Going in August

[waltslostnephew]

Looks like we may be going 8-10 thru 8-15, what are the crowds like the second week of August? We will be going during the week. Thinking about staying at Wilderness Lodge, how is the transportation to the parks from there? The monorail and Magic Kingdom seem close...

 

[Kimmy]

I've gone the third & fourth week of August the past four years. The crowds aren't bad. We get up for park opening, and have no waits in the morning, back to the hotel at lunch time for a swim, and back to the parks after dinner. The lines later in the day aren't bad, I think the longest was 20 minutes. This year I'm going August 2nd to 9th, Saratoga Springs. I'm expecting it to be a little more crowded that first week. Kids in the south go back to school in the beginning of August.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We were at WL from Aug. 14-23 last year. We didn't think the crowds were bad, but I am not a good judge of crowds. I don't notice it being better or worse no matter what time of year we go.

I have to say I found transportation from WL MADDENING. Bad enough that I wrote to WDW when we got home.

The bus stop for MK had a "hood" over it, so we were never really sure if a bus to MK was coming. We mostly went by boat, which was fine. The one day we had an 8 AM ADR for Crystal Palace the sign on the dock said boats run from 6:45 AM. Well, no they don't. The boat to the Contemporary runs that early, NOT the boat to MK. We ended up taking the boat and then walking to MK because the monorail would have taken too long. I was FURIOUS. It was so hot and humid that we were all big melted messes by the time we got to breakfast.
The bus service to the other parks was like "bus roulette" - round and round the buses go, where they stop, nobody knows! We stopped at the campgrounds, the water parks, other resorts (Contemporary, GF, whatever) so there was absolutely NO way to plan for travel time. You never knew how many stops a bus would make before you got to the park you were trying to get to. The night we went to La Nouba it took 55 minutes to get to DTD. That was on the bus that we boarded AT WL! Coming back we took the bus to the Contemporary and rode the boat back to WL because no WL buses ever came. The transportation really, really irritated me.

 

[waltslostnephew]

Thanks for the info. I kind of wonder about that. Anybody have problems with the transpo at Wilderness Lodge?

 

[AlexWyattMommy]

My experience was 2 years ago during free dining. I think all transportation for all resorts at that time was pretty hit or miss.

Best to ask this question as it's own thread. You might get some folks just coming back to answer this one for you.

 

[gmboy95]

We did August for years and the only feedback I can give is HOT!!!.....You think it wont be that big of a deal, but unless you plan for it, the heat can be overbearing....the crowds are not as bad first thing in the morning, and i would suggest heading for zee' hills around 1pm or after lunch....It is best to go back and either hit the pool or have a nice AC Nap, and get back at it late in the afternoon.

 

[vanillarum]

We stayed at the WL on our 2 previous trips, and we never had any issues with the transportation. We stayed at the Poly this last trip because we wanted a change. My 2 kids, 11 and 15, love the WL, as do my wife and I. The nice thing about the transportation is that you have options: boat to monorail, boat to parks, or bus. We use them all ! And we usually go mid Aug. (15-24 this past trip) and find the crowds not too bad. Like the pp said, go early, return to the hotel, then back to the park. Good luck and have fun !!

 

[eliza61]

Thanks for the info. I kind of wonder about that. Anybody have problems with the transpo at Wilderness Lodge?

None what so ever. Took the buses to Epcot, AK & Mgm. longest wait was 25 minutes (that's not a long wait IMO but when I'm on vacation I really worry about time) We always used the boat to MK. Again we loved it. It was a leisurely ride and in the heat of August it was a nice way to travel.

We tend to go the last week in August and the crowds are definitely manageable.

 

[frdeb1999]

We went the 2nd week into August this past year and the crowds were'nt bad at all. If you go early you can pretty much get on everything at least once in most cases. It was alot better then we were expecting....although the heat was another matter!! WOW talk about hot....still a wonderful time though!

 

[Nicole721]

We're going from 8/10-8/16.

We went around the same time seven years ago, and I don't remember it being horridly crowded (but very rainy and HOT), but it was also my second WDW trip (and my sister's first) so we were just very excited.

I'm not worried about transportation, as we're staying in the GF and will be using the monorail to get to the parks (we're only going to MK and Epcot as of now), but I'm more worried about the crowds since we'll have grandma with us and she'll likely be in a wheelchair.

 

[phillyatdisney]

We usually go in August ourselves, we are planning a trip from August 3-15, the biggest thing I would say and like everybody else is the heat... as long as you pace yourself and take breaks it will not be that bad...

 

[pooh2001]

Wow - we just book the Polynesian for 8/16 to 8/23

I never thought about southern school back in session.

We like EE AM mornings at AK & MK. And late nights at DHS & EPCOT.

Is August a major rainy month ? Hurricanes ?
We have never been in August

 

[JennyDrake]

I've been the second week in August teh last two years. IF you get to the parks at opening, you can do a lot. the crowds seem to roll in between 11-1. I am a good Southern girl, but let me tell you that August 2007 was just about more than I could stand. AK seems to be the worst. As others have said, go early, then go back to the room and swim and nap. Crowds and heat die down a bit after 4 p.m.

 

[stemikger]

This will be the fourth year in a row I will be going in August. The crowds are hit or miss. The longest wait is usually 20 to 40 minutes, but when it goes past 40 minutes we use fast pass.

I have no experience with the transport from WL, because for the past three years we have been staying at Pop. We love it there. We use the Disney buses and have no problems.

It is very hot this time of year, so we usually leave the park mid-day and go back for a swim and then hit the parks again. We did the meal plan last year, but won't be doing it again. I love to eat, but it was way too much food.

Make sure you drink pleanty of water and wear comfortable shoes. I wear crocs. They saved my vacation last year.