A phone CM just confirmed my fears about September :-/

[anneboleyn]

So I have been concerned about my upcoming September trip being a madhouse in terms of crowds. I saw how many people were planning trips at the same time, and I saw how unexpectedly low the summer crowds have been, and then the Touring Plans email updated their crowd levels to higher numbers. So I was pretty nervous but figured it probably wouldn't be that bad.

Today I had to call the customer service number to ask a question about my trip. The CM and I got to talking, and I told her how it seems to be a popular month to go. She then said that she has worked for Disney for over 7 years and she "has never seen the September and October reservations be this high." So that set me in to a panic lol. I have never been to Disney World during the busy season, so I am not sure what to expect. I do plan on revamping my touring plan and now intend on hitting rope drop as much as possible.

I am even more nervous now, but I plan on making the most of it. I am glad that I was warned beforehand so that I can rearrange some things!

 

[Amelia :)]

You are expecting it to be really busy, just keep thinking that way and anything less will be a bonus you will still have a fantastic time. Look at all the just back threads from people who have braved July (even though it isn't as bad as usual). Despite crowds they all sound like they had a fantastic time

 

[anneboleyn]

You are expecting it to be really busy, just keep thinking that way and anything less will be a bonus you will still have a fantastic time. Look at all the just back threads from people who have braved July (even though it isn't as bad as usual). Despite crowds they all sound like they had a fantastic time

You are right...I know we will have a good time regardless of crowds I just wasn't expecting to have to worry about it, if that makes sense lol

And I keep hoping that this is another instance of a phone CM being incorrect!

 

[Amelia :)]

You are right...I know we will have a good time regardless of crowds I just wasn't expecting to have to worry about it, if that makes sense lol

And I keep hoping that this is another instance of a phone CM being incorrect!

I know what you mean, we tried to plan a less busy trip also in November, now I'm hearing about all the hotels that are fully booked.

Buuut, you will be at Disney world in a month or so! And I still have 3 months to wait, I'm jealous! I look forward to reading your just back thread about how it wasn't as bad as you expected

 

[Tia1977]

If it makes you feel any better, we just got back last night. MK days were 9 & 10's, everywhere else no less than an 8. We're not even rope droppers (night owls that close the parks down instead) and had a wonderful time despite the crowds. Using a crowd savvy plan, wise FP's, and staying flexible will still provide an awesome experience. The extra FP capability on your phone will def help too. If you hit your must do's first and then have fun with the available extras, it's a game of FP roulette I will stress the flexibility and deciding now on the must do's you can possibly live without. We honestly did fit in less rides and typical attractions. However, it opened the door to experience more of the atmosphere we otherwise wouldn't take in. It meant the difference between letting the crowds get us down or enjoying the precious family Disney time we all covet by going there

 

[Laura's Dad]

With discounts, Disney usually fills most of its hotel rooms. The park numbers swell from off-site guests and locals. We are going in September and are truly excited. We were able to get Free Dining at PO-R (our favorite resort) and with proper planning are looking to have a wonderful time. Don't stress over the Happiest Place on Earth, Enjoy!

 

[anneboleyn]

I know what you mean, we tried to plan a less busy trip also in November, now I'm hearing about all the hotels that are fully booked.

Buuut, you will be at Disney world in a month or so! And I still have 3 months to wait, I'm jealous! I look forward to reading your just back thread about how it wasn't as bad as you expected

Oh wow I hadn't heard that about November. Hopefully more rooms will become available!

I was at Disney World on Halloween last year, and they listed that as a 6 on Touring Plans. It didn't seem so bad so I keep telling myself that if that is what crowds will be like next month, then I can handle it! It is also just DD9 and I, which seems easier to me than when we go with my parents or brother and his family.

 

[anneboleyn]

If it makes you feel any better, we just got back last night. MK days were 9 & 10's, everywhere else no less than an 8. We're not even rope droppers (night owls that close the parks down instead) and had a wonderful time despite the crowds. Using a crowd savvy plan, wise FP's, and staying flexible will still provide an awesome experience. The extra FP capability on your phone will def help too. If you hit your must do's first and then just have fun with the available extras it's a fun game of FP roulette I will stress the flexibility and deciding now on the must do's you can possibly live without. We honestly did fit in less rides and typical attractions. However, it opened the door to experience more of the atmosphere we otherwise wouldn't take in. It meant the difference between letting the crowds get us down or enjoying the precious family Disney time we all covet by going there

Aww thank you, that makes me feel better. We are night owls too and love being there late I think I am most nervous about the crowds because I have never witnessed them above a level 6. I am basically imagining mosh pits and elbow to elbow crowds everywhere, which I am sure is not remotely realistic lol

 

[minnie mum]

1. You got this info from a phone CM. One step up from a bus driver on the reliability scale.
2. September has both free dining and a decent room discount offered, so of course the resorts will be filled. Off site resorts? Probably not. So that skews any park crowd projections. Full Disney resorts don't necessarily equal full parks.
3. Easywdw's crowd calendar looks pretty darn good. Take that FWIW.

 

[Nigel Channing]

It was considerably more crowded last Sept than Sept of 2013. I would expect it to be more crowded this year than last.

 

[anneboleyn]

1. You got this info from a phone CM. One step up from a bus driver on the reliability scale.
2. September has both free dining and a decent room discount offered, so of course the resorts will be filled. Off site resorts? Probably not. So that skews any park crowd projections. Full Disney resorts don't necessarily equal full parks.
3. Easywdw's crowd calendar looks pretty darn good. Take that FWIW.

Yes I am hoping that the unreliability of phone CMs is behind this. They have been wrong many times before so I am hoping this is another instance of that.

The EasyWDW crowd calendar does look fantastic, but it hasn't been updated since February. I am hoping that he updates it soon to give us a better idea of what we will be dealing with.

 

[DG-12]

Several things-
People are totally right when they say you should never listen to a phone cm.
Two, this is totally dependent on the specific week in September. Lots of families are trying to take advantage of the last week/beginning of October and that week will probably be crowded.
Three, there is a lot open in the beginning of September at a discounted rate. I upgraded to the Poly with a discount last week and checked again today to find rooms additinal nights and could find availability at Yacht Club, Contemporary Garden View (almost never available), and every other deluxe. In short, tons of discounted availability doesn't signal overwhelming crowds at the start of September.

 

[DAKL101]

If there is free dining; then they were very undersold that time of year. That is the only time Disney gives away anything lol. And I second that full resorts do not equal full parks. That is prime FL res season AND prime special event season. Always expect MK to busy no matter what. Epcot on the weekends. Then you should be golden.

 

[Huff]

Touring plans updated crowd predictions for or stay 1st week of Oct. Went from 4-6 to now 7-9 most days. I've been to DLR on very crowded 8-9 days and still have great fun without long waits but I know DLR crowd patterns and how to avoid them without even having to do rope drop. Not so good with WDW.

 

[anniemae]

Do not worry, it will be fine. I don't think it will be that busy.

 

[erinch]

We are here right now, and went to MK on both Sat and Sunday to ride the last 2 days of BTMRR. And my crew will not do rope drop so we arrived around 9:45 am each morning. Nonetheless, with fast passes, we got on all the headliners. And had calm meals at LTT and CP. amd today I was able to pick up lots of FPs for anything I would have wanted except for the most popular, which we had already FP'ed. So be of good cheer! It was horrendously crowded, but it didn't affect what we wanted to do, just walking occasionally.

 

[Tissa]

Busy for September may mean more people than in the previous years, but does not mean holiday crowds. I do not think there is any slow season anymore. Just super busy and then slightly less busy. People seem to have caught on to the "low" season thing and have no issues pulling their kids out of school. That kind of works for me, I can only go during spring break/summer so maybe summers won't be as busy anymore lol. I'm sure you will have a great time and while you may not be able to walk on rides much, you will have fun.

 

[DarkPaw]

A phone CM just confirmed...

You can trust that just as much as the 14 days weather predictions

But yea, resorts being full dosen't mean squat about park crowds, as offsite may be empty.

 

[maltdizzy]

Mid-August to mid-October is peak hurricane season. That used to mean heavy continuous rains that last for days if not far worse weather.

That was a big reason Sept was the slow season and why Disney had to offer deep discounts.

But 10 years of minimal hurricane interference has changed people's expectations of the season. And those deep discounts, FD and F&W have dramatically increased attendance during hurricane season.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

This is no issue a pint will not fix.