Weather, Hours, & Crowds just before and after peak season?

[DisneyBaby823]

Hey gang!
I'm wondering what some of you veterans can tell me about weather, park hours, and crowding during May and September.
If you were to personally recommend one of these months over the other, which one?

I've had liberty to get there 3 times so far (once in June, twice in July). Our next trip is set for mid-May 2015 but really I wished it could have been September.
I want to be able to go to the waterparks!
Do the waterparks, Magic Kingdom, and Studios close earlier than official peak season?

Thanks guys!

 

[belledream]

I've been in during both months, and this is what I've experienced:

May
Weather: it's hot, it's basically summer.
Hours: parks generally open longer than they are in September
Crowds: get worse further into the month. Watch out for school groups, competitions, etc.
Waterparks: definitely a good time for it.

September
Weather: supposedly hurricane season still, but enjoyed superb weather last year.
Hours: AK closes as early as 5, MK as early as 10 (without EMH)
Crowds: very manageable. Sometimes FPs weren't even needed.
Waterparks: I didn't go, but they generally close at 5, which is an hour or two earlier than they do in the summer.

I love both times, but I prefer September even with the shorter hours. We got to do everything we wanted to do so many times, stay in the parks open to close, and were still able to get sleep! My take on weather is that it's just unpredictable. But you can bet that it will be hot enough to go to waterparks in either month. It's Florida after all!

 

[Bocko57]

I agree with @belledream that May and September are both great times to go. You just need to stay away from the holidays in those months (Memorial Day and Labor Day). I too prefer September over May especially if you can time it with the Food and Wine Festival. The Waterparks are just fine. It is still pretty hot with less humidy to hit the Waterpark and pools. Either month you pick I think you will enjoy. Have a great vacation in 2015.

 

[BrianV]

Not that it is a well kept secret, but the end of August is really nice. Pretty much everyone is back to school except some of us northerners. Prices are cheap. Crowds are lowish. You just have to like heat and humidity. And this year I'm really happy that they aren't offering free dining. I say this because we never partake of this and always select a room-only discount. It tends to be better for deluxe resorts than the free dining. But the restaurants are packed when they offer free dining.

We can never go in September, but I would expect it only gets better than the end of August.

 

[dreamfinder]

The hours tend to always shift with the expected crowds. Bigger crowds (IE Peak season) parks stay open later. Slower seasons, parks close sooner. But with smaller crowds you should be able to get more done faster, so in theory it balances out. The waterparks (at least one of them) are open year round, except for days where it is really cold, like in the 40s, then they don't open. September will let you do MNSSHP, but as mentioned, it is also hurricane season. Either is a fine time to go.

 

[LWB]

Our family has been in both May and September. I thought May would have been my preference ... but this year it was just as hot as it was in September! September is going to cost less and have smaller crowds so you get a better deal in September. The main thing that May had going for it was that I enjoyed seeing Cinderella's Castle WITHOUT THAT CRANE!!!! September you'll have the crane there because they're getting the castle ready for the holiday decorations.

 

[kimrn87]

We went in September the week after Labor Day and loved it. Crowd level was awesome plus we got to go to the Halloween party! It was warm enough to swim.

 

[JasonDeyoung]

First week of May I usually go and is fine a swell as the week prior to f&w either is good imo. I go once a month being that I live close by so I have a pretty good sense by now when to go and when to avoid haha but really, either time will be a great time but seltemberdoeshave the Halloween stuff going on so that may be a deciding factor for ya

 

[Jamie J]

The 1st time I went in September was about 7 years ago - the place was deserted. I couldn't even believe how different it was than going in the summer.

Fast forward to September 2013 - it was just as crowded as the summer. We needed FP's for all of the expected rides. Seems as though more people are taking their kids out of school, so the 'secret' that September is less crowded is becoming more of a myth.

Weather was hot - luckily we didn't run into any hurricanes.