Is there any benefit at all to going mid/end of June?

[WouldRatherBeInWDW]

Let me apologize in advance, because this is yet another question about WDW in the summer.

We took our boys for the first time at the end of April/beginning of May and had a fantastic time. They are in kindergarten this year so I had no qualms about pulling them out of school. I don't know how I'll feel about it in the future, so I think we should start preparing ourselves for a summer trip to Disney World next time around. Sometime between mid-June and mid-August.

I know mid-late June in WDW is hot and crowded. Period. But my question is, are the heat and the crowds any better than in July or early August? Even the teeniest bit? Because even a teensy bit better would convince me to go then!

 

[WEDWDW]

To be honest,no.

 

[itsMichelle]

I went on a trip last June from the 27-2nd of July. It was definitely very hot but I did not think the park crowds were terrible. Yes, it was crowded but I did not find it unbearably so. I did rely very heavily on Undercover Tourists crowd calendar to plan out which parks I visited each day and I think that definitely helped. I also only visited Magic Kingdom once sad1 and when I did go it was during the late night extra magic hours which happened to be extended to 1 am that day.
Also, the day we planned to go to Epcot we arrived maybe 10 minutes after rope drop and made a dash to Soarin' - fast passes were already at 3pm so we had to skip that. The rest of the park though was fine. Even mission space only had a 15 minute wait.
I also followed the advice of many other Summer travelers and went back to the hotel during the afternoons as it's way too hot (and crowded)!
Just make sure to pack a lot of water and you should be okay As long as you go prepared to hit crowds it will be fine. Then, the lack of crowds will be a wonderful surprise while if you do encounter terrible crowds it won't completely ruin your day.

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

We are going in June...in prior trips we had been more off times, but now grranddaughters are in school so we are now tied to school calendar. We are staying on property, will do rope drop every morning, and hope for the best!!! I will report back..fingers crossed!

 

[WouldRatherBeInWDW]

Honestly, I figured the answer to my question was "no" but I thought I would ask anyway. I just have to accept the fact that the only way to avoid crazy crowds and/or horrendously hot weather is to pull the kids out of school. Thanks anyway for your input!!!

 

[WouldRatherBeInWDW]

If he is correct at all, Undercover Tourist has early August at slightly lower crowds than late June and July. And by "slightly" I mean 7s and 8s instead of 8s, 9s, and 10s. That's worth looking into!

 

[North of Mouse]

The times we used to go in the summer we found very little differences as far as heat/crowds concerned. Of course any of the holidays would be even worse.

 

[bigbabyblues]

We are going in June for the first time. We have taken the kids out of school in the past, but the last time, our oldest asked us not to anymore because of the amount of make up work he had to do. He will be in 7th grade next year. I am working at their school now, and we are not allowed to take vacation during the school year, so it doesn't matter now.

Bonus for June is that we get 11 days to enjoy Disney!

 

[JenCin78]

We are also tied to the school calendar and went during Easter Week 2012 as that was Spring Break. We are going June 15-22 this year and I figured that if we survived Spring Break last year (it was super hot super crowded) and managed to have a great time then we can definitely survive June crowds. I think like anything else the trip is what you make it. We are definitely planning to spend some afternoons back at the resort enjoying the pool and just relaxing.

 

[WsPrincess]

I am a teacher so mid year trips are out for us but we have done August and June and we ALL preferred June hands down over August. I dream of one day going in early spring or fall but it is only a dream

 

[SnowWhite607]

As you can see from my sig line, I have done many summer trips. Hot but definitely do-able. Yes crowds, but I am not sure there are too many slow times at WDW anymore. Hit rope drop, take a break around lunchtime, go to the resort and rest, shower, swim, then go back in the evening after the sun goes down. Worked for my family and I can only remember one trip that the heat really was a problem for us.

 

[pmaurer74]

yes. June is better. The evening s and mornings are bearable. At the end of July you are dropping sweat at midnight. There seems to be more rain in June and I thought the crowds were slightly lower.

 

[bbn1122]

We will be there this June 22nd - 28th. We are hoping for the best ...in early out in the afternoon...back into the parks after dinner.

We went in 2003 in June and August in 2008 and 2011. August was stormy and hot both times....tropical storm in 2008 and hurricane Irene in 2011. We went at end of August both times.

We too are tied to the school year.

Hoping for the best....

 

[Minnie321]

I have been to Disney at every possible time of the year - Thanksgiving, Mardi Gras, Easter, and Summer and well I find summer to be the least crowded - I don't really know for sure why that is, but I think maybe it is because you have two to three months for everyone to spread themselves out - where for Thanksgiving and Easter everyone is going in those particular weeks. It is hot - but I am from southern Louisiana, so I am not too bothered by that.
I will speak from experience and tell you to avoid July at all costs! July is tour group month. There are hundreds of tour groups from other countries -they bring hundreds of kids and let them run the parks basically unattended - they stay on property and are often very loud at the hotels. I can't say that I have personally had any problem with them - I mean after all they are teenagers having fun - it just makes the parks really crowded and a little more rowdy than some may care for.
I also agree with the PP we often went back to the hotel in the afternoon and swam during the hottest part of the day - then showered - went to dinner - and then went back to the parks in the evening.

 

[blessedby3]

We have been early June (1-11th) and I didnt think it was as bad as I was expecting. Thankfully we only had a couple of humid days. The heat was there, but the heat and humidity combined is brutal.
For our trip next year we will be there more like June 7th-21st. I am expecting it to be more hot and more crowded than our previous June trip
We have always pulled our kids out through 12th grade. They have never complained and always were able to make up their work. Once they hit college (and our ds starts college in the fall), we have to follow the college schedule and that makes our choices more limited...hence the reason we are back to June...ughhh!
In the past we have tried combining a couple of days break that the school has (teacher workdays, etc) and take them out for 3. That may be an option for you, OP...or your kids may not go back to school from Christmas break until mid Janurary. That may give you another option. Check your school calendar and see what options you can work around

 

[Gumbo4x4]

June CAN be brutally hot. July WILL be brutally hot.

We went last June 15-22 and it barely got into the 90's on the warmest days, didn't even get out of the 80's some days.

 

[PurpleTurtle]

We went last June 15-22 and it barely got into the 90's on the warmest days, didn't even get out of the 80's some days.

I wish we could get some of that! We've been several times in May and June, and we always end up with mid-90s. Ack. Hoping for a few overcast days this time

 

[WouldRatherBeInWDW]

Thanks everyone! Taking them out of school is still a possibility, but we could have a longer trip if we went in the summer. I'm thinking late June or early August.

 

[kymom99]

I have only been in June, but I have been 4 times. The earlier in the month you can go, the better. Find out when school ends for the year and plan to leave the next day. Seriously, each week gets more hot and crowded.

The good thing is, in the summer everything is up and running for the most part, and the hours are longer, so you could potentially get more for your money.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

I have only been in June, but I have been 4 times. The earlier in the month you can go, the better. Find out when school ends for the year and plan to leave the next day. Seriously, each week gets more hot and crowded.

Agreed. I have done early-mid June twice and enjoyed both trips. It gets hotter and more crowded the closer you get to July 4th.