Crowds in August?

[Pocahontas]

I'm looking into planning a trip, so I am trying to decide when to go. Originally Sept. 2015 was planned (not officially), but I was looking at Aug. of this year, when the kids aren't in school. We are going on vacation in Jan of 2015 (in the Caribbean), so I didn't want to book twice in the 2014-2015 school year because the school is strict about that. What are the crowds and heat like in mid August? Is anything special going on?Thank you

 

[Tinkerbell397]

It's crowded and it's hot hot hot and humid humid humid. Now that being said.....there are plenty of opportunities to cool off or enjoy water activities during August. Take your time in the park, don't push any further than you want for the day and go back to the hotel for a dip in the pool, then return to the park in the late afternoon/early evening for more fun. You also have the opportunity to enjoy EMH if you stay on property....some evenings individual parks are opened until 1AM or it open at 7AM. The parks close earlier in the cooler months. We never let the weather dictate our trip to Disney.....we enjoy our visit whenever we go. Have a great trip!

 

[JerseyDad]

....the crowds dwindle quite noticeably after the 2nd week of August is done ...because schools in the southern states are back in session. The weekends can still get pretty crowded ...particularly on Fri / Sat nights at Epcot ...when the power drinkers show up.

....as mentioned ...it's hot / humid ...but ...it's Florida ...so I'm not expecting anything different.

 

[Pocahontas]

Thank you
It's good to know the kids go back to school earlier... And, unfortunately, it looks like it will be very humid. But you're right, what else can you expect from Florida?

 

[GoofGoof]

The parks are open later hours than off peak times so you can take a mid-afternoon break either at the pool or in the AC and go back at night when it's cooler.

 

[Clowd Nyne]

Stay calm and eat dole whips.

They are exponentially better when you NEED one. Like i do right now

 

[beautybutafunnygirl]

We were there from August 19-29 this past summer, and the crowds were not as bad as I thought they would be. I didn't notice as many tour groups as I have on past summer trips, and as the others said, a lot of schools were back in session. Also the park hours were great, so it allowed for a lot of park hopping, if you like, or more relaxation time in the middle of the day when crowds are the worst. It was very hot and humid, with mid-day storms about a third of the days we were in the parks, but it was a very enjoyable trip.

 

[Disneydreamer23]

I went around the second week of August it wasn't that busy crowd wise but it was very hot not as hot as I would say June or July but it was definitely a hotter time to go

 

[SMS55]

We went last year in mid August and the crowds were manageable. Since it was right before school was starting that might have explained the moderate crowds because they didn't seem to bad to me. It will be hot and humid. If you are not a local it will feel unbearable for you. It will probably rain in the afternoon but those pass relatively quickly on most days.

 

[jlsHouston]

I have gone two years in a row from end of July until August 10th. I would only do a short trip in the summer to WDW if the only park I was going to do was MK and then I would do it on evening/night shift.

We have 2 ways we do the parks in the summer.

Arrive no later to park than 10 am ( that is early for us ) and do everything possible in one land area that is walk on and a quick return FP (which that won't matter now with FP+) and be either at the pool in the afternoon or the water park or DtD at the movies. The only time we stay at the parks in the afternoon is if we have dining or we are doing inside cool rides close to one another that does not involve alot of walking (EPCOT). We live in Houston and we are use to the heat and we prefer ac especially when we are paying. I personally think HS is the hottest of all the parks past noon. YOU will not catch me at HS after 12 on a summer day until EMH start at 9 pm. It is that hot of a park to me.
Then we return late in the evening like after 7 pm, sometimes later and stay as late as we can until the kiddos start crying and whining too much. Usually make it another 3 hours.

Or we sleep late as we want, mess around at the resort til late and then hit the park around 5 ish when there are EMH til midnite and later. This is actually the most fun and less heat exhausting way we like to do it. We just sort of flip our days and nights at WDW.

As long as you stay hydrated and take cooling off breaks you will be okay in the summer. It is very crowded. IMO it is more crowded in summer than at Thanksgiving or Easter and everyone rates those days as 10's. It may be the heat that makes it feel so crowded.

I love spending 2 weeks at WDW in the summer. We do alot of pool time and relax and our park time is fun too because all the rides are running. SPLASH is open and that matters to my DGS7.

 

[Leo!]

August is generally crowded. Absolutely hot and rainy. When I was there, the day started extremely hot and humid and around 3 PM-5PM, rain until 8, 9 and even 10 PM... every day!.
If i had to go back in august, I'd prefer to go LATE august... to avoid the heavy crowded days and the rain. I was there also in september and it was a LOT less crowded, hot, really hot... but a lot less rainy days.

 

[jlsHouston]

August is generally crowded. Absolutely hot and rainy. When I was there, the day started extremely hot and humid and around 3 PM-5PM, rain until 8, 9 and even 10 PM... every day!.
If i had to go back in august, I'd prefer to go LATE august... to avoid the heavy crowded days and the rain. I was there also in september and it was a LOT less crowded, hot, really hot... but a lot less rainy days.

Yep last August is was just like you said..very wet. And the daily rain turned it into a sauna rather than cool things off. But last year was a wet one, 2012 we got maybe 2 afternoon showers that were very brief.

 

[Leo!]

Yep last August is was just like you said..very wet. And the daily rain turned it into a sauna rather than cool things off. But last year was a wet one, 2012 we got maybe 2 afternoon showers that were very brief.

Well, I was talking about august 2012 & august 2011 and yeah, I remember the "sauna nights". Sometimes I think it's just mattter of luck, for example, I had extremely hot days in November or February, a really cold night in June... and more. But August, you've a LOT of chances of: "extremely hot day + aft shower + sauna night".

 

[luv]

Many people will say (or maybe have already said - I didn't read the responses and am not arguing with anyone if it was said) that August is not crowded. That has not been my experience. I would classify August as a crowded month.

It is also as hot and humid as it can be. Almost unbearably so. It rains a lot in the afternoons/evenings, too. You'll be told that some sort of magic hovers over Orlando that prevents rains of longer than 20-60 minutes, which also has not been my experience. It can (and does) rain for extended periods during our rainy season.

The rain rarely cools anything off. Usually, it just makes it more humid and more uncomfortable. But once in a while, there is a short, but glorious period of relief from the heat. Doesn't happen much! But it's nice when it does, rarely, happen.

But you can still have a good time! Just be prepared! Get a good plan and follow it. Make the most out of the morning hours as that is the time we have less rain. Get enough sleep. Drink a lot of water. Pack a little extra patience and *at least* one extra pair of shoes. Make up your mind to have a good time and not let the heat and crowds get to you.

I vacationed in Orlando in August for eight days once. It was SO VERY HOT! Two days, it rained all day long. The other days had loads of rain in the afternoons/evenings. We had a great trip! It will be what you make of it!