A Few Questions...

[Helena123]

Hey everybody, i have a few questions i hope you dont find helping me with.
Me and my family, (my dad and my sister and me) are planning a trip to WDW in late July for 2 weeks and want to stay onsite for the first time.

Since we haven't stayed onsite before what resort would you recomend? (we have a flexible budget)

What is the weather like in Orlando in July? Bearing in mind we are Brits and only really used to rainy weather :lol: and we've only been in October before.

What are the crouds like in July?

This may seem like a stupid question but is there any way of getting to offsite areas such as Seaworld without using taxis (none of us can drive so we can't hire a car)?

I'm sure there are more but I can't think of anything else at the moment.

Thanks

P.S. I hope I posted this in the right place lol

 

[brent2124]

The weather will be HOT and rainy. Crowds will be very high as this is nearing the end of summer vacations for the public schools. Which resort you pick should be based on your preference. I dont believe there is anyway to get to the other area attractions besides a taxi.

 

[Bug715]

Here are my favorite resorts:
Value- Pop Century
Moderate- from where I've stayed Cornado Springs- I've heard Port Orleans is nice but I haven't stayed there since I was 5 and it was Dixie Landings
Deluxe- Old Key West is nice and relaxed- for more upbeat Boardwalk. You may want to look into the cost of a DVC villa and get groceries to save a bit of money.

It will be rainy, hot, humid, and sunny at times. for my 21st birthday July 15th this past year it rained the whole day. I think there were a few times the sun came out but not much. Take an umbrella or poncho or plan to buy one.

July is the middle of summer vacation for most American schools so it will be packed!! Also, there will be a lot of tour groups from Brazil. The large crowds will mean extended hours for the parks. Since you are staying on property plan to take advantage of those.

This may seem like a stupid question but is there any way of getting to offsite areas such as Seaworld without using taxis (none of us can drive so we can't hire a car)?

The Orlando bus system is named LYNX. Here is the website http://www.golynx.com/ I know they have a bus stop at the Ticket and Transportation Center. They have a link to a trip planner but I can't get my computer to pull it up so maybe you'll have better luck.

Edit: Just found that the bus that goes from the Ticket and Transportation goes to Downtown Disney and it looks like it goes right by Sea World http://www.golynx.com/assets/userfiles/routemaps/50.pdf

 

[Monty]

"Flexible" budget can mean many things... I personally recommend the Polynesian Resort. You have monorail service to both MK and EPCOT and good bus dservice to the other parks. An MK view will give you a wonderful view of Wishes at night if you're back early enough, but if you don't want to pay the extra, the view from the beach at the resort is beautiful.

For transportation to Seaworld or elsewhere, I'd suggest Mears shuttles or Quicksilver [a sponsor here on WDWMagic]. The Lynx buses are not a pleasant experience IMO.

 

[disneygirl1]

As far a onsite resorts go here are my favorites:

Value- All Star Movies
Moderate- Coronado Springs
Deluxe- Wilderness Lodge, Poly and the GF

Weather will be HOT with thunderstroms and the crowds will be high.

For getting of site to Sea World and such, I would recommending calling a shuttle service like mears. This should definitely be cheaper then a taxi for the 3 of you.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[coulty]

you can get a number 50 lynx bus from the transportation centre which passes sea world, or you can also pick up the I-ride at sea world for international drive if you want to shop or do something different,we are staying on international drive this time and usually catch these busses to WDW, but we get a taxi back as after along day at the parks it is a long way back on buses.about 1-2hrs depending on connections

 

[slappy magoo]

Seems like the questions that can be definitively answered, have been (July is usually very hot and humid, the crowds are usually quite large since public schools are still out (late August is just as hot, but many schools are back in session already, with the rest of them going back after the first Monday in September). There are shuttle services you can call to get to sites outside of WDW.

The only thing none of us can answer is where you should stay. There are fairly thorough descriptions of each resort (as well as reader reviews) at allears.net so you may want to pay that site a visit. They'll also have the room rates for the different resorts, excluding any promotional offers. And pictures, lots and lots of pictures - of the exterior of the resort, the interior, common areas, representative rooms, restaurants and lounges, pools and game rooms. It'll be about as thorough an overview as you can get.

I've never stayed at a value; if I did, it'd probably be Pop Century.
As far as moderates, I've only ever stayed at Riverside (recently, AND when it was called Dixie Landings). I have visited all the mods, though, and if I had to stay at a moderate resort again, it'd still be Riverside.

Between Deluxe resorts and DVC, I've stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Saratoga Springs, Wilderness Lodge & Boardwalk Villas. I like them all for different reasons and could recommend any of them. My first choice to stay again would be Animal Kingdom Lodge.

You may want to think about where you intend to spend most of your time, as different resorts are closer to different parks, some of them with more exotic transportation than just the bus. There are, of course, the monorail resorts of the Magic Kingdom, plus Wilderness Lodge & Fort Wilderness have ferry service to the MK (Contemporary has both the monorail AND the ferry - sometimes - plus you can walk to the MK from there). Meanwhile, staying at Boardwalk, Beach Club, Yacht Club, Swan or Dolphin will get you walking/ferry distance to both Epcot and the Disney Studios. Animal Kingdom Lodge is not walking distance to anything (or st least, there's no walking paths so don't try it ) but its isolated exotic savannahs are a major perk. At Saratoga and parts of Old Key West, you are within walking distance to Downtown Disney if any of your family is a shopaholic. And of course, excluding location each resort has some level of amenities that might influence your decision, if you're the type of family who intends to spend time playing around at your resort and not just hit the parks every day from dawn to dusk.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

I usually go down in the heat of summer and stay at one of the deluxe resorts with concierge. This way if the heat in the parks gets to be too much we can go back to the resort and grab a bite in the concierge lounge or a nice cool drink. If it's stormy or too hot I have even cancelled my dining and stayed at the lounge for the evening eating the appetizers and even having an evening glass of wine to relax.

If your budget is flexible I would go with a deluxe resort for the added amenities since you are going to be there for so long. The majority of them are located in close proximity to the parks.

If you don't want to break the bank go with a moderate such as Port Orleans Riverside or French Quarter.

Good luck in choosing and whichever one you do choose I am sure that you will have a wonderful time!!

Pam

 

[Helena123]

Thanks everyone for your help
I'll pass everything on to my family

 

[krankenstein]

Since we haven't stayed onsite before what resort would you recomend? (we have a flexible budget)

Value - Toss up between Sports and Pop, but for your first trip I would say Pop.

Moderates - Never stayed at one, but I hear good things about the POR

Deluxe - AKL without a doubt. Make sure you get a savanna view.

What is the weather like in Orlando in July? Bearing in mind we are Brits and only really used to rainy weather :lol: and we've only been in October before.

What are the crouds like in July?

It'll be hot, humid and muggy. Go to the parks early, go to the resort around lunch time and come back later in the afternoon once things start cooling down. You can also expect the typical florida afternoon thunderstorm.

Expect crowds to be high. You can probably bet on at least an hour to 2 hour wait for headliner attractions

This may seem like a stupid question but is there any way of getting to offsite areas such as Seaworld without using taxis (none of us can drive so we can't hire a car)?

Can't help you here. I always drive myself to WDW so I have a car.

I hope that helps some! :wave:

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

With a flexible budget I'd steer clear of the Value Resorts. Moderates - we've enjoyed Port Orleans French Quarter or Deluxe - you can't beat a Savanna view at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

SeaWorld - go by taxi and arrive with a minimum journey time, enjoy your day and don't worry about buses for return either. Get a taxi both ways for convenience

July - hot and humid and with pretty regular, short (usually) rain showers

 

[Stellajack]

? Resort/Weather

Since we haven't stayed onsite before what resort would you recomend? (we have a flexible budget)

What is the weather like in Orlando in July? Bearing in mind we are Brits and only really used to rainy weather

Helena123,
We have made trips to WDW during May, June, July, Sept, Oct, and Dec. and the worst trip for us in terms of heat/humidity was the Oct. trip. Now, this may not be the norm, but in these months, it is sometimes hard to tell the difference.

I agree with Kingdom Konsultant that your trip is long enough that you can spend time at the resort, taking a break from the heat of the parks each day and be quite comfortable.

For Deluxe, Animal Kingdom is great, and Port Orleans for a Moderate. I also enjoyed the ASSports-Value. If you are at AKL late July, then I will see you there.:wave:

 

[TinkerChelli]

Hi

Hi there, if you have you are flexiable with money, staying at an onsite Hotel is your best bet. Now they are having specials at all the hotels from now through July. I would contact Disney to book a Hotel that you like. Most of the onsite Hotels are great. If you want to stay at a Delux hotel and never have I recommend The Animal Kingdom Lodge and ask for a Savannah View, the you can view the animals on the Savannah from your balcony room. If that hotel is way overboard with money, try the moderate ones. Carribean Beach Resort, Cornado Springs etc. Each of the onsite Hotels have buses that go to each park and they run between 20 min to 1/2 all day long and up to 2 hours after most parks are closed ( I would check each park to make sure when the last bus will leave for the day back to your Hotel)
The weather in July in Orlando/WDW Area is HOT!!!! HUMID!!! and there are days during July where you can have a shower, the rain does not last too long but it will rain you can count on that at least a few times if you stay 2 weeks in Orlando. It's humid bear that in mind. Dress for that.
Sandles, Sneaker, Light Shirts, Shorts (tank tops can be worn but only in the park, and nothing torn etc.) most of the expensive restaurtants in Epcot may not allow Tank Tops during Lunch/Dinner.
I would take a back pack also with you if you want to carry a cell phone/camera and essentials this is the easiest way to do it. Most rides will allow you to stow a decent sized backpack, if not you can most likley wear it or tie it around your legs and hold on to it while on the rides there.
Normally what my husnband and I do at the parks is get there early in the AM for opening and stay till mid day head back to the hotel for a nap and rest and go back again during dinner time. Also most hotels have taxi service on site at Disney. You can most of the time get a Taxi to the other parks, but I would bear in mind that it will not be cheap, the other parks are located in Orlando area about 10-15 miles from the Disney area if not more than that. I hope this helps, email me if you need more information I usually go to Disney two times a year and have been to Disney at least 25 times in my life if not more.
I wish you a great/safe trip Disney is the best you will love it!! :sohappy: