Last week in August???

[fig5]

Is the last week in August a good time to go to WDW? Also, how about the wait time for rides? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[laceemouse]

It will be very hot, but crowds should be moderate at best. Almost all of the schools in the south start back in early August, and we generally start the last week of August up here. Most people would not want their kids to miss school that early in the year.

 

[sorcerer mouse]

I was there this year during the last week in Aug. It was very HOT & HUMID!!! It rained almost everyday, but not very long, about an hour or so. The crowds were heavy, but not elbow to elbow. The wait times did reach 45 minutes to an hour during the afternoon. Use fast pass during the afternoon hours. Get to the popular rides early in the morning or later in the evening. Drink plenty of water, wear a hat and comfortable shoes. If traveling with children take a break during the hottest part of the day. Go back to the hotel and take a swim or each lunch. Overall my group of 13 had a great time.

 

[PrincessCandaceMarie]

Hello ~

Yes, its hot and humid...hello Florida in August? LOL but I love it anyway, the crowds vary, depending on where you're at and all...but it's still awesome and the water parks rock!

 

[goofy4tink]

We have been there for the third week in August twice now...'03 and '04. The first time was hot/humid and the crowds were moderate. This was due to pretty good deals for rooms at WDW. Then last summer, we hit Hurricane Charley. The weather after he left was brutal. It was much worse than the year before. The humidity was really oppressive. It rained somewhat every day but not the deluges we had in '03. The crowds grew as we went further into the week. Evidently the schools were closed, due to the hurricane, and once people could get around, they headed for the parks!! There were a ton of locals there that normally would have been at work/school.

Usually after the third week things calm down. Then when Labor Day comes, the crowds pick back up again and then after that Monday, are small. The park hours do start to shorten at the third week also. Then they are open longer for Labor Day and back to shorter hours after that week-end.

 

[Danauk]

We went for the last 2 weeks of August last year. It was very hot and humid and it rained every day. A couple of days we had storms and transport had to be shut down and Fantasmic cancelled. The crowds were OK though, we used fast passes but they were easily available throughout the day. The humidity didn't really bother me though and I would visit at that time of year again as the crowds were good.

 

[briarberry]

We were there this past August. It was horribly hot but the crowds weren't too bad. Unfortunately Hurricane Frances forced us to leave a day early and we had to drive home instead of flying. I wouldn't reccommend a late August trip to anyone because of the risk of hurricanes. My family is too important to me to risk it ever again. It was actually quite scary to be evacuating with thousands of others. IMO, avoid hurricane season.

 

[beebumble]

I WOULD BE TOO NERVOUS OF HURRICANE SEASON!!
EITHER WAY
IT WILL BE HOT
HAVE A DISNEY NITE

 

[Memaw2Wm]

We have been there for the third week in August twice now...'03 and '04. The first time was hot/humid and the crowds were moderate. This was due to pretty good deals for rooms at WDW. Then last summer, we hit Hurricane Charley. The weather after he left was brutal. It was much worse than the year before. The humidity was really oppressive. It rained somewhat every day but not the deluges we had in '03. The crowds grew as we went further into the week. Evidently the schools were closed, due to the hurricane, and once people could get around, they headed for the parks!! There were a ton of locals there that normally would have been at work/school.

Ah ha!!! I wondered why it was so crowded last summer ... we've gone the last week of August in 2002, 2003 and 2004 ... it's always hot & humid and there's usually passing t-storms ... but until '04 the crowds were pretty much non-existent!

 

[MsMulan]

We went in August '03 and yes it is hot & humid and it did rain everyday that we were there. Usually around mid-afternoon, there would be a storm. I just planned around it. My DD and I are late risers, so breakfast was usually brunch and lunch happened right around the time for the storm to roll in. Just in case it ran rather long, I had a mental list of indoor activities we could do in the parks. Just grab some ponchos and keep going.

We are going again this August. I do not like DD to miss school and this seems l;ike the best time for us.

 

[funcinderella]

We were there Aug. 20-29 '04. We used Tour Guide Mike to plan our week, and I must say we did not wait in any line longer than 5 minutes (except to meet with the Character Buzz Lightyear; about 20'.) I guess it was crowded, but to be honest we didn't even notice. We were at the parks at opening, leaving by 1-ish for an afternoon dip in the pool. We also followed all of his advice about which parks to visit on which day. My family was AMAZED!!
We had an awesome trip!! My advice is PLAN, PLAN and PLAN. Every day that we had an exact itinerary went very smoothly; days that I left open to "wing it", we were standing around arguing about what to do. Having an itinerary means also planning in meals, breaks, dips in the pool, etc. so you don't get over-tired. The great part about August is it's warm enough to swim. We had gone once in late APril/early May, and by the time we got back to the pool at night, the kids were freezing in the pool. We like it hot enough to swim at 10 pm! Just my humble opinion...