So tell me about August...

[frannn]

For the past handful of years we've enjoyed free dining in Sept- 10-20min ride wait times, mid 80's, cheap flights, car...great experience. DD9 will be entering 5th grade next year, and DH (NYPD) should be able to get time in Aug. I went ahead and booked bounceback free dining for next Aug, but it can be changed to Sept. How does everything I mentioned compare from Aug to Sept? I was able to upgrade our 10 day hoppers to APs to save $ towards next year, but thats a story for a whole other thread...

 

[Gorechick]

We went 3rd week of August sandwiched in between the end and beginning of FD. We did not have FD for our dates. Weather was HOT on the days with little rain, but we had a good amount of rain most days so it stayed bearable. Crowds were moderate but manageable, we went to AM EMH parks and of course those were busy by afternoon. We found evenings at MK to be REALLY crowded. Had no problems with ADR's, had to call and adjust times twice. We always go in August so we knew what to expect.

 

[JennyDrake]

It is HOT. Very HOT. And I live in The South and work outdoors. Crowds will be a good bit thicker than what you are used to.

 

[goofy4tink]

Hotter than the hinges of 'you now where', with brutal humidity. You actually pray for those showers in the afternoon because without them, it's unbearable. I know, I've sat, holed up in my room, due to the oppressive heat/humidty!!
Also, if you can, avoid the first week or two of free dining. That's when a ton of families go...that way they can squeeze in a last WDW trip, with free dining, before school starts. I didn't avoid it and I lived to really regret it.
If I had a choice, all things being equal??? I would always say go with Sept. Yes, it's hot and almost as humid as August. But at least you don't have the same number of people there at the same time!!!

 

[Praying Colonel]

For the past handful of years we've enjoyed free dining in Sept- 10-20min ride wait times, mid 80's, cheap flights, car...great experience. DD9 will be entering 5th grade next year, and DH (NYPD) should be able to get time in Aug. I went ahead and booked bounceback free dining for next Aug, but it can be changed to Sept. How does everything I mentioned compare from Aug to Sept? I was able to upgrade our 10 day hoppers to APs to save $ towards next year, but thats a story for a whole other thread...

August is like September, except hotter and longer lines.

Honestly, after several August trips, I'm done with going in the heat. Maybe I'm just getting older and it's tougher to adapt, but it really sucked a good bit of the fun out of the trip for me. Still had a great time, but just going to go when the weather doesn't take it out of you so much.

 

[goofy4tink]

August is like September, except hotter and longer lines.

Honestly, after several August trips, I'm done with going in the heat. Maybe I'm just getting older and it's tougher to adapt, but it really sucked a good bit of the fun out of the trip for me. Still had a great time, but just going to go when the weather doesn't take it out of you so much.

Doubt it's an age thing!! A few years ago, we went in August. My dh left to go home, while my then 16 y/o dd and I moved over to VWL for another 4 nights. Of course, Orlando was having a heat wave...something you really don't ever want to experience. We had one CM friend tell us that the CMs felt so badly for all the guests...at least the CMs could leave their A/C'ed homes, get into their cool cars and go to the A/C in the parks..unless they were outside CMs. But the poor guest had paid thousands of dollars and had little option...had to be out in the heat.
My dd and I actually would go out to get quick breakfast, then maybe an hour or two in a park but were back in our WL villa well before lunchtime. There we would stay, and watch TV until past 6pm...it was too hot to even swim!!!
So, yeah, no more August trips for us!!!

 

[luvMickey72]

We went the 2nd week of Aug this year and doubt I would go back in August! We started early and with my touring plan, really had no issues with lines and everything, but the heat was horrible! We also drove to Key West and then the heat got worse! lol, had a great trip, but yeah I think Im done with Florida in August!

 

[ajh88]

We have gone in the first 2 weeks of August. I didn't think crowds were bad but yes, it is very hot. We went for nearly 2 weeks last year and I was concerned because we hadn't gone in August for a long time - we had a great time and I guess I tolerated the heat better than expected. There were only a couple of times when I felt like I was actually walking on the surface of the sun.

I have never been in September, so I can't compare that for you. We have been in December, May/June, October, and August. I think the lowest crowds we experienced were in early August - after Florida schools started but before free dining started. October was a close second to that, and has been slightly more enjoyable to me because it isn't quite as hot as August - but we don't shoot for Free Dining and do room discounts.

Generally, if it were me, I would expect the crowds to be a bit more than you experience in September and perhaps a tad warmer.

 

[J3nn78]

Weather should be about the same as September, but crowds will be heavier

 

[Stitch'sCousin]

We were at the Poly from August 19-28 (with free dining for Canadians, one week earlier than US free dining.) While it was hot, it was not unbearable. There was some rain, but we only needed to use ponchos 3 times. Just make sure that you go for rope drop and you will find the crowds to be very manageable. We actually did Everest 4 times back to back in about 40 - 50 minutes (walk on, ride, get off and go through the standby line right back on again). My son went around Kali river Rapids 6 times in a row in a little over an hour. Crowds did pick up later on in the day, but we usually accomplished everything we wanted to by just aound 2pm. We would take a break at the Poly during the hottest part of the afternoon and then head back out again around 6pm for dinner ADRs and the parks.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

It depends when in August...the later the better.

Most schools start up mig August. The parks clear out a lot after August 20 or so...

We went the last week of August...the week that leads into Labor Day.

It was hot, and humid, but not too bad at all. It also rained most afternoons but always passed.

Parks were pretty empty.

I've been in September so no, not quite THAT empty (nothing is!)...but really pretty close.

We all said we'd go again...the heat and humidity weren't that big a deal.

 

[mcd2745]

It depends when in August...the later the better.

Most schools start up mig August. The parks clear out a lot after August 20 or so...

We went the last week of August...the week that leads into Labor Day.

It was hot, and humid, but not too bad at all. It also rained most afternoons but always passed.

Parks were pretty empty.

I've been in September so no, not quite THAT empty (nothing is!)...but really pretty close.

We all said we'd go again...the heat and humidity weren't that big a deal.

We also did the last week in August leading into Labor Day weekend both in 2010 and 2011 (and did DCL that week this year). It's a great week to go since the kids here in NY don't go back to school until after Labor Day and most other parts of the country have already gone back, which leads to very low crowd levels. Both years, it seemed like everyone in WDW was either from NY or from England and not much from anywhere ealse.

The weather is really not going to be noticably different than mid-September. as you're only talking 2-3 weeks earlier. It will be hot, but managable - especially since lines are relatively short. As long as you regularly mix in indoor (meaning: air conditioned) attractions, and keep hydrated, you'll be fine.

 

[frannn]

Still considering the last week in Aug through Labor Day, but thinking of changing it up a bit. Maybe I will add a day or two to the trip to compensate for the lines, do regular instead of deluxe dining (to add time and less $ since DD will be a Disney adult ), and do more EMH. I will miss MNSSHP, though. Are there any parties or any events in Aug? Are the the plane fares in Aug more than Sept? We would be coming from JFK in NY. Thanks for sharing all your experiences!

 

[mcd2745]

Still considering the last week in Aug through Labor Day, but thinking of changing it up a bit. Maybe I will add a day or two to the trip to compensate for the lines, do regular instead of deluxe dining (to add time and less $ since DD will be a Disney adult ), and do more EMH. I will miss MNSSHP, though. Are there any parties or any events in Aug? Are the the plane fares in Aug more than Sept? We would be coming from JFK in NY. Thanks for sharing all your experiences!

Generally, no parties or events in Aug.

For airfare, it really depends which exact dates you choose. We flew back the Saturday of Labor Day weekend both times, so airfare was a little higher than normal. But flying down we were able to get good fares. Even though we live only a few minutes from JFK, we fly Southwest out of Islip. We can usually get a one or two free flights on points on SW, plus you can't beat the ease of going through that airport. We pull up to the curb, and we check our bags and are through security in about 15 minutes. It's beautiful.


I feel your pain with your DD turning 10. That is whay we are on a little break fom WDW, as our DS turned 10 earlier this year. We're thinking of returning in 2014. Our DD will be 9 (so last year as a child in Disney's eye$), plus the FL expansion should be 100% complete.