Is it worth visiting Disney World next summer?

[TravelTime]

We are thinking of going to Disney World next summer with a little girl. I am wondering if most of the rides are open and if it will still be worth the high cost. If we go, we are wondering if we should reserve at Animal Kingdom or one of the other onsite Disney resorts or whether we should stay at Marriott Grand Vista, where I have an II exchange for a 2 bedroom so it will be no additional cost. I sold all my DVC timeshares so if we stay onsite, I will need to book through Disney and pay rack rate (about $1000 a night including tickets for a one bedroom). However, this may be our one and only trip to Disney World ever again so I am okay with splurging as long as the parks and rides are open and it is still lots of fun i.e. as long as the Disney magic is still there in spite of Covid. Our other alternative is to wait until 2022. For anyone who has been to Disney since Covid, what do you think?

 

[bogey21]

Understand that I am talking 35 years ago but the best Disney vacation my Wife, I and our 2 kids ever had at Disney was a package we bought directly from Disney. It included a room in the Contemporary Hotel, admission to the parks, some meals and special stuff like a private Breakfast with the Characters. One of the benefits was the monorail running right through the hotel...

George

 

[Lisa P]

Our DS, DDIL, and DGS just returned from a WDW Magic Kingdom visit today. They said it was terribly hot with no air-conditioned place to escape the heat. Lines were long and spread out in the sun. Indoor shows and indoor meet-and-greets are all cancelled and doors locked. The air-conditioned playscape near Dumbo is closed. Many restaurants are closed and table service restaurants require an advance reservation. Despite the lower capacity, the crowds were not managed as well as when everything is open. They felt wilted with nowhere to refresh. So in their words, "weather matters, Never Again on a summer day", especially while social-distancing is necessary.

Of course, if there's widespread use of the new vaccines and the risk of Covid-19 is largely past, YMMV. We've never enjoyed a summer visit to Orlando but some people love it!

 

[DeniseM]

I wouldn't go in the summer - since you are from low humidity Northern CA, the humidity will kill you. My first and only time in Orlando, we went in May, and we were told by the locals that the weather was great - I will never go back! By 5:00 pm each day we were exhausted from the humidity and ready for the hotel room. I would definitely go a different time of the year.

 

[frank808]

From a resident of Hawaii that goes to Orlando most summer's, it is hot and humid and thunderstorms almost every afternoon. It reminds me when we have no trade winds. We where in Orlando this past June/July and it was very humid but this was the best weather storm wise. I think there were only 5 days with thunderstorms in the afternoon over the course of 3 weeks. Thunderstorms are bad because pools and any rides that are outdoors are closed.

We used to spend 3/4 of the vacation staying onsite at WDW. As my son has gotten older, we have spent more time offsite at MVC and HGVC properties. I think on site depends on the child. Grand Vista has large rooms and two pools. Nice children's play area that you can check her in if it is running by next summer. Also there were a bunch of activities for the kids and family to participate in pre covid.

Sent from my SM-T377P using Tapatalk

 

[Janann]

if we stay onsite, I will need to book through Disney and pay rack rate (about $1000 a night including tickets for a one bedroom).

Why not rent through someplace like David's Vacation Club Rentals? https://dvcrequest.com/
I know there are lots of hazards now with any kind of timeshare rental, but it might be worth checking on this or some other arrangement. David's was very popular pre-pandemic, but they lost a lot of fans due to their handling of refunds. Definitely check around for the best deal and cancellation policy.

When you say "summer," when exactly do you mean? We went June 3-10 a couple years ago, and rain was a frequent problem. We were OK with the heat, but we are from North Texas.

Our worst trip ever in terms of heat and rain was mid-September many years ago.

 

[Luanne]

One of the most unpleasant weather I encountered was when my younger dd was moving into her dorm in St. Petersburg in August. Hot, humid, and rain. We were exhausted after moving her things into the dorm. I was able to go to the beach one morning, but had to leave when the lightening started. So, no thanks to Florida in the summer.

 

[TravelTime]

I was thinking of going the first week of June right after school ends. We can only go to Florida in the summer so we will have to deal with the heat. I grew up in Miami so I am used to heat.

My question is not about the weather. It is whether 1) it is worth it to splurge to go to Disney World next year and 2) whether we should splurge to stay in Animal Kingdom or go with Marriott Grand Vista, which will cost me nothing additional. We could stay for a week in Orlando in a 2 bedroom at Grand Vista for no extra charge or we can pay $4200 for 4 nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge in a 1 bedroom with a savannah view. I dread the idea of driving and parking at Disney World but we will probably only be there for 2-3 days. If we went for a week, we would also visit Universal as well as do a pool day to relax.

 

[travelhacker]

I was thinking of going the first week of June right after school ends. We can only go to Florida in the summer so we will have to deal with the heat. I grew up in Miami so I am used to heat.

My question is not about the weather. It is whether 1) it is worth it to splurge to go to Disney World next year and 2) whether we should splurge to stay in Animal Kingdom or go with Marriott Grand Vista, which will cost me nothing additional. We could stay for a week in Orlando in a 2 bedroom at Grand Vista for no extra charge or we can pay $4200 for 4 nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge in a 1 bedroom with a savannah view. I dread the idea of driving and parking at Disney World but we will probably only be there for 2-3 days. If we went for a week, we would also visit Universal as well as do a pool day to relax.

If this may be your last visit to DisneyWorld in a while, I would wait until 2022. There aren't parades, or character meet and greets currently, and it is definitely an altered experience from what you may be used to.

I can understand the logic for splurging on a fun, memorable experience, but there may not even be character meals by then.

As others have pointed out the heat can be pretty intense that time of year, and I would bet on a mask requirement in June of 2021 (and likely through 2021). Do you really want your last Disney experience for a long while to be hot, humid, a limited experience, all while wearing a mask the whole time?

 

[Monykalyn]

I was thinking of going the first week of June right after school ends. We can only go to Florida in the summer so we will have to deal with the heat. I grew up in Miami so I am used to heat.

My question is not about the weather. It is whether 1) it is worth it to splurge to go to Disney World next year and 2) whether we should splurge to stay in Animal Kingdom or go with Marriott Grand Vista, which will cost me nothing additional. We could stay for a week in Orlando in a 2 bedroom at Grand Vista for no extra charge or we can pay $4200 for 4 nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge in a 1 bedroom with a savannah view. I dread the idea of driving and parking at Disney World but we will probably only be there for 2-3 days. If we went for a week, we would also visit Universal as well as do a pool day to relax.

My DD did two internships at Disney, hubs and I did one way back in the day- and now have a kiddo going to UCF: all that to say I’ve been to Disney a TON past 3 years. I gave up my AP and requested refund this year for Disney, Disney in its current reduced offerings is NOT worth it to me; but then again I’ve been a lot so okay waiting.

As much as I love the MVC resorts there is nothing like staying on property the first time. We did a studio at Animal Kingdom Lodge for our anniversary in 2018- walking in and seeing ZEBRAS from your balcony...and my absolute favorite restaurants and park and hangouts are at AKL and Animal Kingdom Park so I AM biased lol. It’s killing me to not be able to hang in my favorite park like I used to- but I love it so much I do not want a diminished experience.

Early June usually isn’t bad weather wise- in fact this past June we spent two weeks at Harbour Lake and it was the best June weather I think we’ve had since 2015! (Yes we go a lot in June lol).
Because we’ve been so much our (older) kids now prefer having their own bedroom and bed offsite.
We also tend to go for longer- any way to do a split? Stay 3-4 days at Animal Kingdom Lodge then move offsite for a week and just chill?
The DVC rental places can get you cheaper but are often more inflexible when it comes to changing or canceling. And there are private rentals as well.

IF things are back to normal next June will be great. But if there’s still all this park reservations stuff, distancing etc- well Disney will continue to charge premium prices for less than (and greatly reduced) experience. Only you can decide if it’s worth it at that point.

How old is the little girl?

 

[travelhacker]

I should add that we are currently planning on going to AKV for an exchange in February. I think we will likely spend 2-3 days at the Disney Parks and will likely spend a couple of days at Universal Studios (our almost 7 year old LOOOOOVES Harry Potter and is very tall for her age so she should be able to do all the rides).

While I am disappointed that our 3 year olds won't get to experience a lot of the stuff that our oldest loved at that age, I think it was just too special to pass up staying at AKV on an RCI exchange.

 

[Monykalyn]

I think it was just too special to pass up staying at AKV on an RCI exchange.

Yes! Just that resort alone is awesome!

 

[TravelTime]

My DD did two internships at Disney, hubs and I did one way back in the day- and now have a kiddo going to UCF: all that to say I’ve been to Disney a TON past 3 years. I gave up my AP and requested refund this year for Disney, Disney in its current reduced offerings is NOT worth it to me; but then again I’ve been a lot so okay waiting.

As much as I love the MVC resorts there is nothing like staying on property the first time. We did a studio at Animal Kingdom Lodge for our anniversary in 2018- walking in and seeing ZEBRAS from your balcony...and my absolute favorite restaurants and park and hangouts are at AKL and Animal Kingdom Park so I AM biased lol. It’s killing me to not be able to hang in my favorite park like I used to- but I love it so much I do not want a diminished experience.

Early June usually isn’t bad weather wise- in fact this past June we spent two weeks at Harbour Lake and it was the best June weather I think we’ve had since 2015! (Yes we go a lot in June lol).
Because we’ve been so much our (older) kids now prefer having their own bedroom and bed offsite.
We also tend to go for longer- any way to do a split? Stay 3-4 days at Animal Kingdom Lodge then move offsite for a week and just chill?
The DVC rental places can get you cheaper but are often more inflexible when it comes to changing or canceling. And there are private rentals as well.

IF things are back to normal next June will be great. But if there’s still all this park reservations stuff, distancing etc- well Disney will continue to charge premium prices for less than (and greatly reduced) experience. Only you can decide if it’s worth it at that point.

How old is the little girl?

She will be 9 next summer. It is an ideal age to visit Disney World since it is before kids start maturing into pre-teens. I think I will do a compromise and stay at the Marriott Grand Vista in the 2 BR unit since it will cost me nothing extra. Then we can decide if we want to go back for a final trip in 2022 or 2023 and splurge on Animal Kingdom Lodge. I just can‘t see splurging for AKL next year if Covid will still be causing reduced activities at Disney. If we stay a week in Orlando, we can also visit Universal, SeaWorld and LegoLand and do a pool day in addition to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. I think given the circumstances, this will be the best option to plan for at this point.

 

[Monykalyn]

She will be 9 next summer. It is an ideal age to visit Disney World since it is before kids start maturing into pre-teens. I think I will do a compromise and stay at the Marriott Grand Vista in the 2 BR unit since it will cost me nothing extra. Then we can decide if we want to go back for a final trip in 2022 or 2023 and splurge on Animal Kingdom Lodge. I just can‘t see splurging for AKL next year if Covid will still be causing reduced activities at Disney. If we stay a week in Orlando, we can also visit Universal, SeaWorld and LegoLand and do a pool day in addition to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. I think given the circumstances, this will be the best option to plan for at this point.

It is the perfect age! And I think your compromise is good. As much as I love staying onsite- and just hubs and I did a 8 day trip in January staying at French Quarter- no way I’d stay onsite right now.
Has she been to Universal? Also great for kids that age especially if a potter fan or loves thrill rides.

Actually with Disney cutting so much- if SeaWorld runs a good Black Friday sale we may end up with AP’s there too. After three weeks of driving by the coasters (2 weeks in June at harbor lake, one at Grande Vista in August) hubby is itching to go.
Loved Grande Vista! Although my heart continues to belong to Cypress Harbour among the Orlando timeshares

 

[travelhacker]

It is the perfect age! And I think your compromise is good. As much as I love staying onsite- and just hubs and I did a 8 day trip in January staying at French Quarter- no way I’d stay onsite right now.
Has she been to Universal? Also great for kids that age especially if a potter fan or loves thrill rides.

Actually with Disney cutting so much- if SeaWorld runs a good Black Friday sale we may end up with AP’s there too. After three weeks of driving by the coasters (2 weeks in June at harbor lake, one at Grande Vista in August) hubby is itching to go.
Loved Grande Vista! Although my heart continues to belong to Cypress Harbour among the Orlando timeshares

We have gone to Sea World Orlando twice in the past few years. I hope they don't have to cut too deeply due to COVID, but prior to COVID I feel like they really upped their game. Our little ones LOOOOVED the sesame street area, and their coasters look good. You can get some really, really good deals.

Through my work I was able to get 3 days at Sea World Parks (Sea World, Aquatica, Busch Gardens) w/ all day dining for $50 per day. Our kids were in heaven being able to drink as much soda and eat as much theme park food as they could. The food exceeded my (low) expectations, and we actually became fond of a couple of food items.

 

[CPNY]

I should add that we are currently planning on going to AKV for an exchange in February. I think we will likely spend 2-3 days at the Disney Parks and will likely spend a couple of days at Universal Studios (our almost 7 year old LOOOOOVES Harry Potter and is very tall for her age so she should be able to do all the rides).

While I am disappointed that our 3 year olds won't get to experience a lot of the stuff that our oldest loved at that age, I think it was just too special to pass up staying at AKV on an RCI exchange.

Rub it in.... you got AKV in Feb....oh wait, me too lol

 

[ljmiii]

We are thinking of going to Disney World next summer with a little girl. I am wondering if most of the rides are open and if it will still be worth the high cost. If we go, we are wondering if we should reserve at Animal Kingdom or one of the other onsite Disney resorts...

First off, there are many owners desperate to rent out their expiring DVC points. Take a look at David's, DVC-RENTAL, dvcrentalstore, etc. to see if someone has an existing reservation that meets your needs - many are 'on sale'. There is no need to pay Disney's 'cash' prices.

Second, we've been in summer a number of times and given the long park hours, humidity, and frequency of afternoon showers my suggestion would be to stay at either Bay Lake Tower (since MK will likely be the park you visit most often with a little girl) or BWV/BCV (to walk to/from EPCOT and HS). Either way you'll be able to easily take a mid-day break every other day-ish.

Lastly (and most difficult to predict), I expect WDW to be more or less back to 'normal' by summer 2021. Right now weekdays are uncrowded but weekends are quite busy as Floridians (and others) take shorter trips to Disney. But I don't expect that to last.

 

[TheHolleys87]

She will be 9 next summer. It is an ideal age to visit Disney World since it is before kids start maturing into pre-teens. I think I will do a compromise and stay at the Marriott Grand Vista in the 2 BR unit since it will cost me nothing extra. Then we can decide if we want to go back for a final trip in 2022 or 2023 and splurge on Animal Kingdom Lodge. I just can‘t see splurging for AKL next year if Covid will still be causing reduced activities at Disney. If we stay a week in Orlando, we can also visit Universal, SeaWorld and LegoLand and do a pool day in addition to Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. I think given the circumstances, this will be the best option to plan for at this point.

As a DVC owner who loves AKL, I think this is the best plan. I’m hoping that things will be closer to normal next summer than they are now, but 2022 should be even better, so save the savanna view for then!

 

[elaine]

good plan. I was going to suggest you could stay in 2BR Marriott and also book a night in a studio at AKL and then use that as midweek break--enjoy the pools, animals and "try it out" to decide if you want to splurge the next year.
That's what we do when we need a larger unit (cost too many DVC points). We'd stay offsite @ HGVC/Marriott and book a couple nights in a DVC studio.
IMHO, I might save Universal for your next trip. She'd be old enough to start reading the HP books and would get a lot more out of the experience. 2 days WDW, SW and Legoland will be plenty. At 9, she likely enjoys pools. SW and WDW both have excellent waterparks, as well, assuming they're open. My kids loved them at that age. You can also probably get a summer pass to SW (or 2nd day free) and go back for just a couple of hours if you get bored as it's very close to most of the Marriotts.

 

[Monykalyn]

Through my work I was able to get 3 days at Sea World Parks (Sea World, Aquatica, Busch Gardens) w/ all day dining for $50 per day. Our kids were in heaven being able to drink as much soda and eat as much theme park food as they could. The food exceeded my (low) expectations, and we actually became fond of a couple of food items.

oh wow! If I came across a deal like that I’d be all over it. SW is supposed to be really gorgeous at Christmas time too.

waterparks, as well, assuming they're open. My kids loved them at that age. You can also probably get a summer pass to SW (or 2nd day free) and go back for just a couple of hours if you get bored as it's very close to most of the Marriotts.

Aquatica is open! Ooh yes kids will love it if they like swimming!
Discovery Cove is running some deals too.
I could see SW fireworks from out unit at Grande Vista last month!

 

[TravelTime]

I should add that we are currently planning on going to AKV for an exchange in February. I think we will likely spend 2-3 days at the Disney Parks and will likely spend a couple of days at Universal Studios (our almost 7 year old LOOOOOVES Harry Potter and is very tall for her age so she should be able to do all the rides).

While I am disappointed that our 3 year olds won't get to experience a lot of the stuff that our oldest loved at that age, I think it was just too special to pass up staying at AKV on an RCI exchange.

How tall do kids need to be to go on most theme park rides?

 

[Lisa P]

It varies by the ride. Here's the full list:

Help

Help

disneyworld.disney.go.com

Most attractions don't have a height requirement. However, of those that do, 40 inches is a major cutoff. There are a good number of the restricted rides showing 40 inches as the requirement. The only attractions with an even higher height requirement than 40 inches are:

Magic Kingdom Park
Space Mountain – Guests must be 44 inches (113 centimeters) or taller

Epcot
-none-

Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith – Guests must be 48 inches (122 centimeters) or taller

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park
Avatar Flight of Passage – Guests must be 44 inches (112 centimeters) or taller
Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain – Guests must be 44 inches (113 centimeters) or taller
Primeval Whirl – Guests must be 48 inches (122 centimeters) or taller

 

[cbyrne1174]

I was thinking of going the first week of June right after school ends. We can only go to Florida in the summer so we will have to deal with the heat. I grew up in Miami so I am used to heat.

My question is not about the weather. It is whether 1) it is worth it to splurge to go to Disney World next year and 2) whether we should splurge to stay in Animal Kingdom or go with Marriott Grand Vista, which will cost me nothing additional. We could stay for a week in Orlando in a 2 bedroom at Grand Vista for no extra charge or we can pay $4200 for 4 nights at Animal Kingdom Lodge in a 1 bedroom with a savannah view. I dread the idea of driving and parking at Disney World but we will probably only be there for 2-3 days. If we went for a week, we would also visit Universal as well as do a pool day to relax.

You should maybe consider one of the Marriott Palms resorts. The World Center pool complex has much more entertainment for a child than Grand Vista. If you run into unforeseeable financial issues ,you can get much more use out of your DC trust points without having to spend anything extra on tickets. I've staycationed in Orlando plenty of time without entering a park. I also like an hour from Disney though.

 

[TravelTime]

You should maybe consider one of the Marriott Palms resorts. The World Center pool complex has much more entertainment for a child than Grand Vista. If you run into unforeseeable financial issues ,you can get much more use out of your DC trust points without having to spend anything extra on tickets. I've staycationed in Orlando plenty of time without entering a park. I also like an hour from Disney though.

Thank you for this suggestion. If I stay at one of the Palms, would I get access to the World Center pool complex? Is it walking distance from the Palms? If so, which Palms resort would you recommend? I see I can exchange into a 2 BR at Sabal Palms or Royal Palms. Imperial Palms in not available. I currently reserved a 2 BR at Grande Vista.

 

[travelhacker]

Thank you for this suggestion. If I stay at one of the Palms, would I get access to the World Center pool complex? Is it walking distance from the Palms? If so, which Palms resort would you recommend? I see I can exchange into a 2 BR at Sabal Palms or Royal Palms. Imperial Palms in not available. I currently reserved a 2 BR at Grande Vista.

We stayed at Royal Palms. The World Center pool complex was a lot of fun. I wasn't a big fan of the rooms, but some people really enjoy them (I prefer the rooms in Harbour Lake).

We went in September and we never had a problem getting a free shuttle ride over (usually just a golf cart) to the World Center complex. It isn't a very long walk, but we had two one year old boys and didn't want to carry them.

Sabal Palms is the closest.