September Crowds

[sparty7798]

Hi,
I have heard that it is not as crowded in September (we are going the 28th through the 2nd) Can anyone tell me what to expect for those dates? The only thing I have to compare it to is spring break in March and that was insane.
Thanks

 

[Mamu]

I've never been in September before but have heard it low attendance too. Have gone the 3 week on October though and if September is anything like October I'll be very happy.

We are traveling mid week to mid week and know weekends can be a little busier. We go every year the beginning of March and have found crowds on the low side. The only crowds we've hit are at DHS during ESPN Weekend.

 

[LMO429]

Crowds will be minimal...it could be more crowded the 1st and 2nd at EPCOT because that is the start of the food and wine festival and a weekend ..many locals go to epcot on the weekend to enjoy the festival's many activities. I would say the end of september would be less crowded than the 3rd week of october..enjoy your trip!

 

[serene56]

It will also be VERY HOT/humid when comparing to March.
Crowds should be must less then what you saw in March.

 

[Disney's Fab 4]

I have gone in September a few times and you will be very pleased with the crowds... or lack there of!!!! Very low... but like a prev poster said, they may pick up around the Oct 1st due to the f&w fest.

The weather is crazy hot and muggy... and sometimes almost takes your breath away, but a lot of the rides have a/c... just drink a lot of water and you will be all set.

for me... Sept is by far my favorite time to go!!!! Had to go in Oct this time due to my childrens school schedule this year (hoping that the crowds aren't that bad!!)

 

[sparty7798]

Thanks everyone! We are from Georgia so I certainly understand hot!

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

Hi,
I have heard that it is not as crowded in September (we are going the 28th through the 2nd) Can anyone tell me what to expect for those dates? The only thing I have to compare it to is spring break in March and that was insane.
Thanks

Lets call the typical spring break period a 9 on the scale of 1-10 with 10 being busiest, Sept you can expect 2-5 range, with the last week a we bit busier (people coming in for Food and Wine in Oct) so I'd say 4-5 all week long. You will be blown a way at how short the lines are compared to what you have seen before. The e-tickets will still have significant waits mid day (Toy Story Mania rarely drops below an hour) but for the most part attractions will be 20 min or less, the first few hours the parks are open it even the E tickets will be like that (except TSM of course). We love September for low crowds (even with free dining) and it is our favorite time to vist the parks.

 

[jecskc]

Hi,
I have heard that it is not as crowded in September (we are going the 28th through the 2nd) Can anyone tell me what to expect for those dates? The only thing I have to compare it to is spring break in March and that was insane.
Thanks

We went last year during Spring Break and the crowds were insane. We went again during September (19-26) and were very pleased with the difference in the crowds. I think the longest we waited was 45 min. for Soarin' and about the same for TSM and we waited in standby for these because the fastpass times weren't good for us, too late. All of the other rides were 5-10 or walk on. When we went in April, it took us three days to finish Magic Kingdom. But when we went in September, it only took a day and a half. You can do much more with less people in the parks. It was still pretty hot, but it wasn't a problem at all. Lots of AC around to cool off in.

 

[SanFranciscan]

Sparty, since you are used to Georgia heat, you might want to bring a jacket for inside use. I was at Disney World and off-site locations in Orlando during the end of September and the beginning of October. The crowds at WDW for the Food & Wine Festival weren't large, but it was sometimes hot outside and cold inside due to overly air-conditioned buildings. I learned to carry a jacket for the Big Chill inside restaurants, etc.; and I am used to cooler temperatures because I live in the foggy part of San Francisco out by the shore.

 

[diseverestfan]

Just wanted to add that we were there the middle week of September last year and the weather, while hot, was not unbearable at all. Highs were in the upper 80's/near 90 each day, with rain showers twice during our 8 day stay. Coming from PA, we were prepared for the worst, but we all felt surprised that it wasn't worse than it was. Last week around here was horrible compared to our week in WDW. I understand that it did get much hotter later in the month, however.

Crowds were minimal...minimal enough that we took 3-4 hour breaks each day to go back and swim in Stormalong Bay before going back to a park in the evening, and we still easily did all that we had wanted too.

All in all, it was a great time to go. So long as the heat doesn't seriously affect you, I highly recommend that time of year.

 

[Goldilocks07]

Hey Sparty!
We will be there the same time!! See you there- in the FP lane!!!

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

We went the last week of September one time and I really think it was the best for crowds of any other times we have been. And I'm even comparing that to the week after Thanksgiving/first week of December that most experts will say is the slowest week of the year. But I think the weather really plays a part in the lower crowds because it was either very hot or storming or raining.

 

[serene56]

I thought the first week in December was crowded--- with Pop Warner and the tapings of the parades?

 

[cydswipe]

... just wanted to add that we hit Epcot BEFORE F & W started.

Our last morning we hit Epcot to get Daisy's autograph... literally, that was it.
The crowds were crazy with F & W starting. We saw 120 min wait for Soarin'... 6 days previous to that we rode it twice after TT thanks to great Rope Drop..

 

[ChefDisneyLu]

I too am going the last week of september and It will be our second time.

The crowds are so low and it is AWESOME. If you wanna have the MK all to yourself and walk on EVERY RIDE go on a MNSSHP day. Yes they close early to those that don't have tickets to the party but that is the best part! People don't waste a day off their ticket for a park that closes early so MK is empty. So even if you don't have a park hopper option and "waste" a day off your ticket its no big deal b/c you will experience every ride at least 2 times...thats how empty it is on a party day!

Thats my tip..have fun!

Lisa

 

[serene56]

I too am going the last week of september and It will be our second time.

The crowds are so low and it is AWESOME. If you wanna have the MK all to yourself and walk on EVERY RIDE go on a MNSSHP day. Yes they close early to those that don't have tickets to the party but that is the best part! People don't waste a day off their ticket for a park that closes early so MK is empty. So even if you don't have a park hopper option and "waste" a day off your ticket its no big deal b/c you will experience every ride at least 2 times...thats how empty it is on a party day!

Thats my tip..have fun!

Lisa

thats what we are doing on our Saturday- making a day of it and getting outta there by 5pm

 

[b&edisneyfans]

We went in the 3rd week in October and the lines were minimal. I'm so excited to hear that the lines might be even less!!! How is the weather though? Is it humid? We're from Maine so we are used to the cold but not so much with the heat.

 

[williamson_ja]

I noticed a huge difference between the second week of Sept. and the last week of Sept. The last week of Sept. was considerably more crowded than the second week. We did follow the TGM plan while we were there at the last of Sept and found it helped a lot! My parents however didn't follow it and ended up in extremely crowded parks. Crowds and heat are a bad combination for me! Make sure to go to the good parks for that day and you'll do just fine. As for me, we're going back to theh second week in Sept. It was enough of a difference for me to switch back a couple of weeks.

 

[flicx]

We have gone anywhere from september to march and I think september is the best month to go.Crowds are super low and you can fly through everything and take breaks through the day. The water park crowds are also nice and with the weather usually in the 80's you can use them and the pool in your leisure time.I would highly suggest going then!

 

[JustMinnie]

Hi! We're going to be there that week, too, but arriving on Sunday, the 26th. Glad you asked this question, Sparty. Only did Disney in Sept once, back in 1996, so really don't remember what the crowds were like. Glad to know they'll be pretty minimal. Let's just hope IOA will be too. Planning 1 day there to see WWoHP.