how busy is it in august for the parks

[estreet03032]

we are thinking of going august 22-27 for a mini vacation. Are the crowds overbearing or are they moderate? We have been to Disney for April vacatioon before and the crowds were moderate Thanks

 

[Schmeck]

By that time, the southern schools are back in session, so it's less crowded, but WDW has the free dining plan then as well, so it could get crazy!

Are you planning now, or for next year?

 

[MelanieC]

We just got back late Sunday night. We were there from 7/28-8/13. The crowds were very moderate in my opinion. The longest wait we waited on was 30 minutes. That is not to say that I did not see long lines. We used FP's and smart touring to keep lines at a minimum. Also, I imagine it depends on what park you pick on what day. We stayed away from early or late entry days and the parks seemed empty.

The only other thing that may make a difference is that free dining started on 8/13. I heard many CM's talking about how busy the restaurants were booked starting the weekend of 8/13. That could make it busier than it should be. You also have the fact that kids are either just back or just going back to school. Orlando kids went back to school a week and a half ago.

 

[estreet03032]

we will be going next week.And my wife is a little worried about the crowds.

 

[bluejasmine]

we will be going next week.And my wife is a little worried about the crowds.

So am I we arrive next Fri..

 

[mrrigby]

My wife and I just returned on August 15th. I was scared about the crowds. I was also scared if the crowds were going to be longer due to the free dining. I was pleasantly surprised that the crowds weren't too bad. The longest my wife and I waited for a ride was 30 minutes for Dumbo (I never did it as a kid). Just use your fastpasses, and get the park early in the morning. Those are the best two tips I can give you.

My wife and I also had reservation problems for table service starting August 13th. We did not book reservations for the 13th and 14th of August, because were were unsure what parks were going to be at. That was a big mistake!!!! We were lucky to find two reservations at the Concourse Steakhouse (our resort was the CR) for breafast and dinner on August 14th. We lucked out because on August 13th we tried 6 different TS restaraunts and found no availability at every single one. Yikes!

 

[Praying Colonel]

Strategic use of FASTPASS and following advice from TGM/UG makes the parks more than manageable in August, IMHO. We were there last week and the longest wait we had for any attraction was 20 minutes (once in standby for M:S and once in FASTPASS line for Soarin'). Generally, our plan was to be at the park at rope drop, tour until 2 or so and then come back in the evening after a rest/swim break, and that worked well for us.

 

[MsMulan]

I've only been to WDW twice and both times in mid to late August. The crowds on both occasions were managable and the wait times were almost never beyond 30 minutes with the exception of evening EMH (Epcot) and Test Track, that was the only nightmare of our trip.

Good luck! I wish I was on my way back again.

 

[Scraper]

We have been in Aug. before and the crowds were not bad at all. But with free dinning we will just have to see. We go down on the 25th till the 31st. Maybe everyone will be busy eating. I missed the free dinning

 

[Leota]

We went the last week in August las year for free dining. Even with the promo, the crowds were very light. I love the last week of August. That was our second trip at that time of year. Even with free dining promo, our longest wait was about 20 minutes for Star Tours & we did that because we had time to kill for a show we wanted to see. You still need to Fast Pass the major attractions like Soarin,TT, RnRC etc...

One of the reasons the restaurants seem so busy is that many people make multiple reservations because they're not sure what they want to do for food in advance. Some families will have 2 or 3 ADRs for the same meal on the same day.