What to expect in September?

[ZPT1022]

Okay, so we have our honeymoon planned for September and we figured it was a good time because hopefully the crowds will be low. And then I read in another post that September is still hot??? I mean, really hot? And now I realize that I have no clue. So for anyone who has been in September, what should I expect as far as crowds and heat and any other tip you have would be super! :p

[preshi]

I went last September. It was nice weather about 85ish and humid for a few days and there were a few days with a tropical Storm where it was cold and rainy and windy!

As for crowds... Well I was there during 9/11 so I can't give you an accurate account of crowds as it was very very quiet! I never waited for anything. My first morning at the parks which happened to be 9/11 was pretty quiet! :D

Have fun and Congratulations!

[mep319]

Until last year we always went the last week in September. Crowds were smaller & it was to celebrate my DD birthday. The thing with September it can be really hard to predict. 3 of the last 5 years were absolutely beautiful. One was mixed, good and bad days, and in 2000 it was 98-100 the entire time & humid, not even a drop of rain which is odd being it is hurricane season. (Don't forget the lovebugs they are still in season.) It is really a tough call. The crowds were low all 5 years (actually the slowest of any time I have ever been to the parks and I've been 100+ times, at all times of the year), but the weather is mixed. I guess what I am finally getting at is September is a mixed bag and you need to be prepared for everything. My DH is a go,go, go kind of guy, if you are there for a honeymoon and have no problem relaxing by the pool, you should be fine. We honeymooned at Disney as well.........it was great! Have fun and Congrats!

[Caldonia]

My girlfriend & I have been twice and both times it was early September. The only gripe I have about the off season is that the parks close early. I was looking forward to fireworks in the MK, until I realized that we had missed them and they wouldn't be having them again until the weekend (after we had already left). So, I'd suggest that you make sure your trip includes a weekend, and make sure you see the fireworks/Electric Light parade/Illuminations/Fantasmic while they're available.

Both times we went, we thought the crowds were managable. Sometimes the lines were long, but at other times they were quite short. Either way, we always enjoy the pre-show experience. The Imaginieers must spend an awful lot of time making sure that when we must wait, we can at least be entertained by our surroundings. That's one of the big differences between Disney and all the imitators.

Ooops, I'm rambling. Sorry.

OK to sum up our experiences in September:
Weather - Hot, but not unbareably, & not too much rain
Crowds - managable, not as many kids as at Peak season I'd guess
Park time - shortened, plan accordingly and you'll be OK
Off season rates - :)

Have fun!

[disneyag]

We went last September (9/5 to 9/9). It rained EVERY day. Sometimes for 5-6 hours non-stop. We made good use of ponchos. MK closed early. The weekend after Labor Day they have some music festival at MK which makes the park close early and we got no fireworks or parade the entire trip. The MK was still a zoo during the day. Epcot and MGM seemed less crowded than in summer. It was about 85 degrees everyday and humid.

[ZPT1022]

Thank you all for your helpful information- I guess with September you just never know! So we will have to pack a little of everything as far as clothes go, but it sounds like we were right about beating the crowds! I guess we should make sure to bring ponchos too! And Caldonia, you are right, the hours finally came out and I checked the Spectromagic and fireworks at MK and they are only on that Saturday. I was surprised that they weren't even on Friday, but thanks for the heads up on that one, I would have been sad to miss it all! And FH has never seen Spectro! Thanks again everyone!:D

[dBugged]

September is great. We've been there during September for the past two years and will be there again this year from Aug31-Sep7. Last year we were there for the first two weeks of Sep. Not sure if one of the other posters was there when they said they were, but I don't remember that much rain, just the usual short rains occasionally in the afternoon. There was actually less rain last year than in 2000. Not a big deal, but I don't remember any 5-6 hour rainstorms as some other people have mentioned.

[jwfla422]

We were there almost during the same time as disneyag was last year. And, yes the biggest memory I have from the trip was the rain. I remember it rained a lot more than some of the previous September months that we were there. And, we drove up in the worst storms ever our of all of our MANY trips to WDW. I'm sure it was due to a tropical front or something like that. We were able to do the parks in the mornings but some of the afternoons and early evenings were just worthless for us because walking in the steady rain with our 3 yr old dd at the time was next to impossible.

Now some years that we went it was nice. But, most years it has been still hot & humid but I do remember many overcast days which is actually great for WDW in the summer. This IS still summer in FL and the height of hurricane season. I'm not saying we get a lot of hurricanes but we do get a lot of "tropical" weather which can last for days at a time. But, if your without kids it is MUCH easier. Pre-DD, DH and I would always walk around in the rain in our ponchos, just make sure to bring some:)

The parks may close early but I have found this time to be the least crowded of the entire year. Even the hotels can be less busy too which is really, really nice:) Trade offs for going this time, but if you don't have to worry about kids then you should be fine:)

[dixiegirl76]

hay dbugged my family and i are going the same exact week... anyone else going this week ?? we have been going this same week since we went on our honeymoon 6 years ago......the weather is kinda unpredictable,,,,,but oh well..lol

:Pinkbounc

[dBugged]

That's my favorite week to go. The weather has been pretty good the past few years. I actually like the brief showers in the afternoon. It's a great way to cool things down and one of the best times to go on the safari in AK.

We also have an Illuminations cruise booked on the 3rd. I'm going to post info on our website in August to see if anyone else is interested in joining me and my wife and split the $120 cost. If you are interested, keep an eye on the front page of our website.

[SnackyStacky]

I'll be there from 9/2 - 9/7. :D Can't wait!

[danicaw]

We will be there 9/1 - 9/13.
Being from the NW I am ok with rain, but I am not used to hot, humid weather.

Even with the hot, I can hardly wait!!! See you all in the Parks!!!

[WDWKim]

We'll be there 9/21 to 9/28, hate to rush the summer because it's my favorite time of year, but I just can't wait for this trip to get here.......

[jlambrig]

of course it rained quite a bit starting 9/12/01, that was Tropical Storm Gabrielle coming through. Although with the other events going on, certain aspects of life weren't heavily reported. September is a crap shoot with weather but it is my favorite month to go. We always go in September, crowds are low, it is still warm, can be hot and humid but often isn't. Not that many families with school in session, seems like a lot more foreign visitors. I would expect this September to be fairly low attendance again. I will be home at BCV the last full week of September living it up.

[Kenbar]

What's a love bug?:confused:
Do they bite?

Ken

[westcliffemom]

We'll be there Sep 14-25. Can't wait!!!
PS
Love bugs don't bite!

[allforpooh]

We will be there Aug 30- Sept 8--First Time Yacht club.

We were at WDW last year Sept 15- 23rd, we had wonderfull weather all week the only rain was on the 2nd to the last day and it was late in the evening. This was our first Sept trip and since it was right after Sept 11th I am not really sure how the crowds will be. When we were there the place was almost empty it was very strange....The only disappointment was Rock N Roller Coaster was under maint., we had been to several parks and didn't look at the maint schedule so the day we finally made it to MGM was the first day of a week of RRC maint. - Of cousre that just meant we had to go back this year.

Jlambrig,

Maybe we will see you at Stormalong Bay since we will be at the Yacht Club. "Go Wings"

Denise:Pinkbounc :Pinkbounc

[Mustangdi]

We will be there the week of Sept. 21-28
Last year we went during the same time and
it was nice. It was still hot during the
day, but just perfect at night. Oh yeah,
Love bugs are everywhere. They don't bite ??
but they are everywhere. You can guess what
they look like from their name. Lets just
say that it must be their mating season and
that it what they are doing everywhere. It
is hard not to step on them because there
are so many. They will land on your head and
can sometimes irritate you a lot. After a
while you will get used to them.lol
I just can't wait to see the Love bugs again.

[Dallas_Lady]

Another September traveler here... I have never been before but will be there the 18-24th and I am a little worried about the rain myself :confused:

[tarmand]

We prefer September to any other time of the year. The smaller crowds make up for the early closures.

[Jane E.]

I like going in September. The crowds are usually much less than at other times. Also rates for hotels are usually cheaper too. Two years ago we went in September. The only time that the love bugs got in the way was when we were at the swimming pool. At Water Mania we got swamped with love bugs. As long as we kept moving they didn't bug us. However, we couldn't sit & relax around the pool. When our children were little we always went in the month of September. They never knew that MK had fireworks until last year! However, they always got on every ride. Of course, I think the parks overall are much busier now than they were 10 years ago. We went to MK last June & October, and I was surprised at the long lines at MK. HOwever, Epcot & MGM weren't bad at all. There are advantages & disadvantages no matter when you go. Have fun!

[msdznyduck]

We are also going Aug 31 to Sept 7. Can't wait!!! We have not been there before this time of the year, are lovebugs just annoying? I read that the parks close early, does anyone have any recommendations which parks to visit on which days?

Thanks
Msdznyduck

:Pinkbounc

[dBugged]

We just tweaked out vacation and are now there from Aug 30 - Sep 9. Can't wait! The love bugs didn't seem as bad (or noticable) last September. They seemed worse in Sep, 2000. They are more annoying than anything else.

[Kenbar]

Re Love bugs
Quote >You can guess what
they look like from their name. <

I give in!
Is it
a) a big red heart shape
b) A compact german car shape
c) None of the above

[Clover9990]

It is SOOOO hilarious for me, as a Floridian, to hear of everyone getting all up in arms about the lovebugs! I mean this in a good natured way, not a mean spirited way! :)

Here are some informative pages about lovebugs for the curious:

http://www.gaipm.org/publichealth/lovebugs.html

http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/misc/lovebug.htm <~~~This one has some pictures

And once and for all, while these bugs ARE a nuisance (they often fly nilly-willy, right into you, your hair, or what have you!) they do NOT bite!! :D

[BamaTigger]

We will be there from Aug 31-Sept 5th.

I dont care if it rains, sleets, snows, hails, hot, cold, humid, muggy, sunny or gloomy---IM GONNA BE AT DISNEY WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The weather is only a sideline for me, I can make my trip fun in any kind of weather!!!!:p

[dBugged]

Great attitude! Disney = Fun! Weather = who cares! I completely agree!

[Kimkimba]

We'll be there Sept. 22 - 28th. Since my dh is not a crowd lover (seeks refuge and hides - just kidding), I being the trip planner thought this was the perfect time to go. I like it warm, and the rain doesn't really bother me. And since we aren't late park people, the early closings are fine with us. See some of you there!

[SheDaisy0088]

September is much better than any other time of the year. We have went for the past 3 years. Lines are shorter, not as hot as in July or August.

There is rain. But the rain makes it less crowded. Rain in Florida can last from a minute to a few hours. Being a born and raised Floridain that is one thing that I am used to. I have lived here all my life and am so used to the rain and sunshine at once that it seems like second nature to me.

Sorry to ramble on.


:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[SHELL]

We are so excited to go in sept as well. We are going August 30th through Sept 7th. We were there over Labor Day last year and it was so hot and crowded. However on Tuesday after Labor Day it all died down and was so empty. Unfortunately we left that night. So we decided to use our DVC points at the Boardwalk this year for the week. It should be interesting. Not to much rain during that time last year. Lets hope we don't see much this year as well!!!

[Mirthrindr]

My fiancée and I spent 14 nights at the Beach Club from Sept. 1 through the 15 last September. I'm not disputing what anyone else remembers, but like dBugged, I don't really remember excessive amounts of rain or totally rained out days with ONE exception where it did rain lightly for most of the day one day (though I KNOW we were never stuck in our hotel room all day due to rain so if memory serves me, it couldn't have been that bad after all). In fact, I remember specifically thinking we once again had excellent (albeit very hot) weather for our annual Sept. trip (we go every year for the first two weeks of Sept. basically). I checked my trip report as well and don't have any mention of excessive rain, and in addition, we actually watched our home videos of the trip just last weekend as a warm up for our upcoming Sept. 2 through the 14 trip this year at AKL, and again didn't see any signs of disappointment due to rain. So can't explain what others who were there on the same dates remember as it's completely opposite what our experience/memory was/is. That's not to say it didn't rain, I just didn't think it rained excessively nor do I recall losing full days to constant rain through out the day.
In general though, early Sept is a great time to visit, weather can still be very hot, average in the mid to upper 80s with good chances for 90+ on any given day. As usual and as expected, brief showers occur almost every day, but are usually very short in duration, though it can REALLY rain hard during those showers sometimes.
Like others have pointed out, going in Sept. is a compromise, the parks close earlier, in some cases like the MK it can be MUCH earlier. MK closes so early in fact that most days in Sept. don't have fireworks or nighttime parade at MK, there are a few exceptions though. Epcot always still has Illuminations at 9PM though, as does Disney Studios with Fantasmic at least once a night. But the benefit to going at this time is the greatly reduced crowds compared to what you would have experienced only a few weeks prior. This means shorter lines usually and less waiting in general. The biggest most popular attractions can of course still generate long lines during peak hours of the day, but with less effort than is required during other busy times, you can really minimize the amount of time you spend standing in lines. And often, we find no waiting at all for even the most popular attractions during early mornings or early evenings.
So this is just our personal experience and we absolutely love going in early Sept. and have continued to do so for several years now due to the consistent good weather (again very hot though, but we like that), and low crowds. Good luck with your trip.

Mirth

[Shinji]

The only time I have been to WDW is in September. I have heard of the 'peak season' crowds and I want no part of that! This year: Sept 7-14 2002 !!!

I cannot wait to get back.
shinji

[jxh1]

My wife and I went in September of 2000 for our anniversary. If you can put up with a little heat and humidity, I think it's a great time to go. We stayed at CBR, did the parks in the morning, laid out by the pool in the afternoon, and then around 3:00 or so every day we got a nice thunderstorm for maybe an hour and then things cleared up. That seemed to happen everyday like clockwork! I haven't been there since they shortened hours, etc., but when we were there, crowds were very manageable and we had no problem seeing and doing everything we wanted to. We plan on going back again in September of 2003. Good luck!