First Time Trip Summer Timing Advice Needed...

[firsttimerteachers]

My husband and I are both teachers in the same NJ district. We can't take any time off during the school year... and we have two boys, ages 8 and 9. They have never been to Disney, nor on a plane, or on a real full on vacation before. I' writing to ask about crowds in July VS August... not sure if it's worth waiting until the end of August for crowds to "dip" if they won't really dip, due to new pricing, and waiting until then, with the threat of terrible weather, not sure if it's worth waiting - but if the crowds REALLY do dip -- do we wait until the very last week? As teachers, that's a week we usually prep -- but if it's worth waiting really crows wise... then maybe we'd do it. July - we can go any time... and make a good plan... We've had a very busy couple years -- making this impossible. So this summer, I'm determined to get them to Disney. But, we are not so good with crowds. One reason is that my one son gets overloaded sensory wise, and the other one has a mild neuromuscular disorder that makes waiting in line, and walking long distances VERY hard, especially in the heat. So I know I'm sort of asking for a nightmare, but I'm determined to make this work -- this is what I want to ask... Seems like Disney World has changed their ticketing pricing, their daily -- to reflect how popular the days are projected to be... and with the Star Wars Land opening later fall '19, with the announcement of free dining, which we would not really do most likely - as we have Starwood Points that I will either convert for Swan/Dolphin or do a near by Marriott club... and rent a car. I love the idea of being submerged in the theme, but with my boys and their issues, I may want to get off property perhaps, too. But I just need to decide, so I can start planning -- thank you!!

 

[firsttimerteachers]

Do any of you think this summer will be different due to the pricing being out there right now? when i look at july day to day and august day to day, i can see the difference in pricing by say about between 0 - 10 dollars a day for a five day ticket... i'm not looking at that for anything but crowd expectancies by the Disney folk... assuming the higher the price, the more crowded they assume it'll be.

 

[aliceismad]

I’d suggest looking at the crowd calendar on touring plans.com. I think they have the best crowd calendars, though any of the crowd calendars can certainly be wrong.

Also, I have no experience with this, but I’d look into whether your kiddo qualifies for the DAS pass, which would allow you to wait in lines a bit less. I’m sure someone here can explain how exactly that works.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Crowds are considerably lower in late August than the rest of summer. It’s actually one of the few “quiet seasons” left anymore. Plus you now get Mickey’s Halloween Party in August if that appeals to you. We love traveling after 8/15. Never found the weather to be appreciably different than July. Swan/Dolphin offer the appeal that it’s very quiet back on Crescent Lake during the day and you can easily take afternoon breaks thanks to the boat to Hollywood Studios and Epcot. For your sons, that might be appealing to avoid peak heat and peak crowds. If you have a car, it’s a bit harder to get to your hotel off campus during the day. We’ve been traveling in August since 2011.

 

[monothingie]

Ditto what @MansionButler84 said regarding August. When we do the large annual family DVC trip we always do the last 2 weeks of August. Only negatives we noted were the earlier closings and just missing F&W. Another thing noted since you’re a fellow NJ person, if your flying out of EWR, United (and JetBlue) likes to boost fares in August to MCO. So book early.

 

[firsttimerteachers]

oh, wow - thank you all so much. yes, i've looked into the DAS pass system a bit -- I think that will be helpful. love the information you all gave. oddly enough i know three people who are booking the week of august 17th, so i was thinking, maybe the "quiet season" has gotten out -- ad people will take advantage of free dining, and so july would be even less quiet, but seems like a no. thank you all.

 

[monothingie]

oh, wow - thank you all so much. yes, i've looked into the DAS pass system a bit -- I think that will be helpful. love the information you all gave. oddly enough i know three people who are booking the week of august 17th, so i was thinking, maybe the "quiet season" has gotten out -- ad people will take advantage of free dining, and so july would be even less quiet, but seems like a no. thank you all.

I would really recommend also talking to Marie @wannabeBelle from Kingdom Konsultant Travel (official TA of WDWMAGIC) about your trip. She is a fantastic resource to help you plan and book your trip. Plus using Kingdom Konsultant is totally free!

 

[firsttimerteachers]

Great - thank you. I'm so confused -- I joined that "touring plans" to see the crowd trackers, and see that honestly, it seems like the difference between july - like the week after july 4th, vs. late august, the numbers in each park vary by not so much... the big difference is between say the tail end -- like august 29, 30th, which look really dead at the parks, but the rest of late august is still 4's/5's sometimes, threes, but also there seem to be times in july where there are 4's, 5's, 6's... at certain parks... is this not a true picture? if i could avoid waiting until the tail end of august, i would love to do that -- looks like the second half of august is not a sure bet for crowds... but say the last few days are. maybe it just looks that way.

 

[firsttimerteachers]

I'm assuming the crowd calendar on touring plans are pretty good -- i did sign up and pay for the access, not that i think any one plan can really predict the future... but looking at pure numbers -- the third week of august, say 20th - 29th -- there are lighter days but only some are really light -- vs week after july 4th - seems like the numbers are off by one or two crowd wise... probably i can't imagine the difference between a three and a five crows wise. maybe it's huge. thanks for all your advice.

 

[JIMINYCR]

The crowd calendars (and there are many of them), are not always accurate, but they do give you an idea of what to expect and help planning the parks. Late Aug would be better than July but youll still will have crowds and lines. Go to Guest Services and get signed up for the Disability Access Service Card which can help you with your son dealing with the lines. Plan on being exposed to very hot humid days. The rain storms you will get will come in quickly but leave quickly. Bring ponchos and look for stores or covered areas to run to. Unless its a money issue, I'd say book on property and do Disney all the way. The resorts immersed vacations are worth it. Renting a vehicle, adds expense and parking fees....I prefer to let Disney drive me around.

 

[firsttimerteachers]

Thank you so much! Yes - I'm thinking just Swan or Dolphin now. Seems like a good balance because I can convert some Marriott points to them.

 

[RMichael21]

Thank you so much! Yes - I'm thinking just Swan or Dolphin now. Seems like a good balance because I can convert some Marriott points to them.

I would highly recommend doing this! We stayed at the Swan this past summer and loved the easy accessibility between the Boardwalk, Epcot, and DHS. The Swan is much quieter than the Dolphin, so if that's your speed I would definitely recommend.

 

[aliceismad]

Touring plans uses an algorithm to predict crowds. Sometimes the predictions change. I’ve not gone to WDW in summer, only Disneyland. Wish I could help more!

 

[Touristmeetstraveler]

I have been visited WDW lots of time. Disney made major upgrades to the FastPass reservations system. The changes made to the system benefit guests in several ways and allow Disney guests to snag reservations for 3 Disney attractions of their choice. The FastPass secures arrival time windows for various Disney experiences.
The new Disney FastPass system allows guests to choose an attraction and time for the attraction simultaneously.
The FastPass reservations will also be more user-friendly. Disney World guests can search for attractions by time versus the previous experience search limitations.
Just to avoid long lines, FastPass really helps you.

 

[crawale]

My husband and I are both teachers in the same NJ district. We can't take any time off during the school year... and we have two boys, ages 8 and 9. They have never been to Disney, nor on a plane, or on a real full on vacation before. I' writing to ask about crowds in July VS August... not sure if it's worth waiting until the end of August for crowds to "dip" if they won't really dip, due to new pricing, and waiting until then, with the threat of terrible weather, not sure if it's worth waiting - but if the crowds REALLY do dip -- do we wait until the very last week? As teachers, that's a week we usually prep -- but if it's worth waiting really crows wise... then maybe we'd do it. July - we can go any time... and make a good plan... We've had a very busy couple years -- making this impossible. So this summer, I'm determined to get them to Disney. But, we are not so good with crowds. One reason is that my one son gets overloaded sensory wise, and the other one has a mild neuromuscular disorder that makes waiting in line, and walking long distances VERY hard, especially in the heat. So I know I'm sort of asking for a nightmare, but I'm determined to make this work -- this is what I want to ask... Seems like Disney World has changed their ticketing pricing, their daily -- to reflect how popular the days are projected to be... and with the Star Wars Land opening later fall '19, with the announcement of free dining, which we would not really do most likely - as we have Starwood Points that I will either convert for Swan/Dolphin or do a near by Marriott club... and rent a car. I love the idea of being submerged in the theme, but with my boys and their issues, I may want to get off property perhaps, too. But I just need to decide, so I can start planning -- thank you!!

As a Florida resident you have to remember this is hurricane season. Also it can be VERY hot and humid.

 

[Boknowsleo]

I usually go to parks when they first open for the day. The lines are the shortest then. Also taking in an indoor show in between rides will help because you will be seated in air conditioning. I'll be taking the family in late August this year for the third time. I do find that when comparing my trips in July to August, there was a lower crowd. I think it might be from the Florida kids going back to school by mid August.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Regardless of what TouringPlans suggests, I find late August to have the lowest crowds of the times I’ve visited. I’ve gone to WDW in January, Presidents Week, mid-March, mid-April (never Easter), Memorial Day, June, August, October, and the week before Christmas. Late August has the best crowds, especially the last few years.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We are big fans of going during the summer. I haven't found TP to be very accurate with their summer crowd predictions. I recall one Aug trip where I was freaking out because they were projecting days to be 7-9 and I don't think we saw anything more than a 5. I'm sure late August is even lighter than early August, but we start school mid August...so that's never a possibility. Still, mid July to mid August has been great for us. And if you try and get a lot done in the early morning and later at night, you'll see lighter crowds and deal with the lower temps of the day (even if morning tends to be higher humidity). That way, you can devote middle of the day to pool time. Case in point...this was Frontierland in the morning during one of our July trips...

Ultimately, I think people are so afraid of the heat that they are trying to avoid summer. I think that's why free dining is being offered for that time this year. We're more heat tolerant, so it's not a huge deal until we start hitting the upper 90s, but there are things you can do to prep your bodies for it. Getting out and walking in the warmer months starts to train your body...staying hydrated...finding good walking sandals (since cool feet often lead to a cooler body)...clothes that transfer air well and don't trap sweat, etc. I know some people say to avoid black clothing, but black clothing doesn't reflect all of the sun's heat onto the body.

 

[larryz]

Whichever period you choose, but especially the August timeframe, get some trip insurance that covers delays/cancellation because of weather.

With all the (insert favorite climate change synonyms here) going on, you'll want that peace of mind in case a hurricane decides to pop up and target central Florida. Not usual in August, but it can, does, and has happened.

 

[tabby1222]

We did several days in July this past summer, with a 5 year old with major self-regulation issues, as well as ADHD and other issues. DAS was a godsend for us!

As for weather/crowds... HOT AND HUMID! We went from June 28-July 12 (scattered day trips with a night stay, as pass holders but from Midwest). Plan on rain every day. Might only be for a half hour or so, but it will rain. Crowds are not near as bad as weeks like Christmas/New Years Eve. We didn't wait for anything more than an hour, and with the DAS, we were able to go do other things, so it wasn't a lot of just standing around in the heat. Schedule meals around 1-2, as it is the hottest part of the day, and also off-time, in terms of most people eating.