July vs. August

M

MattyMitch

Active Member
Hi all,

We are looking to go to Orlando in the summer time of 2018. We have looked up the pros and cons but need to know if anybody has personal experience.
We know in July flights are cheaper from Manchester but the parks are ridiculously busy (We went in July once and had to buy fast passes/express passes for everywhere). We have now looked at August (from August 12th and onward), judging by crowd calendars the parks are a lot quieter but flights are slightly more expensive, although we will not need express passes.

Could anyone share their opinion to help us?

Thanks.
 
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Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
First you do not "buy" fastpasses at WDW ~ they are free. (Universal has the Express pass which you can purchase if you are not staying in one of Universal's resorts that include the Express pass.) And at either park you will need to take advantage of Fastpass or Express Pass if you want shorter waits during either July or August.

I have been in July and August in recent years and there is not a huge difference in crowds. July used to be very busy but due to Disney's marketing promotions (and the popularity of "crowd calendars") crowds are more evenly dispersed throughout the entire year. There is no true "slow" time to visit anymore.

If travel in July is cheaper for you, pick July over August.
 
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M

MattyMitch

Active Member
Original Poster
Tuvalu said:
First you do not "buy" fastpasses at WDW ~ they are free. (Universal has the Express pass which you can purchase if you are not staying in one of Universal's resorts that include the Express pass.) And at either park you will need to take advantage of Fastpass or Express Pass if you want shorter waits during either July or August.

I have been in July and August in recent years and there is not a huge difference in crowds. July used to be very busy but due to Disney's marketing promotions (and the popularity of "crowd calendars") crowds are more evenly dispersed throughout the entire year. There is no true "slow" time to visit anymore.

If travel in July is cheaper for you, pick July over August.
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I am aware of Disney's fast pass system having gone for over 15 years. What I am saying is, what are the benefits of July and what are the benefits of August? What is the different in wait times? ect.
 
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Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
MattyMitch said:
I am aware of Disney's fast pass system having gone for over 15 years. What I am saying is, what are the benefits of July and what are the benefits of August? What is the different in wait times? ect.
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You said "We went in July once and had to buy fast passes/ express passes for everywhere." I was merely reminding you that fast passes are free. If you intended to say use fast passes, no matter what time of year you visit WDW your wait times will be significantly shorter if you use fast passes.

July and August are both hot and humid and rainy, so no real difference in weather.
There may be more tour groups in early July. We have not seen many (if any) in late July or August.
There are no short wait times for popular attractions in either month unless you are there at rope drop or near closing. Standby waits during the day for the headliners will be 45-60 minutes (or more.) Other attractions 20-30 minutes. You can check current wait times on the My Disney Experience app this month (July) and next month (August) to get an idea for yourself.
I am not sure what other information (other than cost) would be helpful to you in making your decision.
 
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M

MattyMitch

Active Member
Original Poster
Tuvalu said:
You said "We went in July once and had to buy fast passes/ express passes for everywhere." I was merely reminding you that fast passes are free. If you intended to say use fast passes, no matter what time of year you visit WDW your wait times will be significantly shorter if you use fast passes.

July and August are both hot and humid and rainy, so no real difference in weather.
There may be more tour groups in early July. We have not seen many (if any) in late July or August.
There are no short wait times for popular attractions in either month unless you are there at rope drop or near closing. Standby waits during the day for the headliners will be 45-60 minutes (or more.) Other attractions 20-30 minutes. You can check current wait times on the My Disney Experience app this month (July) and next month (August) to get an idea for yourself.
I am not sure what other information (other than cost) would be helpful to you in making your decision.
Click to expand...
Crowd calendars say it should be slow?
 
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mdubm

mdubm

Well-Known Member
If you go mid to late August, many schools are starting or close to starting, so crowds will be lower. I will say, however, that I know several people who have been in WDW for 4th of July this year and have all been amazed at how low the crowds have been. It will be miserably hot both months. If it's significantly cheaper, I'd just go in July. If it's not a huge difference, go later in August.
 
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M

MattyMitch

Active Member
Original Poster
Hi all,

Think we are definitely going in August. When we went in July it rained at 3pm routinely for about 15 mins, this did not bother us although it was an inconvenience when the rides got shut down. I've heard from friends who have also been in August that it rains all afternoon sometimes. This is obviously not ideal but we have heard of the 'rainy season' in Florida and have been before but the spells of rain lasted an hour maximum. Is this true it rains for the full afternoon?
 
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DisAl

DisAl

Well-Known Member
Many schools in are getting started by mid-August so they crowds may be a little lower then. As another poster said though, I don't think there are really any "slow" times any more.
We were there in January one time and met a family with teenage kids. Their comment was "We are from Minnesota. There is six feet of snow on the ground. Schools are closed. We are at DISNEY WORLD!!!"
 
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DiSnEyF@n

DiSnEyF@n

Well-Known Member
August 100%


I'm not sure how much more it will cost you, but the crowds are much more manageable... Especially if you get to the parks at rope drop yo will have no issue getting onto rides that you want with little wait! Have fun and happy planning!
 
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M

MattyMitch

Active Member
Original Poster
DiSnEyF@n said:
August 100%


I'm not sure how much more it will cost you, but the crowds are much more manageable... Especially if you get to the parks at rope drop yo will have no issue getting onto rides that you want with little wait! Have fun and happy planning!
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I believe the flights are now looking to be cheaper. We are thinking of getting the train up to Edinburgh and flying out from there. It's cheaper than travelling down to Manchester because the Scottish schools are back to flights are cheaper.
 
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DisAl

DisAl

Well-Known Member
No matter what month you come from July - August - September I would consider trip insurance because that is hurricane season.
And be prepared to be HOT!
I am just thankful that for our family it is a 7 1/2 hour drive and not a flight across the Atlantic!
 
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LAKid53

LAKid53

Official Member of the Girly Girl Fan Club
Premium Member
August and September are the most active months during hurricane season. I would recommend the purchase of trip insurance just to be safe.
 
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Figgy1

Figgy1

Premium Member
Given the choice I'd choose August over July. We went last year for the month of August and after the first week crowds seemed to go down a bit every few days:joyfull:
 
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Prince Shaun

Prince Shaun

Active Member
MattyMitch said:
Hi all,

Think we are definitely going in August. When we went in July it rained at 3pm routinely for about 15 mins, this did not bother us although it was an inconvenience when the rides got shut down. I've heard from friends who have also been in August that it rains all afternoon sometimes. This is obviously not ideal but we have heard of the 'rainy season' in Florida and have been before but the spells of rain lasted an hour maximum. Is this true it rains for the full afternoon?
Click to expand...

In our experience it will rain for an hour maximum. One day (out of the hundreds we've been in August) it rained for 2-3 hours and we got to watch every film in EPCOT World Showcase.
 
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