Visiting Walt Disney World During the Summer

The American family vacation traditionally has been the summer vacation. Kids are out of school, daylight is longer, living is easy. Families begin to pack up and seek out experiences to share. And what better place to vacation than Florida's Walt Disney World resort? Disney has something to offer throughout the year, but month after month, year after year, the most popular time to vacation is the summer. In this article, I'll take a look at the events happening during the months of July, August and September and balance the pros and cons to choosing summer as the time to visit this playland paradise.

What's Happening? The beginning of this three month period kicks off with a huge holiday celebration for the Fourth of July. Special fireworks shows are presented at several parks, hours are extended well into the early morning and red, white and blue are the colors of Disney. Parks are all open as far as their capacities, and in August and September, Disney brings back its Pirate and Princess hard ticketed event at the Magic Kingdom. The activity is at an all year high, the Disney Dining Plan has been offered for free in the last few years and there is always something going on.

The Pros. In a phrase: Disney World is hopping! This is the time of year where seasonal restaurants will be open, rides will be up and going, and many refurbished items will be debuted. School is out so there is no homework to take home, no assignments to miss and no chance of getting behind in class. Disney is the master of crowd control, so with a little patience, you'll be surprised how fast those lines can move. The air conditioning is icy cold and shade is abundant for limiting time in the hot sun. The Magic Kingdom's nighttime electric parade, Spectromagic, is not only performed every night, but usually twice. Disney Hollywood Studios has multiple showings of its nighttime spectacular, Fantasmic. And with the extended hours, guests can watch Illuminations at 9:00 to close Epcot, then hop the monorail to the Magic Kingdom in time to see Wishes.

The Cons. Most of the cons revolving around this time of year involve the high tropical humidity and temperatures and the high crowd levels. Heat exhaustion is a very real concern, so keeping hydrated and cool is paramount to your health and enjoyment of the parks. Making your reservations and events as far in advance as you can will also help streamline your vacation and minimize waits. Buses can be packed, but they also come along a lot more often. Pool temperatures heat up to bathlike warmth by afternoon, but are still cool and refreshing in the mornings. Afternoon rainshowers and thunderstorms can be heavy and violent and not always predictable as to time. Make sure you pick up a few rain ponchos at home to keep your family dry. Going from a rainstorm into a cold restaurant or hotel is very uncomfortable when wet. Hurricane season is at its peak, with August and September being the highest risk. Make sure you purchase vacation insurance and keep an eye on the weather before your trip. Get out as early as you can to minimize crowds and the heat, plan plenty of downtime in your hotel or at the pool in the afternoon, and make sure you keep the sunblock, water, and personal fans handy. Bring your patience, expect crowds and heat, and take advantage of the extended park hours to take in as much as you can. Don't push your family too far and you will find that you can still enjoy everything Disney has to offer regardless of the climate and crowd conditions.

Disney has so much to offer for a family vacation. Admittedly, having experienced the summer vacation once, my family and I will continue to visit during the rest of the year. However, that said, we were impressed by the high levels of service, friendliness of guests, and overall experience of Disney at its peak. Summertime has a lot to offer and as long as you are prepared, you can have a spectacular family getaway!