O.K. All you August experts! Enlighten me!

[FINFAN]

We are on the fence about going in Aug. Currently have FTP for ASMO. DS will turn 9 on the trip. We werelast at WDW 7/3-7/11/01. So, we have the 4th crowds as a comparison. We dealt w/the heat o.k., how much worse will Aug. be? We know the rainy season is in full force then...who has been rained out each trip? The water parks are a def. part of the plan as we have never been, but I am afraid we will get rained out. Crowds are a big issue as well. I know no one has a crystal ball, but any past experiences will be helpful. Let me have the good, the bad, and the UGLY!
TIA,
Pam

 

[dianna112198]

I went for the Fourth of July in 2001 as well, and then the following year went in August (3-9). Call me crazy, but the crowds actually felt lighter during our July 4th trip! I thought it was going to be packed! As far as the weather goes, the heat was probably about the same (once it gets past 85 degrees it all feels the same to me...HOT ) and it rained a less on our july 4th trip ( If i can remember correctly, it only rained one day) but I think we just got lucky with that. Overall, there is not that much of a difference (for me anyway) and you should have no problems with going in August. (Hoped that helped a little bit)

 

[Fargoman2]

We are headed to WDW for our 3rd consecutive August trip. I thought the crowds were a bit more manageable last summer than in 2001. I'm somewhat fearful the Fairytale Package is going to bring in heavy crowds this August.

In any event, it will be nice to escape the heat and humidity of Minnesota for a few days.

 

[nativetxn]

I've never been there in August before. I have a trip planned for 8/19 this year, though. I'm going to meet some friends from the UK in Orlando.

Thanks for asking this question. I'm interested to see what advice you get.

Katholyn

 

[BounceyOne]

I much prefer august to July. The later in august you go, the better. More children are back in school as the month goes on.
We will be there agian this august and yes it will be hot, but it is hot at home also. I rather be hot at disney then hot at home.

 

[ZerasPride]

I feel the same way! I am a little apprehensive about being at Disney in August. We usually go in the October/November, May/June timeframe. I am concerned about the heat and rain more than the crowds. Either way, I'd rather be hot and sweaty at Disney than hot and sweaty here in Cleveland! I hope everyone has a rain-free, low crowd trip!

 

[FINFAN]

our dates would be 8/6-8/13...so I think crowds would still be an issue, and now that I saw the post about DU offering the FTP thru 11/20...I amre-thinking going later, but DS b-day is 8/8...how could I pass over that? We were there when DD turned 5 in '95, so this would square things away as far as treating them both, plus, we don't get 7 full days off of school after August until X-mas. Now the rain, and the fact that we will be leaving 2 days B4 Mission Space opens...those are the troubling aspects. DS loves space and will be so sad about missing it, but what better reason to go back! Any ither August helpers?

 

[Bear Necessities]

Originally posted by BounceyOne
I rather be hot at disney then hot at home.

Ditto!! We will be there Aug 17-23 also!!! Yippeee.

 

[Goofyish]

We are going in August. In the past we have only been in October, so we are also a bit apprehensive about the heat and crowds. But, reading other peoples experiences seems to suggest the crowds drop off slightly towards the end of August.
We are in WDW for 14 days so we can take our time and avoid the hottest prts of the day and take advantage of the POR pools etc.
We are also planning to meet a very special lady in WDW - so whatever the weather and crowds that will make our trip really special

 

[laceemouse]

Finfan, I saw on another thread that schools in Florida start back on 8/5, they start a lot earlier in the south than in the north. That should help the crowds. We went last August and it was fine. As for the rain, often it is just a quickie in the afternoon which is kinda nice. It cools and cleans things off. You should be okay for swimming, etc... I say go for it!!!

 

[FINFAN]

YAAAAAAAAY!

 

[jilljill]

We were there 8/9-8/16/02, the crowds weren't too bad at all, and it was an unusually rainy summer last year. FL schools start earlier that week so the crowds were better than I thought they would be. We are going the same week this year and hoping for the same crowds, but much less rain.
I hate the heat and humidity too, but I have to agree with the above posters: better to be hot and sweaty in WDW than at home!

 

[Popsicle]

Hi, Finfan!!!

One good turn deserves another. (The SWA tip.)

We always go in August (since 1992.) The only year I remember as having constant rain was the first year. Some of the others have been very rainy (stopping and starting several times,) and a few times we've not gotten any rain at all. Last year it rained several days as I recall, but no all day torrents. We just whip out those ponchos when it starts, and slap them back in a bag when it stops.

We're usually there during the 3rd or 4th week of August. It is HOT, but after the cold spring??? this year in the Union states, I'm really looking forward to some heat.

As for the crowds, they've seemed lighter the last 2 or 3 years, actually. Last year we did very little line waiting at any of the parks. If you find crowds, go to your favorite attractions early or late in the day. You can really breeze through at those times. Crowd level is really kind of relative. A lot depends on what you're used to. To me, 55 to 90 minute waits mean CROWDED. Again, did not have those kind of wait times last year. It might be different this year.

Hope this helps.

 

[>>^..^<<]

Hi - we were at Disney AUgust 18th - Sep 1st last year.

It rained every afternoon except 2 days. The rain swept in like clockwork around 1-2pm and only lasted an hour or so - if that.

The rain was hard & torrential - but everything dried off quickly and cooled the air "slightly" for the evening LOL

We always had lunch or went swimming when it rained (I mean you are wet anyway!) unless there was lightning.

A couple of evenings there were sporatic bursts of rain but no big deal.

It was really hot - but managable - just drink lots of fluids and take a break once in a while. The crowds are light at the parks but the pools were busy - it's a fun time to see Disney. I remember sweating to death playing mini putt at winterland - the fake snow didn't help.

>>^..^<<

 

[RoqueC]

During my last trip, which took place from August 18th - 23rd, I found the crowds to be very small. Atleast when comapared to July.