Late August Crowds???

[davish562]

Depending on how busy it is the park hours will be extended. If you see park hours getting increased then you know that Disney expects the parks to be crowded. That said, you are more likely to see park hours extended at Animal Kingdom to try and pull people away from MK.

As for the fireworks and parades, we have never had a problem getting a good spot. Of course, we are not picky about where we watch from. For the parade we are fine watching in Frontierland down near Splash. We usually walk up and get a spot right up front about 5 minutes before the night time parade arrives. For Festival of Fantasy, you can arrive about 10 minutes before and get a spot along the rope. We rarely ever care about watching from the hub or main street. We did watch FoF parade from the hub last August and arrived to our spot around 30 minutes prior and were right on the curb, but be prepared because the sun will beat on you like Mike Tyson.

As for the fireworks, we prefer to watch from behind the castle, but that's just us. If you have not seen them before, then go watch from in front of the castle. You'll be fine getting a spot 20 minutes to a half hour before (the castle projection show). If you are facing the castle I'd recommend anywhere on the right side of the hub so you get a good view of Tink. Maybe Robo will come in here and post up one of his great maps showing best viewing spots around the hub?

Thank you very much for your response on how easy it is to find a spot for the parades in Frontierland. Do you think the Magic Kingdom will be open until 11pm in August?

 

[mcd2745]

Thank you very much for your response on how easy it is to find a spot for the parades in Frontierland. Do you think the Magic Kingdom will be open until 11pm in August?

Not likely. One of the only downsides to the end of August is that they start closing all the parks earlier.

 

[davish562]

Not likely. One of the only downsides to the end of August is that they start closing all the parks earlier.

Thanks again, Well at least the parks are a lot less crowded!

 

[lugnut33]

My #1 tip I can give you is to take an afternoon break to get away from the heat. Florida during that time is brutal, but it is manageable. Head back to the resort and enjoy the air conditioning in the room and a swim in the pool. Your kids will love it. If you don't want to leave the parks schedule a sitdown meal and plan on seeing some indoor shows like Philharmagic, Hall of Presidents, Country Bears, Tiki Room, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Ellen's Energy Adventure, American Adventure, Impressions de France, Oh Canada, Frozen Sing-along, Animation Academy, Festival of the Lion King, Nemo, and Its Tough To Be A Bug.

 

[davish562]

My #1 tip I can give you is to take an afternoon break to get away from the heat. Florida during that time is brutal, but it is manageable. Head back to the resort and enjoy the air conditioning in the room and a swim in the pool. Your kids will love it. If you don't want to leave the parks schedule a sitdown meal and plan on seeing some indoor shows like Philharmagic, Hall of Presidents, Country Bears, Tiki Room, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, Ellen's Energy Adventure, American Adventure, Impressions de France, Oh Canada, Frozen Sing-along, Animation Academy, Festival of the Lion King, Nemo, and Its Tough To Be A Bug.

Thank you for your response! We were planning to relax during the afternoon at the pool like you suggested. It's not fun to be out in the middle in the afternoon with temperature's that feel over a 100!

 

[lugnut33]

Since you're at Ft. Wilderness there are tons of great resort activities. Be sure to include those because the kids will love them.

 

[davish562]

Since you're at Ft. Wilderness there are tons of great resort activities. Be sure to include those because the kids will love them.

Thanks again! Yah, Fort Wilderness does look like they have a lot of activities to do!

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

I haven't been in August since 2012, but I was there in late August three different times in 2012 and earlier. (See two of my August trip reports in signature.) The waits for the mountains ranged from a walk-on first thing in the morning to around 45-60 minutes midday. This was before 7DMT was added, though. Soarin' was a short wait first thing in the morning, but sixty minutes or more mid-day and the same with Test Track. I have typically heard late August is less busy than June. And yes, you are right, it is super hot!

 

[davish562]

I haven't been in August since 2012, but I was there in late August three different times in 2012 and earlier. (See two of my August trip reports in signature.) The waits for the mountains ranged from a walk-on first thing in the morning to around 45-60 minutes midday. This was before 7DMT was added, though. Soarin' was a short wait first thing in the morning, but sixty minutes or more mid-day and the same with Test Track. I have typically heard late August is less busy than June. And yes, you are right, it is super hot!

Thanks for responding! We visited Universal and Sea World in late August in 2013 and everything was a walk on!