Summer: The new low season?

[MusicalAstronaut]

Yep you could definitely handle it then! It is awesome, especially when that pool is Stormalong Bay

If I can snag a room at Yacht or beach club I think I would spend the entire time at that pool! It's seriously incredible.

 

[back2disney]

Now that I think about it the shorter hours at MK were probably part in part to get folks to go to Disney Springs. I went there to see La Nouba and I was really really impressed with Disney Springs. I only saw a little bit and it was at night, but Disney definitely spent alot of money on it. The parking is free and high tech. I wouldn't have known about Disney Springs if it weren't for La Nouba. Next time I will try to check it out more. I saw the closed Disney Quest building there. They should put the old Epcot simulator rides in it and re-open it.

 

[jcvalenti]

Of course summer is the new slow time ... we've always gone during the summer and this year, we decided we would surprise the kids by yanking them out of school and going for the week after Thanksgiving so we could see the Christmas decorations. Of course, it looks like every hotel room sold out the day I booked my rooms, and every ADR we wanted was snapped up even at my 180 day mark. That fits with my luck.

/ Next year we have a huge group going the first week of August - so expect a huge boom in the South American economy and record crowds next summer.

 

[Parker Clan]

Okay, so there is no real "low" season. But! As everyone has been finding out, the fall & winter are looking SLAMMED for this year. No hotels available, no discounts, and everyone is wondering why everyone else is going when they are. Even the new crowd calendars are putting October as high season now. Historically I avoid the summer because it's hot as helllll and (normally) very crowded. However, poking around online I'm seeing lower hotel rates and reports that the parks are less crowded than previous years. So I'm planning a return to summertime next year! I'm actually kind of excited, if only because the parks are open so much longer in the summer.

If you go regularly in the summer, what is your favorite part? Do you hit the water parks or just stick to your hotel pool? Is it just too hot and I'm making a terrible mistake?!

We can only go in the summer due to my husband's work schedule as a teacher and coach. We prefer the pools during the hottest times of the day, we do this every day! And because our trips are pretty long we incorporate a rest day in there too. You're not crazy! It's a great time of year to go! If you follow all the tips to stay hydrated etc you'll be fine & have a blast! Plus enjoy those lower crowds

 

[ArielSRL]

We go in summer now because I'm a teacher. The last two years have been early June and that will pretty much be our designated time to go in the future. I'm in Atlanta, as well, and 2016 was rough as far as heat, but this year wasn't bad at all. There was lots of rain and clouds but it kept it cooler and didn't really effect much except Test Track being closed a lot.

We do the early morning touring, midday break, back in evening touring. MK closed at 10 most night but 11 some of the nights of our week. We made sure to do an 11 close one of our MK days and shut the place down. I do have young children (5 & 3) so we probably wouldn't stay out much later anyway, so the hours didn't bother us. We did quite a bit of swimming in the pool during our breaks or we rested/napped.

If I had my choice, I probably prefer September or early December, as that's when we used to go, before I graduated college and joined the work force, but summer is totally doable for us and it certainly doesn't make for a bad visit, imo.

And yes, it seems that the crowds are shifting somewhat from summer to fall based on reservations and discounts and firsthand reports.

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

Of course summer is the new slow time ... we've always gone during the summer and this year, we decided we would surprise the kids by yanking them out of school and going for the week after Thanksgiving so we could see the Christmas decorations. Of course, it looks like every hotel room sold out the day I booked my rooms, and every ADR we wanted was snapped up even at my 180 day mark. That fits with my luck.

/ Next year we have a huge group going the first week of August - so expect a huge boom in the South American economy and record crowds next summer.

Keep checking those ADRs! I'm going the second week of December and I've had a good bit of luck. You have to just keep checking back. From talks on the discounts boards a lot of people booked hoping to apply a discount later, so I wouldn't be surprised if people cancel. Christmas at Disney is absolutely beautiful, it's my favorite. Your kids will love it!

 

[Day-Day]

I've glanced from time to time at waiting times for attractions. It seems that the summer months aren't any worse than many of the off-peak times. This can be due to extra park hours to spread out the guests during the summer and running attractions at peak capacity during the summer.

On our last visit during a "slow" time, the parking lots at the resorts were practically empty, the crowds at park openings were relatively small and the walkways in the parks were not nearly as crowded as in the summer time; however, many attractions had wait times no better or even longer than during the summer months.

 

[ChasingLeslie]

Slow season? No

But, we follow the crowd calendars (last July and this July) and the crowds are noticeably lighter than we have experienced in the past.

 

[firsttimemom]

We went during the summer for the first time this year (7/2-8). Crowds were not as bad as we expected (and lighter than what I experienced in late March this year. We got great discounts at GF and BWI. It was hot, but I expected it to be soooo much worse than it really was. I wouldn't hesitate to go down again in the summer.

 

[tlmadden73]

1) With crowd calendars and sites like these telling people constantly that it is less crowded in non-summer months, people are catching on and going in non-summer months.

2) There is more to see/do in non-summer months (Parties, decorations, festivals, marathons)

3) It is A LOT cooler in non-summer months.

4) I think a LOT of people are putting off their vacations until more stuff is "done" at WDW. I am sure a lot of people chose fall of 2017 to make sure that Pandora was complete (as they probably booked their vacation before the opening day was announced). I know a lot of people aren't going to go next year until at least Fall of 2018 to make sure Toy Story Land is done (I know I'm not).

So I think the crowds will be down in the summers until after the end of 2019.

 

[Minnesota!]

I seriously LOVE August at WDW. The heat, humidity, rain, thunder, people, etc. It's damn near perfect, IMO. Forces people to slow down a bit, forces us to notice/see things we might otherwise run by. And, we get a hell of a lot of use out of the pool. Cannot wait!

 

[WEDWDW]

What are The 15s?

Below are The 15s!

Many Guests mistakenly call all of them "Brazilian Tour Groups"-there actually are just as many from Argentina and smaller numbers from Chile,Uruguay,Paraguay,etc.

They are celebrating their 15th Birthday-hence the name The 15s.

We talk to them and try to "humanize" them-they are really nice girls when you make an effort ot talk to them.

I'll be the first to admit that they can get "out of control" in the big groups-I'm just saying they are not bad people.

The Super Greeters and more usage of dedicated buses has helped the situation a good bit.

TCHAU TCHAU

 

[JordanWV16]

We typically head to a park in the morning, come back to the hotel in the early afternoon, swim and relax, and then go back out at night.

That's what my family does as well, you miss the worst part of the day and the time it's most likely to shower (since they are pretty much daily in FL).

 

[WEDWDW]

The pools close at 10pm.

Pool Hours for the Summer are 9:00 AM-11:00 PM at most,if not all,WDW Pools.

 

[DaniMoon]

Oct 2013/Nov 2015 -- definitely not low attendance. Was surprised after a 10 year hiatus. This year's trip was June. It was not my first choice, but other family was going so I decided how bad can it be. We were there 6/19-30 and are from PA. After a miserably cool and damp spring here in PA, I was dreading the heat. Well, we had a great time. It really didn't seem much more crowded than when we were there in Oct/Nov. The only rides that seem much worse were the mountains in MK and Nemo in Epcot. Everything else seemed quite comparable.

We did rope drop almost every morning and were out of the parks between noon and 1:30 pm most days. Our first week we only had one day of rain, the second week we had showers most days. We did the indoor movie (Mickey's Philharmonic/Muppets/Lion King when we really needed a break -- Ellen's Energy was a very nice break) We went back to a park most nights. My daughter will be in middle school our next trip, so summer will be the new normal for us. I did not have high expectations, thought the kids would complain, thought I'd hate it. But it was pretty much like all our other trips, we had a blast.

 

[DVC@OKW]

I have gone to Disney in all the four season's. I don't like going in the summer because of the extreme heat.

 

[WEDWDW]

I seem to remember MK being open until like 2 am some nights with EMH, but I could be getting that mixed up with Spring Break.

You aren't getting it mixed up-LATE night EMHs used to be "common" at the Kingdom of Magic in the Summer.

I even remember the "old days" when PM EMH was THREE hours and there were 4:00 AM PM EMHs at times!!!!

 

[WEDWDW]

EP is open until 10 pm in December due to the Candlelight Processional.

Just to clarify,Epcot closes at 9:30 PM in December.(It does close at 10:00 PM on Friday and Saturdays during Food & Wine.)

 

[sharonabe]

Just to clarify,Epcot closes at 9:30 PM in December.(It does close at 10:00 PM on Friday and Saturdays during Food & Wine.)

Thank you for the correction. I knew I'd seen a calendar with 10:00 hrs somewhere, and thought it was for CP.

 

[tlmadden73]

Below are The 15s!

Many Guests mistakenly call all of them "Brazilian Tour Groups"-there actually are just as many from Argentina and smaller numbers from Chile,Uruguay,Paraguay,etc.

They are celebrating their 15th Birthday-hence the name The 15s.

I never realized this was a thing.
This seems like an incredibly expensive "party" .. but going to another country when you are 15? Amazing.

It really didn't seem much more crowded than when we were there in Oct/Nov.

That was my shock when i went to WDW in early October of 2014. I was shocked how crowded it felt then. No school breaks or holidays.
I've gone recently:
Jan. 2010
Oct. 2014
Aug. 2015
Mar. 2017

I'd say that October was the busiest time of all four.