Just how bad is August?

[poohmadmum]

DH promised to take me to Disney for my 40th next year. I'd love to go back to WDW but I've heard that it is extremely hot with daily thunderstorms and, of course, its hurricane season.

We went at Easter this year which was very hot although we were told that it was exceptionally hot for that time of the year and we didn't have rain in the 3 weeks we were there.

Just how bad is the last two weeks of August? If it will be just too hot then we might just have to go to DLP for a few days and may be stay in a villa in France for the rest of the holiday.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

We went in August last year with DD age 6 - we did stay onsite and although it was very hot we did get to the pool some afternoons. Yes we did have some rain & storms but I can't really remember it been that bad. The crowds were a lot lighter than I thought although I have read that this year it was busier because of the free DDP in August.

We loved the heat - we are going this Christmas and my DH says he thinks he will miss the hot weather.

Hope this helps

 

[wayneg]

florida weather is just so unpreditable, we have been in Aug and had thunderstorms every day lasting upto 6 hours at a time, this year was totally different, out of 25 nights we had 21 without rain and 4 with a little.
Its just the same as Xmas we have been in Shorts and Tshirts somedays, other days frost on car and very very cold.
As for crowds as I have posted elsewhere we thought very reasonable if you take advise from websites which days to visit which parks, work with the pastpasses, avoid early entry days etc. but other people that have been thought it really bad so we must have fallen lucky.
It is extremely hot, 100+ every day but thats what we like.
Wish I knew what I was doing for my 40th in January. Cant decide.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

We were there this year between the 8th and 29th August.
Many of the days the temps. were in the mid 90s, although towards the end of the holiday it was cloudier and slightly cooler.

In my opinion the only reason to go in August is if the summer school holidays mean you cannot go any other time of the year.
The weather for example in April or October is ideal, when it is not too hot and also not too much rainfall.

 

[Lizzybear]

Florida is very hot for most of the year (with the exception of the winter months sometimes) so pretty much any time you go other than December/January/February is likely to be hot and humid. As others have said though it's also unpredictable.. We went end of July/early August and got loads of rain but last June I think it rained once or twice the entire time yet some people we met who arrived a week earlier said that they'd have loads of rain!
TBH though there are ways to deal with the heat: Take rest breaks around midday as it's the hottest part of the day, drink lots of water, swim, wear a high factor suncream and a sunhat and ensure your kids do the same. We've always had a fantastic time despite the heat

 

[CustardTart]

We've been many times in late August as the attendance used to really tail off. This year it was much busier than in previous years (free DDP never occured to me at the time, but the restaurants were heaving!) and IMO the weather was not as good - not that it seemed there were more rainy days, just less blue sky, sunny ones. I compared photos from exactly the same time of year and we were way less tanned this year - and I'd already spent 2 weeks in Mijas!

 

[maggs]

Every time we have been in August and every time it has been different. Sure it is hot and often there are showers each afternoon .(not this time - just about one every three days)
The one thing we did notice was that it was so much busier than usual - down to the free Disney Dining Plan.

Maggs

 

[paulfoel]

DH promised to take me to Disney for my 40th next year. I'd love to go back to WDW but I've heard that it is extremely hot with daily thunderstorms and, of course, its hurricane season.

We went at Easter this year which was very hot although we were told that it was exceptionally hot for that time of the year and we didn't have rain in the 3 weeks we were there.

Just how bad is the last two weeks of August? If it will be just too hot then we might just have to go to DLP for a few days and may be stay in a villa in France for the rest of the holiday.

Usually very hot in August. and pretty busy everywhere.

 

[maggs]

Usually very hot in August. and pretty busy everywhere.

This is not the case in the last two weeks. The crowds fall away dramatically as Floridian kids go back to school mid August. Many of the rides are walk ons during the last two weeks.

Maggs

 

[TinkTatoo]

We were there from the end of July until the 25th August. It was as hot as usual but we hardly had any rain. The crowds were much lighter up until the 13th which was when free dining started and from then it seemed to get much busier.

 

[maggs]

We were there from the end of July until the 25th August. It was as hot as usual but we hardly had any rain. The crowds were much lighter up until the 13th which was when free dining started and from then it seemed to get much busier.

I think they must have been holding off going until the 13th this year then Tink, and taking advantage of the dining plan as in other years it had not been the case. The last two weeks are usually defined as value We found it busier this year but for the last three visits Disney was like a ghost town from mid Aug onwards. Are Disney simply shifting the visitors from July/ beginning of August to mid August and September now?
Although for us it was perfectly manageable if they ever reverted to not offering the dining plan in Aug and Sept I would be very happy to go back to the very empty parks!!

Maggs

 

[Goofyish]

We went in the last two weeks of August in 2003. Crowds were smaller than I expected. Weather was hot and humid, but with loads of trips into shops and indoor rides/shows it's manageable When we were there it was very wet. The afternoon rain seemed to stick around all night I don't think this is the norm though.

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Normal August temperatues when it's sunny are low to mid 90s, it is quite common especially in the afternoons and early evening for there to be a lot of cloud cover and hence the temps. drop to mid 80s.
Certainly that's how we found it last month, and whilst it is common to get the afternoon thunderstorm you are also just as likely to get cloudy weather and little rainfall.

 

[Miffy2003]

This is not the case in the last two weeks. The crowds fall away dramatically as Floridian kids go back to school mid August. Many of the rides are walk ons during the last two weeks.

Maggs

I agree with this completely based on the three (late) Augusts I have been in WDW for. However, as others have said the free Dining Plan scuppered our plans this August and the parks were significantly more busy than we have found in previous years.

Lots of people have said that the first two weeks of August were quiet (the same sort of crowd levels as my previous experience with late August!)

It is very hot and very humid in the day times so we always arrive at the parks for opening and bail out mid-afternoon for some swimming time back at the hotel. We find this works really well and then return to a park in the evening when the weather is beautifully warm and balmy. I love August evenings very much

 

[poohmadmum]

Thanks for all your replies. I'm going to look at prices now and see if we can get the free DDP added.

 

[Jets fan]

We went in August because of the school holidays and it really was too humid for us. The heat was Ok but the humidity was just too much. The heat really slowed us down and the only time we really enjoyed the parks was in the evenings. Extra hours in the Magic Kingdom until 2am were absolutely brilliant. We stayed at the Dolphin and the pool was always packed with people wearing hats to keep the sun off their heads so swimming was a challenge!

Have to say, coming from Windsor, UK, the highlight of our holiday was the storms, we do not get many here at all.

 

[paulfoel]

This is not the case in the last two weeks. The crowds fall away dramatically as Floridian kids go back to school mid August. Many of the rides are walk ons during the last two weeks.

Maggs

Right. To be honest, I've only ever been start of August....

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Generally from mid-August the crowds are much lighter as many of the US schools have returned, however this year was slightly different as the free dining plan definitely had an impact on the crowd levels and consequently it was busier than expected.

Weather wise and especially if you have children August is not the best time to go by any means as temps. can often average in the mid 90s.
Getting to the park early is essential and as others have said it is common to return in the evening after a break in-between.

Certainly Joshua didn't handle the heat and humidity at all this year, hence any future trips in the summer will mean not many trips to the parks - it is just too hot.

 

[maggs]

I agree, this year was different and the crowds were noticeably worse because of free dining and of course I participated . I think however we must be hardening up regarding the weather because this was the first time we seemed to be able to tolerate it easily. We must be the only family to came back from Orlando without a tan. We are the family that constantly walk in the shade!

Maggs

 

[JohnnySharp2]

I agree, this year was different and the crowds were noticeably worse because of free dining and of course I participated . I think however we must be hardening up regarding the weather because this was the first time we seemed to be able to tolerate it easily. We must be the only family to came back from Orlando without a tan. We are the family that constantly walk in the shade!

Maggs

Must admit we were the exact opposite and came back with lovely tans
Probably because we didn't go to the parks too much and did plenty of relaxing/sunbathing etc at the villa instead.