Breaking all the rules for WDW July trip :O

[mistymouse5001]

K... We officially booked from July 3rd to July 11th...I know
I know really hot really crowded. Dylan hates heat...got it covered !
I hope...but I feel like a 6 year old and a 3 year old can still have a ton of fun ! I have every other day planned for the pool and resort . Maybe light shopping. We are going to look at some neighborhoods in the area that have nice houses listed for sale. So I would just like to have one spot I can come back to to read all of your very professional SURVIVE JULY tips and tricks . I did not want to go in July but I'm not passing up another year ~!

 

[CastleCreations]

K... We officially booked from July 3rd to July 11th...I know
I know really hot really crowded. Dylan hates heat...got it covered !
I hope...but I feel like a 6 year old and a 3 year old can still have a ton of fun ! I have every other day planned for the pool and resort . Maybe light shopping. We are going to look at some neighborhoods in the area that have nice houses listed for sale. So I would just like to have one spot I can come back to to read all of your very professional SURVIVE JULY tips and tricks . I did not want to go in July but I'm not passing up another year ~!

Trust me it will be HOT!!! I live here and we hardly ever go in the summer because it is just too hot. It also rains almost every day. That being said, you can still have a great vacation. If you plan on sleeping in, FORGET IT!! LOL, get up at the crack of dawn, and get to the park of your choice before it opens. Do as much as you can until lunchtime, have lunch either in the park or head back to the resort, nap, swim, shop in the gift shop, whatever, and then after dinner head back to the parks. It's the only way to beat the heat. If we have to go in the summer this is what we do. Don't forget the sunscreen, or your sunburn will ruin your vacation. Hats and sunglasses for the kids are a good idea. Also the little personal fan misty things are fun to. Buy them at walmart for a few dollars before you go. Also bring a few ponchos for the late afternoon showers, and you can save some money there too. Since your kids are still little, if they tend to get whiney in the heat, count on doing a stroller. I find Disney's strollers to be great. The kids can climb in and out on their own and have tons of room to store stuff.
Have a great vacation...

 

[WDWAtLast]

We went in August last year - it was hot, but we had a blast! I agree with Castle Creations - don't plan on sleeping in if you can help it. We were at the parks by or before rope drop and left by 12 or 1 and went back to the room to swim/nap. Then we headed back to the parks at about 6 PM. If it does rain, many people will leave the park - this was when we had the shortest lines! I do recommend the mister fans and I would not carry water with us again. It was too much too carry in the heat - i would just budget to buy cold water or tap iced water is free - you just have to ask!

Have fun!

 

[gojoe]

Trust me it will be HOT!!! I live here and we hardly ever go in the summer because it is just too hot. It also rains almost every day. That being said, you can still have a great vacation. If you plan on sleeping in, FORGET IT!! LOL, get up at the crack of dawn, and get to the park of your choice before it opens. Do as much as you can until lunchtime, have lunch either in the park or head back to the resort, nap, swim, shop in the gift shop, whatever, and then after dinner head back to the parks. It's the only way to beat the heat. If we have to go in the summer this is what we do. Don't forget the sunscreen, or your sunburn will ruin your vacation. Hats and sunglasses for the kids are a good idea. Also the little personal fan misty things are fun to. Buy them at walmart for a few dollars before you go. Also bring a few ponchos for the late afternoon showers, and you can save some money there too. Since your kids are still little, if they tend to get whiney in the heat, count on doing a stroller. I find Disney's strollers to be great. The kids can climb in and out on their own and have tons of room to store stuff.
Have a great vacation...

We take the girls every other year in the summer. Take all of the above advise to heart. We do make all the rope drops get all the major must see attractions over by lunch. Humidity and lines don't make for happy children. We only got rained on once and that was at night at Epcot.

 

[annod_89]

We have gone the past two years in the summer and are going down for July 4th week this year. Last year our son was only 7 months old, but we managed with the heat. We would go out early with our water bottles and mister fan and take a break in the middle of the day. It was a great time to go back to the hotel and take a swim. Then, we would head back out in the evening. It's really not too bad, you just have to be prepared. There are plenty of places to cool off.

 

[mistymouse5001]

Trust me it will be HOT!!! I live here and we hardly ever go in the summer because it is just too hot. It also rains almost every day. That being said, you can still have a great vacation. If you plan on sleeping in, FORGET IT!! LOL, get up at the crack of dawn, and get to the park of your choice before it opens. Do as much as you can until lunchtime, have lunch either in the park or head back to the resort, nap, swim, shop in the gift shop, whatever, and then after dinner head back to the parks. It's the only way to beat the heat. If we have to go in the summer this is what we do. Don't forget the sunscreen, or your sunburn will ruin your vacation. Hats and sunglasses for the kids are a good idea. Also the little personal fan misty things are fun to. Buy them at walmart for a few dollars before you go. Also bring a few ponchos for the late afternoon showers, and you can save some money there too. Since your kids are still little, if they tend to get whiney in the heat, count on doing a stroller. I find Disney's strollers to be great. The kids can climb in and out on their own and have tons of room to store stuff.
Have a great vacation...

Thanks ! We are from southern TN so I'm hoping it helps. You have 100% humidity we have 80% It's so different though

We went in August last year - it was hot, but we had a blast! I agree with Castle Creations - don't plan on sleeping in if you can help it. We were at the parks by or before rope drop and left by 12 or 1 and went back to the room to swim/nap. Then we headed back to the parks at about 6 PM. If it does rain, many people will leave the park - this was when we had the shortest lines! I do recommend the mister fans and I would not carry water with us again. It was too much too carry in the heat - i would just budget to buy cold water or tap iced water is free - you just have to ask!

Have fun!

Do you think rain might make it more fun or should I avoid it ?

We take the girls every other year in the summer. Take all of the above advise to heart. We do make all the rope drops get all the major must see attractions over by lunch. Humidity and lines don't make for happy children. We only got rained on once and that was at night at Epcot.

We have gone the past two years in the summer and are going down for July 4th week this year. Last year our son was only 7 months old, but we managed with the heat. We would go out early with our water bottles and mister fan and take a break in the middle of the day. It was a great time to go back to the hotel and take a swim. Then, we would head back out in the evening. It's really not too bad, you just have to be prepared. There are plenty of places to cool off.

Are the pools packed ? Are you going to the patk for the fourth ? I was thinking about making it a resort day.

Thank you for the advice so far it's looking fun!

 

[Leleluvsdis]

Joining in... CAn't wait to read more!!!

 

[emmababy]

We went 3 yrs ago. It was actually fun because there are parades and fireworks most nights. The parks are open later.

FYI- for the fourth, we made that our day off. The resorts had fun activities and MK had the same fireworks the night before!

Be prepared for naps because the heat tires everyone out!

 

[gojoe]

As far as the rain just get some cheap ponchos before you go and carry them with you. Most of the time the rain is very short and heavy. The sun comes out and dries it so quick you might not even know if you're in a show.
We went July 4th a couple of years ago (my birthday). We went to MK on July 3rd, it's a must see. The fireworks are shot off in 360 degrees on Main St. It's overwhelming. We went to Animal Kingdom in the morning on the 4th and Hollywood at night. It's the only time fireworks are shot off at Hollywood. It worked out nice for us. Have a Magical time

 

[WDWAtLast]

Do you think rain might make it more fun or should I avoid it ?

I don't know that it makes it more fun - but it did seem to thin the crowds out! On our arrival day, it had rained a little longer than the usual afternoon shower (maybe from 3 -5) After check in, we headed to Magic Kingdom about 5:30. It was still sprinkling and very overcast - but the park seemed empty! We walked onto Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Railroad, and some of the Fantasyand rides, too (Small World and SNow White) It was very Humid after the rain, but the less crowded park was worth it! And on another day when it was raining, we just threw on ponchos to get from place to place - also many people left the park when the rain started.

Another humidity tip - if you are in a room with a balcony, set your camera on the balcony while you are getting ready in the morning. That way when you get to the park, it won't keep fogging over - I missed several pics our first day due to a foggy camera!



Are the pools packed ?

We were at WL and the pool was usually most crowded from 3 - 5 PM. But they also have a smaller pool than many resorts and we still had plenty of room IN the pool - just no available loungechairs to put on things on (which was no biggie!)

 

[mistymouse5001]

What a great idea! I never would have thought of that

 

[monorailsilver]

I am a Disney summer fan myself. Most of the trips I have taken have been the end of July/beginning of August.

We make sure we are up early & head to the park that is open early that day. We get there 15-30 min before early opening time. We eat breakfast in our room which saves time & money since we bring stuff from home.

We hit the rides as soon as the park opens & then when it is time for lunch, we grab a bite to eat & head back to the resort for a break.

When I was a teenager, we'd swim for our breaks but now that I have small kids, I have made them all nap or at least rest for the breaks & my dd who was 7 on our last visit even napped.

Sometimes I'd shower them as soon as we got back to our room from our mid-day break or other times as they woke up & just before we hit the park for dinner & night time festivities.

I can tell you my kids stayed up until 10-11 every park night with out any crying or whining because of those naps they took on a bed in an a/c'd room.

I also made sure I planned 1-2 days of nothing (besides travel days). We hung out at the pool on those days. And we got to sleep in on those days as well.