August in Disney! Is it busy!?

[firefawnkimmy]

We are honeymooning around the middle of August to late August in Disney and have never been there at that time of year before. Its during regular season. If you have been there around that time was it busy?

Mousesavers.com listed it as one of the least busy times of year. But I wanted to check that out with people who have been there! Thanks so much!

ALso, for you late June goers. The last two times I have been there were in late June and NO ONE was at the parks. Really wierd but awesome! It is always like that in June?

 

[makelab]

been there in August the last 3 years and it has never seemed crowded. Longest lines in MK were typical at Pooh, Peter Pan, etc. and those were 45-60 minutes. Never saw a bad wait in Epcot or MGM for anything. The only thing is the afternoon thunderstorm to deal with.

 

[firefawnkimmy]

lol Understand the thunderstorms! We had one in June last time and it was pouring so hard we lost our car in the parking lot for an hour!

 

[makelab]

let me also say that we did alot of the popular rides (Tower of Terror, Rock n Roler Coaster, Big Thunder, Space MOuntain, Test Track) first thing in the morning. We would always grab fast passes, too, to go back later. Evenso, in the afternoon, nothing was really that bad, like 45min. I think Test Track was the worst with waits of 60-90 minutes. But that never bothered us, because we would do the singles line. I have a 10yo DS and 3yo DD, and my wife and I never waited too long. Plus, it always meant 2 rides for my son, sometimes more with FP and Baby Switch passes.

 

[eeyore1226]

We have been three times!! It started three years ago when we were celebrating my husband's birthday in August; it was a complete surprise trip for him and we had a blast!! Obviously it's super HOT The crowds though..are not that bad - especially in the morning when it's cooler. One tip for you...wear lots of thin nylon type running shorts and white tops. White relects the fun and the light weight fabric of the shorts keeps you cooler and if you go on any water rides, they'll dry faster. One time I had on jean shorts and ended up having to buy new shorts, undies, and socks in one of the gift shops at AK; that was an expensive ride on Kali River Rapids Another good perk of that time of year is that the hotels usually offer codes for summer room discounts - one year we stayed at ASMu for $49 a night!!!!! Have a lot of fun...this year we're going on June 25 - July 2 for my daughter's birthday

 

[wdwstar]

we went last aug. the first week, it was so crowed, especially the magic kingdom. we only went to the parks one day , we did all four parks, our favorite rides only and when we got to the MK we did only a few and moved on to epcot , empty!

 

[Blondie]

Your best bet is from about the 16th on. Most of the schools in that area are already in session, so you don't have that to contend with. Our next trip will be our 3rd August trip. Every year I say "never again" due to the heat, humidity and rain, but here we are, going back again in August!

It's really not the crowds you have to worry about, it's the weather!

 

[flyball]

We were there last August and it was more crowded than we expected because of the FTP, but not so bad that we couldn't enjoy the parks. Early morning was better from both the crowd and the weather standpoint, as afternoons always brought some rain/thunderstorms. The up side to the afternoon shower is that it allows you to take advantage of some of the cozier nooks and crannies of the resort (we stayed at AKL). On one particular afternoon after a thunderstorm, we noticed a rainbow over the savannah and were able to capture the rainbow, animals, and rumbling thunder on video. We felt like we were really in Africa!

 

[Johnfish]

This is the first good news thread on August that Ive seen. I feel much encouraged over what I have read on previous posts. I even upped the number of days from 4 to 5 because I was afraid I wouldnt be able hit even the highlights in each park.

I am going with my 15 yo DS and so will will probably skip things like Dumbo and Alladin. I suspect he will enjoy epcot more than any other park as he is not big into to coasters. He told me there was no way he was going to do ToT also. I guess I will have to FP that one for my self.

I am still going to try and follow the UG plans though, with a pool break every afternoon.



John

 

[Selket]

We were there Aug 16-23rd last year and I agree with what makelab said about wait times - we had about the same thing. There certainly were waits for rides - less waiting the earlier you got there. We used FP with success - we were also touring with 2 young children so wasn't like we were trying to hit every ride going full speed.

That week was also the last week of eride nights at the MK - there were 2. The MK closed earlier too - like 7-9 p.m. some of those nights (the early closing nights were eride nights). From what I've read - the later you go in August the less crowded it becomes until perhaps you hit a labor day crowd depending on when that holiday falls. We did need to have PS's for dinner as we generally could not walk in and eat. Many folks seemed frustrated with their wait times to get in to eat if they didn't have reservations. We were able to make same day PS sometimes however.

Have fun!

 

[Blondie]

I also agree with getting the popular "must ride" attractions out of the way first, the earlier the better. My boys are 13 and 14 so we aren't stuck in the kiddie ride lines anymore, but for the biggies like TOT, RNR, Space Mountain, you really need to ride them early on in the day. If you want to ride again and the line is building, grab a Fast Pass. Test Track is still one of everyone's favorite, sometimes your Fast Pass return time will be 6 hours later! But that isn't anything like over spring break, where you'll stand in line for 15 minutes just to get your Fast Pass!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

We usually go every aug, but just got back from an april trip. Last aug. we went around the 12th. Before 11 am there were no chairs left at typhoon lagoon, so if you are doing a water park and want a chair, get there REALLY early. They even closed one of the water parks when we were there. Too crowded. The lazy rivers were wall to wall tubes. It was more rain then we ever had to deal with. We walked around with our water shoes in the parks one night because our sneakers still hadnt dried out. Invest in the refillable mugs, You will certainly get your moneys worth. I make all the ps we want before we leave. At hollywood and vine and crystal palace they were announcing no walk ups accepted for the day. Sold out. So if you want to eat some place special, make a ps so you wont be disappointed.

 

[kelscross]

We were there the last week of August last year. The first couple of days it was crowded but generally manageable. I would say no more crowded than your nearest theme park (ie. King's Island etc. ) On Monday MK was impossible...but that's why I like staying on property because you can ditch the parks and enjoy the pool without a crowd because everyone is out in the parks!! ha !

By the end of the week it was not crowded at all. On Friday we went back to the MK and it was DEAD. We literally walked on every ride. Had a great time and even saw Eddie Murphy and his family on the Jungle Cruise.

We are going back the first week of September this year because my sister is getting married the week we went last year.

Expect high humidity and a shower every day around 3-4pm but not one day was a wash out.

Have a great time!!

 

[imdopey]

This will be our 6th trip in a row in August. We love going that time of year. The crowds aren't bad and we get to see more things than other times of the year. We were there Washington's Birthday weekend this year (never to be repeated!) and couldn't believe the crowds. I guess we've been spoiled.
Don't worry about the kiddie rides if you're going on your honeymoon. Go into the parks early and leave after lunch for a few hours around your pool (this tends to be a more crowded place than the parks!). Then head back into a park for dinner and an evening show.
Remember that you'll probably be used to the warm weather, since you've had a whole summer at home to get used to it. Come prepared with ponchos for the rain, altho in 5 years we only had 2 storms, and you'll be set.
ENJOY!!!

 

[diathoney]

The schools in Florida start back on August 4th this year so I don't think you'll run into crowd problems.

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

Just make sure you can take the humidity....that is what kills you. We were there once in August ( had to do advance work for an upcoming seminar we were bringing to Disney (yes it was a tough job but someone had to do it I really don't like it in the Summer. I found it to be disqustinqly hot even when by the pool and welcomed the daily thunderstorms. I did not find it to be crowded. You may want to consider the Yacht Club/ Boardwalk for your honeymoon. At least you can walk around in the evening and it is such a short walk into Epcot.

 

[mirlow]

We have gone three times in August. I prefer it to our January trips. The heat and humidity can be a bit much at times, but there's nothing like a nice cold drink at the pool to cool you down. There seems to be more excitement in the air in the summer. I like it when the parks are open later.
We were just there in January so on this trip every three days is a resort day, and the days in between we will either go to the parks in the morning or at night. The times we go to the parks in the morning I have PS for the first seating within those parks. That way we are already in the park when it opens.
Have a great time

 

[PRaffen]

Have taken 7 trips to WDW and our best ever was the year we went last week of August. Yes, it was hot, but it was just as hot back at home in the northeast that summer.

The best part was there was usually very little wait for any ride. More than made up for the heat. We would tour the parks in the morning, swim in the afternoon and then enjoy the parks again in the evening.

 

[firefawnkimmy]

Thank you all so much for the input! It sounds a lot like how it was for us during our June trips! Hardly any wait a few days, but on others a few days of 45 minute waits (not bad when used to 2 hour waits at Cedar Point!). We are thinking of pushing our honeymoon back a few days. We were originally going to arrive on the 16th, but may choose to arrive like the 19th or 20th. Would any of you push it back a few days in hopes of avoiding the crowds?

 

[MinnieFan4ever]

Wow! This is great news. This will be our first trip in August and we will be going for my husbands birthday. First part of the trip we will be at Vero and the last part at SSR. Since it is just the two of us, rides are not a real big deal. We just wanted to hang out at the beach and pool mostly and relax. I wish August would hurry up and get here already!