Disneyworld?? Going in july....advice Please

We went last month. My kids are younger so we took a stroller, diaper bag and a separate bag that had lots of waters and snacks. The lady that checked my bags at Disney said, "lots of water, that's great" and let us through. Even with all of the water that we brought, we ended up buying drinks. It will be really hot in July. Make sure you take sunscreen too. You can buy just about anything that you will need at the parks, but it will be expensive.

Yes, you can pack snacks and water. If they are in a small back pack, we've usually just put it at our feet on the rides.

Never have been there in July - we've just gone in winter. My guess is it is going to be very hot and very humid. Maybe having a personal mister will help. Sunblock, hats and light-weight clothing. I always like getting to the park first thing, going until just after lunch time, then taking a break in the middle of day - go back to the room and take a nap or go swimming. Then you are more recharged to go back in the evening.

My favorite resource for navigating Disney is "Unofficial Guide to Disney World". They come out with a new edition every year and it's very helpful for figuring out how to map out your day so you spend more time going on rides and less time waiting in line. Get Fast Passes whenever you can - they are tickets at attractions that allow you to come back a later time (a range is printed on the ticket) and go in a much shorter line. They are included in your park admission. Have a plan ahead of time - because if you don't, you are sunk. When people complain about huge wait times for rides, it's because they didn't plan ahead and also didn't get there for the park opening first thing and hit the big rides first.

At your kids ages, my guess is they will like all of the thrill rides and probably won't be interested in the tamer "little kid" rides. Not saying you should skip them, but definitely make the bigger rides a priority. They also tend to have the best special effects. Broken down by park, my personal "must do" list would be:

Magic Kingdom - Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean - then Main Street Electrical Parade and fireworks at night

Epcot - Test Track, Mission Space, Soarin', Illuminations (night time show)

Hollywood Studios - Toy Story Mania, Star Tours, Rock-n-Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Fantasmic (night time show)

Animal Kingdom - Kilaminjaro Safari, Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids (you will get wet!). The Finding Nemo and Lion King shows there are good too.

Never been to Disney but maybe you should bring those personal fans with water in them to mist yourselves. It's going to be Hot in July.

Cart vendors and restaurants will give you a cup of tap water free. Just ask! I've been throughout the parks, drinking the whole way.

Bring the lightest, loosest, clothes you own. I mean, really, really, light. No cutsie Disney princess costumes for the park. They are way too hot.

Consider a loose, light, hat. I never, never wear a hat. But, really, you need one at Disney. The sun is brutal.

Slather the suntan lotion, especially on toes! Consider sneaks and socks as your friends. Pack bandaids for the park.

Enjoy the pools. Be disciplined. Leave the park by noon. Honestly, that's a life-saver. A little pool therapy and everyone is ready to go back at 3:30.

If you are too late for a restaurant reservation you want, call back once an week and even check in early that day at the park. People cancel.

Have a great time. People can be so nice at Disney (Except when it's too hot. Refer back to leave the park by noon!)

bring lots of sunblock
hats (baseball caps or floppy brim hats are good)
battery operated misting water bottles are a huge huge plus but get them at walmart for $3 instead of disney for $15
take hats and sunglasses off for pictures

my kids loved all the parks except the animal kingdom. and we have been going since they were toddlers they are all in there 20's and one is in her 30's my youngest is 18. if they had to pick the park they like the best it would probably epcot. but if you asked 10 years ago it would have been magic kingdom or mgm studios

disney has photographers all over the park. they will take your photo and give you what looks like a credit card. hand it to the next photographer that comes along. then you get lots of good shots all over disney world. you can buy or not as you choose but there are lots to choose from. we have some wonderful ones of us in front of the castle, in front of the tower of terror, over by the presidents hall etc. the photos will be online for you to check out the next day. sometimes they will say "hold your hands like this" and show you. then the photo will have you holding tinkerbell or simba etc.

as far as a chest of iced stuff don't think thats allowed however they have lockers and if you can disguise it somehow as a purse then maybe.......... I always carried in a big totebag with bottles of water, pbj sandwiches and chips and apples and cheese crackers and fruit snack stuff . that made our lunch about $10 instead of the $50 it would cost for same lunch from their carts. But then we ate a good dinner at one of the places in disney.

they have 4 food options at disney.
#1 the hotels all have some sort of food option be it a buffet or restaurant we have in the past purchased the food plan or brought our own cereal fruitand just purchased milk.

#2 food carts which sell fruit / yogurts / ice cream / chips / hot dogs etc.

#3 walk up fast food type places (different from the carts these are sit down places) one of the best is right outside of mexico in epcot)

#4 the actual restaurants you need reservations for these. you can make your reservations online. the cost is no different from lunch to dinner but we always brought our lunch with us and had a later dinner. if you make your reservations online for an off time (say lunch at 2 instead of 12 you have better luck same for dinner dinner at 4 instead of 6 etc)

meals
The castle is always a huge hit. cinderella usually makes several appearances during the day. the beef barely soup is spectacular.

we love the sci fi theater you sit in old cars to eat that have a table across the dashboard or backseat its at mgm

when they were younger they loved the pizza planet from toy story

in epcot the german place is a huge hit it has a show if you hit it at the right time and has a buffet

in magic kingdom they love the crystal palace it is indoor and tadaa air conditioned on a hot day that's important

the liberty tavern is great also (not a bar its a restaurant) yummy pot roast

also in magic kingdom my kids loved the Italian place from lady and the tramp its literally right inside the main gates of magic kingdom

the 50's prime time cafe is good mgm

Here is my biggest piece of advice. especially with kids your kids ages. Give them there set amount of money for spending and stick to that. don't get souvenirs til close to the end of your trip. but make a list of what you saw and where it was. that way you don't get the first thing only to find out the thing they want the most is at the last park you go to. stuff you buy can be shipped to your hotel. they do it for free. and don't get stuck on the souvenirs have to have mickey mouse ears lol. one of my kids favorite souvenirs came from magic kingdom over by the liberty tavern. it was a package of "rattle snake eggs" stupid thing but they played the prank on every unsuspecting person they could find. it was just an envelope with a rubber-band and paperclip but when you opened it it would rattle they would drop it and lots of laughter and then big conversation about where it came from.

last piece of advice. lots of people will say stay late and get up early. we did that. and then had tired groucy family. sleep til a normal hour and then go. stay late if that is your norm. but the whole setting the alarm for 6 to be first in line never worked for us. but we did stay late to watch the fireworks each night. oh yeah try to see a parade at each park. they are amazing. HAVE FUN!!!!

My family loves Disney and we have done it with kids of all ages.

Yes it's "easier" to buy drinks in the park, but you will be blown over by the prices and the lines. It's far more sensible to have water with you, when you can drink it while standing in lines for events. I would suggest you take a metal (stainless steel) bottle for each person - you can refill as you need to, and you can add ice without it sweating as much as plastic. It also won't crack in a crowded backpack. (I also find people throw plastic away a lot more easily than metal.) Although only your husband is flying, he can easily take an empty container through security, then fill it on the other side and have it on the plane.

Otherwise, definitely buy something outside of Disney, not in the parks. Your kids are old enough that they won't care about a Mickey Mouse water bottle for $9.

We always took a small soft-sided cooler with a shoulder strap and ice packs into the park. It's absolutely allowed. Disney actually WANTS you to have a good time and they don't want anyone with heatstroke! Be sure you have a freezer or at least a mini-fridge where you are staying so you can re-freeze. You can also put some water in the metal water bottles and freeze, then top them off with plain water, and use that as a way to keep things cool (not just the water, but the stuff you put next to it. You can't freeze plastic bottles - not safe. Ideally, you can keep your own foods in the fridge - apples, etc., and take those along for snacks.

You are probably taking food in the car, so be sure you have a bunch of small containers you can re-use for perishable or squishable food - berries, etc. You can stop just before you get to Disney and stock up, and also get a very small bottle of dish detergent for washing things out.

Everyone should have a backpack, or you can have an insulated backpack that rotates from person to person for carrying. That can include a drink, sunblock and snacks. Disney has many restaurants, snack bars and push carts, but the money really really adds up, and your kids will think you are the First National Bank of Orlando if you keep forking over the cash. You can also spend a lot of time in lines for drinks, and many of them are sodas or sugary lemonades, which send you to rest rooms to wait in other lines. Otherwise, as someone else suggested, give each kid a daily allowance (for snacks, drinks and souvenirs) and make them make choices.

I agree about the Unofficial Guide - it gives updated into on parks, lines, trends, etc. One of the things we learned for one of our first trips was to enter the park of choice and head to the REAR - fewer crowds because everyone goes to the first attractions they see. If you start at the rear and work your way back toward the entrance, you're close to the exit when you are hot and tired and loaded down with souvenirs. For snacks, take some high protein things like almonds or trail mix, not just chips and salty stuff which make you even more thirsty. However, replacing some salt lost through sweat is a great idea.

There also used to be a "science" of which line to get in - someone had studied the psychology of whether more people chose the left line or the right, and then told you which was shorter. Don't know if that's still operational. The guide books also give you some good age ranges for different rides - your kids are well beyond a lot of what the Magic Kingdom offers but there are still some awesome rides, not just for the thrill of it but also for the special effects and creativity.

Weather is hot and humid, no exceptions. Showers are frequent -a lot of people use (and Disney makes a killing by selling) plastic ponchos. You can probably find some really compact ones in the dollar store - they are incredibly handy. I like the ones with the hoods. If it rains, people just keep on going at Disney, FYI!

You'll also need a sun hat for everyone and sunglasses, tissues, maybe sweat bands, and maybe those personal fans/spray bottles. Don't overload your backpacks but definitely prepare. You might also want a container of deodorant for touch-ups, and some plain wipes for getting the sunscreen off your hands (especially if the kids have their iPods or phones with them - sunscreen is not good on a touch screen). It sounds silly, but remember to really goop up the back, the neck and the back of the ears with sunscreen - those take the bulk of the sun when you are standing in line and turning your face away from the sun. No matter how "grown-up" and tough your kids act, let them know you are not ruining this special trip with a raging sunburn!

Other things we found helpful were a travel clothesline for hanging up wet bathing suits or rinsed out sweaty shirts/tops, and a few packets of travel-size detergent for washing things out in the sink.

You'll want sandals for part of the time at the hotel, but you absolutely need fantastic walking shoes or good sneakers for all the hiking around you will do. I've seen too many people in flip flops and sandals really moaning about their feet.

Have a great time!

If you haven't already, you need to book your dinners, etc. especially if you plan on a character dinner.

I don't know about the ice chest. We always stayed at the Polynesian and we'd take the boat taxi to/from MK. We never carried water/snacks with us to the parks. We purchased as we went along. There were places where you could purchase a large drink, keep the cup for free refills everywhere.

Have fun!! We went every 2 yrs from the time daughter was about 2 yrs old until she was 16. Loved it.

Yes you can bring coolers and carry backpacks into the parks. They will allow food and drinks in there. You can get a locker (they are at the entrances) or you can bring them with you. Most rides you can put stuff by your feet or they will hold it when you get on. I would look into getting a backpack/cooler. I have seen them but I am not sure where they sell them.

It is very hot and humid here in July, mostly sunny with scattered thunderstorms (everyday). Wear lots of sunscreen even when it's cloudy and drink lots of liquids.

Most of the rides are family friendly so everyone should have a good time. Magic Kingdom has most of the rides, but the other parks are fun too. If you want more roller coasters or thrill rides then spend one day at Universals Islands of Adventure. There is also Busch Gardens about an hour and a half away in Tampa.

Go to a lowes and get some of those towels you wet and they stay cool! We have season passes to Disney and go all the time and LOVE those towels. We always take a small cooler with ice, and water and some snacks. Someone mentioned the 50s diner at MK don't waste time there it's not worth it! The food isn't that great. Try Casey's they sell hotdogs. Weather here is hot and humid, so I also suggest getting a spray fan from walmart or even Walgreens in Orlando sells them. Enjoy your trip😊

You must be very excited to be going to Disney World!! You will have a great time with your family. I went last year for a week in June with my 14 year old son and loved it! We stayed on Disney property too (Pop Century). **BE SURE to take advantage of the "Extra Magic Hours" (each day one of the parks opens an hour early for guests staying on property and another will stay open late). I would Google tips on best ways to handle Disney World as it is an adventure and a bit overwhelming! Have a great time!!

July is hot. We were there in June 2010 and it was 100 degrees all week with no rain. Wear hats, sunglasses AND sunblock!

A bottle of water is $4 each. If you do the dining plan, a bottle of water can be covered on the plan as a snack item. So can a $4 ice cream or a $0.50 banana. So use the dining plan for the 'expensive' stuff and pay cash for the cheaper stuff, or charge to the room.

If you buy souveniers, you can have them sent to your room so that you don't have to carry them around the park. You can also go online and have some groceries like a case of water, soda, snacks delivered to your room. It will save money. You can take a backpack and cooler in. They are checked when you go in. You leave them at the beginning of the ride when you get on.

For those ages, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and maybe Animal Kingdom is probably going to be the most entertaining. Each park has extended hours for property guests. There is a list that is provided at check-in. Ex. We went to the Magic Kingdom on a Friday night from 9p - 1a. It was hot, but fun!

When you check-in, they will request a credit card on file. I tried to checkin without one and they wouldn't let me check in. My inlaws provided theirs.
Also, even if you do the dining plan (totally worth the $$!), tips for table service meals are not covered in the plan.

July is going to be very, very hot. One July when we went it was 115. We thought we were going to melt!

If you're staying on property, take full advantage of the early entry into the parks. Go early, have fun for awhile, and when it starts to really heat up, go back to your hotel, eat lunch and sit by the pool. It could be too hot to do anything else. After you've had a nice break, head back to a park in the late afternoon/early evening and stay until it closes.

Have fun! Our family loves Disney!

When we went to Disney, we each wore one of those half-sized backpacks and it worked wonderfully! They have a place on all the rides at the feet for bags. We bought the dining plan and that included snacks so we were able to get water, fruit and ice cream as part of our snacks. We brought our own plastic water bottles and freezed them overnight. One bottle of water in the morning/afternoon and then our snack water later was fine.

We packed ponchos in our bags, and did need them. I also packed an extra small bottle of sunscreen and we bought those mister fans at Walgreens before we left.

The BEST shoes were sport sandals! They were comfy for walking, cool on our feet and they were secure on the rides. Plus we could get our feet wet and that cooled us off.

The rides are air-conditioned. Phew!

I attached my camera to my belt because you never know when a good photo opp might be!

Definitely take advantage of the FastPasses! You can get one Fast Pass with a time on it. Then you can go on other rides and then at your appointed time return and go right on the ride.

Wear light-colored clothing, no black! But not white tees that are see-thru when wet!

We got the 2-meal plan and we ate a light breakfast of pastries. There's a site called mousesavers that gives you great tips!

Have fun!

Having lived 22 miles from Disney (now live in TX), I will answer your weather question. July in Orlando is very warm and humid/muggy. And on more days than not, somewhere between 2:00-4:00 when the west coast breezes meet the east coast breezes, you will very likely experience a brief rain (sometimes thunder and lightening) storm. They last 15-30 minutes and are gone leaving behind bright sunshine and more humidity LOL...so, if it does rain, don't fret, unless its a "system", it will pass and everything will resume as normal :-) With your kids being older, I bet Hollywood Studios will be your favorite...must must must ride the Rockin' Roller coaster while Aerosmith blasts in your ears...best. ride. at. Disney :-)

We just went in April. It will be HOT and humid. Also keep in mind that you will be on concrete the whole time so it will feel hotter. Bring sunscreen, I wore a big floppy hat the whole time. Loose comfy clothing. Wear really comfy sandals. We all bought ourselves some keen sandals before we left. Worth every penny cause its a lot of walking. My kids are younger so we had a stroller that we left our stuff in but my husband and I both carried a small backpack that we kept with us at all times that had our wallets and camera. You can bring food in. Drinks and snacks add up fast! We brought water bottles from home and filled them up at the fountains. The water didn't taste bad and we just drank it but you could bring those flavor packets with you or buy a water bottle with a filter in it Brita makes them and they are $10. I brought mine to sea world before. They no longer give you refills with the souvenir cups, they still sell the cups but no refills. You can spend so much money there I would recommend you give everyone a set amount of money to spend as they please. We allowed our kids one purchased treat a day and they each had about $100 bucks each to spend(thanks to the grandparents) and it avoided the begging and fights. Buying food at Disney is part of fun. They have themed places so you can get food from different parts of the world. We had a blast and can't wait to go back!

I hate carrying things, so we pick up drinks here and there. Buy one and split with my husband. I can't drink 20 oz. weather. Well let me put it like this. He'll is not that hot lol. You will survive. Have fun.

You can buy the refillable mugs to use at your resort . They are about $13 a person. You can get soft drinks,tea,coffee,powerade,lemonade,etc. but they can only be refilled at your resort . Still a good deal . You can each bring a refillable bottle from home to carry into the park after you fill it from your mug or with ice from your hotel (leave the mugs at your hotel so you don't have to lug them around ).Some quick service restaurants have self serve pop so you just fill up your cup then transfer it to your own bottle for later (restaurantasaurus in Animal Kingdom has this for sure).
You will want to go to all of the parks . Animal Kingdom isn;t open late so plan on going back to your resort after to swim or go back to the Magic Kingdom or epcot at night for parade,fireworks,lightshow etc.
You must get your fast passes for Toy Story mania immediately (at Hollywood Studios)or they are out in a few hours of opening. Have a magical trip !

We just made our sixth trip to Disneyworld in February (we are huge fans). Make sure to purchase a meal plan - it will save you a ton of money - we got the plan with a snack, a quick service and a table seating - I drove from New Orleans and brought breakfast foods (we kept them in our room and ate before we went) so we could get up and hit the park running - I had reservations for the table service and we planned our day around that. Quick service is just walk up and order so we stopped for that when we needed a break. Don't forget to call the park (reservations) back before you go to make sure there are no specials that came out that may make your trip less expensive (we generally make reservations about a year in advance and I call every month or so and ended up with an amazing savings for four). Make reservations at the restaurants you want to go to - the wait will be crazy long if not. Purchase a photopass - I purchased the new photopass plus to get many of the ride photos as well (since I am the family photographer it is nice to be in a few photos too). We carried filtered water bottles and just refilled those all over the park - we would get soft drinks or tea with meals so the waterbottles were fine. It will be pretty warm and there will be lines so stay hydrated. We brought snacks as well - my mother was with us and she was in a wheelchair so she didn't ride many rides but when she did we just left our things in the wheelchair and they were fine. I saw a lot of people with backpacks and they just brought them with them on the rides ( the smaller sized backpacks - not the huge ones my child has for high school). I have a teenager as well (14) and was concerned about whether or not she would have enough to eat (she can put a teenaged boy to shame with how she can pack it away - and blessedly still remain very thin) but the breakfast (usually something heavy - to hold her - she preferred ravoli or spagettio's - not the most healthy but I allowed it for vacation - I usually ate fruit and yogurt as did my mother). held her until lunch and the servings are pretty sizable then a buffet dinner kept her more than satisfied (and of course the Mickey Ice cream snack.) We were there for 8 days - we gave my daughter a total of $150 in gift cards for the entire trip (about $20) a day. Anything she wanted she had to purchase with her money. It ended up with her making very thoughtful purchases on things that she still uses/wears instead of the impulse buys from the past trips (and saved us from purchasing a lot of things that she fogot about 15 minutes after they were purchased). Also there is a (sort of) discount place with some souveniers at Downtown Disney with a lot of the discontinued items that was really nice for a friend buying for a lot of folks back home. I saw the suggestion of sandals since I am prone to getting sunburn on the tops of my feet and needed the support (since I was pushing a wheelchair through the park I and my family opted for tennis shoes).