceptions. Even when we were there for 4th of July week, we had no problems. I will say that strollers are a pain getting on and off the buses, but strollers are a pain in general!!

Karin