selove317

My family of four will be traveling to Disney World in June. We usually go in July but are hopeing for less heat and smaller crowds in June. My question is about which weekend to go. I've read that peak season starts mid-June but that Star Wars Weekend lasts through June 10th (not sure how big of crowds that draws). Also I've read of several other special happenings that could possibly draw large crowds towards the beginning of June. I was wondering which weekend would be less crowded June 10-11 or June 17-18? Thanks!

tcapp

June, July and August are very crowded for Disney World. One week isn't going to make much of a difference either way;it will be crowded and very hot.
It is hot already in Florida for this Easter Weekend. Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend, Florida has extreme heat and humidity, especially in Orlando because it is in central Florida. If you still decide to go, keep yourself well hydrated, bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen and lots of water. One trick on crowded days is to go very early in the morning and then go back to your hotel around noon and then go back to the park around 4pm. The two times we did this, when we went back at 4pm, people were pouring out to leave. It wasn't by any means deserted, but it was less crowded.

tcapp

ttt

offlady

I agree with tcapp, there wouldn't be much difference in the crowds either week, and to avoid peak hours instead. Where are you traveling from and how old are your kids?

We discovered since our kids were still on a different time zone (jet lagged), they could stay up til midnight the first night. We were able to ride all of the favorite rides multiple times since the long lines were gone late in the evening. These were the rides with the usual long lines in mid day. Instead, we took a break in the middle of the day when it got too hot and too crowded, then went back late afternoon/early evening when it cooled down. It certainly took the pressure away from having to stand in lines for the favorite rides the next day and we were able to enjoy the park better.

Annabel

This site may be helpful to you, it rates the crowd levels by date. www.touringplans.com You don't have to buy anything, there is a list of every day of the year on the site and you can use that as a guide.

Also, you may find this site helpful to you www.disboards.com

Lee4

It's been a few years, but my husband and I have been to WDW twice in early June. Yes, it's hot and humid, but that's Florida for you, and it's not as bad in June as it gets in July and August (we've been there at that time too). We found that the crowds were large in early June but not as large as they get once more schools let out and more people head there for summer travel. It helped to take advantage of the "early" openings in the parks and then to leave the parks during the afternoon and return later in the day/early evening. Another helpful tip is to read the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World book. They have lots of information about crowds, rides, touring plans, etc. and can help you figure out the best days and times to hit certain parks. Have a great trip!

Intrepid1

On the day you go to Epcot..as soon as you get admitted go all the way to the REAR of the park and work your way forward.

mom2boys

Actually that week could make a difference. The later you go the more schools will be out. Our district of 40,000+ students gets out on June 13th. If you haven't visited www.disboards.com you are missing the BEST source of info for Disney.

padams421

Do not follow Intrepid's Epcot advice (sorry Intrepid) on going to the back of the park and working your way forward if your family has any interest in going on Soarin', Test Track or Mission Space. The fastpasses for those rides are often completely given out for the whole day by 11am (and you won't want to have to stand in line for 2 hours for those rides either). Also, the countries (back part of Epcot) don't open until later in the morning.

We were at WDW last Nov. with a family that is not a "morning family". They showed up at Epcot around 11am and the fastpasses were gone. Having arrived when the park opened and hitting those rides first, we had ridden all 3 by the time our friends showed up.

ajcolorado

We've gone in the off season and we've also gone twice in June - once in the second week, once in the third week. It is crowded but quite managable. I am a strong proponant of having a good touring plan - last year we were there for the third week and we never waited more than 20 minutes for anything - major or minor attaction. The people that do these plans study the parks and crowd flow and really can help you avoid the masses as much as possible. There are two that I've used that worked well.
You can buy the "Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World" at book stores, from Amazon, and sometimes used on eBay but get a recent edition. Adding a new "headliner" to a park changes everything. They have clip-out touring plans in the back. The Unofficial Guide has more of a "Commando" approach - it gives a plan of attack for doing it all. Put a line through anything you aren't interested in and just follow the outline.
Last June, we used on online service called tourguidemike.com ($20) and loved it. We took a group of 35 people to Disney World and this was the first time for most everyone else. Some of the people had actually never been on a vacation that wasn't just to visit relatives. We used Tour Guide Mike's touring suggestions and never waited more than 20 minutes for anything. We walked on to Sourin' and the standby line was a 70 minute wait when we got off. Mike is a WDW VIP tour guide and is in the parks nearly every day. He really knows a lot about Disney crowd flow. The articles about the how's and why's of enjoying the parks are great - with the intent of having the best over-all experience. There are some suggested touring plans that you can print but the site is really designed to help you develope your own touring plans. Some people find this process a bit overwelming at first. There's also great information about which days are the best day of the week for a particular park.
The other thing is that getting to the park 15 - 30 minutes prior to park opening is crucial. You'll get most of your headliners in in those morning hours.

GoTravel

The first week in June isn't too bad but it is still busy because many of the schools in the southeast are out by the end of May.

June will be every bit as hot as July and August. Whoever said it isn't as bad as July and August is giving you bad information. The average daily high for June is 91-92, July 92-93, and August is 92 so there really isn't a difference.

Expect it to be very hot, very humid, and with a chance of afternoon thunderstorms daily.

amcc

If it makes any difference, Epcot will still have their Flower Festival going on the weekend of June 10 and 11. They have beautiful decorations, not only in the park, but in some of the hotels. It's not just for adults either, as the character topiaries are for kids and they make great pictres. It's a long festival, so it won't attract concentrated crowds any particular weekend. I was there that weekend a couple of years ago and while it was hot, it wasn't as awful as it can be, and the crowds were there, but not to the point of unmanageable or unbearable. I think that the Star Wars events are mostly concentrated in MGM studios and they should be relatively easy to avoid if you are not interested.