Tell me about the crowds in Sept 2015

[Mrs~Incredible]

I keep reading about how last September was crazy crowded, almost June- like.

If any of you were there, can you please elaborate and share some do's and don'ts?

I know things are in constant flux (operating at lower capacity and closed attractions driving many crowds to MK), but would appreciate suggestions on strategy.

We will be going the week of Sept 10 and have park hoppers. The last several trips (2012, 2013, 2015) we went the first week of May, which I would say was a moderate/medium level of crowd.

we will have our 5 yo with us who never naps, even at Disney. She is a commando just like us LOL. Will probably do mid-day pool breaks.

Thanks in advance!

 

[BrittyRo]

I remember it being crowded. We usually go in September and sept 2014 felt less crowded. As compared to June I am not sure I have never been to WDW in June. I'll say the same old spiel. Disney is popular, a lot of people go and promotions are released to fill the parks (during historically lower crowd times). "No time is low crowd time anymore"
Crowds are important to consider but don't go crazy over them. Just plan smart be prepared and you probably won't even notice the crowds. You'll be too busy having fun. Do: Rope drop, FP+ for afternoon, check EasyWDW for recommended park (That made a huge difference in MK), stay late if you can.

 

[Mrs~Incredible]

I remember it being crowded. We usually go in September and sept 2014 felt less crowded. As compared to June I am not sure I have never been to WDW in June. I'll say the same old spiel. Disney is popular, a lot of people go and promotions are released to fill the parks (during historically lower crowd times). "No time is low crowd time anymore"
Crowds are important to consider but don't go crazy over them. Just plan smart be prepared and you probably won't even notice the crowds. You'll be too busy having fun. Do: Rope drop, FP+ for afternoon, check EasyWDW for recommended park (That made a huge difference in MK), stay late if you can.

Thanks- yep that is pretty much my strategy right now- RD and easywdw for recommended parks.

All pearls of wisdom are appreciated

 

[loves to dive]

I was there in May of 2015 and the last week in Sept. 2015 and frankly I couldn't tell the difference but it could be I just don't pay attention. I have an Annual Pass so I tend to hop around and I'm not commando and don't concentrate on getting as many rides in as I can which might make a difference as well. I will say last September might have been a bit more crowded then other Septembers I've been there but again, it's hard for me to say since I go for F&W and tend to spend most of my time at Epcot in the afternoons and evenings.

 

[piglet1979]

We went Labor Day week and it didn't seem to bad. We were able to do everything we wanted and took mid day breaks. I would say that we saw about 90% of MK. We did use fastpasses. We made all the fastpasses in the morning so we can add more as the day went on. On one of our MK days we got a total of 5 fastpasses. the 3 original and 2 more in the afternoon.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Minimal compared to other times we've gone. We will be back this September.

 

[hookedonears]

2016 will be completely different than Sept. 2015, with Soarin, Frozen and ROL possibly being open.

 

[Kimberly9701]

We were there 9/6-9/14. Labor Day was the largest crowd (judging from the line for the boat launch). We made that our resort/mini golf day.

 

[Mrs~Incredible]

2016 will be completely different than Sept. 2015, with Soarin, Frozen and ROL possibly being open.

Yep, I know this will be uncharted territory. On one hand the new attractions might better disperse the crowds, but on the other hand they might draw even more people! I know that we (who usually go in May) postponed until September so we can see some of the new things.

Just wondering if the 2015 crowds in September were as wicked as I've read so I can be as prepared as possible.

I think it's a lot about expectation. I'm not expecting the Sept of the past where you could walk on just about anything, but trying to get a feel for if it will be like our May trips (moderate)

With all the reports of reduced operating capacity, I'm wondering what it will feel like.

Hoping Disney starts operating at more maximal capacity for everyone- who wants to wait 60 minutes for a ride?

 

[TexasTSL]

We were there last week for the last week in August/first week of September. We left the day before Labor Day. The crowds were very low. I think it may be due to a hurricane scare for that time period. I know a lot of people cancelled their plans and made them for later in the month. Maybe that's why people were reporting higher crowds than usual after that.

We took a chance, and, luckily, there was no hurricane. It just brought in slightly cooler weather and lower crowds, so for us it was great. We usually travel the lowest predicted crowd week in November or December, so it was way less crowded than what we were used to. We rode Toy Story several times in one day. We even got FPs for it late in the afternoon more than once.

We loved September and are going back again this year for the same time.

 

[Oswin]

I was there in mid September 2015. It felt busier to us than our summer trips. Was it actually? Probably not, things just weren't running as high of capacity as they were in the summer, and park hours weren't as long. I think things will really pick up around the 14 when F&W starts, so you should be okay. I think September this year is a brand new game because this year there are no FD dates offered in October so I think a lot of the FD crowd will be going in Sept instead of Oct in order to do F&W and MNSSHP. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

 

[emilymad]

I was there in mid September 2015. It felt busier to us than our summer trips. Was it actually? Probably not, things just weren't running as high of capacity as they were in the summer, and park hours weren't as long. I think things will really pick up around the 14 when F&W starts, so you should be okay. I think September this year is a brand new game because this year there are no FD dates offered in October so I think a lot of the FD crowd will be going in Sept instead of Oct in order to do F&W and MNSSHP. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

I agree with this. We went mid September last year and the crowds were crazy compared to previous Septembers. We are going at the end of August this year because the crowds were just too much to handle when you add in FD crowds, F&W, and reduced MK hours for MNSSHP.