Best time in the summer? Late August?

[sunnymom5]

We are trying to plan a trip this summer when the crowds are not too bad. I thought that late Aug might work with some of the schools starting already. Any advice on an end-Aug trip? I am sure it is hot but what about rain, crowds and anything else you would like to share about that time. Thanks so much!

 

[Sienna]

I don't have information based on personal experience, but the 2010 edition of the Complete Idiot's Guide to Walt Disney World says that crowd levels vary in August between Busy and Packed (the top two crowd levels), with the end of August being the busiest.

 

[Mdoyle07]

We went mid/late August a couple of years ago. The crowds in general weren't bad, with most wait times around 20 minutes (except the coasters/Tower of Terror, etc. which were up to 50-60 minutes). It was very humid, with brief showers most afternoons. Late August tends to be a bit less busy than say June/July b/c a lot of schools do go back around then.

 

[scjo68]

We took our first Aug trip this year. We went the very last week of Aug., schools in Fla. were back in session but it was still before Labor Day, which is when our school system starts.

We have only ever been in Jan. before this. It was more crowded than it usually is in Jan., but I would not call it packed. With careful planning, arrival at rope drop, and wise use of fastpass, we were able to do everything we wanted to do without waiting.

It was definitely hot, but it was about the same as it was here in VA, so I guess we are used to the heat. It added a layer of planning to avoid being outside during the hottest part of the day- unless we were in the pool! There were more rainy periods in aug. than Jan., but the rain was much more short-lived. Rain never stayed too long- in Jan., a rainstorm usually lasted much longer.

Given absolute choice, Aug. would not be my first choice, but given the chance to go in Aug. again, I would not hesitate.

 

[happymommy]

I've done late August 3 times now. It's hot here in Maryland anyway, so most days it's just the same as here. It's never been crowded to me. You do get some pop up thunderstorms, so we just bring an umbrella and duck in somewhere. Showers are usually short-lived in Orlando. The humidity is high as well as the heat, but I've heard it's better than July (which I haven't done).

I like that time of the year, as I can get a good deal at the Swan and Dolphin usually, and the airfares from here are really good if you keep and eye out for them. I'd definitely prefer a cooler time, but for us August was fun too! I know my sister's kids in Missouri are already back at school, but we don't start until after Labor Day.

 

[disneymom06]

For us, end of August is the way to go. It is a cheaper time and my kids are still not back to school as others are so it works for us. We have used the FD promotion and for the 6 of us it works great.

The crowds are inconsistent. We don't do evening extra magic hours but mornings are great. We did Toy Story Mania 4 times in a row and held onto our fast passes for later. We never wait on a line that is more than 15 minutes and even then the kids insist on only 10 minutes. We do get fast passes for the big rides but there have been times that we didn't need them. They were able to use the stand by line and then use the fast pass ticket to go again.

You do have to get used to the afternoon rain storms but they don't last and people do clear out of the park. we do take afternoon breaks becasue of the heat but if you adjust according to the weather it really is a terrific time.

We have gone during other holidays, Easter and Christmas and for us, it really is a great time, crowds as well as cost.

 

[Nicolepa]

We always go the 3rd week in August. It is very hot and humid but the crowds are not bad at all.

 

[andreadoiron]

since labor day was late last year, we went the last week of august/first week of sept.
i was worried about the heat but it rained so much, the heat wasn't too bad. the rain was unusually heavy last year. we were expecting the 2 hour afternoon rainshower but it was anywhere from 3 hours to off and on all day!
the day it didn't rain, it was crazy hot and we trekked around epcot. not the best hot park since there is so much walking.
the crowds were spotty. i suspect the rain kept many people away. epcot late entry on the non rain day was very crowded but late entry usually is anyway.
here's a crucial tip: buy ponchos or bring them. the ponchos that we brought from walmart were junk so we bought some disney ponchos (around $10) and they are the best, very heavy duty vinyl! much better than a rain coat since they cover so much!

 

[Aliceacc]

We've gone the past 2 years in mid August.

Yes, it was hot.

But the crowds were totally manageable; we didn't wait more than 20 minutes for anything last year. My kids got onto every ride they wanted mutliple times because I did my homework regarding fastpasses and had a general plan when we entered the parks each day.

That said, we were there at rope drop every day, and back in the Poly pool by 1 pm every day.It requires some planning, but it was totally worth it.

As to the weather: it can rain part of the afternoon at any point during the summer. Last year my sister was there the week before us and went through a billion disposable ponchos (bought ahead of time at the dollar store.) We didn't need any.

 

[klacey1]

We always go in late August. This year, we went from the 20-25th and found it lovely! It was hot, yes, but we only had 2 rainshowers. They lasted about 20 minutes each and then were gone. We were always there at rope drop and rode all the headliners with less than a 20 minute wait by 12-1. We hit a slower pace after that and rode the less popular rides/rides that never have a wait from 1-3/4. After eating dinner, we returned to the parks and faced the same kind of short wait as in the mornings. 15 minutes for BTMRR at 7:00 pm comes to mind. I LOVE going at this time of the year-- small enough crowds so waits are small, but big enough that the parades are usually every night and park hours are long (HUGE plus for us)! We love the value pricing, too, of course. Free Dining was a fabulous bonus. I honestly can't imagine going at a different time.