OK - Crazy to go in August?

Mom2Rae

Mouseketeer
Joined
Oct 21, 2005
Messages
383
We just got back from WDW and am already thinking of the time of year to go in '06. Rae (my dd) will be in Kindergarten and I really don't want to keep her out of school a full week. So, we were thinking of a slow time in the summer so she could swim for a change.

Sock it to me...the good, bad and ugly! I know Hurricanes or more likely and we may just melt with the intense heat, but is that the worst of it? Are crowds going to put me in shock?? (We usually go early December so we're kinda spoiled!)

Thank You All In Advance!
:wave2:
 
We went the week of Aug 14, 2005. While the crowds were somewhat lighter than our previous spring break trips, the heat/humidity was alomost unbearable. As the humidity rises, I think my tolerance to crowds and waiting goes way down! I think if you pick whatever time works for you and have realistic expectations(no commandoin the crazy humidity)and plan you'll have a great time whenever. I don't think we'll ever do Aug again!
 
Dh is a teacher, so the only time we can travel is in the summer. We were at WDW in early Aug. this year. It was hot (hot, hot, hot) and crowded.

Maybe late August would be better. It will still be hot, but perhaps the crowds will be a little lighter. You'll have to drink plenty of water all day and take care not to get sick from the heat. Allow time for pool breaks.
 
Dh is a teacher, so the only time we can travel is in the summer. We were at WDW in early Aug. this year. It was hot (hot, hot, hot) and crowded.

Maybe late August would be better. It will still be hot, but perhaps the crowds will be a little lighter. You'll have to drink plenty of water all day and take care not to get sick from the heat. Allow time for pool breaks.
 

We went in August with my neices who were 12 & 15 at the time, and it was hot and muggy and really crowded. It was doable though because they were a little more patient about waiting in lines and they skipped alot of the fantasy land things and meeting characters and such. I don't think I would take a 5 year old that time of year, we just returned in September with the boys who are 8, 5, and 2. It was still pretty hot, but not very crowded at all. My opinion personally was that the boys wouldn't really miss much taking them out the third week of school for a week so we went that route and I am soooo glad we did. It was wonderful.
 
My husband and I are also so teachers so the only time we can go is Aug. We prefer the last two weeks. The last week is quieter until Labor Day but the 2nd to last week is pretty good too. I can't go the last week until my son finishs high school and marching band which has practice the last week of Aug.
 
Aug 20 to the 29th.....been there twice around these times, no crowds
 
We were there from 8/20-8/30 and the crowds weren't that bad. We usually go the first week in august and that can be very crowded. The best tip is to go to the parks right at opening. It's a little cooler and you can get a lot more done then. Also use fastpass all the time. If your someone who likes to sleep in this is not the best time to visit. By the time you get to the parks they're swamped. We love august in disney but then again maybe "we're" crazy. :rotfl2:
 
May thru mid-October is too hot to visit Florida, and August is a killer. But you don't have to go then ... your daughter will only be in kindergarten! It's not like she'll miss anything major, and she certainly won't fail. Take advantage of the situation and go OFF-SEASON! We took both our kids out of school for a week (usually a 3-1/2 or 4 day school week) all through elementary school with no problems. Now that they're both in high school we can't do that anymore. Of course we definitely won't go during the summer because of heat nor holidays because of crowds. That leaves us with the first week of January, since they don't return to school til January 10.
 
Went in Aug 2002 and it wasn't that bad...honestly. The crowds are heavier in June and July. (went in July 04, and June 05) From our opinion, July is the most crowded while August (from the three summer mths) has been the least crowded. The heat wasn't unbearable either. Though to be honest, we are used to the heat since we live in South Texas so it was nothing new for us. LOL
 
We almost always go in August, after the 2nd week the crowds do go down. We eat at TS restaurants in the worst heat of the afternoon, really refreshes us, being from Kansas August is hot already,and at least I'm at Disney! The weekends are still fairly crowded, but midweek seems like most of the locals have given up :)
 
We went 8/27-9/3 of this year. It definiately is HOT. We would walk out and just be dripping with sweat. The crowds weren't too bad. We nomally gone in Nov/early Dec. If you prepare for the heat it is doable. I absolutely do NOT do heat well. We went because of free dining and it was my DD5 birthday. We wore light weight shorts and tanks, drank LOTS of water and tried to go between outside attractions and inside (concentrating more on inside ;) ). If you don't do commando I think it's not to bad. I can't imagine running anywhere in that heat to get to everything. Relaxe have fun and take breaks when needed even if its sitting through one of the movies you may not have really wanted to see. It's airconditioned.
 
Late August is great in my opinion. It is hot and rains every afternoon, BUT, the crowds are very light. This past August, the longest wait we had was about 20 minutes.

Just wear a hat, take breaks and drink plenty of water.
 
Stepman said:
Aug 20 to the 29th.....been there twice around these times, no crowds
2003 by any chance? I thought it was fairly crowded then. Surprisingly, this Oct was nearly as crowded.
 
We go every other year at the end of August before the kids go back to school. We find it to be hot but nearly as humid as here in Richmond - I see that you are in VA Beach so you may find it to be true also! I know that everyone complains about the humidity - we just don't have a problem with it. The Florida kids are back in school which makes it very nice as far as the crowds are concerned. We are booked to go back next Aug from the 23rd to the 30th.
 
The crowds really diminish by August - at least the last couple of years. It is hot and humid - but my family always came down in August, and I survived every year (and really, the weather wasn't terribly different from NJ, where we were coming from).
 
After three summer trips at WDW, we have decided to skip the summer months for a while and try the off season or cooler months.


My 2 DD's had an incredibly tough time this year, seems they were happy only when they were in the resort pool. At 9 and 13, they still have a hard time with the heat and crowds. We are taking a couples trip in January, and if we enjoy that month to visit, we will definitely chose that time of year to bring the girls from now on.

I on the other hand, am not too bad in the summer months, I get over the shock of the humidity pretty quickly. I would do WDW anytime of year, but I also have to take the rest of my family's opinion and chhose a time that's best for all of us.

Just be prepared, go early, drink lots of water and take midday breaks.
 












Save Up to 30% on Rooms at Walt Disney World!

Save up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels when you stay 5 consecutive nights or longer in late summer and early fall. Plus, enjoy other savings for shorter stays.This offer is valid for stays most nights from August 1 to October 11, 2025.
CLICK HERE













DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest

Back
Top