How is AUGUST in the world?

[2Tiggers]

The dates we are considering are August 21-28.

I am concerned with crowds and heat, but mostly crowds.

What has been your experience with both?

My options are August 21-28 for 7nights POR

or

May2-7 for 5nights Value

What would you choose? I do like more nights at a MOD but I am concerned about gaining the heat and crowds.

So, any advice would help!

 

[budbeerlady]

I would go in May if you can.

ITs HOT, hotter than the face of the sun hot! We are from MI, so not used to the very hot. We hit rope drop and are at the parks until noon, hit the pool until dinner at 5 and then park time again. We go for 10 or 11 days to get stuff done. Otherwise its too hot to think. You start to melt down and its ugly. Also throw in some rain and a random hurricane. Its not fun with little kids. We take a ton of breaks and really dont get alot done.

Crowds can be hit or miss, the restaurants are all pack though if free dining is happening!

 

[wondermomamy]

HOT.

I live near Atlanta and consider myself used to the heat and humidity. I've been at WDW in May, June and July. May is tolerable, July was oppressive.

 

[TLCdisneyfan]

Crowds aren't too bad in late August, since many schools are already in session. But it is HOT. If you go then, you must plan to spend afternoons in the pool.

 

[DisneyFed]

It's hot....very very very hot....and humid, not unusualy to be 100%.


Take Dante's Inferno and add a few degrees


If you go in August, you must stay hydrated or you will really struggle---seriously---even those of us who live in these swamps suffer in that kind of heat and humidity

 

[RMulieri]

It is like a vacation on the surface of the SUN..HOT AND HUMID.Think of going out of your room and sweating immediately.Crowds in early August are quite busy.Schools start going back around the 3rd week or so and the crowds drop a little.They really drop off after labor day since most of the Northeast does not go back until AFTER labor day

 

[monorailsilver]

I prefer August for the trips I take.

I can swim with out having to shiver when I come out (this is important at night when watching the fireworks from the pool at the Poly).

I can get to the park for EMH & leave at about noon (after a quick bite for lunch). As I am leaving I am watching these faces coming in the park in awe as they look at the castle for that first time (or which ever park icon they are looking at). Me, I am hot & sweaty & thankful to be leaving the park at that high noon sun to go & sit by the pool. I don't have to deal with the lines in he heat. I can however deal with the line at the Poly pool slide. Then we go back for dinner after we are all refreshed & cooled down. We go to a different park at night & I look at those poor people that got there either in the early morning or mid day & they look wiped out. Not me, I am refreshed & showered.

So basically my above point is I can go to the park early, leave mid day for a break & go back in the evening & not worry that the park is closing at 7pm.

With the exception of rides like Dumbo, Aladdin & a few of the shows, all the rides have a/c.

You would have more days if you went in the summer which is a plus if you can swing it.

But yes it is very hot & oppressive (did I spell that right?) but I live in CT & well there are days in the summer I just don't want to go outside since we do have 90° to 100° days that are just as oppresive but I do. That is why we avoid the mid-day park time then.

My next trip I am planning is going to be in August as well. But August 2012 which is finally 2 years away (well 2½).

 

[fireman17]

We've been down in May, June, October, and December but the trip we took in August of 2008 was the hottest trip we ever took and would never go back in August again.
Every day between the heat and humity it was 108 degrees even the locals we saying that they never remember it being so hot!! Our kids were great though we always had them drinking water we left parks early went back for pools but even the pools didn't help cool us down.
Even nighttime didn't cool down but we did make the best of our trip with it being so hot.
So if you go in August prepare for the heat, plan you days well and plenty, plenty of water!!!

 

[E&K's Dad]

August is Hot but worth the savings and lower crowds. Plan breaks and pool or water park times and you should be fine. We are heading down and September (with the same high temps) after going in August of last year and we have no worries other than making sure the boys drink lots of fluids.

 

[clutter]

I've been in May (2x), June, July and August (4x). The hottest I've ever been in DW was in May 2003. See, you just don't know when the real hot spells are going to be there. I'd say in all of my August trips, there have been about 3 really unbearable days, 4 days of a tropical storm (Faye), and a handful of delightful days. Aug 21-28 is my favorite time to go (and thank you to the AP 15 month renewal last year, we can go late again this year!) because the crowds diminish every day.

 

[MonkersMama]

We went last August. We braved the heat and humidity - and it WAS as hot as everyone says it is. Once we got home we looked at the pictures of the kids and they look MISERABLY hot - sweating, flushed cheeks, and just not as as we have been on our previous trip. With that, we decided never again.

 

[grace&philipsmom]

We went for the last week of August last year. We are a very fair skinned family from Canada that usually does disney in the spring. Last year DD wanted to go to WDW for her 6th birthday - in August. Like you I was a little apprehensive, especially after reading some of the summer heat threads on DIS.

We found it to be hot, but it we still had a great trip. Yes it was hot, but we were able to walk on to many rides. We were there at rope drop and left by around 1:00 everyday. We would enjoy an afternoon swim and rest and then head back to the parks for dinner and the evening.

I was afraid an August trip would turn DH off from returning to disney ever again. Instead he wants to always go in August now! We were able to do more in August than we have done in April. The free dining was a nice bonus too!

I think as long as you prepare for the heat and plan accordingly you can have a great trip.

 

[mejkjj97]

This is our third year going in Aug. You just need to plan accordingly. I was 21 weeks pregnant last year and did just fine. Drink plenty of water and takes breaks accordingly.

 

[gabriellyn]

We went for the last week of August last year. We are a very fair skinned family from Canada that usually does disney in the spring. Last year DD wanted to go to WDW for her 6th birthday - in August. Like you I was a little apprehensive, especially after reading some of the summer heat threads on DIS.

We found it to be hot, but it we still had a great trip. Yes it was hot, but we were able to walk on to many rides. We were there at rope drop and left by around 1:00 everyday. We would enjoy an afternoon swim and rest and then head back to the parks for dinner and the evening.

I was afraid an August trip would turn DH off from returning to disney ever again. Instead he wants to always go in August now! We were able to do more in August than we have done in April. The free dining was a nice bonus too!

I think as long as you prepare for the heat and plan accordingly you can have a great trip.

This is our third year going in Aug. You just need to plan accordingly. I was 21 weeks pregnant last year and did just fine. Drink plenty of water and takes breaks accordingly.

We are planning an August trip as well - you guys have given me hope! We've been in June before and while I did not find it too bad, my friend and her DH won't do it again during the summer and my DH complained about the heat... But we also rarely took breaks. This year I am most definitely planning on breaks so I am hoping for a good outcome. Thanks for the post, OP and all of the encouraging answers PP's!

 

[cheshireqt]

We have been end of August and beginning of August. It is VERY hot, but the crowds at the end of August were fantastic! (for comparison sake would correlate to 28 AUG to 4 SEP of 2010) Crowds were just as low on the crowd scale as when we pulled the kids from school and went at the end of Sept (no flames please, it was our 15 year wedding Anniversary and we thought we deserved to celebrate as a family). We did spend time mid-day in the pool and did visit water parks so the heat was actually welcome to really enjoy those. Right before a rain it gets really humid, but take heart if that happens, after the rain it cools down.
We have been to MK-only in March (around the 30th), in May (around memorial day) and in Dec (around the 18th). (ILs used to live in FL) Crowds on those 3 days far exceeded what we experienced at MK at end of Aug.
I will say that if you do not stay hydrated, do not visit Water Parks/pool time and do not take break time in middle of the day, you will hit a wall very fast because of the heat!