september crowds

[boppy]

Hello all! We are planning our very first trip ever to WDW. We are going Sept22-28. Does anyone have any idea what the crowds will be like?
Thanks!

 

[emh1129]

I've heard that it will be quite busy due to free dining (it's the last week of the promotion). We are thinking about going that week in 2008, so I'd love to hear from other people who might have better news than what I've been told!

 

[dr&momto2boys]

We're going that same week! It's supposed to be MUCH better than summer. If you arrive at rope drop each day and do the major attractions, I don't think you'll have any concerns. (Except finding a place to eat if you're on the DDP and don't already have ADRs!)

 

[Iluvthemouse]

2 years ago when Disney first offered free dining we went in Sept and pretty much had the parks to ourselves. It was easy to get ADR's and change them.
I even had pictures of the signs of the waittimes on popular rides of less than 5 minutes. We rode test track 5 times in a row without getting off the ride because there was noone in line.

Last year it was more crowded but still minimum wait times. I think the longest we ever waited of any ride was 15 minutes for Soarin and Splash Mountain BUT the restaurants were packed to the gills. The ADR's were hard to come by and change. The longest waits for at the restaurants.

We are going again this year. I expect the same crowd level. Like a previous poster said if you get there before rope drop you will be fine.


Its still thousands less than 1 time we went in June. OMG, we will never do that again.

 

[connab]

what is free dining?

 

[Disney71]

I will be there that week also - so good to hear the crowds shouldn't be too bad.

Just as a side note.... I thought Free Dining ended on 9/23 ??

 

[Jack&Ryan'smom]

If you check in on the last day of free dining, you get it for your entire stay! We check in on 9/22 and are staying thru 9/29...and I'm just too excited for our first free dining trip!!!! I think I am more excited than the kids!!!

 

[1ABTINK]

Your kidding!! We booked our trip through AAA. We're driving down on Sept. 22 and checking in to the ASMO for the Night and then going to the Poly until the 28th. And now I find out for the price diffrence between six days admission and seven days admission we could have had free dinning for the whole trip!!! Why didn't my travel agent tell me that!!!!!

 

[motofox4]

we went mid-september last year and crowds were pretty low. free dining was going on while we were there (however we didn't take part in it) and found that most of the TS restaurants were already full for dinners and would not take you if you didn't have an ADR. Lines for rides and character greetings were very low (longest wait was 15 minutes for Soarin). The only thing that made things seem more crowded or wait times longer was the heat and humidity but if you're used to that you won't have any problems. I would go in September again with no problem!

 

[Mommyoftwo]

I'll be part of that crowd! Have a great trip!

 

[TimTanyaMichael]

That is the exact week we are going. We went last year the same time and the crowds aren't bad at all. The resorts book up, because of the free dining offered if you stay on property, but the parks last year weren't bad at all. The longest we waited in one line was about 15 minutes.

If you would like to get together to meet another DISer, drop us a message on here.

HAVE FUN!!!!!

 

[*Emily*]

Your kidding!! We booked our trip through AAA. We're driving down on Sept. 22 and checking in to the ASMO for the Night and then going to the Poly until the 28th. And now I find out for the price diffrence between six days admission and seven days admission we could have had free dinning for the whole trip!!! Why didn't my travel agent tell me that!!!!!

The free DDP promotion was only offered within a limited time period and even then (near the end) availability was limited. We booked during the first week the promotion was released and even then all the AllStar resorts were booked for the week we were going. I had to "settle" for a moderate So anyways, maybe you booked your trip before the promotion started. A friend of mine called every day for 2 weeks asking about the free DDP but none of the CM could confirm if it was going to be available this year until the start date, so there was no way the travel agent would have known for sure it was going to be offered. Have fun anyways!

 

[momamy]

there is a really light crowd in september! most parents/kids are back in school!

we usually go at the end of september for a few days! there is hardly ever long lines!

 

[heathermm]

We went the week of September 11th last yr and there were no crowds. The longest line we waited on was Winnie the Pooh (believe it or not) and that was about 15 min. The only day it got really crowded was on Friday. We left on Saturday. We drove down and arrived way ahead of schedule and they let us check in at 6am the day of our arrival.

The yr before we went in mid October and no crowds either.

We're going around the first week of May in 08 and I am concerned about the crowds then. I know it won't be as bad as summer, but I've been spoiled now. I use to go all the time in the summer as a kid, but as a kid crowds didn't bother me, but now with two young kids of my own- they do.

Have fun.

 

[roundupgang]

I too went last year during the free dining and I couldn't believe the crowd level was so low. I had never been to Disney except for in the summer, so it was a great relief to me that there seemed like noboby was there. Like previous posters mentioned, our longest wait was probably 15 minutes for Dumbo and the restaurants were crowded but nothing unbearable for us.

We are going again from Sept. 22-Sept. 30th and I have had a few problems with getting and changing ADR's. I'm a little more experienced with the ADR process this year so just when I think I have my mind made up, something changes but I have gotten all the ADR's I've wanted with the exception of Le Cellier.

Hope your trip is great!