June vs August

[twinprincesses09]

We were planning a trip mid-June, but just found out that my kids first day of school next year has been pushed back to Aug 28 (we usually start 2nd week of Aug). So I'm debating on whether to keep our trip in June or change to Aug since I would love to go to MNSSHP(assuming they start in Aug like they did this year)! I've always wanted to go, but didnt want to take our kids out of school for it. We would probably have to go to the 1st or 2nd one. Those who have been in August, how crowded are the parties that time of year? Would it be worth postponing our trip to go? We are already anxious for June to be here, August just seems so far away!

 

[randumb0]

The first party will be extremely crowded. Also based off of recent trends of moving up the date of MNSSHP I wouldn't be surprised if the first party is in April

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Depending on your priorities, the weather is slightly better in June than August and there are more hours of daylight.

 

[brockash]

The first party will be extremely crowded. Also based off of recent trends of moving up the date of MNSSHP I wouldn't be surprised if the first party is in April

lol

 

[amcnj]

We went to the first party in 2017. I had never gone before so can’t compare crowd size to other parties, but I felt while it was pretty crowded, we still overall did what we hoped to. We did not stand in any lines to meet any characters though, and some of them did seem long. We saw the parade and show, and did multiple candy lines and some specialty photo stops. Maybe they have their act together now, but I also found they didn’t have some of the event specialty food items and souvenirs available that first night. I know we looked for a certain t shirt that was a no show, and a food item too, which although listed in the literature was not available, and that was after waiting in a decent line for it. And I overheard another family saying this was the second or third place they tried to obtain it, as they kept being told at one location to try another, when really no one had it.

The one odd thing for me was it being kind of hot and humid at a Halloween event. So unless you are heat tolerant, if you plan to dress up, plan accordingly, as I wouldn’t want to be wearing a heavy costume that covered me up.

Like you, we are normally not able to go when the parties usually occurred, so we were happy to have the opportunity to attend and were very glad we did go.

 

[holden]

I’ve been in both June and August several times. I prefer the June weather. It’s certainly hot, but for some reason I find it more bareable than August.

 

[lovethattink]

August is more hot and humid. Possibly less crowded on weekdays because locals are in school mid to end of August.

Check out the MNSSHP thread. Might help you in choosing the party. I remember reading about how overcrowded the first one felt with media also there.

The 2nd party would be easier to navigate because the posts and blogs about the party should be out.

 

[sullyfam]

I would not change it if I were you. Chances are you'll be at one of the first parties and the parties have gotten much more crowded the last few years. We have done MNSSHP and MVMCP and I have to say, I'm not in a rush to do either one again. Not to mention, if you go when there are parties going on, your touring plans have to be made around the party schedule. I like the simplicity of going when there are no parties to contend with. I have been in June and July and neither of those felt as hot as when we went in August for whatever reason.

 

[wfjny]

The first party will be extremely crowded. Also based off of recent trends of moving up the date of MNSSHP I wouldn't be surprised if the first party is in April

You beat me to it, i was going to say February...

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

We were planning a trip mid-June, but just found out that my kids first day of school next year has been pushed back to Aug 28 (we usually start 2nd week of Aug). So I'm debating on whether to keep our trip in June or change to Aug since I would love to go to MNSSHP(assuming they start in Aug like they did this year)! I've always wanted to go, but didnt want to take our kids out of school for it. We would probably have to go to the 1st or 2nd one. Those who have been in August, how crowded are the parties that time of year? Would it be worth postponing our trip to go? We are already anxious for June to be here, August just seems so far away!

If your main goal is the party, then def do August. Yes, the first few parties are usually pretty crowded.

If it were me, I'd be like you, August would seem forever far away. We've gone in August a bunch and have gone the week before school goes back and it's do-able but a little hectic. The weather IMO is better in June. Don't get me wrong, it's still hot but not as hot and the other pro is you are barely into hurricane season so less chance of a named storm rolling through in mid June than mid August. I guess it really just depends on if you'd rather do the party or not.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

I would not change it if I were you. Chances are you'll be at one of the first parties and the parties have gotten much more crowded the last few years. We have done MNSSHP and MVMCP and I have to say, I'm not in a rush to do either one again. Not to mention, if you go when there are parties going on, your touring plans have to be made around the party schedule. I like the simplicity of going when there are no parties to contend with. I have been in June and July and neither of those felt as hot as when we went in August for whatever reason.

Agree 100% on this. I love the parties for the ride aspects for shorter waits (which is not a guarantee anymore) and the other reasons to really love them, but it's hard to love them when they're over crowded. I'd rather do an extra morning magic or after hours event than a party but it all depends on what you like. The party dates will be a big factor. We did MVMVP this year on 11/15, a Thursday and the crowds were great. Had we done some of those earlier (what everyone said were oversold) parties, I don't think I'd be saying I loved it.

 

[wfjny]

One more thing about late August, Disney starts switching to the next season on August 16, 2019.
Magic Season: Jun 11—Aug 15
Dream Season: Aug 16 - Aug 31

This is from the DVC points chart. But, when they switch to Dream Season, they start cutting back things like buses (for example, they combine all of the All Stars onto one bus). I believe hotels may be a little cheaper.

If you look at their five "Seasons" from busiest to slowest, they are Premier, Magic, Dream, Choice and Adventure.

Premier - The week and a half or so around Christmas and New Years, and the two weeks around Easter

Magic - Thanksgiving, Presidents Day – End of April (Spring Break Times), Middle of June to Middle of August (Summer Break Times)

Dream – February before Presidents Day, May and end of August

Choice – Oct & November before Thanksgiving, and a week before Christmas

Adventure – January, September and Early December

My point being, if you plan on switching to after August 16th, you may see slightly lower crowds, and possibly somewhat cheaper hotel rooms. On the flip side, you also have the possibility of running into some slower season issues, such as:
Decreased bus schedules
More Rehabs
Some seasonal rides and attractions not being available

It is all about tradeoffs…

 

[Cinderumbrella]

We’ve done June, July & August (with June being the most). Some of the wettest trips we’ve ever had have been in June (including a Tropical Depression). June is the start of hurricane season. While August is more likely, don’t assume that June is in the clear.

If you really want to try MNSSHP and August may be only chance to ever do it, then pick August.

 

[krose4]

I've done late May and August, and if weather is the bigger concern, I'd 100% recommend June. This August we got -really- lucky and it didn't rain for our entire stay except for the night we were in Epcot for maybe 2 hours. However, without the rain it was unbearably hot from 1-4pm. It was definitely sweat from places you didn't know existed hot throughout the day, but that mid-afternoon period was awful. We still had the best trip of our lives though. If you're set on MNSSHP, which is super fun, I recommend planning your day so you start as early as possibly, head out at lunch time back to your resort, swim a bit, take a quick nap, then head back into the parks between 4pm until park close. We got everything we wanted to done by taking full advantage of fastpass refreshing.

No matter the weather though it's all about planning. Bring extra clothes (at least underwear and socks) or do laundry at the halfway point so you can feel fresh for the evening in non-sweaty clothes, pack a big water bottle that you can fill throughout the day at quickservice locations, and look up a few different blogs park backpack list. I got ours to be both light and full of everything we ever needed, my back never hurt and we never had to buy something overpriced in the parks either.

Also, I totally recommend going to Magic Kingdom during the day on a party day, you can get a crazy amount of rides done because no one wants to "waste" a ticket on a half day, but we got more done during that half day than we did on the day we went for the whole day, then got to spend the evening recharging by having a leisurely dinner and watching the party fireworks from our pool (we stayed at the Poly)

 

[GeneralTso]

Both months are hot as *&%@. I was shocked at how hot and humid June was this year. We went for a birthday trip and I didn't quite expect it to be so hot. It's Florida though, so of course.
August is a hard pass from me, no matter what. Even free, I wouldn't go in August. But that's just me.

I have a hard time with a Christmas party in the middle of summer, sweating like a farm animal. There is no joy in that, let alone Christmas spirit.

 

[cgattis]

Starting in August! Mickey’s Nuclear/Surface of the Sun Hot Party (MNSSHP)!!!!

Pass. I’d go in June and try to go for fall break or Columbus Day weekend one year for the party (which I adore). June might be hot. August will be scorching.

 

[cgattis]

sweating like a farm animal

*snort* I usually go with “sweating like a pig” or “smelling like a goat.” I like yours better!!

 

[juuuliebeth]

I was there in August this year, and yes it's freaking hot. If you plan your days well, though, the heat doesn't have to be a big deal. Indoor attractions and shows are your friends. As well as mid-day breaks. And while I hate having to plan around MNSSHP, having those party days at Magic Kingdom are amazing. The crowds are crazy low and you can get so much done. The rest of the parks were actually manageable as well. There were crowds, but they weren't too bad. I got lucky with rain as well. Only a couple quick downpours, though surrounding storms did force rides to go down. They might be my biggest gripe of my August trip. Lines elsewhere go up when a couple attractions are down, even when crowds are low. Anyway. All that to say, don't be scared of August. If you prepare for the heat, it's a great time to go.

 

[Kevin1281]

I was there in August this year, and yes it's freaking hot. If you plan your days well, though, the heat doesn't have to be a big deal. Indoor attractions and shows are your friends. As well as mid-day breaks. And while I hate having to plan around MNSSHP, having those party days at Magic Kingdom are amazing. The crowds are crazy low and you can get so much done. The rest of the parks were actually manageable as well. There were crowds, but they weren't too bad. I got lucky with rain as well. Only a couple quick downpours, though surrounding storms did force rides to go down. They might be my biggest gripe of my August trip. Lines elsewhere go up when a couple attractions are down, even when crowds are low. Anyway. All that to say, don't be scared of August. If you prepare for the heat, it's a great time to go.

Crowds are crazy low at MK on the days when there is MNSSHP?

 

[juuuliebeth]

Crowds are crazy low at MK on the days when there is MNSSHP?

In my experience, yes. People without Park Hopper tickets want to get bang for their buck and don't want to be kicked out at 6pm. People also want to come on days where there is nighttime entertainment. Non-party days are packed in the evenings with people wanting to see fireworks over the castle. And most of those people were probably there most of the day. So when there's a party, the crowds are lower than the surrounding days. Maybe not low in general, but during that time of year, the absolute best option for touring MK with less people.

I accomplished 16 attractions by lunch time without rushing around, plus a couple snacks and photo stops. I rode 7DMT at 9:30am with a 25 minute wait time. Worth noting that there was EMH at 7am and the park opened at 8am. More than 2.5 hours after people were let in the park, the line for the most popular ride was only 25 minutes. Party days rock! (Until the secret gets out. Shh!)