Sept. or January?

[wtrowbridge]

We are considering going back in Sept. of 2018 or January of 2019.

In your opinion which offers the bigger savings: Free Dining in Sept. or Room rate discounts in January?

Any others opinions on why one of these two times is better than another?

 

[ErinsMommy]

September is still hot/humid, but is great for low crowds (after Labor Day Weekend) and in the past has had free dining. January weather is still a bit on the cooler side. lower crowds from after the holidays (after New Years week has passed), not sure what's offered discount wise.

Also depending on how many people are in your group vs. which resort you're looking to stay at will tell you which would be better price wise. For us we're staying CL this year so the RO discount was much better than the free dining would've been.

 

[Elsaalltheway]

We are considering going back in Sept. of 2018 or January of 2019.

In your opinion which offers the bigger savings: Free Dining in Sept. or Room rate discounts in January?

Any others opinions on why one of these two times is better than another?

Ok, I've been in Sept the last two years, and will be going back this year, so I can give feedback on Sept, but Jan I can only really guess. So, yes, Sept is still very hot and humid and you can get some showers. Crowds are ok, longest line is about 90 minutes. You can still get dining res at certain restaurants but some still are closed if you don't get in early. Some rides can be walk ons, but you also have the Food and Wine and also MNSSHP. So the parks are decorated for that. Crowd levels can fluctuate. Yes there is usually free dining in Sept, but it appears that is going down, when I did my bounce back it was not offered after Sept 9th so I will be interested in what they offer this year, not only is the time they offer it up and down not all the rooms are offered too. So you can't really count on the free dining being there.

Now for Jan. The weather is not so hot and humid and can fall on the cold side, for Florida, If you go early enough you can still get to see some of the Christmas decorations. The crowd levels can be much lower. You can get some really good room rates, and it appears with some hotels you can even get specials for some dining, but not as good as the free dining that is "usually" offered in sept.

 

[TXHauntedMansionFan]

My $.02:

January should have a little lower crowds other than marathon weekend and will definitely have better weather than Sept. It'll also have more refurbs and more South American tour groups.

Sept will have hot temps and more people that you'll expect but like Elsa said, you'll get the Food and Wine Festival and the Halloween parties (which may be a deterrent as it takes away some evenings at the MK).

Which deal is best for you depends on how many people you're going with, what kind of eating habits your group has and what resorts you like to stay at. If you like to stay at the Grand Floridian while eating counter service meals...you might want to take that room discount. If you stay at value resorts and like to eat table service meals each day...FD is probably the way to go.

 

[westie55]

I have been in September and January. I prefer September. January can be downright cold, especially in the early mornings and at night. It is too cold to take advantage of the resort pools or water parks, which I really enjoy. Hours are very limited in January. There are more rides closed for refurbishment. The Christmas decorations that are still up feel like a leftover afterthought. It kind of depresses me! Don't get me wrong, I would GLADLY go to Disney in January and would have a fantastic time nonetheless, but if I had to choose I'd pick September. The only negative for September for me is a higher chance of thunderstorms.

 

[Accident]

The rumor right now is toy story land might open in 2018. If that might be important, jan 2019 I think has a better chance of it being opened than sept 2018.

Sept is has slightly lower temps than summer but much more humidity. I have no clue what people mean by lower crowds, it was crazy busy the last couple years in sept except for a few days here and there if you got lucky. Also sept is the most active month during rainy season. As others mentioned, Jan has more chances of rides being refurbed. and jan is the coldest month so 30s, snow and morning/night being really cold with warm afternoons is not out of the possibility.. Jan also wasn't all that low crowd this year as well and with new things coming, it'll just bring more and more people.

Flip a coin unless your family hates heat and humidity.

 

[NJ Goofy]

We were there last January and a few days were downright cold, we also had one day that was almost a complete washout. We'd rather go when we can take advantage of the pools and water rides. Also, while the crowds were not summer like it was not empty and there were A LOT of large South American tour groups. If they got in front of you in a line the waiting time doubled. Also, as noted above the parks close early so other than DS there's not much you can do at night. As you can tell my vote would be September.

 

[anniemae]

For me there is no question. January, without a doubt. I love the time frame of Jan/Feb. Crowds are low, IMO weather is perfect. I love cooler weather for park touring. It is cool in the morning and evenings and can be warm in the day. Perfect park weather. I hate the summer in FL. We have been in Aug/Sept time frame and it is so unbelievably hot. So hot that is sucks the life out of you. We have seen people pass out from the heat and humidity. You just drip with sweat. Plus it is rainy and hurricane season in Sept. January is what I would pick. I have a friend who was in Disney yesterday and it was sunny, 80 degrees and the park was not crowded.

 

[kimieko]

I haven't been in January, but the last trip I took in September was crowded. The free dining is nice, but we had a wait for every ADR we had, some up to 1.5 hours because of the free dining, I believe. More people are apt to eat at the table service locations when it is free. I do love MNSSHP & Food and Wine but also dont like the heat/humidity and the rain. So there is a little give and take I think with any time you go, you just need to figure out what is more important to you and your family. This year I am going in November to catch the end of F&W and for our first time during the Holiday decor and MVMCP. (And I am hoping there is NO free dining offered). But anyday at Disney is better than any day at work!

 

[lynch34]

January and it isn't even close.

 

[Elle23]

We were there late January and I can't say enough about how great it was. Crowds were very manageable all days except the Saturday we left.

The weather was perfect. Not a drop of rain, and I didn't break a sweat once!

We may have just hit a great week, but I wouldn't hesitate to go in January again!

 

[hdnwaters]

100 times January! We have been twice in September and it's just too hot and humid. This past January was our first Jan. trip and it was great! The temps can be all over the place. We had 80s to high 50s. You just have to pack for the day to day weather changes.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

September is much less expensive. We go to WDW just about every year, and these are our 2 favorite months, but we prefer September because we love the heat. In January you could get temps so cold that the parks are a total waste.

 

[NJ Goofy]

January weather, like February, is luck of the draw, that's why we prefer September. For instance tomorrow's low will be 47 degrees !! But Saturday will be 80. I always seem to get the 47 degree days. I'll take the hot & humid anytime over 47 degrees, parks in the morning, pool in the afternoon and parks at night !

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Others have weighed in on crowds and discounts and some on weather. FOR US, weather would be the deciding factor. We've been twice in Jan, and froze both times!! Last one was the time the WDW 5K had a wind chill warning - Yup!

We would rather take our chances with unseasonably WARM temps in Sept (which we have gotten sometimes) than the risk of unseasonably COLD temps in Jan when it comes to a FL vacation.

 

[mickeymom629]

Went last January and also back in 2013. I don't like heat, humidity, threat of severe storms, so I vote for January. But, yes, I wore a winter coat and gloves some of the time and it rained 3 or so days last year. Too cold for us to enjoy the pools, but we sat in our warm clothes and watched others who braved the air for the heated pools.

 

[Mcsap]

Sept is still hot, but the crowds are down due to kids being back in school. Other than the occasional hurricane threat, it is a good time to go. Not typically hot enough to swim in January unless you call the Artic Circle home.

 

[han22735]

I've been at both times and would take the heat of September over the chance of it being freezing in January every time. I thought the crowds were lower in September as well.

 

[jsebsirois]

Another vote for September, but only mid to end of September

We just came back from our first time in January and we didn't notice a big change in crowd levels, at least, not enough to think : wow, January is our new favorite time to visit.

Plus in September, you can enjoy MNSSHP and F&W.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

As always, when there are 2 choices... two sets of opinions will follow! It comes down to personal preference. January seems to have more rehabs and closings, and there is only one water park open, and only on days that are deemed warm enough at that.

That said, I would pick January hands down. I don't mind a coat or jacket but foundthe heat and humidity nearly killed most of us when we went in Sept. Our strategy each day centered around heat survival, not crowds or anything else. And it rained every single day, and not just cloudbursts, either. Torrential rains, and t-storms, for more hours than not per day. I hear that we hit an extremely wet spell... 13 days of it... but that was not enough to ever lure me back in that timeframe.

I know others want heat when travelling to Florida, particularly when coming fro winter at home, but as long as I don't have to shovel, I feel I have escaped the winter.