A little worried about going in September

[PennyInPink]

I thought September would be a terrific time to go. Less crowds, Halloween stuff, free dinning. Apparently, everyone else thinks so, too!
I see more and more posts; "We are going in September.."
I tried a couple of months ago to get French Quarter, but nope! Full!
On the 180thb day out, got my ADR's but so many were full for the times we wanted!
So now I'm starting to worry...are there going to be so many Dis'ers that it's gonna bew busy anyway? SSOOOOooo don't want the crowds we had in June a couple of times! Will the free dinning make that huge of a difference? Is September the new June?

 

[rafiki14]

I think you always have to take into account that those of us that post on here are only a small group compared to the entire amount of people who go to WDW.

I would assume the rooms weren't available just because of how many they released. And for the ADR's... maybe just bad luck?

Anyway, I think you'll be fine in September. And I'll be there too

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I thought September would be a terrific time to go. Less crowds, Halloween stuff, free dinning. Apparently, everyone else thinks so, too!
I see more and more posts; "We are going in September.."
I tried a couple of months ago to get French Quarter, but nope! Full!
On the 180thb day out, got my ADR's but so many were full for the times we wanted!
So now I'm starting to worry...are there going to be so many Dis'ers that it's gonna bew busy anyway? SSOOOOooo don't want the crowds we had in June a couple of times! Will the free dinning make that huge of a difference? Is September the new June?

Did POFQ not have any rooms available at rack rate or just none under the free dining promotion? Not all the rooms available at a resort are offered under the promotions, and POFQ is the smallest of the moderate resorts. I've found it's difficult to get a room there using a promo or PIN.

I've been in September during free dining and found that the restaurants are packed, and you really have to book your ADRs at 180 days out, but the waits in the parks were very low compared to other times of the year.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

September is a great time to go! It can be very hot but the low crowds are wonderful.

We're going in September too - been several times in Sept and it's never been crowded (hot like the face of the sun yes, crowded no)

In terms of ADRs remember free dining gets more people booking ADRs. Folks ho might not normally get the dining plan do because it's "free". As for your resort reservation were you trying to book it for a specific discount? IF so they only have so many rooms per discount - they might be booked up for that discount but have non-discounted rooms available.

 

[hailbug]

We always go in September and it's great! Even with Free Dining the crowds are low and the weather is hot. I think it's the best time to go

 

[jimreb]

We're going in September also with the free dining......getting a little worried also as like you said, it seems like a lot on this board are going then to....Glad we got ADR's in already for the week. Usually go in the middle of October and crowds are great, not much wait for anything, hopefully the middle of September is the same.

 

[LilyU]

We went in Mid Sept of 2007, and 2008 and it was great. But then we went in 2011 the last week of Sept and it was really a LOT more crowded compared to when we went in 07 and 08. So I think you might be right about more people going in Sept. We are planning to go at a different time next time we go...maybe end of January?

Oh and in 2007 and 2008 it was hot but not too bad, but in 2011...miserably hot like 94 to 98 every day all day...

 

[HappyGal]

We (and several other Georgia Counties) have Fall Break in September so I'm worried it will be crowded too. But we were there the week before Easter and if we can make it through those crowds we can make it through anything!

 

[jdcthree]

The end of September is more crowded than the beginning, but I wouldn't worry even if you are going at the end of the month. Crowds are still lower than most other times of the year.

 

[nowellsl]

We (and several other Georgia Counties) have Fall Break in September so I'm worried it will be crowded too. But we were there the week before Easter and if we can make it through those crowds we can make it through anything!

What week? We've been going in Sept. for years and it's gradually gotten more crowded, especially since free dining came out! It's still not bad crowd wise. We always make ADR's because it is hard to get in to your favorites if you don't. We'll be there this year around mid month.

 

[Funky Chicken]

September tends to be busy at the lower end of the resort spectrum (values) because there are usually incentives/discounts/free dining in place. It has become the month for bottom-fishing (not that I think that's a bad thing-I do it myself!). The parks are not really that crowded. ADRs are still tricky at the hotspots.
Expect it to be hot and sticky. Expect storms in the afternoon.

 

[DisneyNic]

I'm going in Sept too. We went in Sept 09 and it wasn't busy, at all. I don't think we really waited for any ride (other than TSM, Soarin', etc) Yes, that was 3 years ago and things have changed, but I don't really see the use is worrying, anyway, unless you are able to move your trip. Relax and just plan on enjoying your trip, however busy it turns out to be!!

PS---I think you notice all of the "I'm going in Sept" because you are going in Sept. There is probably just as much, if not more, saying that for every month in the year.

 

[disnut8]

And if you are going in January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, October, November or December, you will get the same response. Why worry about it?

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I've been having trouble with ADRs too. Twice I've booked September trips in the middle of the summer, and made ADRs less then 100 days before with no problems, but now I'm only just in my 180 day window, and not able to really add or change anything easily.

I don't think the parks will be that crowded though, but free dining must sure be popular this year.

 

[smallworldnh]

PS---I think you notice all of the "I'm going in Sept" because you are going in Sept. There is probably just as much, if not more, saying that for every month in the year.

I actually think there's some truth to this. I'm going in September too, and I keep reading every post pertaining to September! I've been in May (busy but not crazy busy, weather was beautiful) and in July (very busy and very hot and humid). Would the crowds in September be more like May but hotter?

 

[nowellsl]

I actually think there's some truth to this. I'm going in September too, and I keep reading every post pertaining to September! I've been in May (busy but not crazy busy, weather was beautiful) and in July (very busy and very hot and humid). Would the crowds in September be more like May but hotter?

The crowds always seem bigger to me in May than Sept. especially towards the end of the month. It actually may be hotter in May, frequently in the lower 90's. Sept. may be more humid. Even then, those are the two months we go pretty much every year because of the low crowds.

 

[PennyInPink]

ok, feeling better.
Have been in June twice, once with the kids, once took my Girl Scout Troop for the week. What a week! And even that was manageable with some common sense and a sence of adventure.
This is our first vacation as Epmty Nesters, and we are going Sept 16-22. The best thing about our first choice resort being "not available" ? Wilderness Lodge it is!
(Gee, Honey, everything else is booked! This is the best Icould do!)

 

[HappyGal]

September tends to be busy at the lower end of the resort spectrum (values) because there are usually incentives/discounts/free dining in place. It has become the month for bottom-fishing (not that I think that's a bad thing-I do it myself!). The parks are not really that crowded. ADRs are still tricky at the hotspots.
Expect it to be hot and sticky. Expect storms in the afternoon.

What about the moderates?

 

[HappyGal]

What week? We've been going in Sept. for years and it's gradually gotten more crowded, especially since free dining came out! It's still not bad crowd wise. We always make ADR's because it is hard to get in to your favorites if you don't. We'll be there this year around mid month.

September 17-21

 

[DD Dreamer]

This is our 3rd year of going in September. We absolutely love it. Have stayed at POR each time. The food court can get a little crowded especially at breakfast time if you eat around 8-9am. Pool is just pleasantly crowded (I like it when there are others around). We can always get a spot on a chaise at the main pool. Weather has been unbeatable the past 2 years (hoping for the same this year - only rained one time each year while we were eating a meal). If you get ADR's at 180 days, we have always gotten what we want. Crowds at parks are nice. We always went in the summer with family, and now that kids are older and we go by ourselves, we can go in September. Crowds in July with the tour groups are insane! September - you still have to do a power walk to get on Toy Story without a long wait in the am, and sometimes waits get a bit longer, but we have found the wait times (esp. compared to July) to be so nice. Using fastpasses, we rarely wait more than 10 min. And the water parks! We went 3 times last September. We could go down the slides just as fast as our sore, tired legs would take us to the top and it was easy to get a spot in the shade to park ourselves.

So overall, with free dining, I think September is awesome. This time we are going later in the month to catch F&W at Epcot so maybe it will be busier, but excited about seeing that.

I love the moderates and especially in September, they are great. Always get requested building too.

Can you tell from my going on and on in this post that I can't wait until September to go back? It is only reading disboards and trip reports that keeps me sane until time to return.

Have a great September everyone!!