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 unhealthy 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 stories following each household journey we make to Walt Disney World, much like our ‘dad or mum 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 publish is a fairly dramatic departure from these, and positively 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) downside. Principally, this publish is singularly targeted on being a cautionary story as a substitute of a recap of the highs and lows of our journey…
The #1 lesson we realized from this journey was that we can’t 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’t 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 lately shared an replace to Is It Nonetheless Price 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) may 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 received excited and emboldened to do one other.
In my protection, I additionally added a slightly giant asterisk that Sarah didn’t expertise final 12 months’s brutal climate that prompted that publish within the first place, and speculated that perhaps she was underestimating simply how unhealthy it was. A “time heals all wounds” kinda state of affairs.
You may say that this fast summer season getaway to Walt Disney World was basically reopening previous wounds.
Throughout our journey, the day by day excessive temperature exceeded 95° each single day. With loads of humidity on prime of temperatures within the mid-to-high 90s, the “appears like” studying exceeded 100° each single day, too. Climate so sizzling it may make even a seasoned WDW customer cry. (Sweat mixing with sunscreen and working into your eyes has a approach of doing that!)
This could be unhealthy sufficient if it have been simply the 2 of us. We’re, admittedly, wimps in terms of 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 truly do.)
Regardless, we’ve additionally executed 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 pleasant sufficient experiences, undertaking loads. It definitely wasn’t my very best time to go to, however because the previous adage goes, even a sizzling day at Walt Disney World beats a standard day at house!
It’s a completely 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, truly, 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 stop overheating.
This could be true; I’m not a scientist or pediatrician, so I don’t know. It’s additionally loopy. Issues might 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 shouldn’t be whether or not it’s protected for the newborn, which presumably it’s since infants exist in all climates. That’s a very low bar. (“Is it protected?” shouldn’t be the usual I need to use for issues I do on trip.)
The true query is whether or not it’s moderately comfy. Which is form of silly, because it’s most likely patently apparent even to non-parents that it very a lot shouldn’t be comfy. Simply being outdoors 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 an entire lot previous to this summer season, however that has modified in a giant approach. The stroller appeared extra comfy 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 top 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 time 2024 stuff, so I used to be out and about a lot of the day doing that.
Fortunately, we had a tough thought 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, at the least 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. No matter whether or not it was protected, it simply wasn’t price it from a consolation and high quality of go to perspective. Because of the 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 lodge and fewer within the parks–since we’ve been to Walt Disney World many instances earlier than and will probably be again once more. The stakes for us are approach decrease than the common visitor. There’s nothing we should do, and we realized way back that it’s much better to flow 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 might’ve felt stress to do as a lot as potential. And something various hours within the parks through the coronary heart of the day would’ve been an excessive amount of. A method or one other, we might’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, nevertheless it’s really easy to see why grownup meltdowns are so widespread throughout summer season. There’s a pressure between the stress 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 out a noon break or taking time to decompress. This alone can undermine any effectivity positive factors 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 evening. 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 have been about the one hours that have been nice throughout our time within the parks, and even the phrase “nice” could be a stretch. Temperatures didn’t lower that a lot.
Don’t get me unsuitable, the solar dipping beneath the horizon is a welcome reduction, nevertheless it’s nonetheless fairly sizzling–simply minus the scorching solar–up till park closing. There wasn’t a single day when the ‘appears like’ temperature dropped beneath 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, nevertheless it’s nonetheless wild to me that–with out paying further–there are so few dates when any park is open after 10 pm. In truth, 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 previously that I’d choose visiting the parks from 9 pm till 2 am through the summer season over your entire 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 provide common working hours after midnight may make sense.
In any other case, the decreases in summer season attendance and park hours are going to change into a vicious cycle. Fewer folks will plan journeys this time of 12 months since there are few (non-upcharge) reprieves from the warmth. On account of fewer folks attending, park hours will probably be slashed additional. But another excuse we’re hoping 2025 marks a return of Summer time 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 provided night Additional Magic Hours to all on-site friends till 3 am. (*My day was Summer time 2010. These are precise hours from then!)
The aim of this publish isn’t to throw a pity social gathering 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 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.
Relatively, we at all times 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 Might and September, and significantly June by means of August.
On common, October by means of April have a lot better climate. Inside that vary, November by means of February are usually 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 normal time–and that plus shorter days means extra park hours after darkish.
I’ve at all times 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’t 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 might not be sensible. There’s a purpose why summer season is historically vacationer season–many households have college aged youngsters, dad and mom who work as academics, or any variety of different the reason why it’s college breaks or bust in terms of holidays. And regardless that summer season is something however cheap, it’s truly among the many least dear college breaks for visiting Walt Disney World. As such, a easy “don’t go to in the summertime” could be considered as glib and unhelpful.
In that occasion, my various recommendation could be equally unhelpful, however right here it’s: go to Disneyland.
Severely. 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 can be about 10 levels decrease, which isn’t insignificant this time of 12 months!
Equally as essential, 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 might be within the low 70s with “appears like” temperatures within the higher 60s. (You learn that accurately–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 couple of instances since coming back from Walt Disney World, and our experiences have been dramatically completely different. To make certain, there have been sizzling 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 various, particularly since I believe a variety of planners don’t notice 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 use issues just like the Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad or Bladeless Private Neck Fan, and different cooling units of the kind. It’s additionally most likely 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 outdoors in such excessive warmth made us anxious, and it’s most likely honest to say we erred on the facet of warning a bit extra because of this. In order that’s additionally distinctive to us.
However undertaking 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 an increasing number of readers who’ve began to rule out summer season journeys to Walt Disney World–even followers who had been earlier than. No less than anecdotally, it looks like there’s a rising contingent of followers hitting the wall with summer season at WDW, which at the least partially explains the decrease crowds.
It’s additionally price stating that there have been loads of positives, too! Though this publish 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, received to fulfill extra characters (however nonetheless no Figment), have been wowed by “Disney Desires That Soar,” received to get pleasure from a wall-free Weight loss plan 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 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} evening parade truly is within the playing cards for the way Walt Disney World will “compete” with Epic Universe in 2025. We didn’t suppose something may dwell as much as the nostalgia and sentimentality we now have for SpectroMagic, however no matter evening parade our daughter grows up on most likely will. (She completely adored Dreamlights and Dusk Glow, the evening parades at Tokyo Disneyland.)
Talking of which, and to conclude on an unequivocally optimistic observe, our household journey to Japan went virtually flawlessly. (The above picture is from opening day of Fantasy Springs and is certainly one of my favourite images and reminiscences from your entire journey. Child Bricker thought the Misplaced Youngsters hats have 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 a terrific studying expertise for flights, lodge stays, and touring basically–we made a number of main changes on account of that Florida journey.
However, we had our worries. Touring to Japan is completely 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 evening. I doubt I’ll do a full publish about that as I believe it gives restricted worth–not a lot of you might be most likely 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 season journey to Walt Disney World. Certain, it didn’t go practically as easily or nicely as anticipated, nevertheless it was additionally a studying expertise. That’s a giant a part of life, and a few of our favourite reminiscences aren’t the very best moments–however the ones the place issues didn’t go in line 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 giggle for years to come back.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Study resorts on our Walt Disney World Motels Evaluations web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Evaluations. To economize on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Ideas for Saving Cash on Walt Disney World Tickets publish. Our What to Pack for Disney Journeys publish takes a singular have a look at intelligent gadgets 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 every little thing you might want to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider visiting Walt Disney World in the summertime? Is it price doing for households if in case you have no different choice however college breaks? Does the excessive warmth and humidity negatively impression your visits? Or, would you’re taking the upper crowd ranges however subjectively superior total 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 can assist 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 beneath within the feedback!
