Have you been in Sept? if so please read

[mom2redheadgirl]

I have been planning my WDW trip for over 2 months now and still have not made up my mind on when to actually go! :hammer: We will be traveling with our 3 kids (ages 4yo,3yo and 7months) and I want to go when it is not very busy, not too hot and cheapest. My fear is it will be too hot for a baby. If you have gone the last week of September before please let me know how crowds and temps were. I have search for trip report but haven't found anything useful. Help! :brick:
Only other times I can go are:
Thanksgiving week (too busy)
1st week of December (afraid it will be too cold!) :brick:
Thanks for your help! :kiss:
Steph

 

[kbmb]

Been a couple times in early-mid September (and going this year the last week of Sept). For the most part it can still get very hot....mid 80's to 90's...but in the past the helpful part has been lighter crowds.

We have gone with friends who have had young kids and we've never had a problem. They can usually take the heat much better than us!

-k

 

[brich]

Hey Steph,
Although I haven't been in September, we only go late November, early December. We are going the first 2 weeks in December this year. I have a 5.5 year old and a 2.5 year old. I can say that the past 2 times we have gone, the crowds have been small, the day time temps have been just beautiful (70's on average) but the night time temps can get cold. I remember 1 night in Epcot, we had my oldest who was probably only 2 at the time, we had hats and mittens on it was so chilly. Then again, most nights are cool but very comfortable with a sweatshirt. IMO, the cooler temps are so much more enjoyable that the warmer months, plus the crowds are better. I think your little ones will be fine in December. The parks close earlier so you most likely wouldn't be out in the cooler nights that much. We rent a house with a pool and find that we can enjoy the outdoor pool everyday and most nights. But I'm from New England so my take on temps and weather may be a little off. In my opinion, you would have a great time in December. Your little ones would love all the Christmas decorations and festivities...

 

[jordanyosh]

Steph,

we usually go in late Jan/early Feb or in September. Both times of year are not busy and we enjoy being able to walk on rides...

Weather wise--you won't be able to escape the heat and humidity during September. Sept 10th is the historical peak of hurricane season so you have to think about that too. We have gone 5 times in Sept and only hit a tropical storm once and even then it was just a little rain. The closer you get to October, the better chance you get of slightly lower temps....

Good luck with your decision :wave:

 

[NemoRocks78]

September is a great time to visit. There's no lines, no crowds, and to me (a Floridian) the weather is great.

October is a quiet time too, but you need to stay away from the Columbus Day crowds, as they can get pretty big.

The first week of December is great as well, actually one of my favorite times to go. I absolutely love the weather. Highs reach the low-mid 70s, and they are usually like that during the day. Only time a jacket is really needed is at night, when temperatures can get into the mid-low 50s. The Christmas decorations are up, the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party event is going on, and crowds from the Thanksgiving holiday are gone.

 

[Becky]

I've been twice in the middle of September and did not find the heat or humidity that bad. The only problem last year was Sept. had no AP discount (used AAA discount).

The first week of December would be nice. As someone said the Christmas stuff is up but the Christmas crowds are not there. Pools are heated to about 82. A jacket at night should do.

December can be tricky. I have been at the end of December many times and have had night time temps in the 70's and other years in the 30's.

Consider this thought. In cooler weather you can always add more layers of clothing but in hot weather there is only so much that you can remove :lookaroun

 

[raven]

I go in September all the time and I love it! Longest line was 10 minutes and thats to catch a bus! And there are virtualy no crowds. Kinda scary almost. I went in May this year and even though they say May is a less populated time of year, I guess I am spoiled when I go in September because there are no crowds. Only draw back is that the parks close early. But you can still see all that you want during the time that it's open because no one is around.

As long as you stay away from Labor Day you should be fine. Weekends can get a little crowded but that's because the locals come out.

 

[careship]

I don't think there is a month I have missed out on now. The only time that I won't go back is the 3rd/4th week of September. We learned about a wonderful species of BUG while we were there during that time. They call them Love Bugs. Why? I don't know because I am not in love with them at all. They are disgusting and we could barely open our mouths without ingesting these nasty little bugs. We vowed never to go there again during the last 2 weeks of September and never have. We go the beginning of October and love it. It tends to be warm but it is beautiful and breezy and no nasty bugs. I would check the bug situation before you go down there if you have a baby, IMHO, because they get on and in everything. Ask someone who lives there about them, they do come out twice a year as I found out later, after the fact of course.

 

[shari71]

I have gone once in Sept, once in Nov and twice in Oct.

Sept was great - no crowds - bad because of 9/11 and Tropical Storm Gabrielle - heat was more than I like but with no crowds who is complaining.

Oct is still a little hot and the crowds are always thicker. Two great things happen in Oct though - Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and Epcot's Food and Wine Festival.

Nov - no crowds and moderate heat - probably the best time to go for us.


We were planning to go in Nov this year but my sister-in-law is due then and I cannot miss it, so we bumped it up to Oct. We probably won't go back in Sept due to the heat, I just can't stand to be uncomfortable when I am at Disney

 

[626]

We went in mid to late September last year. After we got back we swore that we would never go in September again. Why? Because of FastPass. Alot of the rides last September were not offering FastPass at all because it is so slow at this time of year. We usually take the time waiting for our FastPass to eat, shop or go on another ride but we couldn't do that in September. The no FastPass thing totally threw off our usual rhythm in the parks and we wound up going on much less rides than usual. The weather was fine though. The lines were much shorter than when we usually go in May. We were even able to just walk onto some rides with virtually no line at all. Oddly enough, even though we swore never to go in September again, this year's trip is, well, in September! Hopefully we'll have better luck this year! See you there!

 

[Maria]

I have been planning my WDW trip for over 2 months now and still have not made up my mind on when to actually go! :hammer: We will be traveling with our 3 kids (ages 4yo,3yo and 7months) and I want to go when it is not very busy, not too hot and cheapest. My fear is it will be too hot for a baby. If you have gone the last week of September before please let me know how crowds and temps were. I have search for trip report but haven't found anything useful. Help! :brick:
Only other times I can go are:
Thanksgiving week (too busy)
1st week of December (afraid it will be too cold!) :brick:
Thanks for your help! :kiss:
Steph

Last week of September sounds fine to me... weather will still be hot but probably with less rains than at the beginning of it. September is not a busy month as far as I remember. Just make sure your trip doesn´t fall in the beginning of Food and Wine Festival because then crowds tend to pick up, at least for Epcot.

First week of December is in my opinion, the best time to visit. Christmas decorations are already up, and Christmas characters are already out too. Candelight Processional and Holidays around the world will be showing also. Crowds are not too big, specially after Thanksgiving. Weather is not too cold yet, but bring jackets because the nights do get chilly.

Good luck! :wave:

 

[elle72688]

I was there from September 26th to October 2, 2002 and stayed at the All-Star Music Resort. The weather was hot low to mid 90s every day and humid, but it was worth we hardly saw any crowds. We relied on Disney transportation to everything and never waited more than 10 minutes for a bus. We did not make any advance priority seatings (we made them when we arrived at the All Stars) and were able to enjoy all of the restaurants we wanted no problem (Boma, Brown Derby, Le Cellier, The Polynesian Luau). The parks were open decent hours (8:00 or 9:00 most nights except AK.) so we were able to take a nice rest or swim every afternoon. Make sure to keep hydrated the first few days we did not drink enough water and were getting exhausted. I have very fair skin and on days we went to the waterparks or the pool I started to burn very fast. I think you should be fine as long as everyone stays hydrated, dresses for the weather (sun block, hats, etc.), and you take breaks. Prior to going in September I had only visited the world In March and June-August and although it was hot the smaller crowds and the cheaper rooms made it well worth it so much so I have a ten day trip planned for September 28-Ocotber 8th this year.
I hope this helps.

 

[bamatiger93]

We went the last week of Sept. 2001. Crowds were extremely light, but it was right after 9/11. Weather was warm, though definitely not unbearable. Seek out the shade for the baby and take advantage of the baby stations to cool off during the day. We have a 1 year old and are probably going to go the first week of December this year; my work schedule doesn't allow for a Sept trip this year.

 

[Bill]

Go in October and go to the Halloween Party at night. You'll have a blast!

 

[barnum42]

Have been mid to late September in 2001 & 2003. Weather in both instances was hot, but not too stuffy. As others have said the crowds are lower (though in 2001 I went shortly after 9/11 so crowds were especially low).
However there are still enough people there to keep a good atmosphere going, but the queue lines are much shorter.

 

[wdwhoneymooner]

Our last two trips have been in September and October and as stated by others, the temperature is still rather hot and humid but lines are relatively scarce. For your 7 month old, might I suggest getting one of those clip-on fans for the stroller? We had one for our son when he was 1.5 yo on his first visit and it helped alot. And of course, please take it slow and allow time for naps and rest stops. Have fun!

 

[MotoDisney]

We go every year in September and love it! The crowds are less so you can get the parks done even if they close early say 7:00 or 8:00 some nights. You're not going from early morning to 10:00 or midnight every day. Haven't experienced the bug problem though? or if we did it wasn't in mass swarms?

Have a great trip.

 

[celticdog]

I have been down in the following:

Last week of September: a little hot and humid, temps near or above 90 with humidity in the 80% plus range. No lines, no real rain, a close call with a hurricane, no meaningful bugs.

The first week of October: very similiar to September, except the crowds were a little larger at the MK. I attribute that to Mickey's Halloween party.

The week before Christmas: Great daytime temperatures, I was comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt. It did get a little cooler on some nights, but a light sweatershirt is all that was needed. The crowds hadn't gotten large yet.