Help us decide! Is it worth going to Disney World in july or should we wait until Fall?

Well, I can't vouch for the heat, but in terms of when it's likely to be most crowded at Disney World -- and THAT's no fun with a toddler on your hip! -- you might be better waiting until Fall.

This question comes up A LOT, and according to my contact at Disney, the second week of June through the third week of August -- ie: the whole of July -- is considered one of the "High Attendance" times at Disney World, meaning "lines may form in all areas and wait times of an hour or more may be expected at the most popular attractions." Doesn't sound much fun, does it?!

By contrast, once you get into Fall, the lines and crowds thin out a lot. In fact, the week after Labor Day until the end of September, the week after Columbus Day until Veterans Day weekend, and the week after Veterans Day until Thanksgiving are all considered "Low Attendance" times, meaning that, according to Disney, "there may be some lines, but by and large most attractions may be visited with minimal waiting."

Do remember, of course, that accurate trends are difficult to determine, on a property as vast and diverse as the Walt Disney World Resort, and a crowded day at the Magic Kingdom Park, for example, does not necessarily mean long lines at Epcot or Disney-MGM Studios. Still, it seems that it might be better -- at least in terms of crowds -- to wait a little longer until Fall. I know you must be eager to go, though!

And just for future reference (hey, maybe you'll like it so much you want to go back again!), this is the information my Disney contact gave me about the most (and least) crowded times to visit the park. Good luck and have a fantastic vacation!

LEAST CROWDED -- means there may be some lines, but by and large most attractions may be visited with minimal waiting.

>> 2nd week of January through 1st week of February

>> Week after Labor Day until end of September

>> Week after Columbus Day until Veterans Day weekend

>> Week after Veterans Day until Thanksgiving

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AVERAGE ATTENDANCE -- those times when many people are visiting but the line wait times are still comfortable.

>> 1st week of January

>> 2nd week of February through Presidents' week

>> End of February through the 3rd of week of March

>> 2nd week of April through 1st week of June

>> Last week of August through Labor Day

>> 1st 2 weeks of October

>> Thanksgiving week through December 22

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MOST CROWDED -- reflects periods when lines may form in all areas and wait times of an hour or more may be expected at the most popular attractions.

>> Martin Luther King Weekend

>> Presidents weekend

>> Last week of March and First half of April

>> 2nd week of June through 3rd week of August

>> Columbus Day weekend

>> Veterans Day weekend

>> December 21 through and including New Year's Day

Go in July if you're thinking about school issues. We're from south Florida and the heat is not that bad, and neither are the crowds. You will have so much fun. We like to head out early and enjoy the parks in the cool of the morning, and then go back to the resort when we've had enough. Another fun thing to do during the heat of the day is to explore the other resorts. A trip on the monorail gets you to the Contemporary, Polynesian and Grand Floridian -- all under air. Resorts on property have fantastic pools and water slides. After swimming and relaxing, you can head back out into the parks and enjoy the cool evenings. A perk of staying in a deluxe resort on property (in Epcot or the Magic Kingdom) is that you can see the fireworks from there instead of having to keep a toddler out any later than you have too. Be sure and have your travel service check into stroller rentals for you, or take a small one of your own. Check, but I'm pretty sure if you have a Disney Visa you qualify for free stroller use.

Have a great trip whenever you decide to go.

Dear Jeannette;

Personally I wouldn't take my kids to Disney World in July. The lines are very long, the sun is very hot, and even adults get a bit grumpy due to the heat. I have been there in July, January, September and February and the best time to take the kids is fall or early spring. You will not enjoy the parades, most of the nice ones (for kids) are at 3pm and believe me, you can fry an egg on the pavement at that time.

Your children can become dehydrated easily due to the heat or you could all have heat stroke. An adult pushing a stroller can start to perspire quite heavily!!! An your 7 year old will get hot, grumpy, frustrated and at the end you will have to go back to the hotel for quite long hours so that your children can relax in the pool or even in the airconditioned room.

It is much better to lose some time from the school year (I'm a teacher!) and take your kids to Orlando then, than spending your trip worrying sick about your children not getting heatstroke or dehydrating or even get sunburned. Everyone will enjoy the vacaction more if you take them in fall.

Less people also mean less crowded places and you can keep a better eye on your children. In July, there are millions of people and children can easily get lost in the crowd.

As a mother and a teacher, I would definetly take children in the fall.Whatever your decision, have a great time there with your family.

I'm glad you're from Florida or I'd definitely say wait until the fall. Your son's school schedule probably has a few days off here and there for "professional day" or something like that. You could wait and go when he has a couple of those days in a row if you don't want the crowds during the summer. We're actually going to be in Orlando on Tuesday and going to the parks on Wednesday. I'm really not looking forward to going to a park this time of the year, but we got a better deal on our hotel and the dates we are going are the last dates we could get the discounted rate. Considering your children, I'd wait until it cools down a little bit so they won't be miserable. That's a lot of money to spend if you end up leaving the park early due to them being cranky from the heat.

Many AAA's don't offer a discount on WDW tix. By the time you add the tax that AAA charges back in to the price (you don't pay tax on top of the ticket price through Disney) it ends up costing the same. It would have been beneficial (possibly) if you had booked a package throught hem, but you're probably getting a better deal staying off property in a neighboring town- that's what we do and we get super deals. Your other option for ticket discounts is to go online to a Disney consolidator- we saved about $11 per ticket that way- not a lot, but $55 extra for your family. (ours were for the 6 day tickets) Check your local AAA beanch before joining and ask what kind of Disney deals they have on tickets and check that against either the WDW site or the Disney Consolidators which you can google and find online.. they simple send your tickets via snail mail. Have a great time!!! We just got back a couple weeks ago from a week there.

I have two kids, 4 and 11. We have made the Disney trip from Connecticut several times. We love Disney. Although I have never traveled in July, I have close friends who have told me that they regret having done so due to the large summer crowds. That would be my main objection because the crowds make it miserable and your small children will be frustrated waiting in long lines. If your schedule is flexible, postpone the visit to the end of summer or early September.

We took our grandaughter there in mid-July last year and had a wonderful time. We weren't used to the heat and humidity so we just took breaks and walked slowly. We'd do it again. Our only troubles were pop-up thunderstorms and rains delayed us 2 of 5 days. No big deal as you probably know, just wait a little bit and it's past. Go have fun!

well your mind will be alot more at ease in the fall .. if your spending that much money on a vacation dont you want to enjoy it? children that young will be a chore in the heavy crowds of summer .. fall would be better as far as temps and crowds .. in the end its up to you but i wouldn't want to risk it

good luck and stay safe guys

if you dont mind the heat or carrying a baby in the heat then july is fine , could always keep a little cooler with all the water rides and stuff ,have a blast

Go in Sep or Oct. The crowds will have thinned out and the weather cooler. Two very good reasons in my book.

Fall is always better. It is one of the slowest periods of the year, it's not quite so blasted hot, and thunderstorms are less frequent.