Which month is better for crowds, January or September?

[Kristine316]

Ok.. I get it, there are simply no more slow times at WDW.. not anymore and probably never again.

I am trying to figure out a time to go back to WDW. We have made three trips, and it got a little busier with each trip. Our first trip was at the end of January 2011, and it was wonderful. The crowds were perfect, the weather was perfect.. what a magical trip! I have been trying to repeat the magic of that first vacation ever since, and so far the trips have been lovely but, nothing like that first trip, especially in terms of the crowds.

I am married to a man who isn't in love with Disney. He has tolerated our trips there to please me but, he would rather go anywhere else. He hates crowds... so right there we have an issue. I have tried to plan our trips in slower periods to make it better for him, but I am starting wonder if maybe even the "slower" periods maybe too busy for him now.

We also have made trips in September and in February.. all "slow" periods. The September trip was our busiest, which shocked me because I had always heard how dead September was suppose to be. "Walk on rides" and all of that so I have to admit I was foolish enough to expect empty walk ways. Well, in my defense we did have that on our January 2011 trip.. we had a day at Epcot where it seemed like we had the WS to ourselves. We ate lunch at the American Pavillion in the WS and we were the only people in the dining room, and this was right around noon. So.. having experienced very low crowds in January 2011, how could I be blamed for thinking September 2012 was going to be even less crowded, considering it is suppose to be the slowest time all year.

I thought about going back in September of this year but, the heat was pretty brutal on that last September trip and the crowds weren't low enough to make it worth it. Besides I think all those people like me, searching for those last slow periods are now flocking to September hoping for the best, which in turn just makes September that much more crowded.

So... if I decide to go back in January or Feburary 2016, what can I reasonably expect as far as the crowds? Is the end of January/early February no longer the slow time it used to be? It sure seems like the crowds have gotten much bigger since 2011 just from reading the forums and watching ride wait times.
I loved the cooler weather of January though so dealing with a few more crowds but, little heat and humidity maybe better.. I don't know.

I just worry if we go again and the crowds are bad my husband may say.. well, never again, and that would break my heart.

WDW has changed so much with FP+ and larger crowds in general so, what was true 4 years ago, is probably not reality now. That is why I am searching for advice.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

You can't expect to find all walk-on rides at any time of year anymore. The closest you can get is the week after Labor Day.

Four words regarding January: South American Tour Groups. It's their summer break so they will be everywhere. Avoid Marathon weekend and MLK weekend in January.

 

[Dawn68PA]

We just came back from a trip the first week of February and it was very low crowd. Wonderful time to be in the world and we did do a couple walk on rides Not the uber popular ones but regular rides.

 

[ZellyB]

We've gone in January the last 3 years for Marathon weekend. We found the actual marathon weekend to be somewhat busy, but the week following was very quiet. So, I think if you picked those middle weeks in January you would find pretty good crowd levels. We certainly had many rides during that week that were walk-ons including some of the headliners.

There are tour groups there, but we were generally able to avoid them pretty easily and didn't find that they added that much to the overall crowds.

The weather is also usually great, although a little cool and rainy this past January for my taste. I've never been in September, though, so I can't compare that for you.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

also in January you have cheerleader / dance type groups that you don't have in September
S

 

[mggeary]

September, right after school starts up is still a full standard deviation below any other time crowd wise, even late Jan, but not worth battling the heat in my opinion.

 

[Giraffeitis]

We also have made trips in September and in February.. all "slow" periods. The September trip was our busiest, which shocked me because I had always heard how dead September was suppose to be.

We just came back from a trip the first week of February and it was very low crowd. Wonderful time to be in the world and we did do a couple walk on rides Not the uber popular ones but regular rides.

I know that September is supposed to be a slower time of year due to school starting and most kids being in school, but honestly I don't think that really affects much anymore. I know that up here in Alaska even though the state fair [not as big a deal as WDW I know] starts during the beginning of school there will still be a bunch of people going with their kids because it's a once a year thing. So although it might seem like going to WDW in September to beat all the crowds would be the smart move, if parents can only get their vacation during the first week or so of school, they are probably going to take them anyways just because the first week of school is usually just BS. It probably is better to go during Jan/Feb because it's right after Christmas break and so parents probably aren't going to take their kids then but rather when they are on their school breaks [so before during Xmas break or after during Spring Break/Presidents Week]

And thank you so much for asking this question because I have been having the same exactly dilemma of which time of year would be better to go!

 

[DisneyFive]

By the numbers, September wins out by a small amount. It's not like comparing peak summer hours to low crowd levels though. I would choose based on what fits better with the type of weather you like, and your overall schedule. There are ALWAYS crowds at WDW. We've gone in September every trip, and even though parks are ranked as a 1 or 2, there are still a lot of people. No getting around it.

Dan

 

[Giraffeitis]

WDW is more than twice the size of Manhattan, I guess you can expect that kind of population to go with it

 

[Cee]

I've been the week of Labor Day and it is very quiet and VERY, VERY hot and humid. So it's a trade-off. Enjoy!

 

[Dawn68PA]

I should mention if you have high school kids taking them out in September can be rough. I always took my kids out of school to go to WDW but the year my youngest DD was in high school and we went in September she had a rough time catching up. Not all schools are the same but I wanted to throw that out there. I felt bad for my DD after that trip and we never did another September trip while she was in high school.

 

[mousefan73]

I would pick Jan just for the weathert!! We go each september and the heat is brutal. would be nice to try cooler weather, but Jan is a no-go for us.
We have also seen a pick up in Sept.. Alot of europeans.. keep in mind many euro countries have breaks that go through mid septembers till and there has been an increase in airline capacity from europe to florida.. Ex. Lufhtansa will now fly to tampa, along with the already exsiting Orlando starting in September.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

We were there in September of 2012. This January was much more crowded. The Brazilian tour groups were everywhere. Fast pass plus has made wait times climb for a lot of things that used to have short waits.

 

[automaticsoap]

Another vote for January. I've gone several times the first week of February, and I prefer the weather then. Not a fan of the heat and humidity of September.

 

[DisneyFive]

The deal breaker for me in January I think would be the various tour groups. We don't see them at all in Sept, and not sure if we would enjoy that aspect. Plus, we actually prefer hot over potential for cold. LOVE the resort pools in the evening in Sept.

Dan

 

[ghtx]

Four words regarding January: South American Tour Groups. It's their summer break so they will be everywhere. Avoid Marathon weekend and MLK weekend in January.

We went in January 2014 the week between New Years and the marathon, and crowds were really low and we didn't see any large tour groups.

BTW it was REALLY cold in the mornings when we went - below freezing while we were waiting at RD.

 

[Giraffeitis]

Sounds like WDW is just busy year round, LOL.

Is it really hot in September? Like what were average temperatures [for those of you the went] when you went in September? I figured September would be a good time to go as well because it would be nearly as hot/crowded as say May-August

 

[DisneyFive]

Sounds like WDW is just busy year round, LOL.

Is it really hot in September? Like what were average temperatures [for those of you the went] when you went in September? I figured September would be a good time to go as well because it would be nearly as hot/crowded as say May-August

Most years its been about 88F highs on average. 2011 was crazy though, like 93-94F with 90%+ humidity.

Dan

 

[lauradis]

How much do you like the heat and humidity is the question?

 

[DisneyFive]

Yeah, definitely a preference thing. I'll take hot over cold at Disney any day .

Dan