Summer Months - Lighter Crowds!???

DizneyMommy said:
Ok wait, I still want to know what the 15’s are. For real!
Click to expand...


The 15s are Tour Groups of South American girls celebrating their 15th Birthday.

Most are given the choice of a LARGE party at home or a trip to WDW(some will also go to NYC and Miami)and,in addition to WDW,most will also go to Universal,Sea World,Busch Gardens,etc.

Some will also have Private Parties(some with South American entertainers),attend Orlando Magic games,etc.

The largest numbers,BY FAR,are from Brazil and Argentina with smaller numbers from Uruguay,Paraguay,Chile,Venezuela,etc.

It is VERY interesting when Brazil and Argentina encounter each other-they DO NOT like each other-mainly because of Soccer.

Their rivalry is like Alabama v. Auburn or Ohio State v. Michigan on STEROIDS!:)

The "main" months for the migration of The 15s are late June/July/early August for their Winter Break and January/February for their Summer Break.

The 15s will be at the highest intensity level possible this Summer because it is a "World Cup Summer"!

If Brazil and Argentina somehow meet in the Finals on July 15,WDW will cease to exist as we know it!

I am very familiar with The 15s as we go every July for my Birthday and,for the most part,they are really nice young ladies,but they can get "out of hand" at times!lol:)

They now use Private Buses almost exclusively and that has helped greatly as has the introduction of the Super Greeters in the Summer.

I present to you the LEGENDARY PHENOMENON KNOWN AS THE 15s!lol:)

28358124802_af8d3bbc05_c.jpg
 
Just a few notes from our late July 2017 trip. After going in March our previous 5 trips, we were nervous about going in July. We were surprised at how low the crowds were compared to some of our previous "Spring Break" trips that ranged from early to mid March. For example, there was an evening where we hopped over to MK about 5pm. Did our FP's and had dinner. Over the next 2 hours, we literally walked on every ride in Adventure and Frontier Land. We did over half of MK in 3 hours and the biggest time sink was walking from one end of the park to the other. Never had done this. We went back to Frontier Land around 9pm and did BTMRR and SM numerous more times before we headed to the hub for the end of the night. Other evenings at MK were this way too and we realized that outside of the "peak" times at the parks (any of them) the number of people really dropped off and a lot of the park could be enjoyed with little or no waiting. This was with most parks closing at 9-10pm all nights. I think the latest night we had at MK was with evening EMH's and that was until Midnight.
 


WEDWDW said:
The 15s are Tour Groups of South American girls celebrating their 15th Birthday.

Most are given the choice of a LARGE party at home or a trip to WDW(some will also go to NYC and Miami)and,in addition to WDW,most will also go to Universal,Sea World,Busch Gardens,etc.

Some will also have Private Parties(some with South American entertainers),attend Orlando Magic games,etc.

The largest numbers,BY FAR,are from Brazil and Argentina with smaller numbers from Uruguay,Paraguay,Chile,Venezuela,etc.

It is VERY interesting when Brazil and Argentina encounter each other-they DO NOT like each other-mainly because of Soccer.

Their rivalry is like Alabama v. Auburn or Ohio State v. Michigan on STEROIDS!:)

The "main" months for the migration of The 15s are late June/July/early August for their Winter Break and January/February for their Summer Break.

The 15s will be at the highest intensity level possible this Summer because it is a "World Cup Summer"!

If Brazil and Argentina somehow meet in the Finals on July 15,WDW will cease to exist as we know it!

I am very familiar with The 15s as we go every July for my Birthday and,for the most part,they are really nice young ladies,but they can get "out of hand" at times!lol:)

They now use Private Buses almost exclusively and that has helped greatly as has the introduction of the Super Greeters in the Summer.

I present to you the LEGENDARY PHENOMENON KNOWN AS THE 15s!lol:)

28358124802_af8d3bbc05_c.jpg
Click to expand...

:eek: Um whoa! Thank you for clearing that up!
 


Floridian here... I also used to avoid summer trips, but then summer became the only time that worked for a trip longer than a night or two due to school scheduling. We've been going over July 4th week for years now. I sure wouldn't call that time "low" in terms of crowds - it's a LOT of people in the parks. But the difference to me is in how crowds are managed. WDW bumps up staffing to handle the crowds and runs attractions at maximum capacity, so crowds are dispersed wider and faster than in an "off" season. Park hours are extended, which also serves to spread out crowds. More people are out of the parks for afternoon breaks, water park visits, pool time, etc. All of that serves to make going in the summer a lot less painful than I imagined.

But the heat? It's HOT. I live here and am acclimated to it, but it's still tough. We avoid being outdoors in the afternoon and do most of our park touring in the evenings.
 
I have not read through the thread, but my only experience going to WDW is May through August (primarily late August). Crowds can be high, but Disney seems to be excellent at managing crowds during this time, from my experience.

As an example, QS usually start serving at 11, and will have all registers open, a bustling kitchen, ect. Also, all available bays for attractions will pretty much always all be open.

Sometimes you will see posters who go during 'slow' times, talk about one person on register, rides operation at half capacity, one person working the desk at a resort, ect.

Crowd calculations is an extremely complicated business, however I recommend August, as WDW appears ready for whatever comes their way.

Also, when I have gone in June/July, the heat is BRUTAL, so many will begin to go back to their resort as early as 10:30-11, or have difficulty lasting later into the night.

(Its all an illusion!!)
 
We love summer!! This year will be our 4th straight summer trip.

Crowds have been relatively light, we've had many days where we walked around pretty surprised how empty the parks seemed.

As for the weather. It's Florida in mid-summer, it is what it is. A little common sense and you'll be fine.

The 15s....ugh. Yeah, they're there, especially in July. Individually, I'm sure the girls are all very nice...we've seen them do some very nice gestures to our kids. But it's a bit annoying when they're walking around the park in a pack of 60 with their arms all linked and shouting chants at the top of their lungs. Then they barge into a queue with arms linked and can create a bit of a scene.
 
We did early July last year and mid-August the year before. We are going again in mid-August this year. Room rates with the summer special are soooooo cheap compared to fall/winter/spring, and that makes a big deal to our budget. I paid a nightly rate for a split stay at BC and YC this summer that was the same price I paid for POR in December. Plus the wait times on rides for both our prior summer vacations never topped 20 minutes, except for 7DMT (which we fasspass anyway). I LOVE going in the summer.

Here is what we do to deal with the heat:
1) Plan to do rides that are outdoors or have mostly outdoor queues either first thing after park opening or in the evening (e.g., Jungle Cruise, Magic Carpets, Winnie the Pooh, haunted mansion) and save the all-indoor stuff (POTC, little mermaid, space mountain) for the hotter times. With the exception of Animal Kingdom, the parks have a lot of indoor attractions and entertainment to keep cool in.
2) For the reason above, we never do a full day at Animal Kingdom. It is the hottest of the parks, with very little indoors. Do a half day morning, or half-day evening, or both, but avoid it at all costs between noon and 4pm.
3) Table service lunch. Spend 1-2 hours with a relaxing long lunch in an air conditioned restaurant.
4) Relocate after lunch when it is hottest. Either go back to the hotel to swim, or park hop to another park on air conditioned bus or monorail. Typically, it rains sometime in the afternoon, and after that, it cools down so by the time you are settled into the new location it is better.
 
I've been going to WDW since it first opened and for the first 20 years it was only during the summer. Then, we started going in September and October for an easier, lower-crowd experience. Everything was practically walk-on for years. I went last October and it was the worst crowds I've ever experienced. You literally couldn't walk through Fantasyland. I've never seen anything like it and never want to again. It wasn't fun at all. To be honest we aren't planning too many more trips to WDW. It's not sour grapes about the crowds - although the prices and crowds are a factor. There are just so many other things that we want to do instead. Now we are adding a day or two on to some of our other trips instead of making WDW our actual destination. We love cruising and going to Hilton Head, so we add a day on at the beginning or end of the trip. We went to Universal for two nights at the end of HHI trip last year, and we are going on a cruise in June so we're spending one day in WDW first. The high crowds throughout the entire year is just making it a little less magical for us.
 
Nebraska_Disney said:
Just a few notes from our late July 2017 trip. After going in March our previous 5 trips, we were nervous about going in July. We were surprised at how low the crowds were compared to some of our previous "Spring Break" trips that ranged from early to mid March. For example, there was an evening where we hopped over to MK about 5pm. Did our FP's and had dinner. Over the next 2 hours, we literally walked on every ride in Adventure and Frontier Land. We did over half of MK in 3 hours and the biggest time sink was walking from one end of the park to the other. Never had done this. We went back to Frontier Land around 9pm and did BTMRR and SM numerous more times before we headed to the hub for the end of the night. Other evenings at MK were this way too and we realized that outside of the "peak" times at the parks (any of them) the number of people really dropped off and a lot of the park could be enjoyed with little or no waiting. This was with most parks closing at 9-10pm all nights. I think the latest night we had at MK was with evening EMH's and that was until Midnight.
Click to expand...

Wow. Nice!
 
MomOTwins said:
We did early July last year and mid-August the year before. We are going again in mid-August this year. Room rates with the summer special are soooooo cheap compared to fall/winter/spring, and that makes a big deal to our budget. I paid a nightly rate for a split stay at BC and YC this summer that was the same price I paid for POR in December. Plus the wait times on rides for both our prior summer vacations never topped 20 minutes, except for 7DMT (which we fasspass anyway). I LOVE going in the summer.

Here is what we do to deal with the heat:
1) Plan to do rides that are outdoors or have mostly outdoor queues either first thing after park opening or in the evening (e.g., Jungle Cruise, Magic Carpets, Winnie the Pooh, haunted mansion) and save the all-indoor stuff (POTC, little mermaid, space mountain) for the hotter times. With the exception of Animal Kingdom, the parks have a lot of indoor attractions and entertainment to keep cool in.
2) For the reason above, we never do a full day at Animal Kingdom. It is the hottest of the parks, with very little indoors. Do a half day morning, or half-day evening, or both, but avoid it at all costs between noon and 4pm.
3) Table service lunch. Spend 1-2 hours with a relaxing long lunch in an air conditioned restaurant.
4) Relocate after lunch when it is hottest. Either go back to the hotel to swim, or park hop to another park on air conditioned bus or monorail. Typically, it rains sometime in the afternoon, and after that, it cools down so by the time you are settled into the new location it is better.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips!
 
WEDWDW said:
The 15s are Tour Groups of South American girls celebrating their 15th Birthday.

Most are given the choice of a LARGE party at home or a trip to WDW(some will also go to NYC and Miami)and,in addition to WDW,most will also go to Universal,Sea World,Busch Gardens,etc.

Some will also have Private Parties(some with South American entertainers),attend Orlando Magic games,etc.

The largest numbers,BY FAR,are from Brazil and Argentina with smaller numbers from Uruguay,Paraguay,Chile,Venezuela,etc.

It is VERY interesting when Brazil and Argentina encounter each other-they DO NOT like each other-mainly because of Soccer.

Their rivalry is like Alabama v. Auburn or Ohio State v. Michigan on STEROIDS!:)

The "main" months for the migration of The 15s are late June/July/early August for their Winter Break and January/February for their Summer Break.

The 15s will be at the highest intensity level possible this Summer because it is a "World Cup Summer"!

If Brazil and Argentina somehow meet in the Finals on July 15,WDW will cease to exist as we know it!

I am very familiar with The 15s as we go every July for my Birthday and,for the most part,they are really nice young ladies,but they can get "out of hand" at times!lol:)

They now use Private Buses almost exclusively and that has helped greatly as has the introduction of the Super Greeters in the Summer.

I present to you the LEGENDARY PHENOMENON KNOWN AS THE 15s!lol:)

28358124802_af8d3bbc05_c.jpg
Click to expand...
 
On our last trip in January of 2014, there was a large group of them in line behind us at the Pop Century bus stop chanting, screaming and being kids. By the time I got up the bus driver, I told him "if you dare put me on the same bus as all those children, not everyone is going to make it back to the hotel alive!" He pulled them all aside and put them all on a separate bus. It had been a long day and my patience was long gone! LOL
 
ToyStory3 said:
I've been going to WDW since it first opened and for the first 20 years it was only during the summer. Then, we started going in September and October for an easier, lower-crowd experience. Everything was practically walk-on for years. I went last October and it was the worst crowds I've ever experienced. You literally couldn't walk through Fantasyland. I've never seen anything like it and never want to again. It wasn't fun at all. To be honest we aren't planning too many more trips to WDW. It's not sour grapes about the crowds - although the prices and crowds are a factor. There are just so many other things that we want to do instead. Now we are adding a day or two on to some of our other trips instead of making WDW our actual destination. We love cruising and going to Hilton Head, so we add a day on at the beginning or end of the trip. We went to Universal for two nights at the end of HHI trip last year, and we are going on a cruise in June so we're spending one day in WDW first. The high crowds throughout the entire year is just making it a little less magical for us.
Click to expand...

Ugh, Yes. While you've been going a heck of a lot longer than I, when I returned in 2015, my experience had only been Late Oct, Early November in 97, 98. 99, 00. I mean the crowds were SUHWEET! So I went back in 2015 (even though I had indeed read on DISBOARDS that the crowds were off the charts) - thinking it would be the same. I mean, I think I was walking around like a dear in the headlights in 2015. I had been previously thinking - before the 2015 trip... "Oh, I know Disney. I don't need help with Disney." Ha-ha, Silly me. It was a real kick in the head for me. In the 90's we (ex-husband and I) walked-on loads of rides and the rare long wait would be like 30 minutes at the most. So sad those days are gone. In 2015 I thought there was so much I could do in 8 days (and mind you, I did do a lot, but I was overwhelmed by the crowds and could have done much more). In order to RELAX and really enjoy the parks, I got smart and gave up all of my ADR's for the last three days. So I can't say that my 2015 trip was a bad trip, I simply arrived not being able to realize what I thought I could get done. The last three days were heavenly, because I stopped with the ADR stuff. In 97 I may have indeed been able to do those final ADR's and still "cruise" through the rest of my visit. But I knew that I was becoming overwhelmed with my time management. I knew I was doing something wrong. So when I went this past November 2017, I tell you, I am SO proud of how I rocked the heck out of those 8 days. I did rope drop to fireworks (a solo trip) and planned like crazy, and it was amazing. With this thread, I do know that I actually won't go in the summer months because I am not fond of the heat and I don't care for the hurricane threats. The Fall has always worked for me and so I don't want to fix what hasn't been broken. Moreover, my entire life... I have never been one to take vacations in the summer (as far as taking time off work and giving my employer notice). I had forgotten about this aspect of myself. I always take my vacations (even if its a stay-cation) in the fall, when the weather cools - after September. So, at the end of the day, I don't know what I was thinking in this post. If I am going to experience crowds anyway, I may as well experience them in the fall.

And regarding doing other trips. I have never wanted to do Disney more than once a year. For me, it would ruin the Magic. I am planning other trips right now as well. I'm not putting down people that have AP's, etc. If that makes them happy, then more power to them. We should all do what makes us happy, especially if we can afford to. But I'd rather do Disney once a year (or every other year) - otherwise I would lose that crazy excitement that I get. Some people never lose that excitement. I know that I would.
 
TexasKel said:
On our last trip in January of 2014, there was a large group of them in line behind us at the Pop Century bus stop chanting, screaming and being kids. By the time I got up the bus driver, I told him "if you dare put me on the same bus as all those children, not everyone is going to make it back to the hotel alive!" He pulled them all aside and put them all on a separate bus. It had been a long day and my patience was long gone! LOL
Click to expand...

lol
 
anneboleyn said:
I am pretty sure they mean the mass amount of South American teenage tour groups who chant and like to lay down on Main Street for reasons unknown to everyone else.
Click to expand...
LOL!!!!:)

We were leaving Magic Kingdom one night at Park Close and came upon an ATG LAYING DOWN in front of the Castle and CRYING!:)

We asked them if they were OK and they said that this was the last night of their trip and they had to go back to Argentina the next day and they were so sad.:)

It was really kind of endearing-it was the last night of our trip also and I felt like joining them!!!!lol:)
 
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