Which would you do: Sept. or Dec.?

[Dallas_Lady]

It's been far too long since our last Disney trip, and we are wanting to go next year. I am torn between going in September and being there for our daughters first birthday, or going in early December and seeing the Christmas decorations.

Which would you choose?

 

[Tink561]

I vote for December! We live in Florida and the weather in September is so unpredictable and it's still very warm.

 

[HeatherC]

I'd also vote for December just because Sept. is one of the prime hurricane months. By Dec. things have wound down a bit and the decorations will be beautiful.

HeatherC

 

[horseshowmom]

I vote for December - just not Christmas week. The decorations are really something, and there's always Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party.

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

We have been three times in September and once in December. September is still very hot (but you are from Texas and probably can handle it ), and December can be very cold (we had to buy sweatshirts on our December trip, and the kids froze during Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party). The crowds were light both times, and the Christmas decorations and programs were great!

Two of our September trips were perfect weather wise (hot, but no rain). The third had thunderstorms almost every day. No hurricanes, though!

Economically, you are much more likely to get free dining in September, if that matters to you.

So if you want to do water parks, pools and free dining, pick September. If you are a big Christmas nut like me, pick December!

 

[sharlon]

I can see pluses to both months. I will mention, though, that in addition to the possibility of free dining (who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?), that with a young one, you might also have those cool preschool activities in September like there were this year. Just a thought! Whichever month you choose, have a great time!

 

[kohlby]

I vote for December. We're headed for our 4th Dec trip very shortly. We went once in May and it was dreadfully hot. We live in south carolina so it's not like we're not used to the heat. My baby loves lights so I can't wait for her to see the Christmas lights this year.

 

[janets]

While being there for the holiday decorations are a lot of fun, we were just there in September (second full week) and the park was empty. No waits on any lines, no crowds walking around, it was absolutely perfect. Yes, it was warm but because there were no lines, we were able to move from ride to ride quickly with little standing in the heat. We went back to the hotel in the afternoon for a swim and rest and went back to the parks in the evening. We were also there for free dining which was wonderful.

While I enjoy December (we've been there this week in the past) I feel you can't beat the incredibly low crowds of September. We had great weather while there too.

I'm ready to petition our school district to open school one week later every year so we can go. We were so spoiled that when we were down in November (NJ Convention week) I was so upset by the crowds and it wasn't even that bad!

 

[tanyaandallie]

We just returned last night and the weather was awesome. So, I'd vote for December! September would be really really hot!!!

 

[4lilpoohs]

My vote is for December. You can enjoy the holiday decorations. Plus the weather will be nice instead of HOT. In early December you will have lower crowds.

 

[tanyaandallie]

I forgot about the Christmas decorations!!! Beautiful!!

 

[alicenwonder99]

Wow! That's a tough choice.

Sept pros:
warm enough to swim
free dining
very low crowds

Sept cons:
possible hurricane or at least a bad thunderstorm
can be very hot

Dec pros:
weather is cooler
xmas decorations

Dec cons:
more crowded
can be very, very cold (especially at night)
too cold to swim
if it does rain all day, you're both wet AND cold (it was like that last year)

I enjoyed our Sept trip much more than our 2 Dec trips because the crowds were practically non-existent. We had wonderful weather in Sept (yes, it was hot in the afternoon, but we swam then). Last Dec it rained and we froze at night.

The main problem with both times is you just can't depend on the weather to be beautiful. In December, you can count on there being no hurricanes, but you can't count on no rain. In September, you can count on it being warm enough for swimming and no winter coats, but once again, you can't count on no rain. At least in Sept if you get rained on, you'll dry off quickly...in December you walk around the parks wet and cold.

HTH.

 

[FSUDisneyGirl]

Definitely December!!!

I live in Florida and September can be super hot! Also, more thunderstorms in the afternoon during that time as opposed to December.

I've only been to Disney once in December, but I hope to go again soon!!

 

[mrFDNY]

Having been there at both dec and sept.I vote sept,i love wdw but hate crowds and long ride lines,I found it to be empty and i mean really empty the week after labor day in sept with the longest most popular ride wait times as 5 minutes or walk ons.