Early sept a good time for wdw

[estnh]

We were there this year from Sept 3-10 and would never ever go in early September again. Crowds were lighter for sure (except for the Halloween party which was ridiculously crowded). Almost all ride times were very reasonable. But the overpowering heat and humidity just wipes you out. Our normal visiting times have been late fall and early spring, but we thought we would take a shot at the early September dates to minimize the crowds. Never again.

 

[SaintsManiac]

We were there this year from Sept 3-10 and would never ever go in early September again. Crowds were lighter for sure (except for the Halloween party which was ridiculously crowded). Almost all ride times were very reasonable. But the overpowering heat and humidity just wipes you out. Our normal visiting times have been late fall and early spring, but we thought we would take a shot at the early September dates to minimize the crowds. Never again.

Yep it definitely changed how we toured. We will go in summer again, but not for 8 days straight. Never again.

 

[manicmonkey]

Ditto the last few posts, we did 8-14 and the weather was miserable. Will gladly take bigger crowds to avoid that again.

 

[Jennasis]

It might be because we live in the south, but the "heat and humidity" never bother us. My parents wanted to die on our 2016 early Sept trip but Dh and I both barely broke a sweat. People on the boards were complaining about the awful heat too. I don't get it LOL.

The week after Labor Day is our favorite time to go. The only con...and it's a biggie..

The height of HURRICANE season. We cancelled last year's trip when Irma hit.

 

[SaintsManiac]

It might be because we live in the south, but the "heat and humidity" never bother us. My parents wanted to die on our 2016 early Sept trip but Dh and I both barely broke a sweat. People on the boards were complaining about the awful heat too. I don't get it LOL.

The week after Labor Day is our favorite time to go. The only con...and it's a biggie..

The height of HURRICANE season. We cancelled last year's trip when Irma hit.

I’ve lived in south Louisiana my entire life. I thought it wouldn’t bother me and it did. I would caution people to be prepared. If I didn’t sweat in 100 degree heat I would be at the doctor asking why.

 

[Jennasis]

I’ve lived in south Louisiana my entire life. I thought it wouldn’t bother me and it did. I would caution people to be prepared. If I didn’t sweat in 100 degree heat I would be at the doctor asking why.

We're fine. (perhaps I should go back to edit it and say we barely broke a sweat LOL. Working outside 24/7/365 on a farm perhaps has built our tolerance to extreme heat. Plus we take breaks, drink water and duck into A/C when needed. Not a big deal.).

 

[smallworldnh]

I thought I'd chime in here too! My DS and DIL just came back from a 9/5-9/10 trip. We almost always go toward the end of September so this was a first time for this early in the month. They said the lines for the attractions were the lowest they've ever seen walk-on to 15 minute waits with the longest being for FOP at 45 minutes in the afternoon!! This was a last minute trip booked about a month before and they managed to get BOG and Akerhaus ADR's. They said Food and Wine was awesome, got a little busy in the evening. Because of this experience, we're booking for next year around the same dates! They only thing to worry about is the heat and humidity, and possibility of hurricanes. Oh, they also did the Halloween party on Sunday evening and crowds were not bad then either!

 

[smallworldnh]

They said they've never seen the front of Cinderellas Castle so empty.

 

[JonathonW]

They said they've never seen the front of Cinderellas Castle so empty.

View attachment 351312 View attachment 351313

I see the doors through the castle are closed- was this immediately before or after a show?

 

[a11ie]

We were there this year from Sept 3-10 and would never ever go in early September again. Crowds were lighter for sure (except for the Halloween party which was ridiculously crowded). Almost all ride times were very reasonable. But the overpowering heat and humidity just wipes you out. Our normal visiting times have been late fall and early spring, but we thought we would take a shot at the early September dates to minimize the crowds. Never again.

Were you at the parks all day or did you do pool/nap breaks in the afternoon? We're planning on next Sept 8-15 and I know it will be hot but are hoping with pool breaks and naps during mid day we will not feel miserable trying to navigate the parks.

 

[randumb0]

Yesterday I arrived at MK after 4 and the middle section of the parking lot was still empty

 

[JonathonW]

Were you at the parks all day or did you do pool/nap breaks in the afternoon? We're planning on next Sept 8-15 and I know it will be hot but are hoping with pool breaks and naps during mid day we will not feel miserable trying to navigate the parks.

If you’re fine with being out of the park by noon and not returning until around dinner time, you should be fine.

Just got back— early mornings were pleasant all week; evenings were hot but tolerable once the sun started to go down. (One catch about this time of year, though: the parks generally don’t stay open particularly late or early when crowds are expected to be light.)

The key’s to not be out in the sun in the middle of the day; the heat and humidity’s stifling.

 

[Greenfield1984]

Also did this early Sept.
Heat was atrocious but quite honestly tolerable.
And we did full long all days in the parks.
We just brought in a backpack cooler full of iced and frozen water and gatorade.

Mid day with all the main attractions done we could do indoor shows like little mermaid, nemo, philharmagic etc. Heck even finally forced me to check out hall of presidents!

Another trick was just enjoying all the shops and their air conditioning.

But yep i suppose if you are sensetive to heat it may not be for you.
But man did i enjoy the lack of crowds.

 

[manicmonkey]

If you’re fine with being out of the park by noon and not returning until around dinner time, you should be fine.

Just got back— early mornings were pleasant all week; evenings were hot but tolerable once the sun started to go down. (One catch about this time of year, though: the parks generally don’t stay open particularly late or early when crowds are expected to be light.)

The key’s to not be out in the sun in the middle of the day; the heat and humidity’s stifling.

Exactly this. My husband talked me into doing a pool morning, then park after lunch so we could be there in the evening, even though I thought it was a bad idea. I should get a gold star for not yelling "I TOLD YOU SO!" later that day. It was at HS, so it was even worse than I think the other parks would have been.

 

[smallworldnh]

I see the doors through the castle are closed- was this immediately before or after a show?

I'm not sure, that's a good question. I'll ask them!

Edit: They said this was shot before a show.