Am I nuts? aug 05 vs sept 05

[wingnut3443]

Am I nuts to plan going last week of aug, or should i consider taking kids out of school (13 & 11) and go in sept 19?
what are the pros and cons of these time frames? how are the crowds? weather? time parks are open?
any input would be great

 

[Amy&Dan]

Somebody correct me if I am wrong but I believe I have read that crowds begin to lessen quite a bit by late August. Many schools have already started by then, I know ours have. Certainly by mid September crowds should be really low but park hours will be shorter. I guess it depends on how your school feels about absences. I took my kids out to do Disneyland in December and they suffered no ill effects but then later this year my daughter missed 6 days of school with a strep infection. When I add those days to the 4 days we missed to do Disneyland I now wonder if I did the right thing! You can't win I guess! I am betting the weather won't be markedly different in late August versus mid September. It will be hot and sticky. That is hurrican season, especially in September but Florida got hit so much last year maybe things will be quieter on that front this year.

 

[luvey]

i went the last week in august 04 with my nephew (just missed one of the hurricanes). it wasn't crowded. i think we got a fast pass for kali rapids and space mountain. and it wasn't that bad.
if i wasn't planning to go for the christmas decorations this year, i would go again at the end of august.

 

[joe1946]

We always used to go in October or November. But last year, we went the last week of August because we were starting to feel guilty about yanking the kids out of school for a week, and we are going the last week of August again this year. It was great! The crowd levels were not bad at all – most schools in the southern US have already started up again by mid-August, so late August is not too crowded. And the weather was hot but not intolerable. Plus, we got to stay an extra two days because Hurrican Frances closed the airport and we couldn’t leave!

-- Joe

 

[joe1946]

Just wondering, wingnut3443, are you a left wingnut or a right wingnut?

-- Joe

 

[cocowum]

hey sept 19 is my b-day, can I come?

 

[ckoncurat]

DH and I went 8 years ago at the end of august and found the parks to be:
1. Mobbed
2. REALLY REALLY HOT
3. Drenched with thunderstorms EVERY afternoon.

However, we were not disney pros at that time and probably timed things wrong. ANY time of year you can do great the first couple of hours a park is open (and even better with early entry). I think park hours are pretty long in august- if you started early, ate or took a break during the scorching sun/thunderstorm part of the day and then went back at night, you'd probably do OK.

 

[disneyaggie]

Am I nuts to plan going last week of aug, or should i consider taking kids out of school (13 & 11) and go in sept 19?
what are the pros and cons of these time frames? how are the crowds? weather? time parks are open?
any input would be great

For what it's worth, I would slide towards the September 19th date. It should be a bit cooler then, as well as the kiddos should all be back in school so the crowds should be lighter. If I had my choice, I would pick September. Oh, wait, I already did! See you there in September!

 

[Keokagal]

Your children look to be about middle school aged. Missing the beginning of a new school year can be very diff on this age group (ya I work in school). Yes, there is a lot of review the first cpl wks. If your children are great students and already know their peers and the school they will be attending, they would prob be ok. Just stuff to think about. Here in MA we worry about gaps in learning and probs w MCAS testing.
Whenever you choose , have so much fun ya burst!

 

[MickeyFlirt]

We go every year in Aug and the crowds are not that bad. It is very hot and humid with afternoon thunderstorms though. Sept. I have found to be less crowded but not by much and it is still hot and humid also remeber this is hurricane season. I haven't found there to be much difference in the 2, but I live in FL so I am use to the heat and I go to WDW in the middle of summer and spring break a lot so anything other than that seems not to be crowded to me.

 

[danny1649]

You should encounter light crowds and be able to do all you want to without fighting some pretty hefty crowds and heat we have encountered in late August.

 

[gigi1313]

i am not a proponent of taking kids (of any age) out of school for vacation, and have experienced the last week of august/early sept the last three trips and would highly recommend that time period... last year crowds were non-existent (although i am sure the hurricanes had something to do w/that!) and in previous years we were pleasantly surprised by the low-volume of people and ease in getting ps's! (even last year i was able to get crt less than 30 days out) good luck whichever you choose

 

[sleepycor]

I went at the end of august last year

and it's not that bad! there were some light light rain during the night, and it felt so good!! it was like spray of water.. lol

 

[wingnut3443]

ok, another question...when is hurriicane season? I know all about last year, and it was a fluke kinda year, but how bad does it get usually??

 

[tifandjim]

The first year my DH and I went to WDW together, we chose Aug. It was horrible. Lots of long lines, really hot weather, etc. After that, we go the week of the second week of Sept and it is really, really nice! There are no lines, the weather is really warm (but not to hot), less crowded (since schools are back in session). We also get a really awesome room rate for that week! The resorts do close earlier, but with the parks less crowded, we acutally got to enjoy more of the parks than on our Aug trip! My parents used to take my sister and me in June (the week of father's day), and it was so miserable, I don't even want to discuss it! My DH and I will NEVER go May-Aug again.