Child Bricker’s second journey to Walt Disney World didn’t go in addition to the primary. This covers the #1 drawback our household had throughout this summer season Florida trip, together with different ideas in regards to the good and dangerous of this go to to WDW with an toddler and actionable recommendation for different new dad and mom.
Our intention was/is to do photograph experiences following each household journey we make to Walt Disney World, much like our ‘father or mother fails’ from Child Bricker’s first WDW journey – half 1 and half 2. We additionally shared ‘what went proper’ throughout our household journey – half 1 and half 2. These posts have been well-received by readers, each as recaps of our journey and teachable moments for different new dad and mom.
This put up is a fairly dramatic departure from these, and undoubtedly doesn’t rise to being a fully-fledged journey report. Though we did quite a lot of issues on this journey, a lot of that was overshadowed by this (completely predictable) drawback. Principally, this put up is singularly targeted on being a cautionary story as an alternative of a recap of the highs and lows of our journey…
The #1 lesson we realized from this journey was that we can not go to Walt Disney World in the summertime. The excessive warmth and stifling humidity are simply not conducive to journeys between June and August for our household. After our current journey, I can not fathom all three of us returning to WDW throughout these months (till we overlook how disagreeable they’re…once more).
That is fairly the about-face, particularly since I not too long ago shared an replace to Is It Nonetheless Value Visiting Throughout ‘Fall’ Off-Season at Walt Disney World? In that, I wrote that we have been already planning a return go to as a household so Child Bricker (Megatron) might expertise Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Occasion and extra. Since her first journey to Walt Disney World went so properly (for essentially the most half), we acquired excited and emboldened to do one other.
In my protection, I additionally added a slightly massive asterisk that Sarah didn’t expertise final yr’s brutal climate that prompted that put up within the first place, and speculated that perhaps she was underestimating simply how dangerous it was. A “time heals all wounds” kinda state of affairs.
You may say that this fast summer time getaway to Walt Disney World was basically reopening outdated wounds.
Throughout our journey, the each day excessive temperature exceeded 95° each single day. With loads of humidity on high of temperatures within the mid-to-high 90s, the “seems like” studying exceeded 100° each single day, too. Climate so sizzling it might make even a seasoned WDW customer cry. (Sweat mixing with sunscreen and working into your eyes has a means of doing that!)
This is able to be dangerous sufficient if it have been simply the 2 of us. We’re, admittedly, wimps in relation to excessive warmth and humidity. I do know some Floridians declare you get used to it, however we by no means did throughout our years spent dwelling in Florida, and climate was the driving issue that led to us leaving. (Even the lizards and alligators–mainly prehistoric beasts–don’t get used to the climate; I don’t imagine folks really do.)
Regardless, we’ve additionally completed many summer time days and full journeys to Walt Disney World. Heck, I did a number of solo ones simply final yr, and I can’t recall a single day after I logged beneath 20,000 steps. My shirt was sweat-soaked by like 9 am every day, however I trudged on and nonetheless had pleasant sufficient experiences, conducting loads. It definitely wasn’t my ideally suited time to go to, however because the outdated adage goes, even a sizzling day at Walt Disney World beats a traditional day at house!
It’s a very totally different ball sport with a child. As coated elsewhere, we’re avid babywearers. However when the temperature eclipses 90 levels, babywearing turns into impractical (gentle understatement). Loads of advocates declare that, really, babywearing is sweet in excessive warmth as a result of being near your physique helps the newborn regulate their very own physique’s temperature, serving to them forestall overheating.
This is perhaps true; I’m not a scientist or pediatrician, so I don’t know. It’s additionally loopy. Issues may be each loopy and true. (Maybe babywearing throughout summer time at Walt Disney World belongs in “Ripley’s Imagine It or Not!”) The operative query isn’t whether or not it’s protected for the newborn, which presumably it’s since infants exist in all climates. That’s a extremely low bar. (“Is it protected?” isn’t the usual I need to use for issues I do on trip.)
The true query is whether or not it’s moderately snug. Which is type of silly, because it’s in all probability patently apparent even to non-parents that it very a lot isn’t snug. Simply being exterior at Walt Disney World throughout triple digit “seems like” temperatures is already pretty disagreeable. Now connect what’s mainly a 20-pound heater to your chest. It makes that feeling worse, definitely not higher.
Fortunately, we additionally introduced our stroller with to Walt Disney World. We hadn’t been utilizing it an entire lot previous to this summer time, however that has modified in an enormous means. The stroller appeared extra snug for all events concerned, however even that has shortcomings. (At all times retaining Megatron within the shade because the solar shifted round being the large one.)
The top outcome was that Sarah and Megatron spent most of their time within the resort or in any other case indoors. The entire level of the journey was to take a look at Tiana’s Bayou Journey, CommuniCore Corridor, and the opposite new-for-Summer season 2024 stuff, so I used to be out and about many of the day doing that.
Fortunately, we had a tough concept of what we have been getting ourselves into, and this was meant as much less of a household trip and extra Sarah and Megatron becoming a member of me on a ‘analysis’ journey. Expectations have been set accordingly, a minimum of for essentially the most half.
What we didn’t anticipate was that taking Megatron out in the course of the bulk of the daytime hours could be a nonstarter. No matter whether or not it was protected, it simply wasn’t price it from a consolation and high quality of go to perspective. As a result of oppressive climate, we had just a few “good” hours per day in us, and it was higher to allocate these to the evenings.
We’re in a really lucky place the place we will do that–opting to spend extra time on the resort and fewer within the parks–since we’ve been to Walt Disney World many occasions earlier than and will likely be again once more. The stakes for us are means decrease than the common visitor. There’s nothing we should do, and we realized way back that it’s much better to drift than power it.
Clearly, that wouldn’t be our outlook if we have been first-timers or rare guests. If this have been our solely go to to Walt Disney World for the foreseeable future, we’d’ve felt strain to do as a lot as attainable. And something various hours within the parks in the course of the coronary heart of the day would’ve been an excessive amount of. A technique or one other, we’d’ve ended up being actually disenchanted–both as a result of we did an excessive amount of or too little.
We’ve remarked on this earlier than, however it’s really easy to see why grownup meltdowns are so widespread throughout summer time. There’s a rigidity between the strain to perform so much, and the warmth and humidity beating you down and stopping that from taking place. The climate is exhausting, making it exceedingly tough to do a full day within the parks with no noon break or taking time to decompress. This alone can undermine any effectivity beneficial properties from the decrease crowds of the slower summers.
Exacerbating that is park hours. The newest any park was open throughout our journey was Magic Kingdom which closed at 11 pm on one night time. On all different dates, it closed at 10 pm. No different park closed later than 9 pm.
The issue with that is that sundown in Orlando in the course of the summer time is round 8:30 pm. As a sensible matter, this meant as little as an hour within the park (we by no means left proper at 9 pm) as much as as a lot as 2.5 hours post-sunset every day. These have been about the one hours that have been nice throughout our time within the parks, and even the phrase “nice” is perhaps a stretch. Temperatures didn’t lower that a lot.
Don’t get me unsuitable, the solar dipping under the horizon is a welcome reduction, however it’s nonetheless fairly sizzling–simply minus the scorching solar–up till park closing. There wasn’t a single day when the ‘seems like’ temperature dropped under 90 levels earlier than we left the park within the night.
I can perceive why Walt Disney World has set comparatively restricted park hours given the dearth of summer time crowds, however it’s nonetheless wild to me that–with out paying further–there are so few dates when any park is open after 10 pm. Actually, there are no dates after the Independence Day vacation when Magic Kingdom is open till 11 pm. It’s all 10 pm closings for the remainder of the summer time.
This doesn’t strike me as sustainable. I’ve remarked previously that I’d favor visiting the parks from 9 pm till 2 am in the course of the summer time over all the day up till that time (often in justifying a splurge on After Hours occasions). And I do know I’m not the one one, based mostly on the elevated recognition of Prolonged Night Hours in the course of the summer time months and the way properly After Hours events proceed to promote.
It’s considerably baffling to me that Walt Disney World hasn’t acknowledged this and adjusted hours accordingly. To make sure, I’m not suggesting that Magic Kingdom stays open till 2 am nightly, as attendance doesn’t justify it. However having one of many parks supply common working hours after midnight may make sense.
In any other case, the decreases in summer time attendance and park hours are going to turn out to be a vicious cycle. Fewer folks will plan journeys this time of yr since there are few (non-upcharge) reprieves from the warmth. Resulting from fewer folks attending, park hours will likely be slashed additional. But another excuse we’re hoping 2025 marks a return of Summer season Nightastic! (or one thing related) and later park closings.
Again in my day*, Magic Kingdom was open till midnight for everybody on Fridays in the summertime, and provided night Further Magic Hours to all on-site friends till 3 am. (*My day was Summer season 2010. These are precise hours from then!)
The aim of this put up isn’t to throw a pity get together for ourselves. Once more, we’ve been across the block with summer time in Central Florida. We knew there was the potential for this. Neither of us anticipated it to be this sizzling and humid, nor did we anticipate the challenges of navigating such climate with a child. However the silver lining is that this was tacked-on to a analysis journey. Higher this than planning an elaborate household trip for the beginning of the Halloween season.
Quite, we all the time like to supply actionable recommendation; so with that in thoughts, what are you able to do to keep away from an identical end result? The apparent reply is to not go to Walt Disney World between the months of Could and September, and notably June via August.
On common, October via April have significantly better climate. Inside that vary, November via February are typically the very best bets from a climate perspective. For one factor, these months have cooler temperatures. However that’s not all–and even the most important factor. These months get an help from the triumphant return of ordinary time–and that plus shorter days means extra park hours after darkish.
I’ve all the time been a Daylight Saving Time hater, and this Walt Disney World journey additional strengthened why. There’s an excessive amount of daylight. No have to “save” it. Little bit of a tangent, however I can not imagine politicians from Florida are main the cost to make Daylight Saving Time everlasting. There’s no have to “defend” sunshine in Florida. There’s an overabundance of it. However I digress.
For a lot of households, this is probably not sensible. There’s a purpose why summer time is historically vacationer season–many households have faculty aged kids, dad and mom who work as academics, or any variety of different explanation why it’s faculty breaks or bust in relation to holidays. And regardless that summer time is something however cheap, it’s really among the many least expensive faculty breaks for visiting Walt Disney World. As such, a easy “don’t go to in the summertime” is perhaps considered as glib and unhelpful.
In that occasion, my different recommendation is perhaps equally unhelpful, however right here it’s: go to Disneyland.
Critically. Though common Anaheim temperatures in the summertime could not seem that a lot decrease, the “seems like” numbers are. You’ll possible have daytime “seems like” temperatures which are about 10 levels decrease, which isn’t insignificant this time of yr!
Equally as necessary, if no more so, is hours. Disneyland is usually open from 8 am to midnight with Disney California Journey being open from 8 am to 10 pm. Disneyland Resort’s second gate has longer hours than Magic Kingdom for the remainder of the summer time!
Not solely that, however sundown happens earlier in Anaheim and the temperatures often fall sharply in late afternoon and drop off a cliff after sundown. Even when highs are within the higher 80s, evenings may be within the low 70s with “seems like” temperatures within the higher 60s. (You learn that appropriately–decrease “seems like” numbers than the precise temperature.)
Even in the course of the summer time, it may be chilly at Disneyland within the evenings–that’s a stark distinction to Walt Disney World! We’ve already been again to Disneyland a number of occasions since coming back from Walt Disney World, and our experiences have been dramatically totally different. To make sure, there have been sizzling days in Southern California–however nothing like Central Florida.
I do know doing Disneyland as an alternative of Walt Disney World additionally isn’t sensible recommendation for everybody. I’m simply providing this as one other different, particularly since I believe plenty of planners don’t understand there’s an enormous distinction in climate between the 2.
To make sure, there are different methods to beat the warmth at Walt Disney World. You should use issues just like the Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad or Bladeless Private Neck Fan, and different cooling units of the type. It’s additionally in all probability the case that, along with this journey being decrease stakes for us, it was additionally our first publicity to excessive warmth as dad and mom. Taking our child exterior in such excessive warmth made us anxious, and it’s in all probability honest to say we erred on the facet of warning a bit extra consequently. In order that’s additionally distinctive to us.
However conducting much less, feeling fatigued, and having little reprieve from the solar resulting from shorter park hours is hardly distinctive to us. Over the previous few years, we’ve been listening to from increasingly readers who’ve began to rule out summer season journeys to Walt Disney World–even followers who had been earlier than. Not less than anecdotally, it looks like there’s a rising contingent of followers hitting the wall with summer time at WDW, which a minimum of partly explains the decrease crowds.
It’s additionally price declaring that there have been loads of positives, too! Though this put up revolves across the climate and is framed as a cautionary story, this journey nonetheless had its moments. Amongst different issues, we had some nice meals, acquired to satisfy extra characters (however nonetheless no Figment), have been wowed by “Disney Desires That Soar,” acquired to take pleasure in a wall-free Food regimen EPCOT for the primary time in 5 years, and logged a number of rides on Tiana’s Bayou Journey. All of that was enjoyable!
The spotlight of the journey, although, was watching the Electrical Water Pageant as a household. I don’t understand how we missed this on Child Bricker’s first journey–it completely slipped our minds–however what a large oversight on our half. Megatron is enamored with shiny lights, so this was an enormous hit.
It makes me actually, actually hope {that a} night time parade really is within the playing cards for a way Walt Disney World will “compete” with Epic Universe in 2025. We didn’t suppose something might dwell as much as the nostalgia and sentimentality now we have for SpectroMagic, however no matter night time parade our daughter grows up on in all probability will. (She completely adored Dreamlights and Dusk Glow, the night time parades at Tokyo Disneyland.)
Talking of which, and to conclude on an unequivocally optimistic be aware, our household journey to Japan went nearly flawlessly. (The above picture is from opening day of Fantasy Springs and is one among my favourite images and recollections from all the journey. Child Bricker thought the Misplaced Youngsters hats have been hilarious for some purpose.)
We expressed an amazing quantity of trepidation previous to that journey to Tokyo Disney Resort, however actually none of our fears got here to fruition. I’m very glad we did Walt Disney World first, because it was an incredible studying expertise for flights, resort stays, and touring typically–we made a number of main changes because of that Florida journey.
Nonetheless, we had our worries. Touring to Japan is totally different from every week at Walt Disney World for apparent causes. About the one errors we made have been overpacking (as soon as once more–however not by as a lot) and one tough night time. I doubt I’ll do a full put up about that as I believe it presents restricted worth–not lots of you’re in all probability planning on taking infants to Tokyo Disney Resort–however I’d however extremely suggest it. We’re so glad we did!
For that matter, we’re glad we did this summer time journey to Walt Disney World. Certain, it didn’t go practically as easily or properly as anticipated, however it was additionally a studying expertise. That’s an enormous a part of life, and a few of our favourite recollections aren’t the very best moments–however the ones the place issues didn’t go in accordance with plan. I’m positive we’ll look again at a few occasions from this journey that weren’t enjoyable within the second–however they’ll put smiles on our faces and make us snigger for years to come back.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study motels on our Walt Disney World Motels Opinions web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Opinions. To economize on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Suggestions for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a singular take a look at intelligent objects to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Trip Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the very best place to start out is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for all the pieces it is advisable know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you concentrate on visiting Walt Disney World in the summertime? Is it price doing for households when you have no different choice however faculty breaks? Does the excessive warmth and humidity negatively impression your visits? Or, would you’re taking the upper crowd ranges however subjectively superior general expertise throughout Fall Break, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New 12 months’s Eve, Mid-Winter Break, and so forth? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we may help you reply? Listening to your suggestions—even if you disagree with us—is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!