Biggest Lesson We Learned from Baby Bricker’s Summer Trip to Disney World
Baby Bricker’s second trip to Walt Disney World did not go as well as the first. This covers the #1 problem our family had during this summer time Florida vacation, along with other thoughts about the good and bad of this visit to WDW with an infant and actionable advice for other new parents.
Our intention was/is to do photo reports following every family trip we make to Walt Disney World, similar to our ‘parent fails’ from Baby Bricker’s first WDW trip – part 1 and part 2. We also shared ‘what went right’ during our family trip – part 1 and part 2. Those posts were well-received by readers, both as recaps of our trip and teachable moments for other new parents.
This post is a pretty dramatic departure from those, and definitely does not rise to being a fully-fledged trip report. Although we did a variety of things on this trip, much of that was overshadowed by this (perfectly predictable) problem. Basically, this post is singularly focused on being a cautionary tale instead of a recap of the highs and lows of our trip…
The #1 lesson we learned from this trip was that we cannot visit Walt Disney World in the summer. The high heat and stifling humidity are just not conducive to trips between June and August for our family. After our recent trip, I cannot fathom all three of us returning to WDW during those months (until we forget how unpleasant they are…again).
This is quite the about-face, especially since I recently shared an update to Is It Still Worth Visiting During ‘Fall’ Off-Season at Walt Disney World? In that, I wrote that we were already planning a return visit as a family so Baby Bricker (Megatron) could experience Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and more. Since her first trip to Walt Disney World went so well (for the most part), we got excited and emboldened to do another.
In my defense, I also added a rather large asterisk that Sarah didn’t experience last year’s brutal weather that prompted that post in the first place, and speculated that maybe she was underestimating just how bad it was. A “time heals all wounds” kinda scenario.
You might say that this quick summer getaway to Walt Disney World was essentially reopening old wounds.
During our trip, the daily high temperature exceeded 95° every single day. With plenty of humidity on top of temperatures in the mid-to-high 90s, the “feels like” reading exceeded 100° every single day, too. Weather so hot it could make even a seasoned WDW visitor cry. (Sweat mixing with sunscreen and running into your eyes has a way of doing that!)
This would be bad enough if it were just the two of us. We are, admittedly, wimps when it comes to high heat and humidity. I know some Floridians claim you get used to it, but we never did during our years spent living in Florida, and weather was the driving factor that led to us leaving. (Even the lizards and alligators–basically prehistoric beasts–don’t get used to the weather; I don’t believe people actually do.)
Regardless, we’ve also done many summer days and full trips to Walt Disney World. Heck, I did several solo ones just last year, and I can’t recall a single day when I logged under 20,000 steps. My shirt was sweat-soaked by like 9 am each day, but I trudged on and still had enjoyable enough experiences, accomplishing plenty. It certainly wasn’t my ideal time to visit, but as the old adage goes, even a hot day at Walt Disney World beats a normal day at home!
It’s a totally different ball game with a baby. As covered elsewhere, we’re avid babywearers. But when the temperature eclipses 90 degrees, babywearing becomes impractical (mild understatement). A lot of advocates claim that, actually, babywearing is good in high heat because being close to your body helps the baby regulate their own body’s temperature, helping them prevent overheating.
This might be true; I’m not a scientist or pediatrician, so I don’t know. It’s also crazy. Things can be both crazy and true. (Perhaps babywearing during summer at Walt Disney World belongs in “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!”) The operative question is not whether it’s safe for the baby, which presumably it is since babies exist in all climates. That’s a really low bar. (“Is it safe?” is not the standard I want to use for things I do on vacation.)
The real question is whether it’s reasonably comfortable. Which is kind of stupid, since it’s probably patently obvious even to non-parents that it very much is not comfortable. Just being outside at Walt Disney World during triple digit “feels like” temperatures is already fairly unpleasant. Now attach what’s basically a 20-pound heater to your chest. It makes that feeling worse, certainly not better.
Thankfully, we also brought our stroller with to Walt Disney World. We hadn’t been using it a whole lot prior to this summer, but that has changed in a big way. The stroller seemed more comfortable for all parties involved, but even that has shortcomings. (Always keeping Megatron in the shade as the sun shifted around being the big one.)
The end result was that Sarah and Megatron spent most of their time in the hotel or otherwise indoors. The whole point of the trip was to check out Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, CommuniCore Hall, and the other new-for-Summer 2024 stuff, so I was out and about most of the day doing that.
Thankfully, we had a rough idea of what we were getting ourselves into, and this was intended as less of a family vacation and more Sarah and Megatron joining me on a ‘research’ trip. Expectations were set accordingly, at least for the most part.
What we didn’t anticipate was that taking Megatron out during the bulk of the daytime hours would be a nonstarter. Irrespective of whether it was safe, it just wasn’t worth it from a comfort and quality of visit perspective. Due to the oppressive weather, we had only a few “good” hours per day in us, and it was better to allocate those to the evenings.
We are in a very fortunate position where we can do this–opting to spend more time at the hotel and less in the parks–since we’ve been to Walt Disney World many times before and will be back again. The stakes for us are way lower than the average guest. There’s nothing we must do, and we learned long ago that it’s far better to go with the flow than force it.
Obviously, that wouldn’t be our outlook if we were first-timers or infrequent visitors. If this were our only visit to Walt Disney World for the foreseeable future, we would’ve felt pressure to do as much as possible. And anything more than a few hours in the parks during the heart of the day would’ve been too much. One way or another, we would’ve ended up being really disappointed–either because we did too much or too little.
We’ve remarked on this before, but it’s so easy to see why adult meltdowns are so common during summer. There’s a tension between the pressure to accomplish a lot, and the heat and humidity beating you down and preventing that from happening. The weather is exhausting, making it exceedingly difficult to do a full day in the parks without a midday break or taking time to decompress. This alone can undermine any efficiency gains from the lower crowds of the slower summers.
Exacerbating this is park hours. The latest any park was open during our trip was Magic Kingdom which closed at 11 pm on one night. On all other dates, it closed at 10 pm. No other park closed later than 9 pm.
The problem with this is that sunset in Orlando during the summer is around 8:30 pm. As a practical matter, this meant as little as an hour in the park (we never left right at 9 pm) up to as much as 2.5 hours post-sunset each day. Those were about the only hours that were pleasant during our time in the parks, and even the word “pleasant” might be a stretch. Temperatures didn’t decrease that much.
Don’t get me wrong, the sun dipping below the horizon is a welcome relief, but it’s still pretty hot–just minus the scorching sun–up until park closing. There wasn’t a single day when the ‘feels like’ temperature dropped below 90 degrees before we left the park in the evening.
I can understand why Walt Disney World has set relatively limited park hours given the lack of summer crowds, but it’s still wild to me that–without paying extra–there are so few dates when any park is open after 10 pm. In fact, there are no dates after the Independence Day holiday when Magic Kingdom is open until 11 pm. It’s all 10 pm closings for the rest of the summer.
This doesn’t strike me as sustainable. I’ve remarked in the past that I’d prefer visiting the parks from 9 pm until 2 am during the summer over the entire day up until that point (usually in justifying a splurge on After Hours events). And I know I’m not the only one, based on the increased popularity of Extended Evening Hours during the summer months and how well After Hours parties continue to sell.
It’s somewhat baffling to me that Walt Disney World hasn’t recognized this and adjusted hours accordingly. To be sure, I’m not suggesting that Magic Kingdom stays open until 2 am nightly, as attendance doesn’t justify it. But having one of the parks offer regular operating hours after midnight might make sense.
Otherwise, the decreases in summer attendance and park hours are going to become a vicious cycle. Fewer people will plan trips this time of year since there are few (non-upcharge) reprieves from the heat. Due to fewer people attending, park hours will be slashed further. Yet another reason we’re hoping 2025 marks a return of Summer Nightastic! (or something similar) and later park closings.
Back in my day*, Magic Kingdom was open until midnight for everyone on Fridays in the summer, and offered evening Extra Magic Hours to all on-site guests until 3 am. (*My day was Summer 2010. Those are actual hours from then!)
The purpose of this post isn’t to throw a pity party for ourselves. Again, we’ve been around the block with summer in Central Florida. We knew there was the potential for this. Neither of us expected it to be this hot and humid, nor did we anticipate the challenges of navigating such weather with a baby. But the silver lining is that this was tacked-on to a research trip. Better this than planning an elaborate family vacation for the start of the Halloween season.
Rather, we always like to offer actionable advice; so with that in mind, what can you do to avoid a similar outcome? The obvious answer is to not visit Walt Disney World between the months of May and September, and particularly June through August.
On average, October through April have much better weather. Within that range, November through February tend to be the best bets from a weather perspective. For one thing, these months have cooler temperatures. But that’s not all–or even the biggest thing. These months get an assist from the triumphant return of standard time–and that plus shorter days means more park hours after dark.
I’ve always been a Daylight Saving Time hater, and this Walt Disney World trip further reinforced why. There’s too much daylight. No need to “save” it. Bit of a tangent, but I cannot believe politicians from Florida are leading the charge to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. There’s no need to “protect” sunshine in Florida. There’s an overabundance of it. But I digress.
For many families, this may not be practical. There’s a reason why summer is traditionally tourist season–many families have school aged children, parents who work as teachers, or any number of other reasons why it’s school breaks or bust when it comes to vacations. And even though summer is anything but inexpensive, it’s actually among the least pricey school breaks for visiting Walt Disney World. As such, a simple “don’t visit in the summer” might be viewed as glib and unhelpful.
In that event, my alternative advice might be equally unhelpful, but here it is: visit Disneyland.
Seriously. Although average Anaheim temperatures in the summer may not appear that much lower, the “feels like” numbers are. You’ll likely have daytime “feels like” temperatures that are about 10 degrees lower, which is not insignificant this time of year!
Equally as important, if not more so, is hours. Disneyland is typically open from 8 am to midnight with Disney California Adventure being open from 8 am to 10 pm. Disneyland Resort’s second gate has longer hours than Magic Kingdom for the rest of the summer!
Not only that, but sunset occurs earlier in Anaheim and the temperatures usually fall sharply in late afternoon and drop off a cliff after sunset. Even when highs are in the upper 80s, evenings can be in the low 70s with “feels like” temperatures in the upper 60s. (You read that correctly–lower “feels like” numbers than the actual temperature.)
Even during the summer, it can be chilly at Disneyland in the evenings–that’s a stark contrast to Walt Disney World! We’ve already been back to Disneyland a few times since returning from Walt Disney World, and our experiences were dramatically different. To be sure, there have been hot days in Southern California–but nothing like Central Florida.
I know doing Disneyland instead of Walt Disney World also isn’t practical advice for everyone. I’m just offering this as another alternative, especially since I think a lot of planners don’t realize there’s a huge difference in weather between the two.
To be sure, there are other ways to beat the heat at Walt Disney World. You can use things like the Frogg Toggs Chilly Pad or Bladeless Personal Neck Fan, and other cooling devices of the sort. It’s also probably the case that, in addition to this trip being lower stakes for us, it was also our first exposure to extreme heat as parents. Taking our baby outside in such high heat made us anxious, and it’s probably fair to say we erred on the side of caution a bit more as a result. So that’s also unique to us.
But accomplishing less, feeling fatigued, and having little reprieve from the sun due to shorter park hours is hardly unique to us. Over the last few years, we’ve been hearing from more and more readers who have started to rule out summer time trips to Walt Disney World–even fans who had been before. At least anecdotally, it seems like there’s a growing contingent of fans hitting the wall with summer at WDW, which at least in part explains the lower crowds.
It’s also worth pointing out that there were plenty of positives, too! Although this post revolves around the weather and is framed as a cautionary tale, this trip still had its moments. Among other things, we had some great meals, got to meet more characters (but still no Figment), were wowed by “Disney Dreams That Soar,” got to enjoy a wall-free Diet EPCOT for the first time in 5 years, and logged several rides on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. All of that was fun!
The highlight of the trip, though, was watching the Electrical Water Pageant as a family. I don’t know how we missed this on Baby Bricker’s first trip–it totally slipped our minds–but what a massive oversight on our part. Megatron is enamored with bright lights, so this was a huge hit.
It makes me really, really hope that a night parade actually is in the cards for how Walt Disney World will “compete” with Epic Universe in 2025. We didn’t think anything could live up to the nostalgia and sentimentality we have for SpectroMagic, but whatever night parade our daughter grows up on probably will. (She absolutely adored Dreamlights and Nightfall Glow, the night parades at Tokyo Disneyland.)
Speaking of which, and to conclude on an unequivocally positive note, our family trip to Japan went almost flawlessly. (The above image is from opening day of Fantasy Springs and is one of my favorite photos and memories from the entire trip. Baby Bricker thought the Lost Kids hats were hilarious for some reason.)
We expressed a tremendous amount of trepidation prior to that trip to Tokyo Disney Resort, but literally none of our fears came to fruition. I’m very glad we did Walt Disney World first, as it was a great learning experience for flights, hotel stays, and traveling in general–we made several major adjustments as a result of that Florida trip.
Nevertheless, we had our worries. Traveling to Japan is different from a week at Walt Disney World for obvious reasons. About the only mistakes we made were overpacking (once again–but not by as much) and one rough night. I doubt I’ll do a full post about that as I think it offers limited value–not many of you are probably planning on taking infants to Tokyo Disney Resort–but I’d nevertheless highly recommend it. We’re so glad we did!
For that matter, we’re glad we did this summer trip to Walt Disney World. Sure, it didn’t go nearly as smoothly or well as expected, but it was also a learning experience. That’s a big part of life, and some of our favorite memories aren’t the best moments–but the ones where things didn’t go according to plan. I’m sure we’ll look back at a couple of events from this trip that were not fun in the moment–but they’ll put smiles on our faces and make us laugh for years to come.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about visiting Walt Disney World in the summer? Is it worth doing for families if you have no other option but school breaks? Does the high heat and humidity negatively impact your visits? Or, would you take the higher crowd levels but subjectively superior overall experience during Fall Break, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Mid-Winter Break, etc? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I grew up in the Middle East, and during our last summer trip to WDW (August of 2023) I finally admitted to my wife and daughter that Orlando in the summer is hotter than Kuwait City at literally any time of year. I spent time in the desert riding camels in the blazing sun that was more comfortable than the line for the carousel in Fantasyland. It’s too much. We’re strictly October — April people from now on.
When you first posted the pic of your walk around the contemporary in the early morning with megaton I wondere how you were going to navigate the heat. Just remember as I know you will make sure that Halloween costume for her is comfy and let us know how it goes. Here a suggestion for a family costumes you go as Peter Pan Sarah as Wendy and megaton as tinker belle!
I probably should’ve made this clear in the post, but it *was* the plan to do a family trip for Halloween (which, for us, would’ve meant late August). We have been disabused of that notion, and this saved us from a costly mistake.
I’ll be going alone to WDW for MNSSHP, and we’ll do Oogie Boogie Bash as a family!
“My alternative advice might be equally unhelpful, but here it is: visit Disneyland.”
When I realized it had been 5 years since I took my kid to a park, I decided it was time to do a quick trip to a Disney park. Summer is the only time we can go. Living in the proverbial “Middle,” it’s relatively comparable to get to either locale. But the weather and the operating hours sealed the deal for Disneyland. We’ll see how it goes soon!
“It’s not you, it’s me.”
Yes, Orlando weather is brutal this time of year and park hours are lacking, but I’ve always felt attendance has more to do with people’s situations at home as opposed to what’s going on at WDW. Right now, domestic US flights are quite inexpensive across the board, especially compared with this most recent past holiday season, this past Spring, and looking ahead to Fall. Summer flights are always less, but not THIS much less. This tells us folks aren’t going…..anywhere.
Why? For sure weather plays a factor. But I’d venture it’s just as much about the weather people are coming from than it is about the Orlando weather people would be going to. Part of the joy of WDW is enjoying some Florida sunshine when it’s 20 degrees and snowing back home. That’s when a vacation is needed most. It just just doesn’t make sense for tourists from the Northeast, Mid Atlantic, Mid West, UK, etc to leave home when the weather is so nice. Save those trips for November-April, right?
Second, low summertime WDW attendance is in part a lingering effect from 2020 when people re-discovered their own regional activities. Places like national and state parks, local theme parks, lakes, beaches, etc are all still quite crowded this summer. Restaurants and music festivals are jammed. We’re going to a hotel with a nice pool and access to the beach this weekend…the weather is great, we can drive and not fly, rates are reasonable, and I don’t have to take a week off work to experience a small getaway. People fell in love again with things in their own backyard, and summer is the perfect time to experience those things.
Third, and I cannot overstate this, but finding summer activities for school-aged children is absolute insanity these days. It’s very difficult (and expensive) to line up child care during the summer school break. Funny story – I was at WDW when a particular summer camp registration opened, and had to get out of the early entry line from Ratatouille so I could log into the camp portal the moment registration opened. My Disney 7:00 AM training served me well, because all summer spots were completely booked within 15 minutes. This was in FEBRUARY. Long story short, demand for summer child care is high and supply is low, so many families have to prioritize and grab whatever we can. Trying to piece together summertime child care, line up vacation time from work, and eek out a trip to WDW is a hot mess in the summer.
Yes, I absolutely echo your sentiments that summer weather in Orlando is brutal and not worth it. Add it to the list. But overall, it seems like family priorities and factors at home will continue to drive tourist decisions far more than Florida weather or whatever Disney is doing to entice (or not entice) visitors during the summer months.
Is one Dante’s Nine Circles of Hell for parent of babies (or toddlers) at WDW during the Summer? Your post sure makes it seem like it COULD be. The “notes of Canto VII” say that the “the savage self-frustration of the Fifth Circle marks the end of that which had its tender and romantic beginnings in the dalliance of indulged passion”.
They thought it would be fun, until it wasn’t. Thanks for the warning!
I’ve always had Anaheim and Bay Lake pinned in my Weather app. Anaheim looks like the clear winner after late April. I don’t think I could stand WDW from June through August.
Disney World needs Tokyo’s Baymax: Mission Cool down stat. Why does this not exist there?!?!
We usually went in April but as our kids got older, we had to push our visits to. Mid June. One year we decided to go in August. I didn’t think. Disney World could get much hotter than June. Was I wrong! The only comfortable spots we found were in the pools. I Sar in water chest deep reading a book for the good part of that vacation.
Just a mention – I completely understand your wish for privacy for your baby. But unless your baby has some unusual feature, all babies look alike. Nobody would be ready to pick her out of a dozen babies but you.
As you know, DST in Michigan keeps it light out until after 9:30pm. I’d rather it be dark by 9:00pm. I don’t know why our politicians can’t put an end to the DST nonsense. Heck, I’d be happy if we’d split the difference and “fall back” just a half hour this November. As for the park hours, I think they close WAY TOO EARLY. The night times are when the parks are most beautiful. Not to mention, lower crowds are more reason to go, so maybe the low crowd concern will reverse itself if guests know that their $160 ticket buys them in until 11pm or midnight.
We’ve gone in August and early September as our usual time to visit, and this year did June instead. The weather felt great to us Many nights felt actually cool, with a breeze, something you don’t get in August. Our twins are 7 and we do a break in the middle of the day, plus 2 full days at the resort to break up the park time and heat. Our first trip with them was when they were 2, and we’d do the morning in the park, naps, and the afternoon at the pool. We really enjoy the resorts so we don’t mind being “forced” to spend more time there
I would think that “right after school gets out if your school calendar starts before Labor Day” or “right before back to school if your school calendar starts after Labor Day” would be the best times all summer for crowds *and* weather.
For the latter, my sister the schoolteacher / mother of two / WDW fan points out that many back-to-school sales are better in early August, so if you can shift your mindset that could work out very well, with Labor Day being the slowest major holiday on the WDW calendar.
I would trade the larger crowds of MLK weekend for the better weather, but I’ve never been a kid or with kids who go back to school before Labor Day. Thanks for sharing your experience, Laura D!
My husband and I have visited WDW at least once (sometimes twice) every summer since 2015. We are passholders from out of state, and I am a teacher, so that’s when we have time to go. Yes, it is hot, but we typically do outside things in the morning, then a nice air-conditioned lunch, then back to the hotel for a break, then dinner and/or some fireworks. But we are not trying to see and do everything, and we are empty nesters. It also was not a problem when our children were teenagers. Babies would be a totally different story – if there is a baby in the group, go during a cooler time of year. (Or wait until they are older.)
I hate DST as well. You will hate it even more as your daughter gets older. It messes with their sleep schedule. Why the short hours? Is it corporations getting the park shut down for themselves, labor shortages or just Disney greed to save money?
Thank you for this, Tom! Those low wait times have been alluring. Just when I was about to forgot my promise to myself and family to never go to Disney again in the summer, you swoop in with this realistic reminder that I’d rather go to WDW on the busiest day of the year than over the summer.
Went in June in the 80’s and again in 1990 as a 21 year old. Swore I’d never do it again during hot months and I haven’t. Went at the end of October a few years ago and it was amazing! We had a 90 degree day so got some heat but not the humidity. The rest was like 75-80°.
You should also include Tokyo Disney Resort in this discussion. Avoid July, August, and September if at all possible. Temps in the 90’s, dewpoints in the 70’s and 80’s. Japan is much more conservative with air conditioning, so indoor temps are much warmer than Americans are used to.
There is no Daylight Savings Time in Japan so it gets dark earlier, but the parks close at 9:00. At the other end, sunrise today was at 4:30 am, so when you’re queuing up to rope drop you’re in sun that has been up for 4 hours. There are no cool morning hours to help.
I swore I’d never do Disney World in the summer again. Then last year I figured out a way that I thought could make it work- we could do Epcot After Hours, H2O Glow Night at Typhoon Lagoon, and the Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom, if we chose just the right span of days in August 2023. We wouldn’t try to go to the parks until our event tickets allowed us in. This was also perfect since we were taking a break from having annual passes.
We did it. We had some fun. It was still hot enough that I swore to myself that I will never do it again. Just the process of getting to and from our hotel for meals was brutal. We went to Homecomin’ for lunch and the walk to and from the Disney buses was the hottest I have ever been in my life.
Never again (until I forgot how bad it was).
My last EVER summer trip to WDW was in 2016 when I was chaperoning a group attending an event (we stayed at Coronado Springs, UGH). We were miserable as adults, but the teens had a great time. I was also miserable during previous visits as a teen myself in the 80s, which is the primary physical reason I no longer live in South Texas at the same latitude as Orlando. Our November 2022 trip was basically ideal weather-wise. I actually needed to use my light jacket a couple of nights but enjoyed our pool at Caribbean Beach every day.
We plan to go to Disneyland at some point; it’s good to know that summer might actually work in Southern California!
Are you planning on going to Hong Kong Disneyland to see the new Frozen land any time soon?
I just love seeing the baby. She is clearly beautiful and justifiably doted on by her parents!
We went June 23-25 and by the end of the third day we were done. That was doing mid day breaks at the hotel and pool. We planned on dinner at Disney Springs followed by the drone show but had to tap out before 9pm. Rough.