September?

[Chabby]

I loved going to WDW in September of last year. It was hot but we were able to ride whatever we wanted with minimal wait times. It rained every afternoon around 3pm but nothing major. We are from Panama, so rain and heat don't scare us

Looking at the advice on **************.net I see that they rate the weeks in September 2015 as # 20, 21 etc. due to hurracaine season.

I'm planning a trip in September 12-18 for my family and a large group of friends, including first timers.

Has anyone had a really bad experience with weather in September? Has anyone gone and regret it?

Thanks!

 

[Luvchefmic]

I loved going to WDW in September of last year. It was hot but we were able to ride whatever we wanted with minimal wait times. It ran every afternoon around 3pm but nothing major. We are from Panama, so rain and heat don't scare us

Looking at the advice on **************.net I see that they rate the weeks in September 2015 as # 20, 21 etc. due to hurracaine season.

I'm planning a trip in September 12-18 for my family and a large group of friends, including first timers.

Has anyone had a really bad experience with weather in September? Has anyone gone and regret it?

Thanks!

I don't know about that website but I think it's ridiculous to even think about weather or hurricanes a year from now. Let me give you a perfect example of how unpredictable things can be. September can be gorgeous weather. THIS Sept we broke records with the amount of rain we had. I think it was something like 24 days out of 30. I say just plan to come when it works for you and don't even consider weather predictions

 

[Raenstoirm]

We visit late September every year for the past 10 years or so and every other fall way back into the 90s. It is always hot and humid and the crowds are always low (but increasing every year). This year was the first trip we have ever taken where it rained just about every day. It was unpleasant, but not a deal breaker. WDW doesn't really get hurricanes so much as they get the hurricane rains.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

this question doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Weather is changeable. Stuff happens. I just went last weekend and while the last 3 years it has been beautiful and sunny, it was cloudy and rainy this year.

The usual September: Hot, humid and there will be a rain shower/thunderstorm nearly every day, usually in the afternoon, with occasional possiblity of heavier and more lasting rain. It's peak hurricane/TS season so you should keep an eye on a hurricane tracker. This will be most likely to help you prepare - usually for airport closures or flight delays more so than any hurricane issues at the parks. The heat and humidity are mostly what you should plan for.

 

[Chabby]

Thanks guys!
I was second guessing my decision because I'm planning for other people and not just my immediate family.
Those dates are perfect for us because our children are on a 1 week break from school.

 

[OasterP]

I went in September of this year and it was absolutely very rainy. But we just happened to hit on a very rainy week. We did still have some gorgeous weather in between the rainstorms though! And even with the rain we are planning to go back in September next year, so it didn't scare us away.

And it was hot, but I didn't mind that at all.

 

[Fratthouse]

We go in September every year. I've also been in July and December. I love September. It's hot and it rains in the afternoons. But the crowds are awesome, so to me it's worth it.

But you probably shouldn't listen to me - I actually had a blast on our July trip and the worst trip I've ever had was in December, which I think is about the exact opposite of what your first visit recommends

 

[DavidHobart]

Chabby, my week rankings are for first time visitors who may never return. So they rank weeks with mathematically predictable issues worse than similar weeks without them.

The peak of the hurricane season is from mid-ish August to mid-ish October. Hurricanes are rare to start with, and even more rarely impact a Disney World trip--there's been nothing material since 2004. 2004, though, was a bit of a doozy. Read about it at http://allears.net/news/hurricane.htm

September is typically hot and humid, but has great crowds, great prices, and often free dining. So the issue is whether the very very small risk of a hurricane disrupting your trip is worth taking to gain these positives.

I've been to WDW in September a half dozen times, and if it works for your calendar and the small small risk of disruption doesn't matter much to you--go then! You'll likely have a ball!

 

[Chabby]

Chabby, my week rankings are for first time visitors who may never return. So they rank weeks with mathematically predictable issues worse than similar weeks without them.

The peak of the hurricane season is from mid-ish August to mid-ish October. Hurricanes are rare to start with, and even more rarely impact a Disney World trip--there's been nothing material since 2004. 2004, though, was a bit of a doozy. Read about it at http://allears.net/news/hurricane.htm

September is typically hot and humid, but has great crowds, great prices, and often free dining. So the issue is whether the very very small risk of a hurricane disrupting your trip is worth taking to gain these positives.

I've been to WDW in September a half dozen times, and if it works for your calendar and the small small risk of disruption doesn't matter much to you--go then! You'll likely have a ball!

Thanks David!
I just recently found your site and so far I really like it

Do they still offer Free Dining? I didn't see it this year.

 

[DavidHobart]

Do they still offer Free Dining? I didn't see it this year.

Thanks Chabby! And in 2014 free dining dates in Sept covered arrivals 8/31 through 10/3.

 

[Chabby]

Thanks Chabby! And in 2014 free dining dates in Sept covered arrivals 8/31 through 10/3.

That's great! I didn't see it in the Offers Page. I must have very good chances of getting it for my 2015 dates

 

[MIGrandma]

January is our month of choice to go, and have been at WDW several times during that month. Extremely low crowds (walk-on rides or wait 5-10 minutes for most, maybe 30 for a super popular ride) and we feel the weather is wonderful! T-shirts and shorts during the day as it's usually sunny, and jeans/sweatshirts in the evening when the temperature drops. But we're from Michigan so just getting out of the frigid cold, snow and ice is awesome to us!!

I have been once in March and didn't care for it, too crowded (spring break).

And I have been once in September and didn't care for that either. I don't like extreme heat and humidity and the week we went was awful in the weather department. Besides the heat and humidity it rained nearly every day. We tried the ponchos but they became our own person saunas. If we didn't use ponchos we got wet then when we went into an air conditioned attraction we froze. Personally, for me, I would not go again in September. I'll stick with January.

 

[Fenway1970]

We were there this past September (9/13-9/21) and think we got the one week where it didn't rain. We pulled out our ponchos exactly once and wore them for a total of 15 minutes.

We've already booked next year's trip for the same week, and while I don't expect to get that lucky with the weather again it also doesn't bother me if we don't. If you know going in that you'll likely be dealing with daily rain and thunderstorms you can only be pleasantly surprised if it's nicer than you expect. It is what it is, Florida summer weather. Prepare for it and you'll be fine.

A word on ponchos: Get some quality ones. The Disney ones are nice, but if you don't want to shell out the Disney mark up get some good ones from a outdoor sporting goods store. When we went in August 2011 we tried to do it on the cheap with some dollar store ponchos. Not a good idea. We replaced them with Disney ponchos on our second day, and we still have those ponchos to this day.

 

[Chabby]

A word on ponchos: Get some quality ones. The Disney ones are nice, but if you don't want to shell out the Disney mark up get some good ones from a outdoor sporting goods store. When we went in August 2011 we tried to do it on the cheap with some dollar store ponchos. Not a good idea. We replaced them with Disney ponchos on our second day, and we still have those ponchos to this day.

Good idea, I brought ponchos for my family last year. I will recommend all the people in my party bring them too.

 

[monica9]

We are toying with spending the extra money and going in October or sucking up the heat and going in September. I don't mind the heat but I don't want it to rain all day. A thunderstorm everyday for 20 minutes doesn't bother me one bit. We've been going in November and the last year is was freezing and raining. I hated the weather and didn't want to be in Disney with a coat on! I'd rather the heat, my husband rather the cooler weather.

It will cost us an extra $40 a night to go mid October which hopefully will be 5-10 degrees cooler and less chance of rain.

decisions decisions

 

[lustergirl]

We have enjoyed countless end of September trips with the free dining promotion. The very first time we went I worried myself sick about the possibility of a hurricane passing through Disney while we were there. Never had anything to worry about though.

I loved the evenings during our September trips. It had cooled off enough to enjoy oneself.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I've had many September trips and have had 2 that it rained most of the time and all day.

In Sept. 2014, it was so bad I felt like I was in a swimming pool all day for 4 days - I went for only 5 days. There was one day when it was nice - no rain - but the rest of the time it poured down rain. Luckily I had several extra pairs of shoes with me because they were so soaked even using the newspaper trick, they took an extra day to dry.

I've decided to not go in Sept. 2015 to take a break from it.

 

[nighttowll]

I don't worry about hurricanes. I've grown up with those and tornados, so they don't really phase me. It is the normal rain storms that worry me. I won't say I would never go in Sept., but I definately prefer other times of the year.

We had absolutely horrible weather for our September trip in 2013. I think out of about 10 days, it was rain free for maybe 2.5 of those, and these were really bad storms, not just the little shower you expect every afternoon, or even a light rain on and off all day as you see sometimes in Florida. No we had thunderstorms, flooding, a downpour you couldn't see through for a number of days, without any let-up.

We actually had a couple of days where we didn't get to go to the parks at all the weather was so bad, and I'm the type of person who goes rain or shine, but it was just too bad. You couldn't see a foot in front of you and everything was flooding. However, most of the trip we did end up just putting our ponchos on and going in the rain. You really only have to worry about the walking to and from because most attractions are indoors.

The one thing I am really mad about, though, and would never do again is the dessert party. We had no fireworks our night, only rain and clouds. It was really dissapointing, and there is a no raincheck policy, so you are just out the money if you don't go or cancel last minute, with 7 of us, that was a lot of money. To clarify, I'm not mad at Disney, I knew the risks and the policy. I'm just frustrated it didn't work out, and I don't think I'd book that again if the weather was forecasted to be bad, not in a large group at least.