opinions on august?

[wdwobsessed!]

DH has a week vacation in August. This isn't my ideal time to go because the crowds and the unbearable heat scare me. DS will be 3 if we do end up going. We are not new to the parks so we know how to utilize early morning EMH, mid-day breaks, late evening EMH. If August was your only (foreseeable) chance to go, would you do it?

 

[Saimaeve]

I would do it, if it was my only chance..

But I would definitely prefer even a month later.

Crowds will be dissipating some due to school being in session. But it will be quite warm.

Just be prepared for lines and heat and you'll be AOK

 

[wdwobsessed!]

I would do it, if it was my only chance..

But I would definitely prefer even a month later.

Crowds will be dissipating some due to school being in session. But it will be quite warm.

Just be prepared for lines and heat and you'll be AOK

What if it was towards the end of August....say the 24th-30th? Will it still be overly crowded?

 

[WiscMomof2]

Absolutely! Been 2x in August and yes, there's no denying it can be hot. What's worked for us is hitting the parks at opening, taking a break during the hottest part of the day, and then head back after dinner. The later in August you can go, the lighter the crowds begin to get.

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

The later in August you go, the less crowded it is. We usually go the week right before Labor Day and are able to walk on a ton of rides. Yes, unbearably hot--but I can manage that if I'm not dealing with crowds too!

Drink lots of water, enjoy all those indoor rides/shows, take breaks, go at a slower pace. You'll be fine!

 

[mm1971]

DH has a week vacation in August. This isn't my ideal time to go because the crowds and the unbearable heat scare me. DS will be 3 if we do end up going. We are not new to the parks so we know how to utilize early morning EMH, mid-day breaks, late evening EMH. If August was your only (foreseeable) chance to go, would you do it?

Yup! My kids are older and we no longer pull them from school. As a result, it is a holiday week (no thanks) or summer. We typically go in the last 2 weeks of August. Crowds are tolerable and we just make sure to stay hydrated and plan a lot of breaks when needed.

We were not bothered by the heat. We just made sure to stay rested and drink lots of water. We will typically head back to the resort at the hottest part of the day 1-4PM. We will swim, eat and rest. Back to the parks around 5PM and go until close or exhaustion sets in. EMH at night for MK and Epcot are a lust for us.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

We went at the end of August in 2011 and will be going again.

It's very hot but IMO it's doable. We do rope drop, midday break at the pool (no naps here) and then an evening park. Or we start late and stay until the park closes. We just try to stay out of the 1-4 pm heat.

We drink tons of water, do some shows (Philharmagic is my fave on a hot MK day) and just remember to take it easy.

 

[Rjmdds]

The later in August you go, the less crowded it is. We usually go the week right before Labor Day and are able to walk on a ton of rides. Yes, unbearably hot--but I can manage that if I'm not dealing with crowds too!

Drink lots of water, enjoy all those indoor rides/shows, take breaks, go at a slower pace. You'll be fine!

This! We were there the last week of August this past year for the first time. We even hit a heat wave in a usually hot time of year to begin with. Temps were consistently 95 -98 degrees every day with god awful humidity. But we still had a blast. Proper planning, breaks, water cooling towels…and away you go. We would and probably will go again. Crowds were great and we got to see the MK decorated for Halloween!

 

[wdwobsessed!]

This is awesome! Thanks for all your opinions! Now I just have to reassure DH August will be doable and start planning and saving (more)! Thank you all!

 

[abouley]

We're going mid August and I'm a bit nervous about the heat as well! I just wanted to add that there is a really good deal at the deluxe resort for Aug if you search magical labor day deal or something like that you should be able to find the company offering the deal and more information here on the board. Deluxe resorts are around $200/night! That deal is what made us decide to go ahead and go with August. I never thought we'd get to stay at the Poly!

 

[ArwenMarie]

We have gone in August for a few years now. If you can go any other cooler time, then go then But if you can't, then that's when you can go.

Get out early every morning. The heat becomes absolutely brutal in the afternoons. Get your must-dos done in the mornings as well. There are daily storms with lightning usually in the afternoons. Sometimes the swim-in-the-afternoon strategy can be tricky but if you wait it out, you can usually find a time to do it.

We like to have an in-park lunch ADR around 11 am and then we usually do QS for dinner at the resort or wherever. We find that the sit-down break refreshes us to keep going.

Make your touring plans with AC attractions built into it (those nice ones where you can sit for a bit and cool off ).

Some parks are worse than others. World Showcase is the hottest place on earth during the day in the summer. FutureWorld isn't as bad because lots of big buildings. Hollywood Studios is relatively decent too. MK is surprisingly not as bad because there are so many places to go in and out of. We often skip AK entirely in August.

The crowds decrease as the month goes on, as do the prices. On the flip side, compared to the cooler months, you can't get as much done in a day usually, so it's a tradeoff there.

Anyway, an August trip can be great, if you go into it with the right expectations.

 

[RustManFan]

we went the last week in August twice and both times were camping in a tent. Yes it was hot but we had a great time anyway. Made more use of the FW pool that trip!!

 

[disneyfantotheend]

Nope. We did it once. We had a great trip, but we were miserably hot. Still did what we wanted, but there are too many better times to go. I truly don't even think if it was my only option we would go back. I said never again and meant it.

 

[staceyrhood]

Drink lots and lots of water and make sure you have a stroller fan, they are a life saver for little ones. I have 2 smaller ones that attach to our stroller and put one one each side.

 

[Rjmdds]

Some of it may depend too on where you are coming from. We live in NJ where August is usually hot and sticky anyway. So our philosophy was "if we're going to be hot and sweaty anyway, it may as well be in Disney!" If you are not used to heat and humidity, then it will be quite an adjustment for you.

 

[SeilerBird]

...and the unbearable heat scare me.

ROTFLMAO

I moved to Orlando two years ago and a lot of my friends warned me that I would never be able to stand the heat. I laughed at them. I used to live in Las Vegas. It does not get hot in Florida, medium at the best. I suggest stopping in Las Vegas and playing golf for three days before heading to Florida, you will need a sweater when you get here.

 

[Moms]

We went every August for several years (right after the summer sports season was over but before school started) and managed to tolerate the heat and always had a great time. All of the suggestions here are great ... we also tended to make our dining reservations for a "late lunch" which got us out of the heat for a period of time during the worst time of the day (late afternoon). We also found some great "relief" spots in the parks ... eg: Hall of Presidents at MK is a great place for a break from the heat (and maybe a little nap), American Adventure at Epcot, and we once did the Great Movie Ride at HS six times on one hot day in May one year (obviously before FP+) ... anyway, follow the advice here and have a great time!

 

[GrumpyBelle]

The last 2 weeks of August are not that bad. It is still very hot---but not unbearable. The parks aren't as crowded. I would not hesitate. We have done the last 2 weeks in August several times and are doing it again this year.

 

[frndshpcptn]

No way.

Too hot - way too hot.

 

[OurLaughingPlace]

The last 2 weeks of August are not that bad. It is still very hot---but not unbearable. The parks aren't as crowded. I would not hesitate. We have done the last 2 weeks in August several times and are doing it again this year.

We travel to Disney the last two weeks of August every summer. Yes, it's hot but we love it. We try not to push ourselves to exhaustion, taking pool breaks and afternoon ADR's. The crowd level makes it bearable for us.