Looking at 2nd-3rd week in August, is it as bad...**decision made, page 5 #81**

[Gr8t Fan]

Thinking in terms of the busiest month or second busiest month is not a true indicator of crowds for a particular week though. The last week of August is the lowest crowds I've ever experienced in DW and I've been during a variety of different months.

+1

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We have gone the last week of August for the past 5 years and are going again this year. Yes, it's really hot, so we plan accordingly. We get to the parks early, leave no later than 1 pm, typically, go back to the resort to get out of the heat and then go back out again around 6 pm or so. The evenings, when the sun goes down are perfect. I'm still working on our touring plan, but, for example, on our August trip, we will do EP on the afternoon/evening of our arrival day, AK the late afternoon/evening of our second day, resort day on our third day, MK morning of 4th with DHS late afternoon/evening. I will probably add another 1/2 day in the morning on our second day, but, as you can see, we are never in the parks mid-day.

If you are a RD to park close kind of touring family, August may not work well for you, but if you are willing to take a mid-day break to be inside or go to the pool, it just might! We enjoy it! The crowds are relatively low. The only year it was terrible was two years ago (if memory serves), when the heat index record was broken in Orlando (heat index was about 105 F) during the trip. That was pretty harsh!

 

[mydisneykids]

We have gone summers now for years after saying we never would because of heat and crowds. But it wasn't the kids school schedules that forced that change but the kids sports schedules being mandatory and high level.
That being said it isn't terrible.
We have found August to be much less crowded than July. We usually go the second week. I have to say we used to go during "Jersey Week" in November and find the second week of August less crowded than that time frame.
It is HOT but only one of the years we found it unbearable.
Other than that one year that was record breaking hot all we had to do was take the normal precautions of drinking extra water, breaks midday, go early, leave midday, stay late makes it a very enjoyable trip.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

IMHO, I lived in Florida for 7 years and all I can think is, "why are you doing this to yourself?" but if you think you can handle the temperatures and the blazing sun.... go for it!

 

[lampshadehead]

August in Disney sure it's hot and sticky, but I find what interferes with our travels more is the rain. And yes some of the storms are short, but others seem to go on and on. Soaking wet feet are no fun. My advice is go but have a few pairs of shoes or waterproof sandals.

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

We were at WDW last year from Aug 18th to Sept 3rd. With my kids all teenagers now, I couldn't take them out of school any more.

The later you go in August, the smaller the crowds. It took me a few days to acclimatize to the heat, but I just learned to go slower and do less. Lots of pool afternoons, stops at Club Kool etc.

As for the rain, I spent most days in my water shoes I packed for the water parks. One time in Disney Springs the rainwater was up past my ankles.

 

[Minnesota!]

Ok this thread applies to us...we are going August 17-26. We are from California (the hot dry bad air miserable part of California.... as in it is going to be 100 degrees on May 4 tomorrow and it is 100+ basically June-Sept. give or take a few days). Still the humidity has me a little concerned...

For those who have done August. Do you recommend magic mornings? Is it worth it to get up at the crack of dawn to make 8 am rope drop (coming from west coast)?

I am taking notes from this thread... cooling towels (check), water bottles (check)....lol

YES! Take advantage of rope drop. Hit the parks from then - lunch. Grab lunch, go back to the resort, swim. Then shower, nap/chill in room during the (almost) inevitable thunderstorm. Then go back to the parks around 5 - close. We brought cooling towels one year and used them one day. Not worth the money or luggage space, IMO. Stopping in a bathroom for a paper towel and getting it wet works just as well, and isn't as "heavy".

Absolutely agree. I actually have done laundry on each August trip. You'll need to change clothes after an afternoon break... unless you don't mind being extra stinky. (And most people in August are! ) Plan on bringing twice as many outfits as usual or plan to do laundry and wear those outfits again. Bring a few pairs of shoes so that you can air them out after a park visit.

Yes! We do laundry half way through. Changing outfits is a must - really makes you feel refreshed!

 

[DVC_Dad_Canada]

Plus you can see when machines are available.

http://www.laundryview.com/disneyworld/

 

[goofy4tink]

There was the one August, it didn't rain our entire trip! That statement 'you can fry an egg on the sidewalk'? Yeah, that was very appropriate. The locals couldn't believe the heat/humidity. We all prayed for rain!!! When they have a heat wave, in August, in Orlando, it's not the place to be, believe me!! My dd and I were staying at WL. I got up in the morning, went out to the food court by 7am and grabbed food. We stayed in the room the rest of the day, until dinnertime. Then went to a park. It was that hot!!! Just walking to the food court made me so sweaty that I had to change my top!!!

 

[Pills]

Another August vet here. We've gone every other August since 2009.

TAKE IT EASY. If you're taking a long trip, there's really not a lot of reason to rush from one place to another. The worst time I ever had in August was when they closed our bus stop at CSR without any warning, and we had to rush to another for a BoG ADR, so we were rushing through MK when the heat index was 100. Later that day, the storm came through when we were almost at the front of the TT line, so we sat in the A/C for about an hour waiting. Completely rejuvenated us, and we had a great rest of the day.

AK is hot. You have to be careful how you do AK, because there are a LOT fewer places with A/C than any other park. Try to go through what shops there are, and stay in the shade as much as possible.

You will sweat. You will be hot. You will appreciate the lower crowds, and possibly MNSSHP and F&W. You will not mind shopping (even if you didn't before) because you'll get into the A/C. You'll appreciate Spaceship Earth, Carousel of Progress and even the Hall of Presidents a lot more. Haunted Mansion may become your favorite ride if it isn't already. You'll go swimming quite a bit, which is just awesome after a park day, especially if your pool has a bar.

Enjoy!

 

[Micca]

OK I'm just going by memory here (usually a bad idea in my case) but it seems like last August (2016) the crowds dropped off precipitously around the 2nd-3rd week of August. I wasn't there, but I seem to recall reading here on the Dis that people were reporting the crowds were much lower than expected. Whether that will be the case this year I couldn't say. Certainly with the new attractions at AK there is more incentive for folks to visit.

If you're thinking of long days in the park I think it could be brutal due to the heat. If you can break up your days with time in the A/C at your resort and/or some pool or waterpark time that's great. You might look into some projected/historic park hours to determine how late the parks are open after the sun goes down. It'll still be hot & humid even after dark but at least you won't have the hot sun beating down on you.

 

[JerseyJanice]

We've done 3 trips in August and 2 in June, and I found the heat more bearable in August due to the fact that the sun goes down sooner. In June, you can get blazing sun till 8:30 whereas it's getting dark by 7:00 in August.

 

[mlayton14]

Can't believe all of the drama around the heat , are we really all that weak/wimpy? A good part of the country from northeast through southeast has weather like this , just not for the entire summer. I will take sweating (which is good for you anyway) and low crowds any day over perfect weather and sitting hours of your trip with the view of someone's stinky back waiting in some line .

 

[eastendlights]

We are doing our first Aug/Sept trip this year too. I am driving down with my daughter so she can have her car while she does the Disney College Program so we will be there from the 30th to the 10th when I will fly back. We have been in FL in August a few times before-Captiva and Sanibel Islands-and it was hot and humid but there was a constant breeze that made it bearable. We had a trip earlier this year (and I am going back in October and December and in November my husband and son and I will all go) so the only thing that is must do is Pandora-I will be content to just hang around the BC and in restaurants for the hottest part of the day. We live in CT and grew up in NJ and I worked in NYC for years so I know how bad humidity can be. We also have experienced ridiculous humidity in ME in July on our yearly trips-Bar Harbor can get absurdly humid for some reason.

Even with that, I am a bit nervous about the weather as I detest humidity. I will be using many of the tips mentioned in this thread.

 

[LoveMMC]

Don't do the last week. So hot and crowded and the week we go . I think crowds will be bigger this year.

Edit- emojis didn't show up. I was messing. Always see this question and people say go last week- and the greedy side of me is thinking shhhhh

 

[kbmartin]

Someone mentioned alternating outdoor and indoor lines.... is there any way to plan in advance for this if we've never been there before? Which rides' lines are indoor and which are outdoor?

We are also planning our first WDW trip in August of next year, most likely August 13-22, so this thread is very much appreciated.

Here is a list of indoor queues/rides to get some relief from the heat/humidity:

Magic Kingdom
Space Mountain (I don't mind waiting for long periods of time there)
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
Philharmagic
Carousel of Progress
Pirates of the Caribbean (should cool you down once you're on the ride!)
PeopleMover (great breeze!)
Country Bear Jamboree
Hall of Presidents
Enchanted Tiki Room

(There are a few more, but we don't go to them)

Hollywood Studios
Great Movie Ride
Star Tours
Rock N Roller Coaster (partially)
Tower of Terror (partially)
Voyage of the Little Mermaid
Star Wars Launch Bay
One Man's Dream


Epcot
Soarin'
Livin' with the Land
Mission Space
Test Track (partially)
Ellen's Energy Adventure (great for a snooze)
Impressions de France
The American Adventure show
Voices of Liberty (inside the American pavilion)
Mitsukoshi store at Japan (I know this is not exactly a ride or show but my DH and I spend at least a half hour there every trip because it's huge and engaging)
Mexico ride
The show at China and Canada are air-conditioned, but you have to stand. I don't find them relaxing because of this.
The Seas with Nemo


Animal Kingdom
Dinosaur
It's Tough to Be a Bug (partially)
Festival of the Lion King
Finding Nemo show

 

[CrabbyPatty]

We're gone many times in August - mostly because of free dining. I can't tell you the times I've read "it's surface of the sun HOT" over the years, and honestly, I thought it felt pretty much like a good old humid Minnesota summer. Like another poster mentioned about Chicago - it gets HOT and sticky in the midwest during the summer!

Drink water all day, go into AC as often as you can, get there early, leave in the afternoon, return and stay late. Swim in the pools as late as you can (my DD remembers this as the funnest part of your trip). Get a case or two of water delivered to your hotel room (if you're on-property) and always take a bottle when you go out the door. Take along your resort mugs and refill them with water at the parks. Don't carry a backpack. Wear a hat. Bring a few pair of shoes in case it rains so you have a pair when the other pair dries out. Buy a bunch of the cheapo $1 plastic rain ponchos at Target and feel free to THROW THEM AWAY at the end of each day (I hate carrying around those wet ponchos and trying to dry them off - I'll gladly spend $5 to have a fresh one every day). Take advantage of the great list kbmartin prepared with all the places you can use for a nice break. Have fun!

 

[sullyfam]

We went in August 2016 for my daughter's 1st birthday. We were there in the 2nd/3rd week range. It was hot and sweaty but surprisingly, not a ton of rain. The rainiest trip we ever took was a September trip. We were happy to be there for her birthday and made great memories but most likely won't ever do August again. It was just too hot for us. You walked out of your room and the sweat would immediately start running down your back. I sweat from places I didn't even know I could sweat! Our older 2 complained a lot about being hot and sweaty. We could be outside for maybe 5-10 minute intervals and then needed to dodge into a store or do a show/ride for AC relief. We did a lot of shows we wouldn't normally do and shopped more than ever just to get in the AC. There was no chance we could watch a parade or stand in a line that was outside. I remember AK in particular being very challenging as there isn't a lot of relief from the elements there. The pool breaks were necessary but at the same time, the pools aren't all that refreshing cause it's just so dang hot and the water isn't that cool in August! I guess what I'm saying is, although it was a memorable trip, it was just wasn't as enjoyable as it could have been at another time of year. The heat really affected our overall morale and touring plans. If August is your only option, go for it and you can make it work. Plenty of people do. Get to the parks when they open, dress appropriately, bring a lot of clothes and shoes as you have to change throughout the day, take breaks, hydrate and be prepared to alter your touring plans as needed.

 

[morrismhs]

Don't let the heat scare you. We have gone every year in the summer mostly late July early August. Is it hot? Yes. but it is doable. Make a plan - we get to rope drop every day. We tour in the morning, make a table service ressie for early afternoon, then head back to hotel for a rest and rehydrating. I have never found the crowds to be bad first thing in the morning. By mid to late morning it is getting crowded. As people have said - bring a poncho, a water bottle, and a plan.

 

[Dan Murphy]

But we're friends, right?

Yes we are, Diane.


Thanks so much everybody for all your input, tips, suggestions and experiences. Lots of information here. And, I guess it will be hot.



Any thoughts on whether or not to try a water park at that time of the year, if we go then? In all our WDW trips, we have never done a water park. If so, which one, TL or BB? Your thoughts?



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