How bad is August? Be brutally honest, please :)

[NHDisneyKid]

So my aunt's family has never been to the World, and they want us to go with them....Only stipulation, it had to either be in April (when my 17 y/o cousin is on vacation) or in August (the slowest season for my uncle who owns his own business)...

ANYWAY, we've started the planning process, but what I want to know is: How BAD is August? Aside from the heat, we don't mind that, how are the crowds, etc? We hope to go the last week in August just after the prices drop (hey, I've been many times but I still like to get a good deal, lol)

Any August vets? Please help!!


~sarah

 

[allshookup]

Honestly not bad at all on the week days! The florida students are already back in school by then so the crowds tend to die down a bit. Just keep in mind, that the hours are cut back and a lot of repair works seems to go on around that time. Spectro Magic is usually only shown on Saturday nights and MK is really crowded then! Other than that....we love to go at that time of year!

 

[Credit Man]

We have gone the last two weeks of Aug. the last two years and are doing it again this year. It is hot but with afternoon breaks and pool time, it is very enjoyable.

Crowds are down, but hours decrease in the last week.

 

[DrKnow77]

My fiancee and I just went in August of 2002 and it was really nice. The longest wait we had was for The Great Movie Ride, and it was about 30 minutes. Otherwise 10 - 15 minutes was the norm... and that's if you didn't fast pass anything. We fast passed most of the bigger attractions, which helped out alot. If you go the last week of August, you'll be just fine.

 

[eeyore0062]

We have gone to WDW in August twice. Once in 1984 and the other just last August. Here are some things most people worry about when they go in August:

Heat--- yeah, it is hot... but so many of the attractions are inside, or shaded, it really didn't bother us. Just make sure to lather on the sunscreen, drink LOTS of water and wear comfortable shoes. Try to get up early and see as much of your selected park by noon, then take a break and come back around 4 or 5 or after the rain shower. Also, those water misters are a godsend!

Rain--- expect it...daily! Usually there is a rain shower or thunderstorm around 4 pm every day. Many times it does help cool things off. This past year it was a very rainy August, so the rain would start around noon and go until sunset. Take an umbrella and don't let it stop you. Very few attractions close due to rain!

Crowds--- not bad at all. Many of the local kids and kids in the Southern portion of the US have gone back to school. Also, many people are scared off by... yes, you guessed it... the heat. We waited in very few lines, and we did take advantage of fastpass.

We wouldn't hesitate to visit WDW in August again!

Hope this helps clear up any concerns!

 

[NHDisneyKid]

Thank you for the good news! I think we were totally spoiled going last Nov and Dec, when there were no crowds there, but it sounds like August shouldn't be too bad after all

Credit Man, I like what you said about afternoon breaks...We're the type of people that go to Disney and never even see our hotel room except to pass out at night. This will give us a chance to actually swim (before I always thought, "who swims at Disney?" lol)...

All of your info is greatly appreciated!

 

[kdonnel]

We have gone in July. We have sworn never to go in July again.

That was the worst trip ever. It was so bad we thought about canceling our cruise/land trip for October.

The October trip went so well we did not want to leave the parks to get on the boat.

The heat made for an awful trip with our 2 year old daughter. She was miserable and that made us miserable.

If you don't have any small kids I would think you would be fine!

 

[NHDisneyKid]

No small kids in my family anymore!!

Me and my brother, and my two cousins are the "kids" on this trip. Respecitively we're 23, 27, 21 and 18...with my 29 y/o bf and my bro's 27 y/o wife, lol
I'm hoping we're all old enough to deal with the heat!!


I can totally see how the heat would make small kids very cranky though, I'm sorry your daughter, and in turn you, had such an awful time

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Everything said on this thread- I can deal with... except now I'm concerned about a lot of things being closed down for refurbishment during our trip.

 

[DrKnow77]

As far as closings in August, here is what was closed when we went:

1) Carosel of Progress ( my favorite ride!)
2) Maelstrom (Norway)
3) MGM Studios Back Lot Tour

I think that's all.... maybe one more ride, but nothing that too big at all. I wouldn't worry about attraction closings too much.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Well, Carousel of Progress has always been closed for me.

However, Backlot Tours and Maelstrom are both things my family didn't get to do (but I did on my solo trip) and I sure wanted them to do these on the next trip!

Wahhhhh. Seems like there is definitely a trade off. If you go during the value seasons so it's not as packed and you can actually do more things- you end up going when things are being refurbished so you CAN'T do them.

 

[Dancind]

We went the second week of August last year, had to be home for an Aug. 17 first day of school. It was hot, but so is May and September, other times we have been there. We just spent more time by the pool than usual. Less rain than September. The crowds didn't seem that bad, I don't remember any problems getting in restaurants, or any excessive waits for rides. We spent one day at Disney Quest, got there at opening and had done everything (twice) by 3 pm. Not a bad trip at all, in fact, we're planning an encore!

 

[bobcat]

We've been the past two August and love it! It is hot and it does rain but the crowds aren't bad.

BibbidyBobbidyBoo Maelstrom was referbished last year so it shouldn't be closed this year.

 

[drcmk]

I've been to WDW a handful of times and the only trip that I did not enjoy was in August (1993). The heat was utterly unbearable. Even the air conditioned buildings were not cool enough and waiting outdoors for busses or attractions in the heat was just awful. I would never go again in August.

 

[urchin]

As a New Englander, like me, I think you will find the heat/humidity unbearable. Went to WDW end of july 2002, was very uncomfortable & crowds were heavy. Only part of my Orlando trip I enjoyed was Discovery Cove where we were in the water the whole time. We also had thunder showers every afternoon.
Am returning to WDW this march (hooray) to make up for our sticky summer trip.
Going to WDW should be fun not a test of endurance or a test of how much discomfort you can handle.
I actually like the heat, have enjoyed traveling to Arizona in the summer, but Florida's heat combined with their humidity can be overwhelming.

 

[Rebeltinkle]

I think the bottom line is that everyone knows what they are comfortable with concerning the weather at that time of year. Personally I agree with the posts of how horrible Florida heat and humidity is in the summer. I have never been as uncomfortable as I have been when we visited in June and July. Luckily, we are able to go at different times of the year, and have had wonderful experiences. If you do go in the summer, my salvation was freezing the water in our portable bottles the night before we went to a park. It defrosts while you walk around and the ice cold water is a godsend.

 

[AllyandJack]

I always go in July and August. Last year I was married there in August. Yes...it's hot. Very hot. So hot that my husband and I get up early, hit the parks and leave by noon (especially Animal Kingdom). Then we do other things...swim....shop....have lunch and rest at the hotel. We shower and change and feel refreshed and ready to hit the parks again by 5pm. I find August less crowded than July with less tour groups. The parks are open late in early August, so you can afford to take a good afternoon break and regroup. Bring lots of water - the good news is Disney sells Dasani now instead of that horrible Zephyr Hills.

You also have to watch out for the torrential rain and severe thunderstorms...but, it's so hot that you actually welcome the rain. This is the best time to tour the parks. A lot of people run for cover, but we just throw on the ponchos and go!

We love August - obviously since we chose that month to get married there! Ironically, we had two guests from Massachusetts who didn't want to come because it was going to be too hot. Well...the week of my wedding, the temperature in FL was in the 80's and it was over 100 every day in MA!!

 

[Lezah]

We were there last year for the last 2 weeks in August. We didn't find it as hot there as it was back home in the great white north. I think that Florida in June and July are much hotter than August. My son and I both have asthma and the humidity affects us badly, and we didn't have much problems with it. You do have to be prepared to keep going despite the rain. It rained almost every day at around 4pm. We just booked our PS's for around that time and had a late lunch/early dinner. If we ever got caught out in the rain we just stuck on the ponchos and traipsed off to where we wanted to go. We did get rained out of Fantasmic 3 times, so I would recommend planning it early in the trip so if you get rained out, you have a backup date. The crowds were heavier in the first couple of days of the holiday, but then things got much lighter and was quite pleasant. All in all it was our best trip to Disney ever, until 57 days from now of course!!

 

[Nik's Mom]

We honeymooned in WDW in late August 1996 (we got married at the Disneyland Hotel). We went March 2001 and it was too cold for us. We are doing our 3rd trip August 1 - 7. How different are the crowds in early August as opposed to late August? To be honest, the heat really didn't bother us because we had mentally prepared ourselves for it. We are takin our 4 year old and one year old this time, so we will definitly rest up during the heat of the day.

 

[Sleepy]

Last 2 weeks of August is our personal favorite time to go. We tried March and found it to be too cold and unfortunately the week we were there, it rained all day long most days. Cold+rain=misery. We had to go one year in mid July. Oh my, it was way too hot. Hotter than late August. I thought I was gonna die . It was crowded with people and the touring groups were impossible to escape. Late August has fewer crowds and the heat is not as bad. It does rain, but only for about an hour in the afternoon and if you get wet, at least you won't freeze. Sure, the parks close a bit earlier, but we really enjoy this time of year. We won't go any other time.