Sept not low crowds anymore?

[Kristine316]

I went in September for the first time ever (thanks to the day off of school on Monday the 14th for Rosh Hashanah!) and it was fabulous! Granted, I have never been in September before, and I usually go during March spring break or late June when school lets out (teacher), but here are some things I noticed that I could do in September (with the "crowds" that people are talking about) that were VERY different than my other trips:

1. I rode Soarin' at rope drop this past Sunday with no wait...and then I rode it immediately again with no wait. In March or June, the wait is already 30 minutes plus by 9:05.
2. I walked on to Test Track via the single rider line last Monday afternoon at 3:00. My last trip in Junes 2013, even the single rider line had a wait of 20 minutes or more pretty much all day.
3. After the 9 PM fireworks at Magic Kingdom on Sunday night, everything except Peter Pan and 7 Dwarves was essentially a walk on - 15 minutes or less even for the mountains. This doesn't happen until much later in the evening in March and June.
4. SO much space in the walkways!! With the exception of post-MK fireworks, I could have done cartwheels in the streets had I wanted to. I took a picture and sent it to my husband who didn't come (girls trip) and he couldn't believe all of the bare street that was visible in the photos.
5. Fantasmic did not fill to capacity, and we could have just walked in 5 minutes prior to get a seat.

Things that seemed no different in September than they are during peak season:
1. Restaurants are still crowded, because, free dining.
2. In the middle of the day, you can't just walk onto headliners.
3. Characters still have long lines all day.
4. The Magic Kingdom was crowded packed on a Sunday night for Wishes after 2 nights in a row of early closings due to a special event.

Those are my thoughts...as someone who visited in September who had never been during a low season. I thought it was a great time to visit, and will be planning my visits in the future around Jewish holidays when school is closed. I think I would rather go for 4 days in September than for a week in June

If a guest is used to going in June or over a Holiday obviously they will find September to be great by comparison.
I think the issue comes when someone is a first time guest and expects the "lowest crowds" of the year in September to actually be low crowds. They don't understand that low crowds at WDW just mean slower than a typical WDW day.. Which basically means you will still deal with crowds but, it won't be insane.
Another issue is for the guest who usually goes in September but every year finds the crowds getting a little worse. It must feel like a wonderful, best kept secret is slipping away and soon to be gone. I get the frustration.

 

[newestkg06]

It does seem like some people are starting to come in fall and spring rather than the summer. If that is from promotions, people reading crowd calendars/guidebooks, or weather related....your guess. Also, with shorter hours, fewer employees and running fewer boats/rides, and parties, the crowds are not as evenly distributed, so I think it feels more crowded and wait times just about even out. We arrive Sat so we'll see!

 

[GaryDis]

I thought it was a great time to visit, and will be planning my visits in the future around Jewish holidays when school is closed.

Rosh Hashanah in 2016 will be Oct 3 and 4. That's probably bad in terms of F&W, but better in terms of weather.

Some years, it's on the weekend, though when that happens, Yom Kippur will be Monday of the following week.

 

[ErinInCT]

We were there the first week of September and the weekdays were uncrowded. So much so that our longest waits were about 20 min for Splash and BTMRR. I had FPs for a diff day (we planned to do Fantasyland one day and the rest another day and night) and the lines were so short and we finished everything in Fantasyland so we headed over. We even left in the afternoons to go back and swim. Parades and fireworks had great spots for viewing. The weekend got a lot more crowded (we usually do a Sun - Fri so I've never experienced weekends) where we actually had to wait in a line at bag check to enter the park. We ended up doing so much that we skipped one night and relaxed at the hotel because we just didn't need to do anything more! I was able to use probably about 6 or 7 FPs a day so we rarely waited in lines. We saw every show at EPCOT WS with no one blocking views or anything! I heard the week b4 was uncrowded too (last week of August). Our kids didn't start school until after Labor Day!! Anyway, it was awesome, saw no tour groups, no chanting, no waiting for pool chairs (which I did find on the weekend), etc.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

If a guest is used to going in June or over a Holiday obviously they will find September to be great by comparison.
I think the issue comes when someone is a first time guest and expects the "lowest crowds" of the year in September to actually be low crowds. They don't understand that low crowds at WDW just mean slower than a typical WDW day.. Which basically means you will still deal with crowds but, it won't be insane.
Another issue is for the guest who usually goes in September but every year finds the crowds getting a little worse. It must feel like a wonderful, best kept secret is slipping away and soon to be gone. I get the frustration.

Absolutely agree. I was just saying that there are still benefits to going in September, and compared to the busier seasons, it's still a big time win. My family used to go at Thanksgiving in the 90s, but I can't imagine trying to go at that time now. Back then, Thanksgiving was considered "moderate crowds" by both the Official and Unofficial Guide people.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

Rosh Hashanah in 2016 will be Oct 3 and 4. That's probably bad in terms of F&W, but better in terms of weather.

Some years, it's on the weekend, though when that happens, Yom Kippur will be Monday of the following week.

Ha. I already looked into RH for 2016. I'd still rather go in October for 4 days than March or June for a week, so I think we'll do a long weekend again and just avoid Epcot on Sat/Sun.

 

[NicholeB630]

I went in September for the first time ever (thanks to the day off of school on Monday the 14th for Rosh Hashanah!) and it was fabulous! Granted, I have never been in September before, and I usually go during March spring break or late June when school lets out (teacher), but here are some things I noticed that I could do in September (with the "crowds" that people are talking about) that were VERY different than my other trips:

1. I rode Soarin' at rope drop this past Sunday with no wait...and then I rode it immediately again with no wait. In March or June, the wait is already 30 minutes plus by 9:05.
2. I walked on to Test Track via the single rider line last Monday afternoon at 3:00. My last trip in Junes 2013, even the single rider line had a wait of 20 minutes or more pretty much all day.
3. After the 9 PM fireworks at Magic Kingdom on Sunday night, everything except Peter Pan and 7 Dwarves was essentially a walk on - 15 minutes or less even for the mountains. This doesn't happen until much later in the evening in March and June.
4. SO much space in the walkways!! With the exception of post-MK fireworks, I could have done cartwheels in the streets had I wanted to. I took a picture and sent it to my husband who didn't come (girls trip) and he couldn't believe all of the bare street that was visible in the photos.
5. Fantasmic did not fill to capacity, and we could have just walked in 5 minutes prior to get a seat.

Things that seemed no different in September than they are during peak season:
1. Restaurants are still crowded, because, free dining.
2. In the middle of the day, you can't just walk onto headliners.
3. Characters still have long lines all day.
4. The Magic Kingdom was crowded packed on a Sunday night for Wishes after 2 nights in a row of early closings due to a special event.

Those are my thoughts...as someone who visited in September who had never been during a low season. I thought it was a great time to visit, and will be planning my visits in the future around Jewish holidays when school is closed. I think I would rather go for 4 days in September than for a week in June

This is good to hear and I don't expect to just walk on any rides other than first thing in the morning. Its mainly the walking around that gets us. If there are lines ok thats fine but if when just trying to walk around the park and it feels like its jammed packed that isn't enjoyable for us especially with a stroller and 2 kids. Lines for characters I get to. We plan big time and pick our fast passes, do rope drop, make ADR so maybe we will still be ok in Sept. I just don't know if we should skip party and go before it gets busier or just try it out.

 

[Nohal]

We've been going in Sept for the last 13 years around the same week. Every year it gets more and more crowded. Way back when the longest wait for most rides was 10 min. We were in shock because we had always gone in the summer with the kids. Then free dining started (used to be great appy, entree, desert, drink and tip at all levels of resorts) and more and more people were finding out and going in Sept. Then the halloween party started earlier and earlier every year. Then F&W started earlier and earlier. Disney has extended special events which bring in more people. Going tomorrow with a crowd level of 2 not really expecting it to be slow. We will see. Doesn't matter cause I'll be in Disney.

 

[bc7ate9]

I'll believe it when I see it. We'll be there in 9 days and I'm not expecting drastically larger crowds. Not sure why 2015 would differ all that much from all of our other four Sept trips (2010-2013) at the same time period with free dining being offered, etc...

Sure, park attendance is rising, but it's not doubling or tripling...

Dan

6 days for us and we feel exactly the same way. We don't usually find crowds in September unless we look for them on purpose (going to Food & Wine on a weekend, for example.)

 

[wendow]

I think kristine316 really has it correct. I do not think there is a true slow time anymore. The week prior to Labor Day at this point seems to be when people reported the lowest crowds, and TP's reported numbers of 1 & 2 for many of those days. Guess what? Next year, that week will be packed cause so many people are online now and they are using all these same sites that we are using to plan their trips.

Several years ago, I hardly knew anyone else going to WDW. Now? It seems most people I talk to have a trip (or two!) planned sometime in the next year. *AND* they all know about touringplans.com and UT and DIsney FB pages where people are sharing tips and tricks. They have all heard that September is the time to go. They also all want FD. So what happens? Well, now Sept is no longer low crowds.

We went Dec 9-17 last year. And then we just got back from being there last week. Also, been there every Sept for several years. Last week looked much more like how mid-Dec looked than how Sept used to look. So, imo, it has moved to more of a moderate crowd time. I think OP said they would be ok with mid-Dec crowd levels. If so, then Sept would be ok.

 

[walker0829]

I was surprised at the crowds after Labor Day..was definitely expecting lower wait times. I followed the advice from Josh's site and switched our Epcot/AK days so we weren't going on early EMH. I felt like I should have just gone on EMH andhad an extra hour. 30 minute Expedition wait after riding Safari at park open compared to walking on Expedition last May when doing the early hours.

Later in the week it seemed like crowds died down a little but it didn't seem like much of a difference from May. For us, the difference wasn't enough to make up for the daily rain storms.

 

[AliceinMaryland]

Most people I know who go to WDW are checking all the sites and listening to the crowd calendars and choosing their vacation time accordingly. I think these tools are actually creating more crowds in the traditionally slower times because they tell everyone to go during months like September to avoid crowds. Obviously as more people utilize these tools, more people will go during the suggested time periods and in turn increase the crowd levels.
People do not seem concerned about taking their kids out of school anymore either.

I've been thinking that too!

 

[epcotty]

We didn't get Jewish holidays off school when I was a kid, seems kids get lots more breaks from school than before

 

[AngiTN]

We can honestly do anytime in january and I just want to pick the lowest week possible but also wanted to do the halloween party so therefore we'd have to wait and go the week it started but after this week I worry that it would be too crowded.

People keep getting confused thinking low crowds means no crowds. It just means the lowest crowds
Sept will be the lowest crowds you'll find at Disney.
It's still fairly crowded. Because it's Disney.

 

[tlmadden73]

It could just be as simple as WDW getting more crowded every year and as it gets more crowded, more and more people look for those traditionally "slow" weeks of the year, which in turn makes those weeks more crowded.
It has happened to times like early December which just 7 years ago was considered an ideal time to go as far as crowds.. Now it's more moderate in terms of crowds.

THIS --
No one wants crowds, and with the "ease" of the internet (and sites like this) .. people can easily find what the "traditional" slow times are go there .. (thus making them more crowded than if these resources DIDN"T exist).

I planned my trip this year for Aug. 26-30 for the following reasons
1) My son was turning 3 during the trip - thus was FREE
2) It was "Value" season (lowest hotel prices of the year)
3) It was predicted a LOW crowd time (in the 3s for the days we were going to the park.

It was a nice 1,2,3 punch . .and despite the heat and afternoon thunderstorms (every day) .. I would consider going again that time of year.

So one of the main reasons I chose my vacation time was predicted crowds were low. If my son's third birthday fell a month earlier in July we would NOT have been going .. and I probably wouldn't have gone in August or September just because of the extra cost of his ticket.

How many other people chose to go in late August/early September simply because that is a low crowd time?

Add in the discounts, events, special parties and free dining and Disney does its best to get people to come outside the big summer months and holidays.

 

[To the honeypots]

We were there last week and honestly it was significantly more crowded that the second week of Sept last year. Was it summer crowds? Probably not but there were some lines. I think I saw A&E at 100 minutes at one point. On a Saturday at Animal Kingdom (most recommended/least crowded park), I saw It's Tough to Be a Bug have a 30 minute wait. We headed for the pool at that point! I would still go in Sept but it wasn't as empty as it was last year for sure.

See this is where I always say take it with a grain of salt. We were there last week as well. For us, the crowds cleared out after Labor Day and we had no problems with waits. In fact, on 9/9 from 8-9 pm we did tomorrowland speedway, dumbo, met goofy and Donald, rode poohs honeypots x 3, and 7dmt x2. We went to Epcot the next evening and the place was empty. Back to magic kingdom all day Friday 9/11 and while not empty, I wouldn't have called it busy. We walked right on most rides.

 

[GreatLakes]

Add in the discounts, events, special parties and free dining and Disney does its best to get people to come outside the big summer months and holidays.

It isn't a coincidence that Marathon weekend is right after the Christmas season. It is a way to get people down there during a slow time.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I found this year to be busier than the last few, but it was still great most days when we avoided EMH parks. Friends joined us for 2 days so we went where they wanted - not recommended parks either day and the lines were pretty bad for this time of year. But one day saw 10 minute SB waits for Soarin and another saw no wait at any ride other than Seven Dwarves.

 

[Rhody Red]

We just returned last night. Checked in on the 8th. It definitely seemed crowded. A Cast Member at CBR told us that it was much busier than usual. He says it's Free Dining (of course), and MNSSHP that has brought everyone in. He said that People have figured out that the closer to Halloween you get, the pricier the Tickets to the Event. He also said that there really is no "slow" time anymore. We didn't do the Party because the Kids had zero interest in it. But, I will say that on that night, Hollywood Studios was insane. I guess everyone went there to close out the Park (Well, those who could use the EMH, that is).

We did do most of what we wanted to do this Trip, so we can't really complain much (Although the humidity seemed worse this time around, and we had much more Rain that convinced us to buy Ponchos when we'd normally just casually stroll in it while laughing at everyone hiding under things). And, it didn't stop us from booking the Bounceback. We'll be back next September!

 

[Willows909]

We just came back after an 8 night stay, and while it was certainly crowded compared to our past September trips, (so crowded!) it was great. All about timing and rope drop. Of course we are basing the crowds on our past September trips! We did everything we wanted and had plenty of pool time. Not too much rain either, a pleasant surprise! In fact no rain to speak of for the first 4 days! Bounce back booked for next September!