8/29 to 9/5... how crowded do you think it will be this year??

[miss1180]

we're booked at CBR for 8/29 to 9/5. we've never been that time of year- and we're hoping for low crowds (and maybe free dining?? LOL) and we're prepared for some humidity and rain.
i know labor day is late this year, and some schools will still be on summer break- so how much do you think that will affect crowd levels for that week?? my son will be almost 5 when we go, so he's not in school yet... but he does start back to preschool on 9/8- so we're trying to work around that a little bit...

 

[kmb584]

Regardless of Labor Day, you'll still see low (4/10) to moderate (5-6/10) crowds. It's a great time of the year to go! And if history repeats you'll see free dining offered too.

 

[Farps]

The preliminary September crowd calendar is posted at EasyWDW. You can get a pretty good idea there.

 

[tlmadden73]

I am planning on going the week before that (26-30th) .. and I too hope the late Labor Day doesn't make it overly crowded. We went last year in early October and it was a lot more crowded then I was expecting then as well.

 

[miss1180]

thanks, everybody! i've heard its a great time to go... but just hoping all the people with kids that don't have to be back to school until after labor day don't have the same idea this year!! either way, i feel like i'm planning far enough ahead that we should get the ADRs and FPs we want, and i know we'll have a GREAT time!! AND if a good promotion get released, we might even be able to change and stay at my dream resort- wilderness lodge!!

 

[JennyDrake]

I would expect moderate--not low--crowds. I have been going to WDW 3-4x/year for ten years. The low crowd times as we once knew them no longer exist. Year round schools, international visitors, free dining, and more events at WDW--all have contributed.

 

[Letsbgoofy]

Free dining hasn't been offered that week in years. Last year it started the Sunday of Labor Day weekend; the year before I think is was on Labor day itself. EasyWDW posts pictures that week and it always seems pretty empty. We traveled that week before Labor Day for years and it was always a slow time. I'm not sure why they stopped offering FD for that time frame?

We're planning on camping at FW those dates so hoping for low crowds!

 

[anniemae]

I would expect moderate--not low--crowds. I have been going to WDW 3-4x/year for ten years. The low crowd times as we once knew them no longer exist. Year round schools, international visitors, free dining, and more events at WDW--all have contributed.

I agree with this post. It will be very crowded IMO since Labor Day is so late this year, many schools won't be starting until after 9/8 so the northerners and mid-westerners will be there getting in the last vaca before heading back to school. We were there at the end of Aug last year and I found it very crowded. Long waits for the big rides, I was surprised to see an hour and a half for Peter Pan and Pooh. Many will say it was not crowded, but I have never seen the slow time at the end of Aug that so many talk about, to my family it felt very crowded, and obviously VERY hot and humid.

I hear that after Labor Day things thin out considerably. I wish we could go at that time, I would in a heart beat if it wasn't for that darn school, which will be starting after Labor Day this year we just found out!

 

[ariane37]

We went that time last year - 8/25-9/2. It was our first trip during that time frame and we found the crowds to be great We never go back to school before Labor Day, regardless of how late it is. We're thinking of going again this year but it would be a few days later, probably not coming home until the 5th or 6th. I can't see it being any more crowded - or at least not much more crowded - just b/c Labor Day is later. The states that always start prior to LD will still start prior, the states that always start after will still start after. And then there's places like NJ, where a bunch of counties are going to start BEFORE Labor Day BECAUSE it's late, when they usually start after. So that's a few people that won't be down there when you are lol!!

 

[ariane37]

I agree with this post. It will be very crowded IMO since Labor Day is so late this year, many schools won't be starting until after 9/8 so the northerners and mid-westerners will be there getting in the last vaca before heading back to school. We were there at the end of Aug last year and I found it very crowded. Long waits for the big rides, I was surprised to see an hour and a half for Peter Pan and Pooh. Many will say it was not crowded, but I have never seen the slow time at the end of Aug that so many talk about, to my family it felt very crowded, and obviously VERY hot and humid.

I hear that after Labor Day things thin out considerably. I wish we could go at that time, I would in a heart beat if it wasn't for that darn school, which will be starting after Labor Day this year we just found out!

And somehow I missed this post, so I guess ALL the schools that normally start before Labor Day aren't necessarily starting before again this year! Not sure what dates you were there last Aug. but we didn't think crowds were bad, even over the holiday weekend. But crowd perception is a personal thing, anyway I do totally agree about the VERY hot and humid, though

 

[Disneylover99]

Free dining hasn't been offered that week in years. Last year it started the Sunday of Labor Day weekend; the year before I think is was on Labor day itself. EasyWDW posts pictures that week and it always seems pretty empty. We traveled that week before Labor Day for years and it was always a slow time. I'm not sure why they stopped offering FD for that time frame?

FWIW, free dining began last Aug. 17th for Canadians. We are heading back end of Aug./beg. Of Sept. for the sixth year in a row. Crowds are usually moderate.

 

[miss1180]

And then there's places like NJ, where a bunch of counties are going to start BEFORE Labor Day BECAUSE it's late, when they usually start after. So that's a few people that won't be down there when you are lol!!

HAHA funny you say NJ... bc thats where we live i actually spent some time the other night googling different school districts in the state to see their calendars for next year (hey! Disney makes you do crazy things!! LOL ) and it looks like its about 60/40 for schools starting before or after labor day. (like you said, some that always start after labor day are starting bf labor day this year so they don't go too late in june) plus, i think people like to be home the week or so before school starts so they can get everything settled, etc. so i don't think it'll be TOO bad.
i think we'll stick with those dates we plan on taking my son every couple of years, so if its bad we'll just pick a different time of year next time HAHA

 

[anniemae]

And somehow I missed this post, so I guess ALL the schools that normally start before Labor Day aren't necessarily starting before again this year! Not sure what dates you were there last Aug. but we didn't think crowds were bad, even over the holiday weekend. But crowd perception is a personal thing, anyway I do totally agree about the VERY hot and humid, though

It was crazy hot!! We made the best of it though. It was unseasonably hot last Aug, heat indexes were around 115. It was brutal.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I don't think it'll be bad that week since it's still the week before Labor Day. I think crowds will be low. Even if it's late schools in the south still start mid or early August. If schools in the northeast start after Labor Day that's no different than any other year. Families that go to WDW the week before Labor Day will continue to do so. The families that don't go away the week before labor day still won't go to WDW. If the schools that normally start after Labor Day start before labor day it'll lower crowds since they most likely won't pull kids out of school.

Now the week (8/23-8/30) before I do think it'll be a bit more crowded. It's technically the last week of August but two weeks before labor day.

We will be there 8/26-9/5. I'm prepared for bigger crowds the first 4-5 days of our trip.

 

[ariane37]

HAHA funny you say NJ... bc thats where we live i actually spent some time the other night googling different school districts in the state to see their calendars for next year (hey! Disney makes you do crazy things!! LOL ) and it looks like its about 60/40 for schools starting before or after labor day. (like you said, some that always start after labor day are starting bf labor day this year so they don't go too late in june) plus, i think people like to be home the week or so before school starts so they can get everything settled, etc. so i don't think it'll be TOO bad.
i think we'll stick with those dates we plan on taking my son every couple of years, so if its bad we'll just pick a different time of year next time HAHA

Hi neighbor, I'm in NY and went to college in NJ. There was a thread a couple weeks ago started by someone from NJ who had already planned/paid for a trip through labor day, only to find out her kids were going back before which wasn't usually the case. Quite a few other New Jersians (is that a word? lol) chimed in saying they'd checked calendars, and their kids were going back before labor day this year too, even though they normally didn't. So I called my friend in Mahwah, who checked her calendar.....and they go back before LD this year, too! She's not thrilled I think it's definitely worth giving it a try. Like I said, we thought crowds were great last year. And I think mi*vida*loca summed it up well in her post above. Plus, it's fun to try different times of the year!

It was crazy hot!! We made the best of it though. It was unseasonably hot last Aug, heat indexes were around 115. It was brutal.

OMG it was also our first summer trip! We were prepared, and I'd actually been to Disney in July about 20 years ago and vaguely remembered my makeup sliding off my face, but brutal is definitely the right word! We still had a great time, though Hoping if we go this Aug. it's a tad cooler.........

 

[ConnieB]

we're booked at CBR for 8/29 to 9/5. we've never been that time of year- and we're hoping for low crowds (and maybe free dining?? LOL) and we're prepared for some humidity and rain.
i know labor day is late this year, and some schools will still be on summer break- so how much do you think that will affect crowd levels for that week?? my son will be almost 5 when we go, so he's not in school yet... but he does start back to preschool on 9/8- so we're trying to work around that a little bit...

Well, we'll be there for a Civil Air Patrol Convention (being held at the Swan)....so there will be a thousand or more folks in uniform. We'll be doing our conference thing during the day on 27-30 August....but at night we'll be in the parks. And many of us will be staying through Labor Day for time in the parks.

Not that a thousand more people will make much of a crowd, but if you see a lot of USAF style uniforms, that's us.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I'm in NJ (right over the bridge from Philadelphia) and my schools calendar isnt out yet but I spoke to the superintendent. She told me that in her 20 years in the district they've never started before labor day and she sees no reason to change that.

I also believe our teachers are contracted to not start before labor day. It's always been teachers start the day after labor day and the kids start that wednesday. This has been the same for my 10 years in the district with my kids.

 

[kmb584]

Free dining hasn't been offered that week in years.

Last year, free dining was offered from 8/31-10/3.

 

[bear_mom]

Hi neighbor, I'm in NY and went to college in NJ. There was a thread a couple weeks ago started by someone from NJ who had already planned/paid for a trip through labor day, only to find out her kids were going back before which wasn't usually the case. Quite a few other New Jersians (is that a word? lol) chimed in saying they'd checked calendars, and their kids were going back before labor day this year too, even though they normally didn't. So I called my friend in Mahwah, who checked her calendar.....and they go back before LD this year, too! She's not thrilled I think it's definitely worth giving it a try. Like I said, we thought crowds were great last year. And I think mi*vida*loca summed it up well in her post above. Plus, it's fun to try different times of the year!

There was a first day of school thread a few weeks ago and this a common theme. A lot of people who normally start after Labor Day were starting before due to the late LD this year. It was throwing a kink in many people's travel plans.

I'm hoping for low crowds to off set the heat .

 

[ArwenMarie]

The week before Labor Day is decent for crowds, I think this week will be too. It seems a lot of schools are going back before Labor Day as well since it is so late, so that will help as well.