Traditionally, we travel to Disney World the week before/after Easter (I’m a teacher) and the crowds are high. We’re considering trying out July. Will the crowds/wait times feel that much less in July than Easter? I know Easter/spring break is considered one of the busiest times. Will the reduced crowds/wait times be worth the switch even with the hot, humid, stormy weather? Or should we stick to what we know and brave the crowds and lines but have better weather? Thanks for any advice.
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It will likely be less than Easter time but it will still be busy. And it will be hotter and more humid in July, though if you plan your days and nights well you can avoid some of that (and the afternoon rains you mention).
Personally I far and away prefer April to July, having done both.
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Summer hasn’t been that busy the last few years because people are realizing how hot it is. I’m the opposite of you - trying SB out next year instead of doing summer because the heat was unbearable and I like heat.
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The heat can be relentless in summer. We have done August and September. We did September in 2024 and vowed we were never do the heat again. Even though crowds can be low then, we found we had to plan our days very carefully to avoid spurious rain and constant heat. Some parks are easier to manage the heat than others. Epcot is great for heat before it is primarily pavilion based. AK is much harder. DHS we managed by taking frequent treks through gift shops or going into shows. MK is another one that can tricky in the heat because many of the queues are covered, but still exposed to the heat.
I hate crowds…but just don’t think we will risk the heat again. (Of course we were just there in January, and it was freezing cold, rainy, AND crowded…so…
)
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Agreed.
Honestly worse than July as far as heat goes but less crowded.
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I will say this. You won’t know if you can handle FL parks in July until you try FL parks in July. The beginning of the month is better than the end as far as rains and humidity. Not wildly so but something to consider. We did end of July last year and what saved us was mid day breaks from around 1pm - 5pm. Sometimes we lounged in the room and took a nap and sometimes we hit the pool if it was cloudy enough.
I’m from an area of the country that has similar weather to Orlando. And I can handle the heat. I could probably make it through the whole day at the parks but I’m not sure it would be enjoyable. Plus, the mid day break helped us stay at the parks later than we typically would.
If you have more than 4 full days I would schedule a rest day in as well. Use this day to hydrate and recover.
April is still pretty warm in Disney. But July is just a tad bit more oppressive. Before last year I swore off July because of a trip decades ago. Now that I embraced the mid day breaks and getting to the parks early in the summer, it’s doable if that’s when we could go.
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That’s fair.
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Thanks for your thoughts, especially because you’ve done both!
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We’re from upstate NY so we definitely don’t experience weather like Orlando. Totally agree that we won’t know if we can handle it unless we give it a try. If we try out July we were thinking the beginning - after July 4th crowds. Thanks for your insight!
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Thanks for the info about each park and managing the heat! If we try the summer we were thinking early July - after the 4th. Lots to think about. Thanks!
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We’ve had great weather during our SB trips so I bet you will love the change even with the hot days that come in April! Just pack your patience with the crowds/lines. Thanks for your thoughts. Enjoy it!
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This isn’t really a thing. The crowds are FAR less than most holidays. I guess people just don’t do Disney for Independence Day. MK sees an uptick on the 4th for the special fireworks. But other than that I wouldnt make it a huge consideration.
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I was there the week before Easter last year and late June. I far preferred Spring Break. With extended hours you can work around the crowds and you aren’t dodging storms and heat that completely zaps you. The storms threw us off the most because we were staying at AKL and hoped to be in the parks for the last two hours of the day, but gor rained out every time.
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Was suprised by this, but completely agree.
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I think I have now done a WDW trip in every month of the year and while all months have their pros and cons, I have never regretted being there.
How much the heat bothers you will very much depend on your personal preferences. I prefer going when it’s hot vs cold, but I will say April is about ideal weather wise. I wouldn’t go in July just to avoid crowds but if there are other considerations that tip the scales toward July it could makes sense overall.
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Thanks for this info! That could change things as I thought we should avoid July 4th but now that I know this we could visit end of June through beginning of July.
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Oh, that stinks! How did you like AKL? Jambo or Kidani? We’d love to stay there and are considering it for our next trip. Thanks for your insight.
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Thanks for this! There are some other factors: flight costs (through the roof during spring break where we live) so it would be nice to shop around and the possibility of a longer stay because it would be summer break. Does it storm every day at the end of June/beginning of July like it does in the middle and end of summer (July, August, September?)?
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We own AKV DVC and love it there. We had a trip over Christmaa one year that was just magical. I have a memory of sitting on my bed reading a book watching giraffes walk by!
In the heat, I like to start in the morning, take a break and then go back to a park, preferably close to where I am staying. I would stay at AKV again for spring break or Christmas, especially because it never feels busy like some.of the other DVC resorts, but am less likely now to stay thwre June-September.
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So from my research and experience, early May is usually hot and dry. Toward the end of May and early June, the rains start but are not every day. By July they are every day. It ramps up gradually so that the earlier in June you go, the less likely you will have daily rain.
Of course weather doesn’t always follow climate patterns. But that said, basically end of June will not be significant less rainy than July. But the rains are generally in the afternoon so if you have a contingency plan, you can usually work around it.
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