Please reassure me Sept 2016?!

[jsmla]

I go several times a year, every year and while it's not as quiet as back in 2009 the first week of September has always (barring things like tropical systems or freakishly frigid cold fronts) been the least crowded in my experience. I tend to go:

End of January/beginning of February
First week of September
October (varies) for MNSSHP and Food and Wine
Early December

plus the occasional spring trip timed to miss the weeks before and after Easter

Labor Week 2014 was extremely wet but this year was nice

 

[RustManFan]

We had originally selected September or October 2016 but decided to go a few days after Thanksgiving and early December 2016 instead. My son has never been when Christmas decorations are up and hasn't visited at all since 2000.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

We went Sept 4-12 and are going back with BB next year same time. Crowds were low and we had a blast. Scooters were swarming us and drove us crazy but hey tolerance is the key. Love this time if year.

 

[georgina]

I was there Sept 13-18th this year and did not find the crowds bad, except at the first Halloween party. I think with rope drop you will be fine; I was talking to a woman at the 10 AM Festival of the Lion King who said she left her DH at the bag check line because it was so long he might not make the show. At rope drop there were no issues.

 

[anniemae]

I think you picked a very good week. Right after Labor Day is the absolute slowest time IMO. The kids are all back in school, kids from northern and mid-western states, Canadians, and UK folks all start the day after Labor Day and fall breaks have not started yet. I really think this past Sept was a fluke. I know there is no slow time anymore, but I think Sept is the slowest you will find it.

 

[tlmadden73]

It has been more crowded than expected the last year for me. There is no "low crowd" time anymore it seems.
I went a year ago in 2014 and it was a lot more crowded than it was just this past late August 2015. My dates in August were right before the free dining, but late enough that most people had gone back to school.

The temps/weather in late August will probably be very similar to your dates in September .. hot and humid during the day .. with practically 100% chance of rain/thunderstorm EVERY afternoon/evening.

It is still pleasant though and we got a lot done by simply going early in the morning .. taking a necessary break in the afternoon (back at resort or in park) (when it rained) and staying late (even with a toddler). We never waited very long for anything .. (most everything we didn't fast pass was practically a walk-on).

Just avoid the Free dining time if that doesn't interest you and avoid the Food and Wine dates for Epcot.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

plus the occasional spring trip timed to miss the weeks before and after Easter

We've done a number of Easter visits. Again, even when it falls in April, weather can vary quite a bit.

With the way Disney has been pricing peak weeks (a trend they appear to be amplifying), we didn't think Easter crowds were all that bad last year. Though we only did a short visit ourselves.

But higher crowds = more park hours, which works out better for us.

We've gone during September, and MK closing at 7pm is too early for us. I loved when MK had $10 night, but paying party prices just to get some P.M. hours is crazy, IMO.

 

[jsmla]

We've done a number of Easter visits. Again, even when it falls in April, weather can vary quite a bit.

With the way Disney has been pricing peak weeks (a trend they appear to be amplifying), we didn't think Easter crowds were all that bad last year. Though we only did a short visit ourselves.

But higher crowds = more park hours, which works out better for us.

We've gone during September, and MK closing at 7pm is too early for us. I loved when MK had $10 night, but paying party prices just to get some P.M. hours is crazy, IMO.

I remember E nights!

I'm definitely an early bird and prefer rope drop to closing. I remember, waaay back in the day when the Magic Mornings (or whatever they were called) would begin at 6:30 AM. Not too many people are willing to head to a park predawn but I was in heaven!

My last Easter visit was in 2008 and it was a zoo!

 

[Squggl3]

I have been to Disney a lot! This was my first time going in September. We were there from 17-27, we generally go in early November but have gone in May/February/January/December ( I have always avoided summer months) although I was in Disney so I had a good time (as always) September is not a time I would pick to go back. It was just too hot and humid for DH and I and it really cut into our park time and honestly the crowds were comparable to early November. we still had a great trip (though DH gets cranky in the heat and crowds so I had to ditch him a few times) I park hopped a lot more than I usually do because the bus rides mid-day were a nice break from the heat and walking. I also learned that even with mid-day rests that we should have eaten earlier because we were TIRED getting back to POP at 11pm from a 7:30 ressie at Jiko!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

kind of depends on what you are looking for from "low crowds." If you mean there aren't really long lines for everything, then September should work OK for you. If you are anticipating being able to walk onto all rides without any wait all day long, all week long, that is a thing of the past.

 

[NicholeB630]

How can I know that far in advance when free dining is? I know that Jewish holiday was early Sept this year too and I think that played a roll in the more crowds. I would want to go before F&W starts but will be there during the halloween party. I contemplated going like the Sunday before Labor day and into that week rather than waiting till the Friday after labor day. Seems like some people have said the week of Labor was pretty low crowds. We could just avoid the parks on actual Labor day? Not sure which would be best. But then I don't know if its worth even going in September if we don't do the halloween party which I am also worried about. So many things to factor in. I would go in the winter again but Ir really would like my kids to be able to swim. I know they are heated pools but no way are we swimming when its 50 degrees outside and last Dec it was pretty cold. I can't imagine that if Jan/Feb crowds are around a 3/4/5 and early Sept is 1/2 still how is Jan/Feb less crowded? Guess the weather not being so hot would def be a plus. I wish there was a time we could go during warmer weather but not crazy crowds like around spring break. I don't know its so tough. I love Disney and so do my kids. My husband not so much and if we go and its wall to wall people with ridiculous waits for every ride he will never go again. We def don't expect to walk on everything or it be empty but there is a point of crowds where it takes the fun out. I wish Disney isn't so damn money hungry and allow for there to be times where people could go where there wasn't some incentive going on so that it actual was less crowded.

 

[NicholeB630]

I def don't expect to walk on every ride all day long. i don't expect to really walk on any ride ever except at RD maybe. But some rides being 10/15 minute waits through out the day would be great and just being able to walk around. I know some places get more congested then others in the parks but with two small kids who will want to walk and have fun and look around some its stressful when theres so many people around and constantly breaking your group up and its scary to lose a kid. Thanks for all the advice. I am still so torn. I am wondering though if we should just go the week of Labor day. Skip a park on Labor day we are planning three down days anyways and just miss out on the halloween party?

 

[Cando86]

I agree with some previous posters that slower times are more crowded but still slower than the busier times, if that makes any sense. General attendance is increasing so slower times feel busier but are still the slowest times of the year. I might be confusing myself...

I will add that while we just got home from a September trip and were surprised by the crowds (it was just more crowded than we were expecting, nothing super crazy or intolerable) I think if you do it the way you're planning to you will be just fine. I've heard someone say before that your touring plan matters more than the time of year you go, so you're doing it right!

 

[midge3426]

We arrived September fifth and stayed for ten day. Because it was Labor Day weekend, the parks were undoable. There were folks everywhere and huge lines. The parks were crowded until Wednesday. Add into the crowds the most outrageous heat and humidity that I have ever experienced in Florida. I thought that I was imagining things, but one of the outdoor vendors at Downtown Disney was talking about the bad humidity too. At the end of the week, Night of Joy was at the Magic Kingdom and ruined that park. They let the Night of Joy ticket holders in the gates late afternoon and they impact crowd levels. You also get a lot of boisterous behavior from the event participants.

 

[Disney Mom 7272]

This was our third year in a row that we went in September and I will say that I thought it was more crowded this year than the previous years. We went 9-12 through 9-19. I don't think that it was overly crowded but more than I have seen it. I think there are more people that are taking their kids out of school to come.

 

[wendow]

This was our third year in a row that we went in September and I will say that I thought it was more crowded this year than the previous years. We went 9-12 through 9-19. I don't think that it was overly crowded but more than I have seen it. I think there are more people that are taking their kids out of school to come.

I think more people are willing to pull kids out also. A lot of people are thinking that schools are just starting up, but in fact, in many areas, the kids have been back in for a month or even more by early Sept. So, parents are totally fine pulling them out.

We homeschool and can go anytime, and we definitely met several homeschooling families down there this Sept.

 

[wendow]

I wish Disney isn't so damn money hungry and allow for there to be times where people could go where there wasn't some incentive going on so that it actual was less crowded.

I wish so too. We don't use the FD promo. We just want low crowds. FD used to be offered over so many dates, that it distributed the people better who will only go b/c of FD. Now, the FD is limited so those people are all being squished into a small space of time.

And then there is the marketing to the international crowd. The parks were full of international guests.

 

[wendow]

I can't imagine that if Jan/Feb crowds are around a 3/4/5 and early Sept is 1/2 still how is Jan/Feb less crowded?

Also, just fyi, if you have touringplans.com, look at what they predicted vs. what they saw. Many of those Sept 1's & 2's turned out to be more into the 3/4/5 numbers. Which is what early/mid Dec was in 2014. So, if you were ok with those crowds, it should be comparable. The only caveat I will add is *for us* dealing with 3/4/5 crowd levels was easier in Dec cause the heat in Sept made us more irritable. Maybe that would be a non-issue for you.

 

[ArmyVet80]

The last few years we have been to WDW in Sept. and the crowds have gotten a little bigger but still very manageable. As others have stated it will seem crowded down Main St. but once you get into the different lands it will trickle down. We had no problem riding any rides and got to do every meet and greet we wanted. Got to see A&E without FP+ and only waited 30 minutes. We have booked our Sept. 2016 trip already but it is for 24 Sept. thru 1 Oct. as we plan on going to a MNSSHP and going to the F&W Festival.

 

[PeasandCarrots]

I can't speak to those dates, but we were there Sept 4-8 and had very low crowds the entire time including Labor day weekend. By low I mean compared to April (not near Easter) and October when we normally go. I've put up a couple of vlogs from our September trip below you can check out to get an idea of the crowd levels. You can tell by she sheer number of rides (these are both on the same day) that we got in that it wasn't crowded. All of this was done by early afternoon.