After some family negotiation, the fam is headed to WDW in July (the best of the bad options for our schedules). We’ve always been a October/November family, does a TS for lunch work well in the July heat or does it just “sit heavy” afterwards? That was always our “take a long break” meal but I’m wondering if it’s better to switch it to dinner given the temps (although the air conditioning could be heavenly). Most of the QS that come to mind are open-air seating, are there ones with air conditioning that are worth working into the plan?
Also wondering if our “split the difference” touring style (we have early rising grandparents and night owl teens) will have to change to an early shift and a late shift with a hard break in between.
I think it kind of depends what you eat. On our first trip we went in February and did the dining plan and even in February, sometimes that much food was too much for midday with the heat. I remember specifically a meal in Tony’s Town Square where I just couldn’t face an appetizer and a giant serving of pasta. But if you’re not trying to get the most out of a dining plan and can just eat what your body wants, I think it’s probably a great chance to sit down, cool off, and regroup before heading back out.
TS for lunch for a break from the heat sounds nice. Personally we can’t handle the afternoons in July anymore. So our park time would end around 1:30-2p. You could always have an early TS lunch, tackle a couple more things then take a resort break with a later evening in the parks planned.
I was there July 2022 - my first summer trip since 1984 (and will probably be my last). I was there for 8 back-to-back park days and I went back to the sort in the afternoon all but 2 of those days - and it’s the best thing I ever did. The two days I didn’t I did mostly inside attractions, did TS for both lunch and dinner, and made at least one bar stop in the middle. Up until around 10:00 it was relatively comfortable.
By noon it was HOT and by 2:00 it was overwhelming unless I was indoors or in the shade - or it was cloudy; clouds really protect you from the onslaught of the sun. Overall the heat/humidity factor wasn’t as horrible as I was dreading, but bad enough that I doubt I will ever go in the June-September timeframe again.
I love doing a TS meal for lunch during the summer, but I think whether it works for you will largely depend on how your body reacts to extreme heat and humidity. Some people lose their appetite when it’s hot.
If you do choose lunch for TS, consider eating on the late side and supplementing with a snack in the morning. That will help you work up an appetite and also duck out of the worst heat of the day. When we do a TS meal for lunch, we often leave the parks and go to a resort.
It may be a good idea to switch things up from day to day. That way you aren’t putting all your eggs in one basket. Some days a dinner TS is just what the doctor ordered.
We used to have to visit in the summer when the kids were still in school. As @Jeff_AZ mentioned, we liked to grab a mid-morning snack and schedule a TS for around 3:00 - 4:00. There are several advantages to this:
You are getting most of your touring in before the dreaded late afternoon thunderstorms. In fact, you may be comfortably seated and enjoying your meal during the worst of it.
You are avoiding the worst heat of the day.
You are beating the dinner crowd, so most tables are clean and the wait staff has had a chance to rest (breathe).
After dinner, you will be riding attractions while others are eating.
Later, you will be hungry enough for evening snacks!
