First Disney World Trip!

[_jessicarabbit]

I feel like a kid again! I've been going to Disneyland my entire life and I just got done booking my first ever vacation to Disney World! We will be visiting at the end of September. My friend directed me to the disboards I just wanted to see if anyone has visited during that time and what their experiences were? How were the crowds? Weather? Any suggestions or tips would be fantastic! I've waited about 20 years for this!!

 

[noahdove]

I usually only go in August and it's hot and hot...Crowds are ok,
it rains at least once a day, and on that note, it may rain in MK and not
anyplace else and vice versa.I take chilly towels with me to keep me cool
and I drink lots of water(free from counter service)...I do like to get up and out
early to make the most of my days....I only plan to a bit, as I have to gauge the
day by who I take and the weather... Just remember you won't be able to do everything
and will need to go back... Enjoy and have fun...

 

[hmharter]

Late September is usually hot-ish (think high 80s and very humid) but gorgeous, and fairly low crowds. Get out early, and crowds are even lower! If you're interested in eating on property, definitely start looking for dining reservations now - all for the very popular restaurants will be full (most are full at the 6 month mark when they open!) but people cancel reservations every day, so it can't hurt to keep checking! I tend to overplan and then just not worry too much about missing things and take it day by day (just make sure you cancel any dining by 10pm the day before, or you have to pay a deposit). Have some idea of what parks you want to visit, take a look at things like Extra Magic Hours, and when there are special events going on - for instance, Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party will be going on, so that affects Magic Kingdom hours.

Have fun!!

 

[minnie mum]

Welcome to the Dis. Whoa! This Sept? That won't give you much time to plan, but it's doable. Crowds will be OK, but food and wine festival plus free dining add to the numbers. It is still very hot and humid. Afternoon showers/ thunderstorms are common .

Because WDW is so big, and because the parks aren't side by side like DLR/DCA, you'll need to spend a bit more time planning. The Halloween parties at MK are also going on, and they're hard ticket events , so you'll need to plan around them as well.

You don't mention how long you're staying, whether you're staying on site, or if you have Park hopper tickets. These matter when planning, most especially when it comes to EMH and FP bookings.

I'd recommend you start by planning which park you will go to each day. A good resource for this is easywdw.com. Their crowd calendar includes recommended parks for each day as well as a day by day overview of things that may affect crowds and park touring.

Once you know which park(s) you'll be in each day, you can make your ADRs for any TS restaurants you want to eat at. I like to make ADRs for the park or nearby resort I'll be in during that time period. This saves a heap of transportation time. The Restaurants forum can help with questions. Allears.net is a good place to chekc out the restaurant menus.

You can make FPs 60 days in advance if you are staying on site (provided you have a ticket attached to your MDE account). If you're staying offsite, you can't make them til 30 days out. There is a sticky on the Theme Parks board that deals with FP questions.

Good luck with your planning. Hope you have a great time.

 

[_jessicarabbit]

I know it's soon! We just decided to do it and I couldn't wait! Lol. We have the Park Hopper with water park tickets and we're going to be going to the Halloween party and we'll be there for 8 days with a day at Universal. We'll be staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort with the free dining package! Thank you for your recommendations and the warm welcome!

 

[marissamayhem]

I was in WDW for my honeymoon in late September 2014 and it rained either all day or most of the day every.single.day, and I really think the only thing that kept me sane through that much rain were my crocs. I definitely recommend them if you weren't already planning on them, especially for the time of year you'll be there. When it wasn't raining, I'd wear them with socks and when I saw it was going to start, I'd take off my socks. My poor husband was wearing sneakers and got so many blisters from all the walking in wet socks.

Also, the food & wine festival will probably be starting in Epcot while you're there. My husband and I set aside an entire lunch and just wandered around eating from all the different booths. They can get kind of hectic at night and on weekends though.

 

[sbarisch]

I know it's soon! We just decided to do it and I couldn't wait! Lol. We have the Park Hopper with water park tickets and we're going to be going to the Halloween party and we'll be there for 8 days with a day at Universal. We'll be staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort with the free dining package! Thank you for your recommendations and the warm welcome!

We've gone to WDW each of the last 4 September's and will be there again this September. We find it one of the best times to go. The last 2 times we stayed at Caribbean Beach, as well! We love that resort - just know that it is large and spread out. The pool is wonderful and we love the theming. September is hot and humid, so push the fluids and use inside attractions to get out of the heat some. MNSSHP is an awesome time. If you dress up, just be sure to wear light costumes. It's still hot. The best advice I can give you is to take your time, look around and soak up the details and atmosphere. That's when I feel the magic the most.

 

[Tink575]

I second the recommendation of socks with Crocs. If you wear leather walking shoes, e.g. New Balance, spray them with waterproof spray. I coat mine well twice so my orthotics don't get wet. Sometimes I need the foot and ankle support, but warning in Sept walking shoes are hot.

 

[Mr & Mrs DD]

Hot & humid. We had rain showers about every day. We used to use ponchos, but you're wearing plastic and it doesn't breath. We would get so hot & sweaty (more than we already were). The hood also interferes with your peripheral vision. We now use small umbrellas. They are not as easy to pack as the ponchos, but we manage.
Blisters can be a BIG problem. We had blisters so bad we could hardly walk by the end of the week. We still wear sneakers, but now we grease the body of our feet each morning before starting out to the parks. The grease prevents friction and we no longer suffer with blisters. They are a variety of products you can use, even Vaseline, which is what we used the first time we prepped our feet. We also invested in some really good New Balance shoes. If you decide to get new sneakers by New Balance, I would recommend getting them from a New Balance store if you have one in your area.
All the previous posts offer good advice to you. Hope you have a great time.

 

[sbarisch]

I actually recommend sports sandals - like Tevas or Keena - that can get wet, dry quickly, and support your feet. I never get blisters and my feet feel pretty good at the end of the day. Another tip - don't forget sunscreen! We apply some in the morning before leaving and I carry a bottle and stick to reapply in the parks.

 

[StephanieCL]

It is my first time too! So excited!!! I've actually never been to Disneyland either. I am from the South but currently in the NE so hopefully I can still deal with the heat and humidity!

 

[AshleeH]

Crowds will be good, leaning toward a little crowded since Halloween parties will be kicking off around that time. It will be hot. We go in October and it's still frequently in the 90s - occasionally triple digits, so September will be similar. Disneyland has much better weather in July when we went than WDW does in October.

Buy The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World - that was the best resource when I was planning our first trip several years ago (so much so that I bought newer editions and DCL and DLR editions when we planned those trips). It covers absolutely everything you could want to know.

 

[Hootch]

It is Food and Wine at that time and there was a "free dining" offering for that time. Dining at WDW is different than DL. Some places are booked up five or six months in advance. There are always sit down places to eat but there may be fewer options.

May I suggest looking at HydroGuy's posts. He is a SoCal resident that has visited WDW numerous times. He has posts for WDW people visiting DL and vice versa. I used his posts when preparing for our trip to DL. Here is an older thread of his.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/an-introduction-to-wdw-for-dlr-vets.1332683/#post-16541636

 

[katt789]

September is my FAVORITE time to go! It's still rather hot and humid, but the crowds are lower, the fall decorations are up and HALLOWEEEEEEEEN!
-Dont miss MNSSHP, they're incredible
-STAY COOL, drink LOTS of water, pop in and out of gift shops or areas with a/c frequently
-If you want to/can, try to squeeze in some midday breaks, at least on a couple of days where you can nap/pool time to cool off
-SUNSCREEN, again, it's sunny as heck and hot as heck!
Have fun!!!!

 

[ashleyr409]

This will be my first trip to Disneyworld. I am super excited. I think I am more excited than my little ones. My DH is not that excited, he has to wait to the day gets closer.

283 days 7hrs. 48minutes!!!