Visiting WDW in August or September. Which one?

[Luis Rodriguez]

Hi all,
We are planning a short visit to WDW this summer. Either between Sunday 8/20 and Thursday 8/24 or between Sunday 9/10 and Thursday 9/14. We would be staying at a Value resort (either at the AS Music or at Movies).

The cost difference between those dates is small (a little bit cheaper in August) so, which dates would you recommend?

Our main issues would be:
Crowds
Weather
Special nights (Would like to visit MK during Halloween nights)

Appreciate any comments and/or suggestions.

Regards,

Luis

 

[loves to dive]

I'd probably go Sept. since it's after Labor Day and most kids will be back in school. The weather is going to be just about the same and it will be hurricane season. It's going to be hot, like levels higher than the surface of the sun and its going to rain, most likely every day. I don't know if they have announced the Halloween nights yet but I've been in August they have started decorating then.

 

[PSUPreston]

I would also vote the September dates. It will be hot as the previous poster mentioned and I suspect the crowd level to also me mostly the same each date range, with the September dates maybe being the slightly less busy (based on crowd calendars you can search for) But again, I don't think there will be a glaring crowd level difference those two date ranges. Good luck with your decision and have the most fun when you go!!

 

[shoegal9]

We always go for Labor Day weekend and stay about 10 days. Have been since 2017. The holiday weekend isn’t really even that busy- and then it clears out. Lowest crowds we usually see all year since kids are back in school. Maybe parents are less likely to take their kids out of school during the first couple weeks of the school year?

It’s HOT (and I live in SW Florida so I can tolerate heat) but it’s the same as August and the smaller crowds makes that more tolerable.

 

[CrystalClear82]

I have not been in September, but have been to DW several times in August.
Anticipate some sorta of rain and have a plan B activity.
I'm trying to recall of activities that are going on during those dates. Tentatively there is usually a food and wine festival going on at Epcot and the Halloween Party at MK.

My greatest advice, It's hot and to know your limits. While its understandable that things are costly and you want to get the most bang for your buck, a day spent in First Aid or the ER is much more costly. Plan you day around doing parks first thing in the morning or in the evenings.

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Thanks for your posts.

I agree wholeheartedly on the heat issue although, at least in my case, what really gets me is the humidity level.

I live in Venezuela, so we are used to warm weather and by warm, I don’t mean Florida. Last year was a very warm summer and we rarely got over 86F and a humidity level of 64-65%.

I still remember my last September visit (2008, just after Labor Day). Not only rained a lot, but we all went through a lot of refreshing wipes! Still not sure about the dates, it all depends on my daughter’s semester breaks. I had checked August as, being a little cheaper I thought that would mean lower crowds but, as I wrote before, the difference is very small (about 65USD) so, if possible, September will be…

My last visit to WDW was in 2013 (!!) and, although I try to keep abreast of all the new developments (Disney nut here!) I still have a lot to check and study, particularly all the Genie/Genie+ shenanigans

Again, Thanks to all of you for your comments and suggestions, they have been a lot of help.

Luis

 

[scrappinginontario]

I would recommend September as all kids will be back in school so that may slightly decrease crowds. Both times will be melt-your-face-off hot and it will likely rain/thunderstorm daily too.

Your Sep dates were our go-to dates for years until my daughter got older and pulling her out of school more challenging.

Either way, enjoy!

 

[Kimberly Conroy]

I would aim for September based on kids being back in school and it will be less hot

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

Sigh... Had already decided on a September visit but have just read an article in Allears.net about an event (Out & Equal) that would coincide almost exactly with my dates.

Allears states that the parks could be busier those days.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Luis

 

[WDW Traveler]

Sigh... Had already decided on a September visit but have just read an article in Allears.net about an event (Out & Equal) that would coincide almost exactly with my dates.

Allears states that the parks could be busier those days.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Luis

I saw that as well as my daughter and her boyfriend are going that same week. I read that it was just a corporate event and had only about 5000 people attending, and they would be in conferences most of the daytime hours. Nights might uptick a bit with crowds, but they are saying it won't affect it much.

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

I saw that as well as my daughter and her boyfriend are going that same week. I read that it was just a corporate event and had only about 5000 people attending, and they would be in conferences most of the daytime hours. Nights might uptick a bit with crowds, but they are saying it won't affect it much.

Thanks for your post...

Let's hope for the best although, to be sincere, I don't understand how can someone can be at Disney and stay all day on conferences

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

September. Crowds will definitely be lower. And the halloween decorations make a little more sense in September than they do in August.

 

[Luis Rodriguez]

September. Crowds will definitely be lower. And the halloween decorations make a little more sense in September than they do in August.

Yes, that seems to be the ticket. An added bonus is that my daughter's birthday falls on 9/10, so this could be a celebration trip...

Best regards,
Luis

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Sigh... Had already decided on a September visit but have just read an article in Allears.net about an event (Out & Equal) that would coincide almost exactly with my dates.

Allears states that the parks could be busier those days.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Luis

Events like this are happening often at Disney and you don't even realize it. Conferences, cheer events, sports events, etc.... I would still prefer September for the crowds. It's also possible it'll be 1-2 degrees F cooler than August (but you won't notice the difference!).

 

[RoseGold]

There's not much difference. Both dates should have the same weather and the Halloween party.

The first party is in august and was one of the first to sell out because all of the bloggers and Tiktokers and whatever are at that one. I wouldn't want to go to that one, because it looked like a mess with everyone filming. Probably short ride lines though.

I'd actually bet August is a little less crowded, but roughly the same.