Summer and vacations go together like Dole Whip and pineapple juice—kids are out of school, work schedules might be lighter, holidays abound… It seems logical that summer would be an ideal time to visit The Most Magical Place on Earth, right?
Not necessarily.
Picking the right time of year for a Walt Disney World vacation remains a complex task. The season you visit can determine everything from crowd sizes, to prices, to resort and reservation availability, even the intensity of the weather.
Historically, summer has long been known as Walt Disney World’s most infamously busy time of year—particularly on holidays like 4th of July and the days surrounding. The trend marking off summertime as a guaranteed recipe for vacation misery became so prevalent that crowd trends started to shift over the course of the last decade. Guests began moving vacations to other times of year like Spring Break, President’s Day, and Christmas week. Attendance in the summer lightened so much prior to the pandemic that Disney even started lifting blackout dates for some Passholders.
Following the pandemic closures, we are entering unknown territory. Park attendance is on the rise, and it’s possible summer crowds are making a rebound. Is visiting Walt Disney World a good idea now or a recipe for a sour vacation? Here are the top pros and cons to consider…
1. Con – The crowds can be a major problem
As mentioned, the summer months are no longer considered Walt Disney World’s busiest time of year (except for 4th of July and Memorial Day weekend). Trends continue to suggest that Spring Break and Christmas to New Year’s Day remain the worst times to visit, with other holidays trailing close behind.
Despite the shift, summertime continues to draw significant crowds to the Most Magical Place on Earth—maybe not capacity crowds every single day but still higher attendance numbers than you are likely to see once school is back in session.
Crowd levels can play a significant role in your vacation. Higher crowds means more congestion to navigate, longer queue waits, fewer available reservations, more competition for services like Genie+ (which can severely affect standby lines on peak days)… pretty much everything.
Most experts continue to echo the same advice: if you can visit Walt Disney World during a time of year statistically more likely to see low crowds, do so. While you might luck out visiting on a summer weekday, you will be taking a gamble on what crowd levels will look like, and that gamble could add stress to your park visits and vacation planning if you happen to land at a particularly busy week.
2. Pro – Summer crowds can be more reasonable than they used to be
The above being said, taking a chance on a summer Disney vacation can go either way—crowds may not be “light” per se, but you may find more moderate crowds than you would during other school holidays.
The reason this has become possible is that people are spreading out their Disney vacations more than they used to. The Parks Pass Reservation system is playing an important role ensuring that the parks aren’t being packed to “shut-the-gates-at-lunchtime” capacity anymore, and people aren’t all packing in at the same times of year. You could theoretically keep an eye on Parks Pass Reservation demand and use that information to try to land your trip on a quieter time of the summer. Avoiding holidays is a good practice that could help your cause.
Once again, there are some risks to planning your Disney vacation in the summertime simply because kids are out of school, but savvy trip planners can take a number of steps to ensure the best chances for a successful summer trip.
3. Con – That Florida HEAT!
Florida has a very special way of making summer feel positively soul-draining. As I write this article, I am currently nursing a surprise sunburn that feels rather like someone tried to cook bacon on my legs—a mistake made on a day when I underestimated the “sun” part of the Sunshine State. I’ve lived in deserts and in the Rockies, but I’ve yet to encounter anywhere where the heat is quite as jarring as Florida, particularly in Orlando.
The main thing that makes Florida’s summer heat so brutal is the humidity. At first glance, one may assume Florida’s weather isn’t as intense as other parts of the country if you just look at temperatures. The problem is that in Florida, the thing you want to watch is something called the heat index—how hot the day is going to feel due to the combination of humidity, UV rays, winds, and overall temperature. A Disney day with a high heat index is likely to feel like a tour of the inside of the Mad Hatter’s tea kettle.
There’s only so much you can do about Florida’s intense heat. Staying hydrated is essential, but other steps you can take include wearing lightweight, loose clothing, taking electrolyte tabs, or carrying a mini-fan. Despite these efforts, hacks will only take you so far on a really intense day. Your only choice may be to slow down, move from one air conditioned location to another, and pace yourself. If hot days make you miserable, you may want to strongly consider visiting Walt Disney World at a cooler time of year.
But, surely summer is best for ensuring access to attractions and activities…
4. Pro – Maximum access to attractions and activities
One of the biggest benefits to visiting Walt Disney World in the summertime is Disney really seems to put their best face forward. Special events are common, attraction refurbishments are kept to a minimum, and new attractions are often freshly opened as of Memorial Day weekend. On top of this, both parks and resorts tend to make as many entertainment and recreation options available as possible.
A perfect example of this is access to Disney’s water parks. If you visit during the winter, you may be likely to see cooler temperatures and lower crowds, but the chances of Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach both being closed (or at least operating on a limited schedule) are much higher. Much of the year, only one of the two parks is open while the other undergoes refurbishment (on cold days, both are closed). During the summer, you are far more likely to be able to access both.
This mentality applies across Walt Disney World resort. While ongoing refurbishments or closures are possible due to operational issues, your chances of enjoying everything Disney has to offer can be higher during the summer months.
5. Con – Prices are likely to be higher
I’ve had many conversations with people who are totally convinced the best sales you’ll find for visiting Walt Disney World are concentrated in the summer—the theory makes sense after all if you look at Disney’s marketing. At first glance, it seems like special offers and sales abound during this busy time of year, and both Disney and independent travel agencies make a concentrated push to ensure potential guests are aware of summer deals.
Here’s the thing though—despite whatever claims the latest ad or marketing email says, you are almost certainly going to pay more to visit Walt Disney World in the summer than you would at quieter times of year.
Both Disney and independent agencies use a lot of clever psychology to push sales for summer travel to the Most Magical Place on Earth. At first glance, most of these offers look great because they usually are cheaper than prices you would find booking from Disney directly with normal pricing. That being said, these prices are often not lower than what you’ll find during the off-season. Marketing pros know that people are going to want to visit Walt Disney World in the summer—attendance has historically not been an issue, except in rare cases.
While Disney’s quieter seasons are getting harder to pin down, times of year with lower crowds do still exist, and it’s usually during these windows that significant sales become available. Strong attendance numbers aren’t guaranteed during these times, and it’s to Disney’s benefit to balance the scales by drawing potential guests with lower price points. Overall, you will usually see lower prices for resorts, tickets, and dining in off-seasons, as well as limited time offers. Some of these, particularly for Florida residents, can make a noteworthy difference in your trip costs.
I will be the first to admit this isn’t an exact science: there are certainly cases where a summer sale can be truly a good deal or an off-season sale can be nothing but marketing jargon. My best advice overall is do your research and make lots of comparisons, particularly paying attention to past offers from different seasons.
6. Pro – The kids are out of school
Summer is a particularly appealing time for many families to visit Walt Disney World for one simple reason: the kids are out of school. This factor alone is often enough for many to stick to summer Disney vacations despite other cons.
If taking kids out of school for a few days isn’t an option during the academic year, summer really is an option worth considering for Disney vacations. Spring Break and Christmas break have become Disney’s two most insanely busy times of year, so neither are ideal choices anymore. Holiday weekends like Labor Day and President’s Day both reached reservation capacity this past year, with only a little wiggle room in some parks. Thanksgiving week remains a wild card, but it usually is a very busy time as well.
With the exception of 4th of July and possibly Memorial Day weekend (both very, very busy times), you are likely to fare a little better on crowd levels visiting Disney during some portions of summer than the alternatives.
7. Cons – Hurricane season
I include this one mostly to be thorough, but it is worth mentioning: summer through September remains peak season for Gulf and Atlantic hurricanes.
I mention hurricanes with a major asterisk—they usually do not affect Walt Disney World directly. Orlando remains one of the safest locations in the state for steering clear of hurricanes, and in recent years, only Hurricane Irma did significant enough damage to the property to merit a park shutdown.
The larger problem with hurricanes and tropical storms is travel disruptions. Hurricanes are unpredictable, and small shifts in course can affect your trip in myriad ways. Considering the shaky state of the airline industry this past year, flight cancellations due to wacky weather can happen even for those who aren’t in the direct path of a storm. If a hurricane or tropical storm is predicted in the weeks approaching your vacation, it’s not necessarily a reason to panic, but the possibility does exist that it could affect your travel plans.
My best advice regarding hurricanes is just stay informed. I would not avoid all of hurricane season, but I would stay cognizant of relevant weather reports leading up to my trip and perhaps get travel insurance just in case.
On the upside, if you happen to already be at Walt Disney World when a storm is nearing, the days before a hurricane hits remain one of the best times to enjoy a nearly empty park! This remains a favorite secret of Florida locals.
8. Pro – New attractions
We mentioned this one briefly, but it is worth revisiting as a final upside: Disney has a historic habit of opening new, major attractions on Memorial Day weekend.
Nothing is guaranteed when it comes to attraction openings, but if Disney is nearing the final stages of attraction testing close to the beginning of summer, there is a good chance you will get to enjoy that new attraction during a summer visit. It’s a trend we’ve seen frequently, and it is something worth considering if you’re really hoping to enjoy the latest new ride.
The trade-off is the season after an attraction opens may involve virtual queues, limiting how many people can ride—a good system, but one that means access is not guaranteed. Still, if you want to increase your odds of being one of the first people on a new ride, summer is a good time to visit.
In conclusion, it is really your decision whether to visit Disney in the summer. I think for those who have the option to take kids out of school, there are other times of year where crowds are more predictably light and the weather is more temperate. The trade-off is you might not have access to quite as much stuff due to ride and park refurbishments. Particularly for those visiting for a once-in-a-decade vacation, I would aim for other times of year besides summer due to the crowd difference alone.
For those who don’t mind crowds or who can only visit when kids are out of school, a carefully planned summer Disney trip can still prove an incredible time. With the continued shift in crowd trends, as long as you avoid holiday weeks, your chances of catching some moderate days in the summer months are still possible.
What are your thoughts on visiting Disney parks in the summertime? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook! Thanks for reading!
