Is the heat of September worth the smaller crowds?

[kylenne]

This was 2019 so it was newer, but we rope dropped FOP and still waited over an hour for that.

Regardless of the time of year and what crowds are like, imo FOP is only worth rope dropping if you’re at or near the front of the pack. Was true then and true now. If you can’t be on one of the first loads your time is better spent elsewhere enjoying walk ons on things like Navi or EE. I would actually say this is the case for all of the heavy hitter E tickets.

OP, I go on Labor Day weekend a lot, including last year, and other than the typical F&W weekend crowds at Epcot (which, funny enough, was really only a thing on Labor Day itself), it’s fine. We are going in mid-September. With a good touring strategy that avoids the worst heat of the day, the weather’s not really a problem. The regular PM storms have the benefit of clearing parks out. You do run the risk of hurricanes though, so if you’re not prepared to accept the possibility of closures, etc then it’s not a good time for you. I think the pros outweigh the cons.

 

[greeneyedchick]

I do solo trips in Sept as I like the low crowds and cheap prices. However, if you are taking children and they are not used to that level of heat + humidity this would be a hard pass. I can barely take care of myself in that heat- actually I wasn't even successful at that last Sept as improper footwear for that level of heat led to lots of swelling of my toes which resulted in 2 runners toes (luckily the nails stayed attached). I did an eat to the beat concert that trip as well which ended up delayed when someone sitting in the crowd passed out and paramedics had to be called to take them away.

What does help me- rope drop, cooling towel, cooling hat, moisture wicking clothing, I am obsessive about hydration, indoor TS lunch breaks force me to take a long time off my feet in AC, and long afternoon hotel breaks.

And 100% make sure you're booking flexible stuff, no non-refundable hotels or basic economy airfare due to hurricane season.

May I ask which brand of cooling towel you use? I'm comparing them on Amazon and there are PVA ones and microfiber ones. I'm torn as to which one works better.

 

[glocon]

My sister and I went together for the first time last September and are doing it again this year.
Yes it was very hot, but we paced ourselves, walked around in shops and had TS meals most afternoons.

I think with kids it would be harder though.
When they are uncomfortable and cranky it can ruin a trip. A very expensive trip.

If you do an afternoon break at your resort and plan on using the pool, make sure it’s early afternoon because mid to late afternoon there are often storms that shut down the pool.

I guess I’d either start out sleeping in, swimming, lunch then nap during the storms.
Then hit the parks after the rain.

Or, rode drop, go back to resort at noon for lunch and pool then nap during the storms. If the kids are up to it go back to the parks or just plan a fun dinner.

I think if you go then you have to have a plan on how to stay cool and rested (and dry lol).
It’s just not a good time for commando touring especially with younglings.

 

[gottalovepluto]

May I ask which brand of cooling towel you use? I'm comparing them on Amazon and there are PVA ones and microfiber ones. I'm torn as to which one works better.

I use the Alfamo ones

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

This is such a loaded question. You can ask this and you'll get about 500 different opinions. You need to ask yourself do you like/tolerate heat and humidity well, this is not 80 degrees, 40% humidity, this will be 95 degrees and 100% humidity. Does anyone have any health conditions that heat would be an issue, what's the ages of those you're traveling with, are you ok with getting rained on and/or possibly dealing with tropical storm like weather days where it rains all day, are you from a colder climate? Orlando weather in summer is definitely not for the faint of heart. The weather can be described as being underwater....except you're not. I'm from FL and central FL is by far the hottest place in the entire state. No nice ocean breeze to be had.

If you're ok with these things, then the summer isn't a deal breaker to benefit from some lower crowds. We visit in all summer months and while September does have lower crowds, both Aug and Sept are swampish weather and are my least favorite times to go. We'll usually try early June before all the kids get out of school and while it's still hot, it's not as bad and rainy as Aug/Sept/Oct and there's no hurricane threat yet. If you do decide to go, you just have to be prepared, umbrellas, shoes that dry quickly, lots of hydration, lots of rest breaks, midday breaks, evening only parties, hats, sunscreen, fans, cooling towels.....pretty much an entire arsenal of supplies lol. But it's doable if you can. I keep the heat in mind and our summer trips might only entail 15k steps/day whereas a spring/winter day may be 23k-25k steps. We have teens and when they were younger, they were down for anything, any weather, now not so much.

 

[DonMacGregor]

This is such a loaded question. You can ask this and you'll get about 500 different opinions. You need to ask yourself do you like/tolerate heat and humidity well, this is not 80 degrees, 40% humidity, this will be 95 degrees and 100% humidity. Does anyone have any health conditions that heat would be an issue, what's the ages of those you're traveling with, are you ok with getting rained on and/or possibly dealing with tropical storm like weather days where it rains all day, are you from a colder climate? Orlando weather in summer is definitely not for the faint of heart. The weather can be described as being underwater....except you're not. I'm from FL and central FL is by far the hottest place in the entire state. No nice ocean breeze to be had.

As I've said (probably too many times) before: if you have one "if you don't mind" or "if you make sure you" caveat, you should be ok. If you start having 5 or 6 or more conditions, then it's time to re-think your plans. In my mind, if you have to rationalize the trip by saying something like "It's not too bad if you rope drop then leave by 11 am, then go back to the resort to swim or nap, then go back after 5 but make sure you bring cooling towels and stay hydrated and be sure you know it will probably rain every afternoon so bring extra clothes and shoes and pack a poncho and be aware that pools might close if there is lightning and try to stay in the shade and indoors as much as possible", then I think you're doing way too much work just for "it's not too bad".

 

[hertamaniac]

I'm on year 20 of living in central Florida and September is the most challenging month. It's probably because the month used to be associated with the beginning of fall and the drop in temperatures before I moved. It's relentless as we are so eager for the change to come.

Our mode of operation at WDW is the same as others have stated; the pool(s) are our savior until 5 PM or so. Extra, dry socks are wonderful when those deluges of rain soak the one's we are wearing.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

As I've said (probably too many times) before: if you have one "if you don't mind" or "if you make sure you" caveat, you should be ok. If you start having 5 or 6 or more conditions, then it's time to re-think your plans. In my mind, if you have to rationalize the trip by saying something like "It's not too bad if you rope drop then leave by 11 am, then go back to the resort to swim or nap, then go back after 5 but make sure you bring cooling towels and stay hydrated and be sure you know it will probably rain every afternoon so bring extra clothes and shoes and pack a poncho and be aware that pools might close if there is lightning and try to stay in the shade and indoors as much as possible", then I think you're doing way too much work just for "it's not too bad".

100% agree but I think it's a lot of unknown for people not from FL or those have not been to Central FL in summer. I've talked to people that said once they did it, it was never again for them and they had no idea that Orlando was also the surface of the sun and others that have said, they prefer the hotter months for a variety of reasons. I'd rather be at Disney on the hottest/wettest day of the year than its coldest. And for some people, many can only make a summer trip work so you got to do whatever you can to mitigate the heat.

 

[peabody58]

Love our late Sept stays at BWV. We sleep in late, enjoy the pool for a few hours and then do a park in the cooler evening hours. We've had hot, moderate, rain and hurricane Ian. Every trip has been well worth it for DW and myself. Being at BWV with access to HS and Epcot makes the Sept heat very manageable. Love the lazy boat ride to HS. Also love the low point cost in Sept. Sometimes we do a water park with our NE+ remaining tics.

 

[kathy884]

Everyone is different, but June, July, August, and September and central Florida aren't my cup of tea. I'd rather stay home or if I am down in the area I just do water based stuff -- hot weather weenie here -- the heat and humidity for me mean theme parks which I normally enjoy aren't something I have any interest in doing whatsoever.

I wouldn't mind a water park vacation then. Could be really fun if you are into that -- could do the Universal one (which I haven't done but I hear is super cool), the two Disney ones (I like the vibe of those), and the SeaWorld one (Aquatica) (I like that one too), a day trip to Coco Beach early in the week (just an hour away), and a day trip to Clearwater Beach later in the week (It's a little far - two hours each way, but I love love the gulf beaches and could handle that for one day). That's how I'd spend six days down in Central Florida. Maybe too instead of one of the beach days do a resort day and in the evening do a Bio kayaking tour at night -- haven't done that but hear that is a super cool experience and if anyone wants to PM me I can recommend a good company for that that is highly recommended. That would for me be an OK September Orlando trip.

 

[Simba's Mom]

I've been watching this closely since I'm considering taking a trip next September. So far, nothing much I've read encourages me to go. The only thing that makes it seem possible is that as someone said, I'm definitely not a park commando. I'm used to spending about half my time at the parks, and the other half inside. My only question is what's it like riding the skyliner in September? Do you get a good breeze so it feels cool[well, not hot] or is it like a hot box?

 

[elvispursley]

We’ve done WDW in June, July, Aug, and Sept (along with other months). We did the first 9 days last Sept and it was definitely worse than in years past when we’ve gone in the summer. I think it was also significantly hotter last year every month in FL (won’t get into the global warming debate). But the crowds were way less than they typically have been; so much so my mom commented how nice it was not to have a sea of humanity constantly in front of her (she uses an ECV). The trade off was definitely the heat. We managed fine with a break after lunch back at the resort for a nap and change of clothes. We used cooling towels (I used the FroggTogg brand and will agree with a pp in another thread that they’re kinda “slimey”. We put ice water in a zip loc and my towel stayed very cool for a long time compared to the dis ey parks one my mom used. This year I may get a mission brand towel). Hopefully the crowds will be somewhat similar for our late-Aug trip this year.

 

[Mango7100]

I've been watching this closely since I'm considering taking a trip next September. So far, nothing much I've read encourages me to go. The only thing that makes it seem possible is that as someone said, I'm definitely not a park commando. I'm used to spending about half my time at the parks, and the other half inside. My only question is what's it like riding the skyliner in September? Do you get a good breeze so it feels cool[well, not hot] or is it like a hot box?

You get some breeze on the Skyliner but it’s not a cool breeze. It’s like turning on a hairdryer for a breeze. Also the Skyliner will not run during thunderstorms so it’s not a very predictable form of transport during storm season.

 

[erinch]

Be aware that the NHC has just made the call for an “explosive” hurricane season. We have had wonderful weather in September, and have had to be locked in during a hurricane warning that was then a tropical storm.Factor extreme weather risks into your plans.

 

[Threehearts]

Are the love bug flies/swarming still an issue starting in mid-September? I alway try to leave by September 8 just as a few are arriving. I am not one of those people who say they don't bite and only stick to your chair or collect in the pool so it's very tolerable. Lovebugs are one of the few bugs that really do put a severe damper on my vacation. I haven't read the volume of complaints about them like I used to so maybe they are very rarely seen now? Could that be the case?

Thank you for any recent reports/experiences.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Are the love bug flies/swarming still an issue starting in mid-September? I alway try to leave by September 8 just as a few are arriving. I am not one of those people who say they don't bite and only stick to your chair or collect in the pool so it's very tolerable. Lovebugs are one of the few bugs that really do put a severe damper on my vacation. I haven't read the volume of complaints about them like I used to so maybe they are very rarely seen now? Could that be the case?

Thank you for any recent reports/experiences.

We visited mid-September for many years and never experienced love bugs.

 

[jimim]

Is sept worse than June and July? June and July is hot and humid for sure. You just sweat as you walk. lol. It’s like a 3-4 shower per day trip. lol. Early in out by noon and back in at night but that’s our typical how we roll year round.

 

[elvispursley]

We visited mid-September for many years and never experienced love bugs.

We’ve only experienced them end of April/May and August. Despise these things!

 

[AustinTink]

We did a first-time September trip last year. We had always visited in the spring prior to that.

Everyone said it would be crazy hot and very humid and I scoffed. They were right. It was downright awful in that heat and the Halloween party crowds were ridiculous.

 

[Frank4202]

The heat is not worth the smaller crowds. This is why January is now our preferred time to go.