Tell me about September

[momof4kids]

Hi all! DH and I have been thinking about a trip to WDW next September, two weeks after Labor Day. Can you tell me, how hot is it? And more importantly for me, how are the crowds? Is September a good time to go? What are the pros and cons? It would just be us two. Thank you !

 

[yorkieteacher]

This was our first trip during September this year-we have always gone in June, but once each in February, October, and November. I am not sure this September is a good gauge of what "regular" Septembers are like. We arrived on September 5th, just after the Dorian scare, and a week after Galaxy's Edge opening, which must have also scared everyone away instead of what was predicted with throngs descending on HS. Add the EMH or EEMH we had, and waits were just non-existent. Our longest wait was Smuggler's Run in the middle of the afternoon at 45 minutes. We walked on SDD that morning. The longest posted waits we saw in MK were about 35 minutes for Peter Pan and 7DMT, also about mid day. We had walked on Peter Pan about 730am that morning. In AK, FOP had a 55 minute wait about 6 in the evening. Now, for the not so good-It was 95 degrees, extremely high humidity, and we had to work on our comfort! We alternated indoor/outdoor rides, used cooling towels, and left the park sometimes between noon and 3 everyday for a break, going back about 6-7 in the evenings. Our next trip is the first week in March of 2020. I have said I thought I could deal with crowds better than I could the heat-we'll see what I am saying after that trip!

 

[lahobbs4]

Cons: Definitely hot. And humid. And rainy. And hurricane season. Just make sure to pack ponchos and know where all the indoor a/c attractions are for when you need a break.

Pros: should have lower crowds than if you went during a holiday week. Might have a better chance getting FP and dining reservations that you really want.

 

[only hope]

Local here. September is still full on summer. Temperatures are usually 90+ with 100% humidity, frequently resulting in feels like temps of 95+, sometimes over 100. It also rains nearly daily, usually accompanied by lightening that shuts down all outdoor things. Storms are usually brief. Lightening kills people here every year, so please seek shelter. The good news is September is not as bad as August. There are some days that are less hot. Just be smart- wear wicking clothing, stay hydrated, stay inside as much as possible in the afternoon, reapply sunscreen every two hours, bring a cooling fan or towel or just splash water on yourself at the fountains.

Crowds tend to be the lowest of the year, til you get close to the end of the month. School hasn’t been in long enough for most people to be ok pulling the kids out for a vacation. MK will be nuts on Saturdays though due to the parties that happen four times a week. Avoid MK on non-party days but especially on Saturdays. If you want to see the fireworks I suggest hopping there in the evening. On party days expect the crowds to be light til around 3:30. Epcot will be busy Friday evening and on the weekends due to the festival.

Since you’re a group of two, as long as you are persistent in refreshing you will be able to get nearly any fp you want for your 4th+ the day of.

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

HOT! It's a given but if you arent an early riser or late park person, make plans to do so. Mid day is brutal.

I dont think this September was the greatest indicator of normal September crowds because of Dorian, EEMH, and SWGE opening. We were there the 9th-13th and crowds were very low early in the morning at eemh but from what I have read they are still low now into October so that is partially because of eemh. In the past years September crowds have built and as long as you dont go in expecting cool temps and empty parks, you can navigate the parks pretty pleasurably!

 

[anniemae]

Excellent time to go. Lowest crowds of the year are right after Labor Day. It is hot, but still great.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

Cons: Definitely hot. And humid. And rainy. And hurricane season. Just make sure to pack ponchos and know where all the indoor a/c attractions are for when you need a break.

Pros: should have lower crowds than if you went during a holiday week. Might have a better chance getting FP and dining reservations that you really want.

Pretty much ditto this: We almost always go in September, and have only one time had a hurricane affect our trip (we left a day early). We have also had positive impacts due to hurricanes - hurricane was predicted to hit and go through/near Orlando and turned, which meant walk on attractions and near empty parks.
We almost always go the 3rd week of September, but monitoring the crowds this year due to SWGE opening. First 2 weeks after labor day were definitely low crowds. We arrived on 9/20 and though the crowds were still low, they had definitely picked up from the previous weeks. Still not bad. Hot, humid, and fairly crowded. We combat that, though, by taking advantage of EMH, or pre park opening dining. Get in, get it done (as much as possible) break by 11:00, noon, then back in the evening (4:00 or 5:00) for the nighttime activities.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Hottest month of the year. Peak hurricane season. For me, it's a never again.

 

[Pucks104]

DH and I were there 9/16-9/23. The first 2 days temps were in the mid-90’s but the remainder of the week had highs of 89-90 with evenings and early mornings in the 70’s. We had one afternoon of very light off and on showers (only needed the umbrella once for 5 minutes). We were able to get FPS and modify ADRs pretty much at will. We purchased after hours tickets and dessert party tickets in anticipation of SWGE crowds. It turned out that these weren’t necessary but staying on rides without even having to exit and walk back to the beginning was fun! There may have been 40 people in the Plaza Garden viewing area for the Halloween fireworks and the parade. I don’t know if this was a typical mid September experience but we thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[TioAdis78]

I went on a vacation from the 22 to the 27th. Enough time had passed from the late august, early september occurances (SWGE opening, Dorian scare, etc) that it was more of what a typical september was like.
I'd Only been before on spring break in march/april and the heat was similar, but at least, I personally felt it less humid, if Only a bit. Still Hot, but nothing too extreme or unmanageable, and we also had not a single drop of rain that week.
Crowds were the worst at the Halloween party, and that was mostly for walking purpose, wait times were mostly fine. Regular days at the Parks were 15-20 minute waits in average, but the big attractions never went above 50 minutes. The most we waited was 25 mins for SDD over at Hollywood Studios at about 7:30 pm. Stuff like Dumbo, It's a small World, The three caballeros, said 5-10 mins but were walk-ons.
We took Minnie Vans to and from the Parks, and I think those were the longest wait periods we had, specially at night, about 15 minutes or so, which isn't really a bother.
Overall,it was a great trip, and September became our default month for our y early visit from now on.

 

[Wild4Walt]

Pros: Low crowd level which meant getting on every ride we wanted without too much wait ( while also using the FP system ). I like the hot weather ( I freeze for at least 5 months out of the year here in the Chicagoland area ) so the heat and humidity was a plus for me.

Cons: Weather uncertainty. Our weather wasn't bad - out of 12 days we only had 2 with significant rainfall. But there have been hurricanes the last few years that have effected flights and park hours.

 

[Scubadaddy32]

My wife and I have been in Sept the last two years. The crowds are about as low as you will see all year long. The pros low crowds, the cons heat and chance of storms. You role the dice, but ours worked out wonderfully the last two years. We have found that taking advantage of AH events in the evenings are great to keep our days more relaxed as we can concentrate on more of the indoor attractions during the day. The heat can be worked around in various ways, hence we usually set our sit down lunch reservations between 2:30 and 3 pm, which is the hottest part of the day and typically about the time it rains for a short period usually.
2018 was hot the entire 10 days, 90-95 most days.
2019 we had mostly mid 80's days over the 10 day period. Most nights were in the low to mid 70's so much so that my wife put on her jacket while we were outside at Cali Grill watching the fireworks.
We have had very little rain on either trip. We decided to make the Sept. trip an annual event, so we will be back next year as well.
Basically we trade the chance of a hurricane and heat for lower crowds and wait times.

 

[Mmouse1588]

We love going in Sept bc the crowd level is sooo low we did it in 2014, 2017 and 2018. We are hesitant to do it again due to the possibility of hurricane drama associated with the month.

 

[shu24]

We just returned, so we did late September. It was hot, so hot! Our usual time to go is November so we were not prepared for the fact September doesn't really cool off in the evenings. Day was in the 90s and evening was still in mid 80s. I became a fan of Frogg Toggs chilly mini towels (much smaller than the usual cooling towels and less than $2 at Walmart in the camping section), my Contigo water bottle with a lock that I could fill with ice and Lady Anti Monkey Butt powder which I kept in my bag and doused my legs with at every opportunity to prevent chafing. As a note....almost every water fountain in every park is pee warm. Ask for ice at counter service locations or visit Canada pavillion water fountains for cold water. I liked that crowds were fairly low, enjoyed the Halloween decor and felt that the lack of large tour groups was a big bonus. I don't recall seeing ANY large tour groups in fact. Most groups were families.

 

[sanibellife]

We just got back from our first September trip. Crowds definitely manageable but i don’t think we would go back during this time. It was really hot and humid. We actually were supposed to go the end of August and we rescheduled due to Dorian. The hurricane factor is an issue for sure. We have been in October, April, May and beginning of December.
I think April/May are our favorite times to go!

 

[cruisin5]

We were there Sept 10-16. NEVER AGAIN. Between the hurricane/tropical storm warnings and the heat, oh the heat. Real feel of 100, it's hot.

 

[AuntJamelle]

We were there Sept 17 - 24 and I think we were really lucky. Low wait times plus a healthy use of MDE and Touring Plans Lines app meant we walked on to pretty much every ride the entire trip. Longest wait was for Winnie the Pooh the night of the Halloween party (20 min). We had spotty rain one afternoon - just after we had gotten to the hotel pool of course. But other than that no rain - heat was definitely there but not awful. I did better with it that I thought I would - but DH and DS needed more breaks/relief for sure. I was sweating it though on the whole hurricane front - it's a gamble. I also have a bug phobic son and was worried about love bugs - we saw a few, mostly by pool or at Animal Kingdom - not bad at all. I've heard they can get really bad in May - otherwise that would be the other month I would first consider going...

 

[katherine52478]

Just returned from a trip (9/25-10/2). Wow, it was hot! I went over Memorial Day weekend this year when there was a heat wave and it still felt worse in Sept! We usually go January with an occasional November/May but my son’s bday was 9/26 so we wanted to celebrate in Disney plus his school was closed for a couple of days for Rosh Hashanah. Well apparently everyone else had the same idea because it was CROWDED! Epcot World Showcase became completely unmanageable by early afternoon due to Food and Wine. MK closed at 6 pm multiple days due to the Halloween Party (which was sold out the night I attended and was also very crowded).

We are going again in February which I am sure will be crowded due to ROTR opening. Since there doesn’t really seem to be a “quiet” period anymore, we are going to stick with our winter trips where at least we can walk outside without melting!