Do I keep my Sept vacation?

[AngiTN]

So what is your other choice? Not go at all? I think that's way worse

 

[monorailrabbit]

Sept is an AWESOME time to go! We always try to go during either Sept or Oct. We usually book our FP+ in the afternoon and we hit rope drop as well. I didn't have a problem with crowds at all and the only ride I can remember having a rather long wait was Splash and Soarin'. As long as you are smart about the FP+ and hit all of your must-do's early you will be fine. You're going to Disney! It's going to be a blast!!

 

[Raeven]

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[asbyrneva]

So we have a trip planned in September from the 9-18th. Nine nights, 5 park days and 3 days off. I had a lot of reservation about it before but then decided after asking many questions to keep that time frame. Because I was worried about crowds. Now seeing how Jan is going the other "Low" time (which I know is no such thing anymore) I am really worried. I get its gonna be crowded all the time I get its never gonna be empty. But its not enjoyable with little kids and hardly being able to walk and having to wait all day to ride things. Sure I'll wait a few times I don't expect to get on every ride in 10 minutes. BUT I don't want to wait 40+ min to ride everything except the 3 fast passes we planned. I don't want to seem negative but it seems this is how its going to be all the damn time. For such a freaking expensive vacation I don't know if I want to risk not even enjoying it. Back in December 2014 when we went it was great. Crowds were a 4//5/6 I think and it was so manageable. Other than the Christmas party night and Saturday at AK crowds were not bad at all for most of the time. We did everything we wanted to do. Walked around comfortably with people around, didn't wait super long for anything, met tons of characters it was a great trip. Now Sept I'm am thinking will be a 1/2/3 prediction which you'd think would be lower crowds then early December but how things look like they are going I'm afraid its really not gonna be like that at all again. We do Rope Drop, we do 60 day FP planning, we do ADR at 180 days. I know how to tour now. BUT with all that said. Even if we do that all that and then Noon rolls around everyday at each park and its jammed packed how are you to enjoy the rest of your day. I don't know I know I'm being a pessimist but Im also being a realist. What do you all think?

So even if its crazy crowded (which I dont believe at all) it is extremely doable with proper planning. I have gone at thanksgiving and at easter and the end of August. Thanksgiving 2015 we never waited more than 30 minutes for anything we did everything we wanted to do and most was 15 minutes. The one 30 minutes wait was for Buzz at 230 in the afternoon and it had been down for a while around lunch. I can't imagine that is worse than thanksgiving or easter week so i would relax about the crowds. You sound like you know how to tour so I wouldn't worry, and as you mentioned you dont expect walkons on every ride.

Since it will be hot go early at RD do the must do's for the first 2 hours that you dont have FP for. Then sprinkle FP for the next 2-4 hours with other things of interest that have low crowds and lunch and snacks. Go back to resort swim chill nap maybe go back to the park after sun down. Make sure you check MK dates around parties but other than that I would think it was a great time to go with little kids.

 

[NicholeB630]

We loved the dessert party. We did the Halloween one though so we had a reserved spot for the parade and fireworks. The regular dessert party is just for the fireworks I believe. We thought it was worth it to escape the hassle of finding spots and enjoy our first time there. We want to try the regular one too next time were there. I wouldn't recommend the parade fp for the daytime parade though it was incredibly hot, and we probably could've found a better and shadier seat.

I would do the Halloween one if they have it again and you go for Mnsshp, but if you want to do a lot of rides/characters/trick or treating it does take up a chunk of time. We did our rides etc at other times and just wanted to take it easy our first party.

I also didn't think the price was too bad but there was only two of us. So it was around $116.

Thats what I want it for the party! I just cannot deal with having to get a parade spot hours before and its just not enjoyable standing there being shoved non stop for the fire works I can't wait to do it. I really hope they have it again. I need to figure out what my kids will want to do most for the party though. Meet a few characters, trick or treat or just ride rides.

 

[NicholeB630]

We loved the dessert party. We did the Halloween one though so we had a reserved spot for the parade and fireworks. The regular dessert party is just for the fireworks I believe. We thought it was worth it to escape the hassle of finding spots and enjoy our first time there. We want to try the regular one too next time were there. I wouldn't recommend the parade fp for the daytime parade though it was incredibly hot, and we probably could've found a better and shadier seat.

I would do the Halloween one if they have it again and you go for Mnsshp, but if you want to do a lot of rides/characters/trick or treating it does take up a chunk of time. We did our rides etc at other times and just wanted to take it easy our first party.

I also didn't think the price was too bad but there was only two of us. So it was around $116.

Also I am kinda confused where exactly you sit for the parade? Its around the flag pole. Is that right when you come into magic kingdom. I think I remember seeing a parade route and it goes around in a circle but it seemed like if you were sitting at a certain spot it wouldn't be great for viewing as they parade didn't pass right by you since it goes around then out the other way? Does that make since. Did you find that there was plenty of curb space for everyone in there? Ill be curious as to how soon we should get in there etc.

 

[crazedprincess]

Oh funny... We went the exact same dates but in 2014!!!! Loved it! I'm not going to lie, yes MK was crowded, especially in the afternoon...like wall to wall people, strollers and scooters everywhere, making it hard to navigate and walk anywhere. So coming off a January 2011 trip where everything was walk on, I was shocked at the crowds. But with planning and keeping an open mind, you will be just fine, I promise! The other parks were fine. And it was HOT and humid. We had very little rain and the heat does make you tired, so make sure to take breaks with your little ones. We love the heat (coming from MN) but you are only human and you will get a little cranky if you don't take breaks. We did MNSSHP and it was the best part of our trip! Our party was not crowded (we did Sunday the 14th, I believe) and it amazed me how many people left after the fireworks and first parade.

We would go in September again but my hubby's fall allergies were pretty bad there. So we are currently going end of November/beginning of December this year! We can't wait and I'm keeping an open mind on the crowds.

 

[Julylady]

Due to our jobs (educators) we can ONLY travel to WDW during Christmas break, spring break or late June through July, i.e. the busiest days of the year. With a good plan in place, we always have a great time!

One thing for you to consider. Before FP plus, we used to tour like you are planning. We would stay for a week and spend 5 days in the parks, 2 days off without any park tickets. That plan no longer works best for us. Now, if we are at WDW for 7 days, we spend a part of each day in the park (i.e. FP plus for all 7 days). But we also plan off hours for each day. On one day we might not go to a park until 12noon, but then stay until midnight. Or, we hit rope drop and stay until 2pm, but then spend the afternoon/evening at the resort. Of course, you need to plan carefully so that a 12midnight is not followed with a rope drop! We need to buy a 7 day pass rather than a 5 day pass, but the 6th and 7th days are at a very low cost. We find that this touring plan is a good fit for us!

 

[powellrj]

We went last September for the first time and are planning another September trip! It was a nice time to go!

 

[subtchr]

I'm with Julylady. For only $10 extra per person, add at least one more day to your tickets.

It sounds as if you have one day when you are doing the Halloween Party, and you could keep that as planned -- swim at AKL, late-ish lunch at Kona, relax at Poly until 4. But then you still have two days without park tickets. Yes, there is plenty to do at AKL, DS, and elsewhere, but to us it would absolutely be worth another half-day in a park, for another set of FP, maybe just go for night time entertainment, maybe a couple EMH hours to ride things at night, that kind of thing.

My only other comment is that WDW is so much more than "rides". You seem to be stressed about wait times. Think about the shows, parades, atmosphere, great meals, just family time touring the parks. Even lines don't have to be torture, if you approach them with the attitude that this is time together. You don't mention how old your kids are, but come up with games to play in line. When our kids were little, we did that a lot. Heck, my kids, now all in their 20s, still talk about riding the buses and monorails when they were little!

Hope you can feel good about your trip -- don't want to start out so stressed that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy!

 

[NicholeB630]

I'm with Julylady. For only $10 extra per person, add at least one more day to your tickets.

It sounds as if you have one day when you are doing the Halloween Party, and you could keep that as planned -- swim at AKL, late-ish lunch at Kona, relax at Poly until 4. But then you still have two days without park tickets. Yes, there is plenty to do at AKL, DS, and elsewhere, but to us it would absolutely be worth another half-day in a park, for another set of FP, maybe just go for night time entertainment, maybe a couple EMH hours to ride things at night, that kind of thing.

My only other comment is that WDW is so much more than "rides". You seem to be stressed about wait times. Think about the shows, parades, atmosphere, great meals, just family time touring the parks. Even lines don't have to be torture, if you approach them with the attitude that this is time together. You don't mention how old your kids are, but come up with games to play in line. When our kids were little, we did that a lot. Heck, my kids, now all in their 20s, still talk about riding the buses and monorails when they were little!

Hope you can feel good about your trip -- don't want to start out so stressed that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy!

Thanks maybe we will add on a another park ticket just to be safe. But last minute adding Fast passes does that work well with getting ones that really need it? Like say we decide one afternoon to go to a park for a few hours, would we really get any good ones. My kids will be 7 and 4 so it will be easier than last time with them 5 and 2. MY son the 4 year old will be able to last much longer and do more. We will try and see more shows and parades as well. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Raeven]

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[Raeven]

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[Raeven]

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[tinka-belle]

Another tip: Don't stress when the trip is close and you see all the weather forecasts predicting thunderstorms and rain every day. As the humidity builds during the day there is often rain mid to late afternoon, but most likely a brief downpour, and sometimes just at one park and not another. The storms are very localized, somewhere in the area will get rain, not everywhere, and it usually doesn't last very long. Yes, there are exceptions, but for the most part rain will not be as big an issue every day as it looks to be on the weather sites.

 

[katt789]

I will be the first to admit that yes, September is getting more crowded every year, BUT that being said, it is still one of the least crowded times of year to be there! We still managed to walk onto most things, not wait more than 20-25 mins (minus Anna & Elsa and mine train but they were still fairly new).

Keep the trip, keep the weekends to do your rest days, or at least hit up Epcot on those days, bigger park, feels less crowded on a busier day. Use undercovertourist & easy wdw to cross reference your crowd calendars and use those days accordingly and you'll have little to no problems

 

[mickeyluv'r]

We've been in September a few times. For us, it wasn't our favorite time to go.

We didn't like the limited park hours.

While we've since gone in August a number of times, we always keep the weather in mind. September is hurricane season.

Weather any time of year is unknown and variable, but our September trips tended to be pretty rainy. That said, you might get perfect weather.

You also might not care if it rains, because rain = lower crowds.

When we plan trips, crowds aren't the only thing we consider. For us, the biggest plus of September was low prices on transportation and hotel rates, but low rates aren't random.

We also consider Wishes to be a highlight of any trip. The other thing we didn't love about September was the limited opportunity to see Wishes as part of our regular park tickets. Though you might really love the party.

 

[Nancyg56]

I'm not worried about heat bc both our past trips it's been cold!! I'm looking forward to it being hot

Be careful what you wish for, we went in August and I have never minded teh heat. It was blistering.

 

[DisneyCAL]

We went Sept. 12-19 this past September. Crowds were delightful! Short waits but the fireworks one night we went was crowded and hard to get out of the park. Other than that I wouldn't worry.

 

[tlmadden73]

If the crowd complaints about January and you are worried that September will be too crowded .. when WOULD you go?

i would have gone in September last year (after Labor Day), but I wanted to go before (and on) my son's 3rd birthday (while he was still free) without having to lie about it, so we went the last few days of August.

It was hot in the morning, and poured EVERY day and a hurricane was coming near (but veered off), but we still had a great time.

It was still a good time as the crowds were low (either due to time of year or due to weather .. or both). It was much less congested than it was the previous October.

We didnt' get done all we wanted, but that was due to weather and just a slow-moving big family group . .NOT crowds. We didn't wait long for anything. Half of our fast passes were "wasted" as the rides were walk-on anyway (Enchanted Tales, Star Tours and Disney Junior).


Just be where the crowds AREN'T if you want to avoid them. That means going early... taking advantage of rope drop and perhaps morning EMH .. taking a break in the afternoon (or doing shows in the afternoon) .. eat at non-typical times and go on rides while everyone else is getting ready to watch the parades and night shows.