Child Bricker’s second journey to Walt Disney World didn’t go in addition to the primary. This covers the #1 downside 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 mother and father.
Our intention was/is to do picture stories following each household journey we make to Walt Disney World, much like our ‘mother or father 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 had been well-received by readers, each as recaps of our journey and teachable moments for different new mother and father.
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 a wide range of issues on this journey, a lot of that was overshadowed by this (completely predictable) downside. Mainly, this put up is singularly centered on being a cautionary story as a substitute of a recap of the highs and lows of our journey…
The #1 lesson we discovered 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 latest journey, I can not fathom all three of us returning to WDW throughout these months (till we neglect how disagreeable they’re…once more).
That is fairly the about-face, particularly since I just lately shared an replace to Is It Nonetheless Price Visiting Throughout ‘Fall’ Off-Season at Walt Disney World? In that, I wrote that we had been already planning a return go to as a household so Child Bricker (Megatron) might expertise Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Social gathering and extra. Since her first journey to Walt Disney World went so nicely (for essentially the most half), we acquired excited and emboldened to do one other.
In my protection, I additionally added a quite massive asterisk that Sarah didn’t expertise final 12 months’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 situation.
You would possibly say that this fast summer season getaway to Walt Disney World was basically reopening outdated wounds.
Throughout our journey, the day by day excessive temperature exceeded 95° each single day. With loads of humidity on high of temperatures within the mid-to-high 90s, the “appears like” studying exceeded 100° each single day, too. Climate so scorching it might make even a seasoned WDW customer cry. (Sweat mixing with sunscreen and working into your eyes has a manner of doing that!)
This might be dangerous sufficient if it had 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 residing in Florida, and climate was the driving issue that led to us leaving. (Even the lizards and alligators–principally prehistoric beasts–don’t get used to the climate; I don’t consider folks really do.)
Regardless, we’ve additionally achieved many summer season days and full journeys to Walt Disney World. Heck, I did a number of solo ones simply final 12 months, and I can’t recall a single day after I logged underneath 20,000 steps. My shirt was sweat-soaked by like 9 am every day, however I trudged on and nonetheless had satisfying sufficient experiences, carrying out lots. It definitely wasn’t my preferrred time to go to, however because the outdated adage goes, even a scorching day at Walt Disney World beats a traditional day at house!
It’s a very completely different ball recreation 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 nice 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 may be true; I’m not a scientist or pediatrician, so I don’t know. It’s additionally loopy. Issues could be each loopy and true. (Maybe babywearing throughout summer season at Walt Disney World belongs in “Ripley’s Imagine It or Not!”) The operative query is just not 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?” is just not the usual I need to use for issues I do on trip.)
The true query is whether or not it’s fairly snug. Which is type of silly, because it’s in all probability patently apparent even to non-parents that it very a lot is just not snug. Simply being exterior at Walt Disney World throughout triple digit “appears like” temperatures is already pretty disagreeable. Now connect what’s principally 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 a complete lot previous to this summer season, however that has modified in an enormous manner. The stroller appeared extra snug for all events concerned, however even that has shortcomings. (All the time retaining Megatron within the shade because the solar shifted round being the massive one.)
The tip outcome was that Sarah and Megatron spent most of their time within the lodge 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 a lot of the day doing that.
Fortunately, we had a tough concept of what we had 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 had been set accordingly, no less than for essentially the most half.
What we didn’t anticipate was that taking Megatron out through the bulk of the daytime hours can be a nonstarter. Regardless of whether or not it was protected, it simply wasn’t value it from a consolation and high quality of go to perspective. Because of the oppressive climate, we had only some “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 are able to do that–opting to spend extra time on the lodge and fewer within the parks–since we’ve been to Walt Disney World many occasions earlier than and might be again once more. The stakes for us are manner decrease than the common visitor. There’s nothing we should do, and we discovered way back that it’s much better to drift than drive it.
Clearly, that wouldn’t be our outlook if we had been first-timers or rare guests. If this had 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 quite a lot of hours within the parks through the coronary heart of the day would’ve been an excessive amount of. A method or one other, we’d’ve ended up being actually disillusioned–both as a result of we did an excessive amount of or too little.
We’ve remarked on this earlier than, but it surely’s really easy to see why grownup meltdowns are so widespread throughout summer season. There’s a stress between the strain to perform rather a lot, 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 features 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 through the summer season 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 had been about the one hours that had been nice throughout our time within the parks, and even the phrase “nice” may be a stretch. Temperatures didn’t lower that a lot.
Don’t get me fallacious, the solar dipping under the horizon is a welcome aid, but it surely’s nonetheless fairly scorching–simply minus the scorching solar–up till park closing. There wasn’t a single day when the ‘appears 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 shortage of summer season crowds, but it surely’s nonetheless wild to me that–with out paying further–there are so few dates when any park is open after 10 pm. The truth is, 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 season.
This doesn’t strike me as sustainable. I’ve remarked up to now that I’d choose visiting the parks from 9 pm till 2 am through the summer season over the complete day up till that time (normally 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 through the summer season months and the way nicely 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 certain, 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 would possibly make sense.
In any other case, the decreases in summer season attendance and park hours are going to develop into a vicious cycle. Fewer folks will plan journeys this time of 12 months since there are few (non-upcharge) reprieves from the warmth. As a consequence of fewer folks attending, park hours might be slashed additional. But one more reason we’re hoping 2025 marks a return of Summer season Nightastic! (or one thing comparable) and later park closings.
Again in my day*, Magic Kingdom was open till midnight for everybody on Fridays in the summertime, and supplied night Additional Magic Hours to all on-site company 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 season in Central Florida. We knew there was the potential for this. Neither of us anticipated it to be this scorching 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 consequence? The plain reply is to not go to Walt Disney World between the months of Might 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 perfect bets from a climate perspective. For one factor, these months have cooler temperatures. However that’s not all–and even the largest 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 bolstered why. There’s an excessive amount of daylight. No have to “save” it. Little bit of a tangent, however I can not consider 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 will not be sensible. There’s a purpose why summer season is historically vacationer season–many households have college aged youngsters, mother and father who work as academics, or any variety of different the reason why it’s college breaks or bust in relation to holidays. And despite the fact that summer season is something however cheap, it’s really among the many least dear college breaks for visiting Walt Disney World. As such, a easy “don’t go to in the summertime” may be seen as glib and unhelpful.
In that occasion, my different recommendation may be equally unhelpful, however right here it’s: go to Disneyland.
Significantly. Though common Anaheim temperatures in the summertime might not seem that a lot decrease, the “appears like” numbers are. You’ll doubtless have daytime “appears like” temperatures which are about 10 levels decrease, which isn’t insignificant this time of 12 months!
Equally as necessary, if no more so, is hours. Disneyland is often 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 season!
Not solely that, however sundown happens earlier in Anaheim and the temperatures normally fall sharply in late afternoon and drop off a cliff after sundown. Even when highs are within the higher 80s, evenings could be within the low 70s with “appears like” temperatures within the higher 60s. (You learn that appropriately–decrease “appears like” numbers than the precise temperature.)
Even through the summer season, 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 had been dramatically completely different. To make certain, there have been scorching days in Southern California–however nothing like Central Florida.
I do know doing Disneyland as a substitute of Walt Disney World additionally isn’t sensible recommendation for everybody. I’m simply providing this as one other different, particularly since I believe quite a lot of planners don’t understand there’s an enormous distinction in climate between the 2.
To make certain, there are different methods to beat the warmth at Walt Disney World. You should utilize issues just like the Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad or Bladeless Private Neck Fan, and different cooling gadgets 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 mother and father. Taking our child exterior in such excessive warmth made us anxious, and it’s in all probability truthful to say we erred on the facet of warning a bit extra in consequence. In order that’s additionally distinctive to us.
However carrying out much less, feeling fatigued, and having little reprieve from the solar because of shorter park hours is hardly distinctive to us. Over the previous few years, we’ve been listening to from increasingly more readers who’ve began to rule out summer season journeys to Walt Disney World–even followers who had been earlier than. At the very least anecdotally, it looks like there’s a rising contingent of followers hitting the wall with summer season at WDW, which no less than partially explains the decrease crowds.
It’s additionally value mentioning 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 fulfill extra characters (however nonetheless no Figment), had been wowed by “Disney Desires That Soar,” acquired to take pleasure in a wall-free Eating 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 know the way we missed this on Child Bricker’s first journey–it completely slipped our minds–however what an enormous oversight on our half. Megatron is enamored with vibrant 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 assume something might stay as much as the nostalgia and sentimentality we now 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 observe, our household journey to Japan went nearly flawlessly. (The above picture is from opening day of Fantasy Springs and is one in all my favourite photographs and recollections from the complete journey. Child Bricker thought the Misplaced Children hats had been hilarious for some purpose.)
We expressed an incredible 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 amazing studying expertise for flights, lodge stays, and touring on the whole–we made a number of main changes because of that Florida journey.
However, we had our worries. Touring to Japan is completely different from per week at Walt Disney World for apparent causes. About the one errors we made had 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 a lot of you’re in all probability planning on taking infants to Tokyo Disney Resort–however I’d nonetheless extremely advocate it. We’re so glad we did!
For that matter, we’re glad we did this summer season journey to Walt Disney World. Certain, it didn’t go practically as easily or nicely as anticipated, but it surely was additionally a studying expertise. That’s an enormous a part of life, and a few of our favourite recollections aren’t the perfect moments–however the ones the place issues didn’t go in line with plan. I’m certain 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 snort for years to return.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Find out about accommodations on our Walt Disney World Inns Opinions web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Opinions. To economize on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys put up takes a singular have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Journey Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the perfect place to begin is our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information for all the things you might want to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider visiting Walt Disney World in the summertime? Is it value doing for households you probably have no different possibility however college breaks? Does the excessive warmth and humidity negatively affect your visits? Or, would you are taking the upper crowd ranges however subjectively superior total expertise throughout Fall Break, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Yr’s Eve, Mid-Winter Break, and so on? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions—even once you disagree with us—is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
