How bad is it to go to Disney third week in August ?

[JimmyV]

My experiences: Crowds are manageable. It isn't like the third week of September, by any stretch. But the parks are not "10s" either. Check out Touring Plans for some predictions. The heat and rain, on the other hand, can be a big factor. If you enjoy frequent breaks, going back to the resort, spending the afternoons seeing indoor shows instead of thrill rides, and can commit to not being "commandos", then you will do fine. But if you go-go-go all the time, it will wear you down. You will never look forward to The American Adventure the way you will on an afternoon in mid to late August!

 

[maryj11]

I was there last week and didn't think the temperatures were that bad! I was surprised by the number of afternoon rain showers though. We went mid-August last time, which I thought was hotter, but had quite a few days with no rain (unusual). Given a choice of Memorial day or August, I would choose May due to better weather conditions generally. As far as schools out, around here school runs until mid-June and starts back up the week before Labor Day. Personally I didn't think there was a huge difference in the crowds between those 2 times of year. The later in August you can go, the more the crowds would decrease, but then sometimes park hours decrease also.

Yeah I liked the longer hours in May, it made us feel less rushed. I have to agree the temps were just a bit cooler but I think the worst day was at MK with lots of people making seem worse maybe. The weather didnt seem that much different than when we went during Labor day week.

 

[litlpixie]

You will never look forward to The American Adventure the way you will on an afternoon in mid to late August!

Truer words have never been spoken!

 

[maryj11]

My experiences: Crowds are manageable. It isn't like the third week of September, by any stretch. But the parks are not "10s" either. Check out Touring Plans for some predictions. The heat and rain, on the other hand, can be a big factor. If you enjoy frequent breaks, going back to the resort, spending the afternoons seeing indoor shows instead of thrill rides, and can commit to not being "commandos", then you will do fine. But if you go-go-go all the time, it will wear you down. You will never look forward to The American Adventure the way you will on an afternoon in mid to late August!

Sounds a lot like Labor day week on the weather part , yes American Adventure would be great in the middle of a hot day

 

[maryj11]

Thanks everyone for your opinions I really would like to go in November to see MVMCP but school is a problem. School does take 2 days off in the middle of October she could miss 1 or 2 days maybe.
So I have narrowed it down to Memorial day week, 3rd week in August or a short trip in the middle of October.
The only day that was not as fun as the others this past trip during Memorial day week was our day at MK. It was hot and more crowded than the other parks. Other then that crowds were not bad at all.

 

[Karbase8]

You will never look forward to The American Adventure the way you will on an afternoon in mid to late August! [/QUOTE]

Ahahahahahahahahaha best nap I ever had on a blazing hot day in August! I was out like a light, I must say though I love, love, love the Voices of Liberty.

 

[Disneylover99]

This will be our fifth August trip in a row. We always go the last two weeks of August. It's stinkin hot!!!!And we love it!!!

 

[loislane]

As you can see from my signature, our trips have all been late August or early September.

I will say that of the three trips, crowds were the lowest in September - but that was also a kid-free trip while school was in session.

Overall, we like visiting in August. There are lots of ways to manage the heat and the rain. We feel like the crowds aren't too bad and with some very minimal planning, you can do all you want without much waiting.

We're getting into planning mode to go back in August 2015 - can't wait!

 

[loislane]

Thanks everyone for your opinions I really would like to go in November to see MVMCP but school is a problem. School does take 2 days off in the middle of October she could miss 1 or 2 days maybe.
So I have narrowed it down to Memorial day week, 3rd week in August or a short trip in the middle of October.
The only day that was not as fun as the others this past trip during Memorial day week was our day at MK. It was hot and more crowded than the other parks. Other then that crowds were not bad at all.

October would probably be fun, but I think I will always opt for a longer trip whenever possible.

As for MK, we avoided it a lot during the day, but ended up there many evenings after dinner/dark. We found we could walk on rides like HM, BTMRR, Splash, Space, etc. during fireworks. Because we stayed at the Fort, it was always convenient to end our day at MK as it was just a short ferry ride "home" afterward.

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

We have been last week of August people since our DD started school. The weather is hot and humid but manageable. Crowds are not bad at all. There is a midday storm/rain everyday which does NOT cool things down but DOES clear the parks out As long as you take breaks, keep hydrated and frequent A/C stops you will be fine. The park hours are also extended pretty well into the night which is a bit cooler. We do however change our clothing twice daily. I feel AK is the toughest park to tour in August, for some reason that park just seems soooooooo much hotter. We will be at WDW again starting August 23rd

 

[MomForFrozenAddicts]

My family became Late August Travelers 3 years ago with my older daughter in school. I used to be after Labor Day traveler which was great. In 2011, the lines were so short we didn't bother with FP. I can definitely see an increase of attendance in 2012 and 2013. I was told by crew members that non-peak is a story in the past.

Thunderstorms are expected every midday. It is hot and humid, but so is July. Unless you take the kids out from school, or else it is hard to avoid the heat in summer or the crazy crowds during winter breaks or spring breaks.

My crowd avoidance strategy is to go to a park which has no EMH and shorter operating hours. For example, I go to Magic Kingdom that day no night time parade is scheduled. Yes, I miss something special but 20 mins wait at Peter Pan is better for me.

 

[maryj11]

We have been last week of August people since our DD started school. The weather is hot and humid but manageable. Crowds are not bad at all. There is a midday storm/rain everyday which does NOT cool things down but DOES clear the parks out As long as you take breaks, keep hydrated and frequent A/C stops you will be fine. The park hours are also extended pretty well into the night which is a bit cooler. We do however change our clothing twice daily. I feel AK is the toughest park to tour in August, for some reason that park just seems soooooooo much hotter. We will be at WDW again starting August 23rd

I know when we went this past week I did change clothes a few times. The day we went to MK we did not go back to the room and I felt really yucky and sweaty. We ate at CRT and while getting our pic with Cinderella I tried to stay as far away from her as I could because I knew I did not smell good I hate to be sweaty .

 

[maryj11]

Thanks everyone for your opinions.
So it rains almost everyday and the rain doesn't cool things down
I can deal with an hour of rain but would hate to have one of our days completely rained on. Does it rain all day a lot or just an hour or so mostly ?
We are still undecided.
We have ruled out October because it would have to be a shorter trip. So now it is last week of May or 3rd week of August . Decisions decisions

 

[Kat913]

Thanks everyone for your opinions.
So it rains almost everyday and the rain doesn't cool things down
I can deal with an hour of rain but would hate to have one of our days completely rained on. Does it rain all day a lot or just an hour or so mostly ?
We are still undecided.
We have ruled out October because it would have to be a shorter trip. So now it is last week of May or 3rd week of August . Decisions decisions

Hi. Following this thread as we are doing our first aug trip this year. We can not take my daughter out of school this year & 2 of us in our party are teachers. Hope it doesn't rain for hours either. Don't mind short rain each day. Anyway we were there in sept once (3d week). It was HOT HUMID - like walking through soup AND it poured for the whole week until our last day ( tropical storm system ).hoping it can't be worse than that! We did still manage to have fun- it's disney afterall & there were no lines anywhere! We will be there this aug. 16-23
Happy planning!

 

[maryj11]

Hi. Following this thread as we are doing our first aug trip this year. We can not take my daughter out of school this year & 2 of us in our party are teachers. Hope it doesn't rain for hours either. Don't mind short rain each day. Anyway we were there in sept once (3d week). It was HOT HUMID - like walking through soup AND it poured for the whole week until our last day ( tropical storm system ).hoping it can't be worse than that! We did still manage to have fun- it's disney afterall & there were no lines anywhere! We will be there this aug. 16-23
Happy planning!

Oh dear I hope it wont rain like it did when you went in Sept. that would not be good

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

For those who have been in late August, are the PM rain storms usually early or late afternoon? Just wondering if we should schedule lunches around 1 or 2 so we can tour longer then get out of the rain during lunch - or do they generally start earlier than that?
TIA

 

[wendydarling826]

We have gone every August since 2003. Since I am a teacher, this is when we can take our vacation. I have also been for shorter trips in December, August, January, February, March, and October. The difference between August and the other times of year for me is that I cannot spend an entire day touring a park in August. We go to a park in the morning as early as possible, and by early afternoon we are back at the resort for time in the pool and resting. We go back out at night for fireworks or some more park time. It's important to have strategies for coping with the heat - drinking lots of water, using a personal fan, dress very lightly and cover the head, and go into air conditioned buildings as often as possible. When the afternoon storms hit, get inside quickly - the lightning can be fierce. However, the storms usually pass quickly and rarely have we had rain for an entire day. I love our August vacations - yes, it is hot and humid, but that forces us to slow down a little, and that is what a vacation should be!

 

[staceyrhood]

For those who have been in late August, are the PM rain storms usually early or late afternoon? Just wondering if we should schedule lunches around 1 or 2 so we can tour longer then get out of the rain during lunch - or do they generally start earlier than that?
TIA

You never know...summer storms in Florida vary all the time. Yesterday they started at 11am until 6pm, today they were from 1:45-5:30, 2 days ago they were from 1:30-3:30.... Changes all the time, but it usually is everyday for at least a little bit. I would just plan lunch when you can, and have fun... Oh, and bring ponchos

 

[alicat8]

We've been in late august before and going this year. There's usually an afternoon thunderstorm for a little while. It's super hot and humid. Crowds drop around the 3rd week, but not to 4s and 5s. More like 7s and 8s, which feels empty compared to other "teacher seasons" . If you have to go during school season, early June or late Aug are the best options, in my opinion. But I don't mind the heat much. We do rope drop and sometimes and afternoon break.

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

You never know...summer storms in Florida vary all the time. Yesterday they started at 11am until 6pm, today they were from 1:45-5:30, 2 days ago they were from 1:30-3:30.... Changes all the time, but it usually is everyday for at least a little bit. I would just plan lunch when you can, and have fun... Oh, and bring ponchos

Thank you, Stacey - that sounds like a plan.