Summer 2012 at Walt Disney World

By Dave Shute

OVERVIEW: SUMMER AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Summer at Walt Disney World—loosely defined as Memorial Day in late May through Labor Day in early September–is an often difficult season.

Summer Disney World weather is hot and humid, and in mid-August shifts to hot, humid, and also the beginning of the peak of the hurricane season.

Summer crowds at Disney World are very high most of the summer–lightest in the latter part of August, and also lighter in early June. They peak over the Fourth of July holiday.

Disney World summer prices begin fairly high, peak over the Fourth of July weekend, and drop to their lowest level of the year at the deluxe resorts in mid-July, and at the moderate resorts and value resorts in early August.

Deals and discounts are available for parts of this period.

WALT DISNEY WORLD CROWDS DURING SUMMER

Crowds range over the period from near lowest of the year to quite high—but in a predictable way:

• The week that includes Memorial Day is crowded–ranked 7
• Crowds in early June then fall off, but increase over the course of the month building from rankings of 5 to 7 to 9
• Summer crowds peak over the week that includes the Fourth of July, with a crowd ranking of 10, and remain high the rest of July
• Early August is as crowded as July
• Crowds drop substantially in the second half of August, with the last week having a ranking of 3
• The weekend that includes Labor Day is quite busy, but the days after it are not

These patterns come from the varying dates at which kids get out of and return to school. 

See Summer Crowds at Walt Disney World, When to Go to Walt Disney World, 2012 weeks to visit, ranked in order, and/or the 2012 Disney World Crowd Calendar for help figuring out when to go.

WALT DISNEY WORLD SUMMER PRICING

Walt Disney World resort hotel pricing varies over the summer from high to low.

•  Prices at the beginning of June are 55% higher than the lowest of the year for value resorts, 20% higher for moderate resorts, and 15% higher for deluxe resorts
• An additional increase is instituted right around the Fourth of July, dropping back down to the June level immediately after
• Moderates and values remain at the 20% and 55% higher levels the rest of July, but deluxe prices drop to near their lowest level of the year beginning July 15
• On August 5, the moderates and values join the deluxes in offering near lowest prices of the year

Click the image (a Pop Century Resort example) to see the impact of these price changes.

(When open, click again to enlarge; this image is from 2012 Walt Disney World Price Seasons.)

Disney usually increases theme park ticket prices 3-5% in the summer.

SUMMER DEALS AND DISCOUNTS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD.

Deals and discounts are being offered during some of this period.

WALT DISNEY WORLD SUMMER WEATHER

Weather during the summer at Disney World is steadily hot and humid, with afternoon thunderstorms common.

The hurricane season officially beings on June 1, but hurricanes are typically not material until the peak season begins in mid-August. Even then, hurricanes are rare, and even more rarely ruin a vacation.

See this for more on the hurricane season.

Click the image (from Weather and When to Go to Disney World) for more on temperatures.

(When open, click again to enlarge.)

MORE ON SPECIFIC SUMMER PERIODS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

See the following for more specifics on shorter periods:

• June 2012 at Walt Disney World
• July 2012 at Walt Disney World
• August 2012 at Walt Disney World

MORE ON WHEN TO GO TO WALT DISNEY WORLD

• For when to go to Walt Disney World, see this
• For the next best dates, see this
• For the best and worst times to visit, see this
  • For 2012 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
  • For the 2012 Week Picker, see this
  • For 2013 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
• For forecasting crowds at Walt Disney World, see this
  • For the 2012 Crowd Calendar, click here
  • For the 2013 Crowd Calendar, click here
• For seasonal pricing at Walt Disney World, see this
  • For 2012 price seasons, see this
  • For 2013 price seasons, click here
• For weather at Walt Disney World, see this

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