orlando in july. bad idea?

[kristin0713]

UPDATE: Not going to Orlando! Thank you all for the words of wisdom. 😊

_______________________________________________________________________________

Covid aside. We are vaxed and hopefully the kids will be as well.  I'm thinking of the weather and crowds.  I desperately need a vacation but I don't want it to be a miserable vacation. The kids are dying to go back to Universal and we can exchange our timeshare for a really nice Marriott suite. 

I really prefer June or even this month but things have gotten added to the calendar that make it hard to get away.  

Our other idea is Nashville and Knoxville.  DD is totally into country music and the kids would have a blast in Dollywood.  

Tell me I'm crazy or not that crazy? 

Edited May 6, 2021 by kristin0713

[Sneezyone]

It. Is. So. Hot. If you have a hotel close to the parks/places you want to visit, get up early and return in the evening, it’s bearable. If not, I wouldn’t do it. I don’t know about Nashville or how the weather is different in the mountains but I’m guessing it’s better than AR or VA or FL in August. not sure about crowds this year. We’ve only gone during normal (non-COVID) summers.

Edited May 4, 2021 by Sneezyone

[prairiewindmomma]

Do you live in a southern climate already?

If you can handle 100F temperatures during the day with only the occasional glass of water because it's no big deal and is your normal 6 months of the year, go for it. Otherwise, hell no. (Or, plan to go 8-11am, lunch and siesta until about 4pm, and then go back for the evenings.)

[Selkie]

I wouldn't do it, but I went to Orlando in December and was dying from the heat. 🙂 I can't imagine what July is like!

[Pawz4me]

7 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

hell no

That was pretty much my thought when I read the OP. 

[Wildcat]

2 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Do you live in a southern climate already?

If you can handle 100F temperatures during the day with only the occasional glass of water because it's no big deal and is your normal 6 months of the year, go for it. Otherwise, hell no. (Or, plan to go 8-11am, lunch and siesta until about 4pm, and then go back for the evenings.)

I agree with this. If you aren't used to the hot & humid stuff already, I might not go as it literally sucks the energy out of you. I also wouldn't go to Dollywood... it might cool off a night, but it still gets hot & humid during the day with no wind, so it's super stifling. Nashville is probably similar, depending on what you want to do.

That said, summer in FL brings near-daily afternoon T-storms that can bring some relief to the situation, especially if you get wet, as that helps you cool off.

Also, even though it's hot & humid, I'm not sure I would do something else. This has been a very trying year and the excitement of being 'near normal' just might outweigh the hot & humid ickiness. I might be more inclined to do whatever we want and make sure we have fun no matter what. Just roll with the bad and super embrace the good. Are your kids older and would be able to understand that the weather might be miserable but they'll have to roll with it? I'd definitely make room in the budget for lots and lots of slushies and ice cream.

[mommyoffive]

I could not do Orlando in the summer with a mask at Universal. 

[Catwoman]

I have been in Orlando in July.

Never again. 

[hjffkj]

No way in hell!! We are planning our next Universal trip for mid Dec, crowds are low and weather is great

[prairiewindmomma]

Fwiw, our ideal Disney time is mid-October.

[stephanier.1765]

I'm a Floridian and went to Disney a couple of weeks ago. While it wasn't awful, there were a couple of instances where I felt like I was getting overheated. I could not drink enough water (if you go make sure to take refillable bottles with you and get the free water to fill them up throughout the day.) So in July, I say absolutely no way. I wouldn't even go now. The temps between a couple of weeks ago and today are drastically different. We've been in the 90's already.

[Terabith]

No.  We went in April once, and it was super duper hot.  I don't think I'd go any time between late April and October.  

[Spryte]

Nope Nope-ity Nope.  I don’t do hot and humid well, add crowds and pavement and walking and ... Nope.
 

Orlando in February works for us.  

[kristin0713]

Thanks everyone. I really thought this, but needed to hear it. 

We are from NJ. We love going to Orlando November. Obviously, that did not work out for 2020.  

Kids are 15 and 13 so they can cope better than littles, but still would not love extreme heat and especially daily rainouts.  

Ugh. I reeeeeealy need a vacation 😭 

[Terabith]

Just now, kristin0713 said:

Thanks everyone. I really thought this, but needed to hear it. 

We are from NJ. We love going to Orlando November. Obviously, that did not work out for 2020.  

Kids are 15 and 13 so they can cope better than littles, but still would not love extreme heat and especially daily rainouts.  

Ugh. I reeeeeealy need a vacation 😭 

Beach?  Big city vacation with lots of museums?  

[popmom]

The beaches in Fl are fine in the heat of summer. Would that be an option? I mean it’s hot, but take an umbrella and there’s always a breeze. And the water to cool off, of course!

Edited May 4, 2021 by popmom

[BlsdMama]

This sounds ideal...

 

 says Kelly whose husband loves the AC and is going out of her ever loving mind. I can think of nothing more pleasant right now than 100 degrees with humidity. (And I lived in the Mojave for four years.)

[JumpyTheFrog]

Why would you want to pay $150 each per day to stand in long lines in miserable hot, humid weather?

Go somewhere with better weather.

[Pawz4me]

9 minutes ago, kristin0713 said:

Thanks everyone. I really thought this, but needed to hear it. 

We are from NJ. We love going to Orlando November. Obviously, that did not work out for 2020.  

Kids are 15 and 13 so they can cope better than littles, but still would not love extreme heat and especially daily rainouts.  

Ugh. I reeeeeealy need a vacation 😭 

If you love amusement parks consider Cedar Point. We've been twice and in many ways find it far superior to the Orlando parks. And it's right on Lake Erie, which is beautiful and usually has a nice breeze. The hotels in the park have a beach area.

[katilac]

I would do it for sure without masks, not sure I would with masks required outside. 

I mean, it's not my first choice, but we live in Louisiana and don't mind getting up early, taking a break, and returning. 

[JennyD]

We're originally from New Jersey too, and I would NOT recommend Nashville in July.  Hot, humid, and it doesn't even really cool down at night.   Daily thunderstorms just make it more humid.  We've gotten used to it but my parents moved down here, too, and their first summer they were all, "This is so hot!  You didn't tell us that it would be so hot!"  I absolutely told them just how hot it would be.  I even showed them weather charts.  But there's seeing a Southern summer on a chart and then there's living it.

Agree with everyone else that you should go somewhere with better weather. 

I've read, though, that traveling anywhere this summer is going to be a bear.  

[ktgrok]

1 hour ago, kristin0713 said:

 

Tell me I'm crazy or not that crazy? 

Is there something more crazy than crazy? Cause, you are crazy. 

I'm a native Floridian. I LOVE hot weather. I live in Orlando. And I won't go to the theme parks this time of year, and that was true before you had to wear a mask the whole time. 

Natives know better. If they go, they do because they have annual passes and just go in the evening. No one in their right mind does Universal in July in the day. Also, the one building has all thos mirrors on it, and it's like being in a solar oven when you walk by. It is truly SO hot. SOOOO hot. 

And I say that as someone that mows the lawn at noon in 90 plus degree weather, willingly. 

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

I could not do Orlando in the summer with a mask at Universal. 

Nope. It's like, what would hell feel like? Like wearing a mask for 8 hours in a sauna - which is what it will feel like. 

1 hour ago, Catwoman said:

I have been in Orlando in July.

Never again. 

Yeah, that's a one time mistake. 

4 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

 

Yes, the weather maybe hot. It maybe crowded. So you wear a mask. It may not be an ideal or dream vacation, but it is a vacation and right now we need all the normal we can.

 

It will not be normal - it will be masks in sauna like humidity and heat. That's not a vacation. 

OP, go to the beach. Or river rafting. Or ANYTHING else. 

[Sneezyone]

1 minute ago, Dreamergal said:

So ?

What if fall has more cases. What if ? what if ? What if ?

When have we ever in our lifetime not be able to travel anywhere we wanted, when we wanted and not being able to because we could not because of factors beyond our control ? 

I would take a hot, humid vacation which means change of location, chance to travel, not live in house arrest like we all have even if it means cooking meals. 

A chance for a beach. pool ? Sign me up.

Previously you would have to threaten me to go camping, I would not go willingly. Now I would go, not even look for glamping. 

Sometimes a vacation is not the place we go to, but a change of place and pace. More than a physical vacation, what maybe necessary is a mental vacation which we all need.

The heat is dangerous in normal, unmasked times. Every year people have heat-related crises (and there are deaths) in these amusement parks. In a mask, it could be worse.

[fairfarmhand]

3 minutes ago, Sneezyone said:

The heat is dangerous in normal, unmasked times. Every year people have heat-related crises (and there are deaths) in these amusement parks. In a mask, it could be worse.

Yeah, with the pavement and all, I don't know Florida in July would be a good plan. Heat exhaustion is no joke. It's more than being a little uncomfortable. I've had heat exhaustion a few times in the last couple of years (Perimenopause has made me much more sensitive to heat) and it ruins you for several days, and that's with a mild case of it. Not something you want to do on vacation.

 And no to Nashville and Dollywood for the same reason. Yes, plan a vacation. But pick a different place. The mountains of East Tennessee would be more comfortable, but if you're wanting an amusement park, OP, choose one some place where it;s cooler.

[kokotg]

16 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

 

Probably all stupid advice but the point I am trying to make is unless there is some magical utopian place if people are going to go out this summer, it is going to be crowded, expensive, not ideal.  With Weather issues. Tempers will be fraying probably. 

 

If we dither waiting for the ideal time it may never come is what I want to essentially say.

 

I think she definitely should go SOMEWHERE for vacation, but the vast majority of the US has more pleasant weather in July than Florida does! I live in north Georgia, and my only rule for summer vacations is "go somewhere cooler than Georgia."

[Terabith]

26 minutes ago, Dreamergal said:

So have a truncated vacation. Stay in the airbnb, sleep late, walk on the beach, eat tons of sea food. 

if you go to the amusement parks, wear one of those water backpacks, do not do the rides. Just walk around. Go to a restaurant.

Probably all stupid advice but the point I am trying to make is unless there is some magical utopian place if people are going to go out this summer, it is going to be crowded, expensive, not ideal.  With Weather issues. Tempers will be fraying probably. 

But are we really going to have a staycation summer 2.0 because it is not ideal.

We do not know how fall will be. We do not know if cases will rise. Already people are refusing the second shot. No herd immunity. That is the bottom line. So who knows. We live in uncertain times, all we have is the now. So go. Have a truncated vacation, but go. Even if you have to sit in the airbnb most of the time and go to the beach and a few restaurants, it is a vacation. A change of pace. We all need that. A chance to feel normal.

If we dither waiting for the ideal time it may never come is what I want to essentially say.

 

I'm not saying don't go on vacation.  

I AM saying don't go to an amusement park in Orlando in July.  

There's a whole world of vacations that are not amusement parks in the South in July.  

Go to a beach.  Go to a cabin in a woods with a lake or a pool.  If everyone is vaccinated, go to a big city and go to art and science museums.  

But don't go to amusement parks in Orlando in the summer.

[Clemsondana]

I'd say it depends on what you are used to.  We've been in August twice because the crowds are smaller once school starts back.  It's hot as blazes, but I grew up in the south and have marched in a wool band uniform in temperatures in the 90s...give me some Dole Whip and I'm good to go (and our whole family works in the garden all summer, so we're all used to it).  Dollywood can also be hot in the summer.  It's not usually Orlando hot, but it's humid and likely to be in the upper 80s or higher.  There are also water parks (both at Disney and near Dollywood) so you might choose to do that on the hottest days.  I think it depends on what will bother you most - we never worry about heat, which doesn't bother us, and instead try to plan around crowds, which drive us nuts.  You couldn't pay me to do Disney in the winter holiday crowds, even if the weather is awesome (I went once as part of a college Gator Bowl trip...never again). 

[Alicia64]

We did Universal in Orlando in November -- a low-crowd time on their calendar. Yes, the lines weren't as long, but there were still people everywhere.

I wrote this article, although since you've been you likely don't need it. Where Muggle Families Can Soar!

I wrote a kid-friendly article on Nashville that I thought you might want to read. The article is about Nashville itself, not about Dollywood. Kidding Around in Nashville! (including family-friendly music spots).

We were in Nashville in July and it was freaking hot. So if you do Nashville I'd get up early to use the cool mornings and throw the kids in the pool in the afternoons.

I was a family travel writer for years up until covid. (Jobs are starting to trickle in so hopefully travel will be a thing again soon.) But if you're at all interested in a beach community in the South East, I've written about several and would be happy to send you an article.

[kristin0713]

3 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

If you love amusement parks consider Cedar Point. We've been twice and in many ways find it far superior to the Orlando parks. And it's right on Lake Erie, which is beautiful and usually has a nice breeze. The hotels in the park have a beach area.

This place looks awesome! I’m going to look into it. 

3 hours ago, JumpyTheFrog said:

Why would you want to pay $150 each per day to stand in long lines in miserable hot, humid weather?

Go somewhere with better weather.

Because it’s actually really affordable for us. With our timeshare we can stay at a two bedroom Marriott villa basically for free and we can buy theme park tix with points. Frontier flights are not too bad and out of a small, local airport. 

3 hours ago, popmom said:

The beaches in Fl are fine in the heat of summer. Would that be an option? I mean it’s hot, but take an umbrella and there’s always a breeze. And the water to cool off, of course!

Sigh. My kids are spoiled by too many trips to Disney, Universal and Busch Gardens. 

3 hours ago, Terabith said:

Beach?  Big city vacation with lots of museums?  

I would love that, but the kids wouldn’t. We did Boston, DC, and Williamsburg in 2018. All they liked was Busch Gardens. 

2 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

You have got good sensible advice and all these factors apply in a normal year, but what stood out to me was the bolded.

I badly need to feel normal. I am vaccinated fully and one of the reasons was I wanted to go see my parents in May. I am a planner so I thought I would, my parents and inlaws vaccinated because of that main reason. But one thing the pandemic has taught me is, you only have the now.

I appreciate your replies and I’m so sorry you can’t go see your parents right now. 
 

Fall will not work for us as we will (hopefully) be moving. We’re currently living with my parents and I need a break now! Lol...I’m sure I don’t need to elaborate on that. 
 

I really do appreciate the replies and I’d love fun, not-too-hot suggestions for July.  That Cedar Point is actually drivable from NJ so it’s a good idea!

[kristin0713]

7 minutes ago, Alicia64 said:

But if you're at all interested in a beach community in the South East, I've written about several and would be happy to send you an article.

I’ll take a look at anything. For a beach vacation, there would have to be a lot of active things around to do. My kids would not be happy just hanging out on the beach all day, unfortunately. 

[ktgrok]

5 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

So ?

What if fall has more cases. What if ? what if ? What if ?

When have we ever in our lifetime not be able to travel anywhere we wanted, when we wanted and could not because of factors beyond our control ? 

I would take a hot, humid vacation which means change of location, chance to travel, not live in house arrest like we all have even if it means cooking meals. 

A chance for a beach. pool ? Sign me up.

Previously you would have to threaten me to go camping, I would not go willingly. Now I would go, not even look for glamping. 

Sometimes a vacation is not the place we go to, but a change of place and pace. More than a physical vacation, what maybe necessary is a mental vacation which we all need.

We are just saying she should go somewhere she will actually enjoy rather than wasting her vacation on a place that could likely lead to feeling ill, or getting heat stroke. Seriously, this has nothing to do with Covid, other than masks making it worse. Universal in July is MISERABLE. I used to have annual passes, I live not far from there. In july and august we'd wait and go at sunset, because during the day it was asking for heat stroke. That particular park is hotter than just the normal city temperatures due to reflections off buildings, etc. It's truly miserable. And I say that as a native of South Florida. She's coming from NJ....she'll be miserable. 

Much better to go somewhere she can actually enjoy. 

4 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

The heat is dangerous in normal, unmasked times. Every year people have heat-related crises (and there are deaths) in these amusement parks. In a mask, it could be worse.

This. IT's seriously an issue - a health concern even. Especially for someone from up north. 

4 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

So have a truncated vacation. Stay in the airbnb, sleep late, walk on the beach, eat tons of sea food. 

if you go to the amusement parks, wear one of those water backpacks, do not do the rides. Just walk around. Go to a restaurant.

Probably all stupid advice but the point I am trying to make is unless there is some magical utopian place if people are going to go out this summer, it is going to be crowded, expensive, not ideal.  With Weather issues. Tempers will be fraying probably. 

But are we really going to have a staycation summer 2.0 because it is not ideal.

We do not know how fall will be. We do not know if cases will rise. Already people are refusing the second shot. No herd immunity. That is the bottom line. So who knows. We live in uncertain times, all we have is the now. So go. Have a truncated vacation, but go. Even if you have to sit in the airbnb most of the time and go to the beach and a few restaurants, it is a vacation. A change of pace. We all need that. A chance to feel normal.

If we dither waiting for the ideal time it may never come is what I want to essentially say.

 

Like I said my advice wasn't due to Covid, but because it isn't a fun place to be at that time of year - any year. Go somewhere that IS fun that time of year. 

 

4 hours ago, Terabith said:

I'm not saying don't go on vacation.  

I AM saying don't go to an amusement park in Orlando in July.  

There's a whole world of vacations that are not amusement parks in the South in July.  

Go to a beach.  Go to a cabin in a woods with a lake or a pool.  If everyone is vaccinated, go to a big city and go to art and science museums.  

But don't go to amusement parks in Orlando in the summer.

This. Wise words. 

OP, my husband's family live near Cedar Point, and have passes and LOVE IT. I think thats a great idea!

[vonfirmath]

6 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

So have a truncated vacation. Stay in the airbnb, sleep late, walk on the beach, eat tons of sea food. 

if you go to the amusement parks, wear one of those water backpacks, do not do the rides. Just walk around. Go to a restaurant.

Probably all stupid advice but the point I am trying to make is unless there is some magical utopian place if people are going to go out this summer, it is going to be crowded, expensive, not ideal.  With Weather issues. Tempers will be fraying probably. 

But are we really going to have a staycation summer 2.0 because it is not ideal.

We do not know how fall will be. We do not know if cases will rise. Already people are refusing the second shot. No herd immunity. That is the bottom line. So who knows. We live in uncertain times, all we have is the now. So go. Have a truncated vacation, but go. Even if you have to sit in the airbnb most of the time and go to the beach and a few restaurants, it is a vacation. A change of pace. We all need that. A chance to feel normal.

If we dither waiting for the ideal time it may never come is what I want to essentially say.

 

When I was in HS we went to Disney in May and I don't recall it being horribly hot.  

OTOH we came from Texas.  Oh and in Texas -- then and now. Marching bands practice in August before the season begins. They are out there marching and playing getting ready. (And now, with school starting mid-AUgust, my 9th grade trumpet player will be starting marching band practices on July 26). He'll have water. And they will take breaks. But they get out there and do it because waiting for cooler weather is not an option

 

If going at another time is not an option, then you go when you have and you make it work. 

[sheryl]

Florida in July - HOT!  Can you go closer to late fall or winter?   It will still be 70'ish.  We went to DW twice while DD was growing up.  Went in November, I think, both times.  It worked out well.  Rides were not long and on the "river" one (don't remember the name) there was no one on that ride so we took it 5 times in a row or so.  FUN!

We took DD to Nashville for her 20th birthday (2 years ago).  We all like country music as well.  It was a wonderful vacation.  Won the lottery to get in to The Bluebird Cafe (check out the website), Grand Ole Oprey and saw a country artist (fairly well known but forget his name at the moment) and took the celebrity bus tour.  Those 3 were our big events and we had several other activities planned, places to go. Downtown in and of itself was interesting and maybe for the older crowd.  Don't know how old your dd is.

[Kassia]

A friend of mine (from Michigan) is there right now and here is what she wrote to me:

 

It was close to 100 here yesterday afternoon. I like hot but not that hot and wearing a mask in that heat is awful. We’re having fun but yesterday was a tough day with the heat and masks! I told my husband I’m not coming back here until no more masks. I swear I thought I was going to pass out or have a heart attack breathing with that stupid mask and the heat. 

Edited May 5, 2021 by Kassia

[skimomma]

I second Cedar Point!  It's a really fun park and the weather will be better.  My family is sadly not into amusement parks and even Ohio is too hot for us in summer, so I will probably never go again but I think it is a great alternative to Florida parks at that time of year.  They have some of the best roller coasters in the country.

[Alicia64]

14 hours ago, kristin0713 said:

I’ll take a look at anything. For a beach vacation, there would have to be a lot of active things around to do. My kids would not be happy just hanging out on the beach all day, unfortunately. 

Some of the beach communities have activities -- Georgia Islands -- like climb a light house, see a small museum, eat in the cute little towns, but I'm not sure that that's exciting enough for your kids!

At the Outer Banks you can visit where the Wright Brothers first flew their plane and look inside the small museum.

There's a lot to do in Charlotte, SC: here's the article. They have a lot of indoor and outdoor stuff for kids.

Say Yes, to Charlotte for the Family   But again, the South is hot in July. I get up early, do the fun stuff, and throw my boys in the pool in the afternoon. 🙂

 

[Dmmetler]

18 hours ago, Wildcat said:

I agree with this. If you aren't used to the hot & humid stuff already, I might not go as it literally sucks the energy out of you. I also wouldn't go to Dollywood... it might cool off a night, but it still gets hot & humid during the day with no wind, so it's super stifling. Nashville is probably similar, depending on what you want to do.

That said, summer in FL brings near-daily afternoon T-storms that can bring some relief to the situation, especially if you get wet, as that helps you cool off.

Also, even though it's hot & humid, I'm not sure I would do something else. This has been a very trying year and the excitement of being 'near normal' just might outweigh the hot & humid ickiness. I might be more inclined to do whatever we want and make sure we have fun no matter what. Just roll with the bad and super embrace the good. Are your kids older and would be able to understand that the weather might be miserable but they'll have to roll with it? I'd definitely make room in the budget for lots and lots of slushies and ice cream.

Nashville will be similarly hot and humid. Honestly, by July, most of TN isn't all that different from Orlando. It's hot, humid, sticky, and you prefer to spend your time in air conditioned rooms because it is so humid. The difference is that TN often has little rain to break it up by July-our daily thunderstorms happen in April and early May. 

 

In my experience, Animal kingdom is more shady and is more manageable later in the day than the other Disney parks, so it's a good one to hop to later in the day.  Gatorland is pretty shaded as well, and is a great park to visit on a non-Disney day.  Water parks are also nice, but it is easy to dehydrate.  

 

Keep in mind that right now, Disney is limiting the number of people in by a lot, and you have to get reservations. You can generally park hop after 2:00, when some people have left, but that's also when it's getting really, really hot-and when the afternoon storms are likely to hit. 

 

 

 

[ktgrok]

And when you get soaked in a thunderstorm you then freeze inside in the air conditioning. I've actually purchased an overpriced sweatshirt in the middle of summer at a themepark because of that. We went for my son's July birthday when h was a preschooler. We didn't go back in the summer again, lol. 

[Kassia]

23 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

And when you get soaked in a thunderstorm you then freeze inside in the air conditioning. I've actually purchased an overpriced sweatshirt in the middle of summer at a themepark because of that. We went for my son's July birthday when h was a preschooler. We didn't go back in the summer again, lol. 

I grew up in South Florida and I wore sweaters all summer because I was always freezing in the a/c everywhere I went.  Last summer, we went to Dallas to move my dd into her dorm and I was uncomfortable the whole time we were there.  Either roasting outside (it was over 100 every day) or freezing inside because of the a/c.  I brought a cardigan everywhere with me.  

 

[KrissiK]

Well, this should be interesting then, for us. We are flying in from California the last week in June. We usually go to Disneyland, but with the opening so iffy, we just said, “screw it,” and planned a Disney World vacation instead. Our kids are growing up and this will likely be the last summer we will be able to do anything as a family.  We are used to the heat. Central California can have 100+ temps for weeks and weeks on end, but I think the humidity might be a problem. Oh well. We’ll deal with it.

[LucyStoner]

It is so flipping hot if you aren't used to it.  I visited Orlando in July once for my brother's and my birthday (he lived in Orlando at the time, we were going to see him to celebrate our birthdays together) and when I walked out of the airport in the middle of the night I was flattened by the wall of heat.  I didn't do anything out-of-doors *in Orlando* that trip except swim in a pool.  One day we drove to the beach and another day we drove to see a baseball game in Tampa.  We decided to go NOT go to any of the parks because I simply couldn't do the heat.  

[momto3innc]

It is seriously so hot. Native Floridian here (although don’t live there now). I grew up on the west coast where at least you’ve had the gulf breezes. Orlando is just SO. HOT. I mean, I find the entire state hellish from about May til September, but Orlando always seems worse to me. 
True story: years ago when the kids were smaller we were given totally free 4-5 days of Disney park hoppers for a week at the end of July. Food, lodging, everything.

We actually considered not using all the tickets, we were so unbearably hot (and I LOVE Disney but have always gone in cooler months). 
On the other hand, it is an unusual year and your kids are older. You could take a break mid day and budget plenty of money for cold treats. And the fans that spray water and the things that get wet and go on your neck. It’s possible...just go in prepared.

[sassenach]

We lived in Orlando for 8 years and I would not recommend amusement parks in July unless you hate yourself or have a much different composition than I do. 

 

[ktgrok]

2 hours ago, momto3innc said:

It is seriously so hot. Native Floridian here (although don’t live there now). I grew up on the west coast where at least you’ve had the gulf breezes. Orlando is just SO. HOT. I mean, I find the entire state hellish from about May til September, but Orlando always seems worse to me. 
 

Agreed. I'm from the east coast of Florida, but farther south. And like where you were, at least you get a breeze part of the day. Orlando is just miserable. And yet...it looks like we are staying in this place....sigh. 

[ktgrok]

1 minute ago, sassenach said:

We lived in Orlando for 8 years and I would not recommend amusement parks in July unless you hate yourself or have a much different composition than I do. 

 

That sums it up. 

[sassenach]

1 minute ago, ktgrok said:

That sums it up. 

I hadn't been back in years and I flew out to see my BF in July. I could not believe how much I blocked out about Orlando in July. We pulled off at a rest stop on the turnpike and I died just making it inside. But then we hung out by the pool the rest of the week and I remembered how I survived- backyard pool, baby. 

side note- it does not help that I now live in a seriously mild climate. Our average July temp is 84. 

[scholastica]

12 hours ago, Alicia64 said:

Some of the beach communities have activities -- Georgia Islands -- like climb a light house, see a small museum, eat in the cute little towns, but I'm not sure that that's exciting enough for your kids!

At the Outer Banks you can visit where the Wright Brothers first flew their plane and look inside the small museum.

There's a lot to do in Charlotte, SC: here's the article. They have a lot of indoor and outdoor stuff for kids.

Say Yes, to Charlotte for the Family   But again, the South is hot in July. I get up early, do the fun stuff, and throw my boys in the pool in the afternoon. 🙂

 

Charlotte is in NC and very hot and humid in the summer, especially July. 

[theelfqueen]

My DH is originally from Ft Lauderdale. We ended up having to attend a family thing in the area in July a few years back. We swore that the only thing that would ever put us in Florida in July ever again would be a funeral for an immediate family member. OMG so hot. 

[sassenach]

1 hour ago, sassenach said:

I hadn't been back in years and I flew out to see my BF in July. I could not believe how much I blocked out about Orlando in July. We pulled off at a rest stop on the turnpike and I died just making it inside. But then we hung out by the pool the rest of the week and I remembered how I survived- backyard pool, baby. 

side note- it does not help that I now live in a seriously mild climate. Our average July temp is 84. 

Quoting myself because that reminded me- we visited the Disney Beach Club Resort once and it was AMAZING. The sand bottom pool has the most amazing, pleasing, perfect sand that I've ever felt under my feet. OP, if you can afford something like that, then maybe go. Pool by day, parks after 4pm.

[katilac]

9 hours ago, KrissiK said:

Well, this should be interesting then, for us. We are flying in from California the last week in June. We usually go to Disneyland, but with the opening so iffy, we just said, “screw it,” and planned a Disney World vacation instead. Our kids are growing up and this will likely be the last summer we will be able to do anything as a family.  We are used to the heat. Central California can have 100+ temps for weeks and weeks on end, but I think the humidity might be a problem. Oh well. We’ll deal with it.

I think I might be the only person saying it, so I'll say it again: the heat of summer is certainly not my first choice, but I wouldn't skip it for that reason alone. We've gone in the heat and the thunderstorms and, yep, more than once. Lots of people do so.  

The humidity will make a difference for sure, and so will masks. Before you go, check the latest on where and when you can take masks off. You don't need them in gated pool areas, so that's a nice option each day. A lot of people have blogged about their experiences and tips. I would definitely be bringing a lot of masks, because you're going to sweat in them and probably use several a day. 

We would usually go early and take a pretty long break (nap, food, swimming, shopping) for the hottest part of the day, then go back. I don't know how that would work with the new system of limiting people, but that's my ideal in the heat.