How is September at WDW?

[starshine514]

So, a little introduction. We took our girls to WDW in January 2010 and caught the Disney bug! Since then, we're currently using our third set of Disneyland APs (we live in AZ) and hoping to get back to WDW the second half of next year. Was looking at our timeshare availability (not Disney. We'll be staying offsite) and September 2016 is looking good for availability. But, I'm not sure what I'm getting into. I have a few questions, and would welcome additional input.

1. Halloweentime. I know that Halloweentime at the Disneyland resort starts mid-September. Is the timing similar for WDW? Is there much special for Halloween outside of the scheduled parties? Do all of the parks decorate or just the MK?
2. Weather. I've been to DLR three times in September. It's hot. I believe it was even hotter there in September than it was when we were there in August! How is the weather at WDW in September? It looks like it's still hot. I'm guessing it's humid year-round in Orlando (I'm from the desert, so I am used to heat, but not used to humidity). Would we be better off trying for a cooler month?
3. Crowds. September is usually better than October at DLR for crowds, as a lot of schools have fall break in October. Is the situation similar for WDW?
4. Refurbishments & hours. At DLR, we may run into quite a few refurbs in September and also have short hours (10:00 am - 8:00 pm are not unusual weekday hours). Does WDW cut the hours short as well?

I know that there are tradeoffs for lower seasons that are sometimes worth it, and sometimes not. Staying offsite, I was really hoping to go in a lower season, with the new FP+ (I've got to learn how that works, we're still using paper FPs at DLR), I'm not sure that we'd even be able to get FPs for some of the rides if we tried for peak season...

Thanks!

 

[jhaig]

Not only hot but humid. You'll need another shower by 8am. Crowds are usually fantastic for the two weeks after Labor Day. First Halloween party this year is Sept 15.

 

[HopperFan]

1) Similar timing, nothing special other than fireworks except on Halloween night, no decor in other parks.
2) Hot and Humid and Hurricane season. One reason they started the Free Dining years ago was folks worried about hurricanes. Been in September every year since 2006 - never rained enough to ruin a trip. But you will sweat and want to swim.
3) Over last 4-5 years it has gotten more and more crowded. Still nothing like summer, not empty like it used to be.
4) You can look up hours on their website already. Refurbs don't seem to be too bad, not like winter.

Don't let FP+ scare you - we were just there in May (offsite) and able to pick up the hardest to get night before and day of. It's possible. I never rush to book them and have had no issues. The only hard to get are A&E, 7DMT and TSMM and even those we have no problem if looking 30 days out.

 

[TwizzleMouse]

So, a little introduction. We took our girls to WDW in January 2010 and caught the Disney bug! Since then, we're currently using our third set of Disneyland APs (we live in AZ) and hoping to get back to WDW the second half of next year. Was looking at our timeshare availability (not Disney. We'll be staying offsite) and September 2016 is looking good for availability. But, I'm not sure what I'm getting into. I have a few questions, and would welcome additional input.

1. Halloweentime. I know that Halloweentime at the Disneyland resort starts mid-September. Is the timing similar for WDW? Is there much special for Halloween outside of the scheduled parties? Do all of the parks decorate or just the MK?
2. Weather. I've been to DLR three times in September. It's hot. I believe it was even hotter there in September than it was when we were there in August! How is the weather at WDW in September? It looks like it's still hot. I'm guessing it's humid year-round in Orlando (I'm from the desert, so I am used to heat, but not used to humidity). Would we be better off trying for a cooler month?
3. Crowds. September is usually better than October at DLR for crowds, as a lot of schools have fall break in October. Is the situation similar for WDW?
4. Refurbishments & hours. At DLR, we may run into quite a few refurbs in September and also have short hours (10:00 am - 8:00 pm are not unusual weekday hours). Does WDW cut the hours short as well?

I know that there are tradeoffs for lower seasons that are sometimes worth it, and sometimes not. Staying offsite, I was really hoping to go in a lower season, with the new FP+ (I've got to learn how that works, we're still using paper FPs at DLR), I'm not sure that we'd even be able to get FPs for some of the rides if we tried for peak season...

Thanks!

1. Not really, other than some merchandise you can get. MK decorates and only MK. The parade at the party is a reason to go in itself.
2. Hot, humid, 30-45 mins thunderstorms in the late afternoon/early evening.
3. First couple weeks after Labor Day are a extra magical time regarding crowds, bc they are minimal.
4. WDW does their refurbishments rolling year round. The biggest ones are done in January though (Splash Mtn, etc), but expect refurbs year round. They usually have them posted on their site and also park hours around 10mos prior to the month in question. I know most of the time MK closed with EMH around 11 the latest.

 

[Lucius Best]

We've been several times in September. Definitely hot and humid, but never rained out. One of the lowest months for crowds, and like previous poster said, January is typically worse in terms of ride closures and shortened hours. Definitely recommend Halloween party. You can look at this year's hours to get an idea of what to expect.

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/hours/sep15.cfm
http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/09-september-2015-crowd-calendar/

 

[starshine514]

Thank you for all the replies! It sounds like our biggest concern (other than getting time off work while part of our group works in the education industry) is going to be the weather. We're going to have to decide if the heat/humidity will make the low crowds worth it or not. (DH has MS, and he's not great with the heat at all.)

 

[ZoZo]

Thank you for all the replies! It sounds like our biggest concern (other than getting time off work while part of our group works in the education industry) is going to be the weather. We're going to have to decide if the heat/humidity will make the low crowds worth it or not. (DH has MS, and he's not great with the heat at all.)

The heat and humidity in September is very similar to summer. Usually extremely hot and humid. I went once in late September and swore never to go again that time of year (I don't handle heat/humidity combo well). Check out this thread for more info about summer weather:

http://www.disboards.com/threads/july-how-hot-is-it-really.3416808/page-4#post-53806295

If the heat really bothers your DH, I'd suggest going in early November. Still nice weather and manageable crowds, but not the brutal heat of summer/September.

 

[BagOLaughs]

If you're flexible (or want another WDW holiday next year) there is a month that is about the same crowd levels as September but is less Humid and rainy... May!

I only ever visit either in September or May. In 2013 we went for two weeks starting the 7th May and the weather was delightful.

I'm a huge fan of humid weather which is why this year we're visiting in September, bring on the Heat!

 

[starshine514]

November sounds appealing. May wouldn't be bad, except we were hoping to go when my youngest is closer to three than two (and her birthday is in April). Our original thought was January again, but the way that a few things are falling timing-wise are making me need to look at alternate months. The trip has to begin before January 17, 2017 (the day that my middle child turns 10 - we already have her ticket, and it's a child ticket).

 

[DisneyFive]

We've gone four out of the last five years, all late Sept. Weather on average has been about 88 - 90F, and 85%+ humidity. Hot and humid, yes, but we like it that way. Some days can be downright stifling though. The pools are fantastic in the evening.

The crowds are the lowest you'll see of any time of the year, but it's not like crowds are non-existent. It can still feel like a lot of people.

Rain overall has been great. Almost no rain except for 2013 when it rained for the first 3-4 days of our trip. That sucked.

In summary, we LOVE late Sept. The big bonus for us has been free dining.

Dan

 

[PeasandCarrots]

1) Really only the party and decor at MK.
2) HOT and HUMID - really. I've been to WDW almost every month of the year except July/Aug and September is the hottest, muggiest time - and we've been in September several times. There's a good bit of daily rain, but usually doesn't last long.
3) It's one of the better months for crowds. There's no real low crowd times anymore, but this is probably one of the best times of the year for crowds.
4) Sometimes there are refurbs, but that's even true of the summer (PoTC is down all summer). I never recall feeling like I was really missing out. I can't speak to the hours because I'm not a night person.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

To comment on the weather - it feels much hotter in WDW than DLR in September. If you have someone in your family for whom the heat might have been a problem at DLR in Sept, forget WDW - much worse.

 

[bjck99]

We were there last year on Labor Day and a few days after. It was, by far, our best vacation in terms of low crowds. We walked on rides that were headliners (TSM at Hollywood Studios at 10:00 in the morning, walked onto 7DMT multiple times throughout the day, etc) and were fortunate enough to attend the 1st MNSSHP last year. I do know that that was considered very early for the first party, and this year's dates have been pushed back a couple of weeks. It was hot and humid, but for us, we're willing to put up with the weather for the low crowds. Liked it so much that we're returning this year, same time, for a girls trip!

 

[JimmyBean42]

We've historically done October, November and first 2 weeks in Dec. and the crowds haven't been bad (we avoid Thanksgiving week and Jersey week always though). We are looking forward to trying September next year as well. If you stick with Sept., def. go to MNSSHP. It's great.

 

[pigletgirl]

Thank you for all the replies! It sounds like our biggest concern (other than getting time off work while part of our group works in the education industry) is going to be the weather. We're going to have to decide if the heat/humidity will make the low crowds worth it or not. (DH has MS, and he's not great with the heat at all.)

I will be travelling with my mom in September and she also suffers from MS as well. We plan on doing the bulk of our touring in the morning and having an easy afternoon so she can spend a good chunk of time in the A/C and have her feet up. She hasn't had a relapse in a while so I don't want to push her any more than what we already do.

 

[starshine514]

I will be travelling with my mom in September and she also suffers from MS as well. We plan on doing the bulk of our touring in the morning and having an easy afternoon so she can spend a good chunk of time in the A/C and have her feet up. She hasn't had a relapse in a while so I don't want to push her any more than what we already do.

That sounds like a really good strategy with your mom. DH never spends a full day in the parks, even using an ECV, he can't do that much time at once.

To comment on the weather - it feels much hotter in WDW than DLR in September. If you have someone in your family for whom the heat might have been a problem at DLR in Sept, forget WDW - much worse.

Thanks for your honest comment! I do just need to hear it as it is; I don't want a ton of encouragement to go for it and then have major issues because of the heat. I think we'll go for a cooler month instead.

We've historically done October, November and first 2 weeks in Dec. and the crowds haven't been bad (we avoid Thanksgiving week and Jersey week always though). We are looking forward to trying September next year as well. If you stick with Sept., def. go to MNSSHP. It's great.

We did the Halloween party at DL last year. It was a lot of fun, but I think I've heard the one at WDW is even better!

I'm showing that I'm more of a west coast sort of girl now, but I have to ask - what is Jersey Week?

 

[Karebear]

Hi

I just wanted to respond about your concern with the weather. I live in N. Calif (near Sacramento) and while summer is hot here, it is nothing like you guys have in AZ! We have gone in early Sept. 3X. It honestly wasn't that bad from our perspective. We would go in the morning, take pool breaks and go back for dinner and fireworks, etc. Early September is not that crowded and you don't have long lines to worry about. Honestly, I know that it is humid, but if you can handle Arizona, you can handle WDW in Sept.--hope that you have a fun trip!

 

[MinnieMeep]

I'm doing my first September trip this year, 9/12-9/20. I am super nervous!!! I used to go often over the summer when I was a teenager and don't remember being too bothered by the heat, it's been a few year though! I'm doing my best to acclimate myself this summer, so it wont be too much of a shock to the system (it will still be hot here in CT so hopefully we can do it!). I've been researching threads for the best clothing/garmets to wear in the super hot and humid weather.
Low crowds are the main factor in when my husband and I (no children) book our Disney trips. We've been in May (back in 2006, hard to remember), November, December, January, and February.
Since Labor Day is late this year, 9/7, do those who have been in September think our dates are good? 9/12-9/20?

 

[glohoffman]

I'm doing my first September trip this year, 9/12-9/20. I am super nervous!!! I used to go often over the summer when I was a teenager and don't remember being too bothered by the heat, it's been a few year though! I'm doing my best to acclimate myself this summer, so it wont be too much of a shock to the system (it will still be hot here in CT so hopefully we can do it!). I've been researching threads for the best clothing/garmets to wear in the super hot and humid weather.
Low crowds are the main factor in when my husband and I (no children) book our Disney trips. We've been in May (back in 2006, hard to remember), November, December, January, and February.
Since Labor Day is late this year, 9/7, do those who have been in September think our dates are good? 9/12-9/20?

Hey we will be there the same time! We are staying at the poly and I'm nervous about the heat too. I'm buying cooling towels and we are taking afternoon breaks. Are you guys doing a Halloween party? I'm pumped for that!
I think our week is actually the best week in September according to the crowd calendars!

 

[MinnieMeep]

Hey we will be there the same time! We are staying at the poly and I'm nervous about the heat too. I'm buying cooling towels and we are taking afternoon breaks. Are you guys doing a Halloween party? I'm pumped for that!
I think our week is actually the best week in September according to the crowd calendars!

Hi there! How awesome!! We are doing a split stay, 4 nights each, at BWI and CR! I'm planning on getting tickets to the 9/15 Halloween party , it will be our first time going! I'm definitely going to pick up some cooling towels, portable misting fans, and whatever else I can get my hands on to help with the heat! We're planning on hitting the parks first thing in the morning for a few hours, going back to the room for pool time and showers, then back out in the evening. I like spending time at the resorts anyways, and since we're staying club level it makes it even more enjoyable!
I picked this week based on the crowd calendars, so I hope it pays off!!!!!