[rlb]

Hey,
I'm new to Disney central! I have a question has anyone been to WDW in July and if you have is it going to be miserably hot? How did you handle the heat? We are staying at the Fort Wilderness cabins, so any advice would be appreciated. I have been to WDW many times, but have never stayed at this resort.

[DisneyTeacher]

Welcome to DC. We always go in July and it's hot but we don't mind. We hit the parks early in the morning and take an afternoon break then go back the the parks around dinner time and stay as late as we can. Other than that we manage in the heat just fine.

I haven't stayed at FW so I can't help you there, sorry.

[Tinkerbelle67]

We always go in July as well. Yes, it's hot and crowded, but with a little planning and some realistic goals you can have a perfectly enjoyable time. We are going for 10 days so that we can go at a slower pace and let the kids play in the pool or water parks and not feel like we need to get back into the parks because we're missing something. Just be prepared with lots of water, sunscreen and PATIENCE.
I stayed in the FW cabins years ago and loved them.

[missy H]

Welcome to DC. We went last July, we found it best to get up early go to the parks, make a pit stop for 2 to 3 hours over lunch ( at the hotel pool is good way to cool down) and then head into to parks early evening. (We even managed to do the E-ride nights last year) That way you miss most of the intense heat. Both my DD's (7 & 11) coped just fine. It is a great time to go!!

[JD Dis]

The advice you're getting on timing is right on. When I was growing up we'd always go in July and plan our days around a mid-day break. And we always stayed at Fort Wilderness. Back then they had trailer homes, but those were replaced a few years ago with the new cabins. We stayed in the cabins last September and absolutely loved them! Direct access to MK via bus or water launch, monorail (thru the TTC) to Epcot, and busses to MGM and AK. Plus, with having the breaks in the middle of the day, you have a house to go back to to relax in. Pools aren't amazing, but there are tons of other activities on site to pass the time! Have fun!

[Oh_Tink]

We stayed at the FW cabins this past August......a few tips for you........

.....in the event of a hurricane (not sure if they come in July), you will be evacuated......take EVERYTHING with you....we were there for hurricane Charlie and had to evacuate.....we mis
takenly left all of our food & swimsuits, some clothing thinking we would be back the next day......we didn't get to go back for 3 days....we were put up in OKW with a one bedroom villa but all of our food & stuff was back at the cabins......I was so mad at myself....we ending up eating out and all of the food we bought was wasted....my own dumbness! Oh and if you do have to evacuate....tell them that you need home away from home accomodations instead of a standard hotel room because you do have food.

.....make sure you take a table cloth and table cloth clips for outside if you intend to eat there.

.....take clothes pins for hanging up towels to dry & for closing the chip bags

.....purchase some sprayer fans at wal-mart before you go

.....buy a couple cases of bottled water & capri-suns & freeze them....you'll have nice ice cold drinks at the parks

.....rent the golf cart at the resort.....it comes in handy

.....make time for the camp fire sing along but take your own stuff for smores & take your own drinks.

[jk8]

We went in July and had a great time. We were mentally prepared for the crowds and heat. We took many tips from the Unofficial Guide for rides to get the most from our time. We used Fast Passes. We always asked for ice water with our meals. It was free and it kept us hydrated a lot better than Soft Drinks. It was a great vacation.

[PrincessJill]

Welcome to DC! :)

Everybody's given great tips, so I don't want to repeat. Just bring lots of water - it's annoying to keep spending like $4 a bottle in the parks. My family used to stay at FW every trip in our camper! It's great... I love it there. My friend's family stays in the cabins EVERY trip and will not stay anywhere else. You'll have a great time!

[pbharris4]

This past July was the 1st time I had gone in the summersince I was like 12 so I had forgotten how hot it was! ANd I thought I was prepared. I wasn't. After a day it was soo bad. I gave up on wearing make up during the day because it just sweats off your face and a sleelveless shirt or tank is a must. I had a 13 month old with us and we had a clip on fan for her stroller and we purchased a water bottle that sprays and has a fan on it to "spritz n cool" yourself off. We took our own water into the parks and stopped at the spraying stations a lot. I do not like the heat and crowds..none of us do. I say keep hydrated, wear loose fitting clothing and nothing you don't mind getting sweaty, take a mid day break, wear sneakers..nix the sandals, expect crowds and not everyone is in a good mood in the heat (so expect less than happy people).

[Metalfan]

Went for 4th of July weekend in 2003. I try not to go in July anymore because of that! lol. It was definitely hot, but that just gave more reason to keep running back to Splash Mountain! lol. Crowds just make it worse. But I'll be back again this year.

[karliebug]

Watch out for the large crowds of foreign tour groups. They swarm in July in groups of about 100 and will all go on the ride you want to ride right in front of you making a huge line! We now go in Aug. because of this problem.

[MissDisney]

Welcome rlb!!!
We take those compact washrags they sell at Disney store and all the WDW shops (They are sold dry and in a little package about the size of a fig!) Then, when you are hot, you just run them under a water fountain and they become a full-size washrag with Disney characters printed on, and you have a little mini-spa! We also keep lots of water bottles around, and we go swimming a lot! Plenty of sunscreen for everybody, cool clothes and hats... man, wish we were going with you!!!

[ddoll]

Another summertime hint I found to be especially helpful was to cut through the air conditioned shops whenever possible. It's only for a minute at a time, but it helps.

Drink water ALL DAY LONG. It's easy to get dehydrated there with the extreme heat.

Another life saver is getting one of those cool neckerchiefs they sell in the sporting goods depts (WalMart has them in the camping section). They're filled with gel beads. You wet it down with cool water and put it around your neck. It cools the blood in your neck which cools your whole body.

[joseph3947]

Originally Posted by karliebug

Watch out for the large crowds of foreign tour groups. They swarm in July in groups of about 100 and will all go on the ride you want to ride right in front of you making a huge line! We now go in Aug. because of this problem.

We use to go in July every year but don't anymore for a few reasons but mainly because of the reason mentioned by karlieburg. Remember it's WINTER in South America in July! Joe