Disney World Crowd Calendar for July

Photographed by Michael of Countdown to Magic

When it comes to visiting Disney World, I often get asked which summer month is best to visit. Though one of my best Disney World tips is to avoid the summer altogether if possible (for reasons I’ll provide for you throughout this article), there may be tons of great reasons why you might want to visit Walt Disney World during the summer vacation break.

One of the biggest benefits of visiting Disney in July is that park hours will be longer, and there’s plenty of time to get lots of park time in on your vacation.

So, let’s take a look at visiting Disney World in July. We’ll explore some of the pros and cons to help you decide if visiting Disney in July is best for you and your family. To do this, we’ll look at historic crowd calendars, the weather, and some other factors that will help you make some travel decisions.

The Weather in July

The weather in Orlando in July can be brutal. The weather will be extremely hot and humid, and there’s really no way to avoid it. Thankfully, you’ll find Disney World and anywhere else you visit in Central Florida to be well air-conditioned inside buildings. Still, this kind of hot weather can make or break a vacation, and some certainly choose to avoid the heat and humidity altogether by selecting a different month to visit.

The average temperatures in July are in the low-90s during the day. The coolest temperatures will typically be in the high-70s during the evenings and mornings. With this in mind, you’ll want to bring along proper clothing to stay cool—namely shorts, t-shirts, tank tops, and bathing suits.

Short thunderstorms are almost a daily occurrence this time of year, so do expect a brief but intense afternoon rain shower sometime between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

July is the perfect time to take advantage of the water-based attractions, activities, and swimming pools at Disney. But, it also means that these attractions and the pools will be a lot busier than normal too.

Disney Resort Promotions

In general, July is not the best month for promotions or discounts. So, if visiting Disney with the cheapest rates is important to you, your better bet for summer vacation travel on a budget will be August when deeper discounts and free dining come into play.

But, that doesn’t mean you can’t get any deals during July. Sometimes you can find a summer dining package that includes discounted dining during July. You may also be able to take advantage of annual passholder or Florida resident discounts—if you live or are planning to live in the state.

But, overall, if you’re looking to get some great discounts, July isn’t going to be the ideal month to visit.

Magic Kingdom Resort Hotels

July Special Events and Holidays

You won’t find July to be filled with too many holidays or special events. But, the Fourth of July holiday makes WDW (Walt Disney World) one of the busiest holiday weeks of the whole year.  It also makes July the busiest month in the summer to visit.

Let’s take a look at the holidays and special events held in July.

Fourth of July: This U.S. federal holiday (also known as Independence Day) marks the the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the U.S. in 1776. The holiday is typically associated with fireworks, barbecues, picnics, and parades. Disney presents their own extremely impressive Fourth of July fireworks, and because of this, the parks are very popular and crowded during this time. Fourth of July is one of the busiest holidays of the year, and is the busiest time to visit in the summer. Expect extremely long wait times and crowds. Fastpass+ and Advance Dining Reservations (ADRs) for table service dining are essential for any guest visiting during this time. 

Sounds Like Summer Concert Series at Epcot: This concert series takes place in Epcot each summer and gives guests a chance to experience classic songs with tribute bands that highlight your favorite bands and singers. Most typical are tribute bands featuring music from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. This concert series takes place in Epcot at the American Adventure Pavilion Theatre and can definitely increase the crowds in Epcot.

July Crowd Calendars

July at Disney World is extremely crowded. Of course, because it’s one of the busiest times to visit in the summer, you won’t have to worry about finding plenty of things to do in Disney World.

There are tons of activities and longer park hours to help you maximize your park time, even during a busy time of year. When considering when to visit in July, it’s important to check out crowd trends.

Thanks to sites like Touring Plans and Easy WDW, we can get a pretty good idea of the best and least crowded times to generally visit. But, July is such a busy month that there’s virtually no “down-time.” Here are a few factors that make July such a popular month to visit.

U.S. Schools Summer Vacation: Most U.S. schools are not in session during the months of June, July, and August. Because of this, many families choose to visit Disney World during this vacation period. July becomes extremely crowded because many families choose to vacation mid-summer, allowing for down-time at the beginning and end of the summer vacation months. Early July during the Fourth of July holiday will be the busiest of the month for school summer vacation travelers. 

Other Summer Vacations: Many other countries have vacations during the summer, as well. In many European countries, families have extended holiday breaks and choose to visit Disney World during this time. Many South American countries also choose to visit Disney during the summer and often include large tour groups. 

Fourth of July Holiday: This U.S. holiday makes early July the busiest time of the month. It includes an influx of Central Florida and general Florida guests, since the holiday may include a long weekend for those who work. Expect the parks to be at their peak attendance, with some parks closing to capacity on the Fourth of July fireworks due to the Disney holiday fireworks show. If you visit during this time, do make sure to take advantage of long park hours, Extra Magic Hours, Fastpass+, and ADRs in order to maximize your visit. 

Parks Hours are Longer: Because of increased crowds and daylight lasting until 8 or 9 p.m., Disney often has longer park hours during the summer to help with park capacity. This means, you’ll have a better chance of getting on the attractions you want to and enjoying all that the Disney Parks and Resorts have to offer. One word of advice with crowds and park hours? Typically, those parks that are opened the latest will be the busiest park of the day. Your best bet may be to visit these parks earlier in the day and head to another park later in the day to help minimize your time in heavy crowds and experience longer than normal wait times. 

There are Very Few Refurbishments or Closures: Because July is such a popular month, most attractions and shows will be open. This means that you won’t have to worry quite as much about missing out on your favorite attractions due to a refurbishment schedule.

With all of this in mind, you’ll want to make sure that if you do visit Disney in July that you have as many Fastpass+ reservations scheduled as possible along with ADRs for table service dining. All of this will help you minimize waits and help maximize park time.

Here’s your best bet for the least crowded time to visit during the month of July:

  • The Second Week of July: This might be the best option for the lowest of July’s park crowds. Generally, the Fourth of July holiday includes a long weekend, with many taking extra time off or taking advantage of the long weekend to head to Disney. With this in mind, you’ll find that the crowds lower just a bit directly after the long Fourth of July holiday weekend and before summer vacation travel ramps up again by the third week of the month. Crowds during the second week will still be pretty crowded, but it’s statistically one of the least crowded times in an already crowded month.

What Days of the Week Are Best?

When visiting in July, you’ll want to avoid weekends as much as possible. You’ll typically see an increase of Florida residents and annual passholders visiting during the weekends. Avoid visiting the Magic Kingdom on the weekends or any park with hours later than 10 p.m., as these will be the most crowded. Your best bet for visiting the parks is to avoid the most popular parks on the weekends and to take advantage of early morning Extra Magic Hours.

Recommendations

When considering if July is the best month for you and your family to visit Disney World, you’ll want to take all of these factors I’ve mentioned into consideration. If July is your only summer vacation option, try to go during the second week of the month to avoid the Fourth of July crowds. 

o matter when you go in July, do make sure to use Fastpass+ and book ADRs whenever you can. Avoid weekends and parks with longer hours to reduce your time in the most crowded parks.

Of course, you’ll want to think about your own travel needs and Disney must-do’s when you decide if July is a good month to visit or not. But, even if you do visit during a really busy time of the year, you’re bound to have a magical time at the Disney Parks and Resorts.

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Michael has been visiting Disney World since he was a kid. He's also been to Disneyland and sailed on the Disney Dream. Michael is the owner and editor of Countdown to Magic.

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