Summer vs Fall Visits

[scottb8888]

We have always visited WDW in the fall (Sept or Oct). The kids are getting older now( 8 and 4) and it will be increasingly hard to get them out of school. We have been spoiled by the shorter lines and fewer people in the fall.

My question is to ask you all what summer month has been best for you>

 

[Daydreamer]

June has always worked best for us, and the earlier the better. If you are lucky you may get some cooler weather in the early part of June. July and especially August are extremely hot and the kids usually end up asking to spend the biggest part of the trip at the water parks.

 

[Danthesand]

There are always tradeoffs involved in this issue.

June: may or may not be hot (was this year). Park hours and shows limited during early part of month. As they increase, so do the crowds.

July: the peak summer month. Crammed, but long hours and full show schedules. Very hot. I went once during this month. Never again.

August: Very hot. Crowd-wise, the first two weeks are just like July, but then things start to change. Southern and western school system openings cause crowds to drop dramatically by end of third week. Park hours and show schedules shrink a little bit then, but are still relatively good. Consequently, late August is one of my favorite times to go.

 

[MNmom]

We are also converts from Oct. to the last week of August.

We could pull the kids from school for 2-3 days over a long weekend in Oct. but now that is just too hard. Last year we went from Aug. 28-Sept.3 and we loved it. First of all we noticed that Oct. was getting more crowded each year and there were no crowds last August. Most days the FP machines were covered over and not in use. We never waited more than 5-10 minutes for everything and never had to find spots for parades and shows 1-1.5 hours before!!!

We will never go to WDW during a crowded time again. As we walk through all of those waiting areas we just can't imagine the lines being thaaaaaat long.

OK.......with all that said it is VERY HOT!!!! Some people and especially young/old kids may have a hard time with the heat. We tend to love the heat and would prefer days in the 90s than long lines anyday. My mother will never come with us because she can't tolerate the heat at all. But we just plan for it and go and have a blast. We are going again this year and I am beginning to worry about the crowds with the free dining plan. I haven't had any trouble getting my ARs but I am still a little worried.

JMHO---Good Luck

 

[nono]

August: Very hot. Crowd-wise, the first two weeks are just like July, but then things start to change. Southern and western school system openings cause crowds to drop dramatically by end of third week. Park hours and show schedules shrink a little bit then, but are still relatively good. Consequently, late August is one of my favorite times to go.

Yes, late August is great! We usually cut our hair real short to help compensate for the extra heat. Also, water is your friend -- in you and on you!

 

[Danthesand]

We are going again this year and I am beginning to worry about the crowds with the free dining plan. I haven't had any trouble getting my ARs but I am still a little worried.JMHO---Good Luck

MN, hate to say it, but given what I'm seeing on these boards, the free dining may be pulling in a lot of people who normally wouldn't be at WDW in late August/early September.

Given we'll be there the third week in August, I'm even thinking that period may actually be quieter than normal (theorizing that some the "annual mid-to-late August crowd" will put off their arrivals until 8/21 or later, in order to get the free dining).

 

[NC Disney Family]

We too will be going the third week of August. I am crossing my fingers for crowd levels to drop. We are coming with friends from Austria who have never been to Disney. We are stying at WL. I had not thought about the free dining plan making people delay to the following week. Makes sense. We are only coming that week due to work/school schedules. Maybe we will all get lucky.

 

[Danthesand]

We too will be going the third week of August. I am crossing my fingers for crowd levels to drop. We are coming with friends from Austria who have never been to Disney. We are stying at WL. I had not thought about the free dining plan making people delay to the following week. Makes sense. We are only coming that week due to work/school schedules. Maybe we will all get lucky.

NC, glad to know you'll be there at the same time we are. We're Disney Vacation Club members staying at the Boardwalk, and like you are doing that time because of school and office schedules. If the freebie dining plan promotion does lower the crowds (which I'm increasingly thinking it willl; I've lost track of how many posts I've seen here saying "we moved our ressie to the period with free dining,") that's a nice unexpected "extra" to a itinerary we planned and booked 11 months ago.

If your Austrian friends can take the heat, I'm sure they'll have a wonderful time (especially chuckling at the well-intentioned but rather "stereotyped" presentations of European culture at the Epcot World Showcase!)

 

[NC Disney Family]

The Austrians live in NC now. So they are "climatizing" to the heat. We are very excited about showing them "The World". I am hopefull as you are about crowd size. We can take the heat if we are not packed like rats on a boat. I just hope a hurricane doesn't interfere now.

Enjoy the BW. We stayed at the Beach Club in 2002. It's a nice area. That back door into Epcot if great!

 

[Danthesand]

I just hope a hurricane doesn't interfere now.

NC, for what's it's worth, the statistical probability of a major hurricane crossing over central Florida in any given year is less than 1 in 50. The likelihood of it happening two years in a row is something like 1 in 300.

Or another way to look at it is the number of days WDW has actually closed parks due to weather since it opened On October 1, 1971.

I think the answer is 3 or 4.

In other words, don't lose too much sleep over the storm issue!!!