Which is worse: crowds level 10 — or — heat and humidity at peak temps?

[bonjing]

I'll take low crowds any day and would rather endure the heat.

I know the last time we went it was just too humid but not terribly hot. Every ride we got onto the castmembers kept telling us to get closer to each other, I blurted out that it was too dang hot to get that close to another person, people that heard me kind of chuckled. It became a running joke between us that if your nether regions weren't touching the person in front of you then there was way too much space between people. I think lower crowds means less bunching of people.

 

[sweetnjmom]

Heat. I can't handle wall-to-wall people. I'm going the week before Labor Day and am hoping that all the (low) crowd estimates are accurate.

 

[Jdbsfw]

Bring on the heat! Would love lighter crowds and the heat

 

[ELLH]

It's funny... you've basically picked the two extremes that I said I'll never do: I won't visit WDW during Christmas break and I won't go back in the Summer. lol

But to answer your question, I think a lot of this would depend on what you're already used to. I live in the South. I'm used to the terribly oppressing heat/humidity in the Summer. So I can deal with it. In a perfect world it would be Fall weather year round, but I digress...

If you're someone who is used to cooler temps and come down to Florida in the summer, I'm not sure that's an adjustment that would be tolerable. Given that I'm used to it, I'd personally rather deal with summer heat and nominal crowds than deal with winter weather but max capacity crowds. With max capacity there's no enjoyment for me. There's not much ride time/opportunity. There's no room to even just sit and people watch. However, if we are talking 7/10 level crowds or summer weather, I'd probably start leaning back toward the winter crowds. There's a breaking point there and it's on you to determine where that is based on your own comfort level.


But, again, I think the answer boils down to your own personal comfort level... and probably even your goals. Obviously with max capacity crowds you won't get nearly as much done than with more moderate crowds. Then factor in park hours being more limited in the winter. On the flip side, heavy storms are the norm in Florida during the summer and it's nothing to see the park essentially shuttered for a couple hours on random afternoons due to this weather.

 

[srauseo]

My sister is a teacher so we have very little flexibility on this point. Our choices are either super crowded and wicked expensive or hot and humid.

We've gone with hot and humid. It's cheaper and we can stay longer which means we can be more relaxed with our touring and take long midday breaks by the pool. I hate the heat and humidity. But we manage.

 

[kboo]

You haven’t lived misery until you’ve been cold and wet in a packed MK. At least wet in August feels refreshing(ish).

HAHA. So true.

I think the OP chose heat over crowds, but I'll play anyway, since reading these threads is a little like my vicarious escape. And since we just bought DVC we are expanding our idea of when we'd like to go. I never thought I'd be away from home for Thanksgiving, but we are going to WDW over Thanksgiving break this year.

I abhor the heat, yet - my sister and I both have summer birthdays, and my parents were school teachers for a long time, so all my best memories of WDW as a kid involved going in the super heat and humidity. As a young adult, I lived in NC for 5 years, summers included, and I survived. So I have learned how to deal with heat, even though I don't like it.

We now live in NY - and many years ago, before kids, DH and I decided to take a long weekend in December because flights were randomly cheap and we found a good deal on a room. We almost didn't make it - our flight was the last to leave NYC as a nor'easter blew in, and takeoff was actually a little scary. We got the WDW and loved it - the weather was heavenly, and crowds were low.

We've since been a number of times in the late summer (DH, DD1 and my birthdays fall in July, August and Labor Day weekend - it's unavoidable), and while the heat is really uncomfortable, we have worked out how we deal with heat - just like all the PPs, we spend an early AM in the parks and leave for lunch, and maybe come back in the evening. There's lots of pool time if there aren't thunderstorms. If there are, we will head back to a park earlier, and do indoor attractions and rides. We are like the salmon swimming upstream in late afternoon while everyone else streams out of the park. HAHA. We *definitely* use TS ADRs to get a break as well. I love not having to wait very much, and having mostly empty photo ops. Also - rides can break down - one time on our last trip (President's week, so not crowd level 10, but pretty close), 7DMT, Splash and Space mountain AND POTC broke down all around the same time. It was also unseasonably hot, so we had some heat PLUS massive crowds on everything else. So, even in good weather, you can sometimes end up in unexpected crowds.

For the rain, we wear water shoes, bring ponchos, and clothes we don't mind getting wet in - we just pretend we are going to a water park.

 

[YesterDark]

Avoid heat.

I don't mind either and if you ask me on another day I might pick to avoid crowds. I really love Disney in the evening and at night and when the heat is typically lower the evening starts earlier.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I haven't voted as I feel the answer to this is more about:

a) Can everyone in your party handle crowds?
b) Can everyone in your party handle extreme heat and humidity?

I would have chosen B (go in the heat) until we took my niece who warned us in advance that she didn't do well in the heat. She was miserable until finally the last couple of days she chose to stay back in the room and go to the pool rather than the parks. After that we all had a better time.

For that situation, choosing crowds over heat would have been a better decision for us as she missed out on a lot - but was okay with doing so.

 

[youknowscott]

Yes... we’re going in the HEAT! I’ll send a full report and how we all handled everything after this what’s turning out to be an awesome plan. The decision, as with most, comes down to multiple circumstances, not just these two factors. One being that we couldn't find a 2BR villa the week after Christmas and the FP+ avails for now aren’t too bad this late in the game. Mostly because we’re going to follow the touring plans route to a Tee and have confidence with the right attitude and plan we’ll rock WDW!
Oh, by the way, I guess I’m the one who’s in for a true test as my wife and kids handle heat well.

 

[stinkpickle]

The older I get, the easier it is for me to handle heat and humidity...which is fortunate, I guess.

 

[TiffanyA]

I would always choose large crowds over extreme heat + humidity and I grew up in the heat (I'm from Miami). I also go every Xmas, so it doesn't phase me.

That said, extreme heat to me is 95°+ and I get prickly heat rash in those temps. My skin actually feels like something is stinging me. The lower crowds didn't matter - I was so uncomfortable.

If it's shy of those extreme temps though (like in the high 80s, low 90s), I'd choose the heat. Those mean water park days, theme park nights. FUN!

That said, I also actually really hate Disney when its super cold (I'm talking 40s-50s), but only because we're not prepared. Freezing my proverbial cajones off is not my idea of fun. I can't enjoy myself in that state. Now I have hats and coats and mittens. But no one goes to Disney expecting to need them!