crowds in disney mid to late august

[stof911]

planning daugters 4th birthday in the world, havent been there since 02 and i cant remember the crowds during that time... i know its free dining but i cant remember, for people who were there this year during this time how was it

 

[Monty]

Better than holidays or spring break, not as good as first weeks of September.

Most rides other than the really popular ones [Soarin' and TSMM] were under a half-hour wait all day. A lot were walk-on or minimal wait.

We were there 22 August - 5 September. :wave:

 

[DisneyRunner]

I thought it was busy. My family was there from 8/14-8/22. The first night was at POR then moved to ASMu. There was a separate line if you stayed at Music, 8/14, and were checking in again for the free dining on 8/15. My sister was talking to a CM and said 700 guests were checking in on 8/15. At ASSp and ASMo 900 guest were checking in at each of those resorts. I read on the boards 1500 people were checking in at POP. At EPCOT no walk ups were available at TS restaurants. Also, fastpasses for Soarin and Test Track were gone by 1:30 pm. Not uncommon for Soarin, but I thought, "already" for Test Track. I think a week later would be a little less crowded.

 

[coltow]

The later in August the better. Most southern schools go back the 2nd or 3rd week. Last year we went the 1st week in September and I would ABSOLUTLEY go that week again. The free dining last year only really made for restaurants to be extremely busy, we only used fast passes a handful of times.

 

[Master Yoda]

Crowds are typically moderate to light. Weather is usually "Dear God, we must be a mile from the sun!"

 

[Lucky]

It also tends to rain a lot that time of year. But when it rains the crowds thin out.

 

[stof911]

yeah i knew about the rain, and the heat, im just worried about line sizes but i think well be good then... i know im gonna be putting in reservations for some places but i dont know which are the good ones that are on the dining plan that would be good were getting the deluxe so it dont matter even though it sucks that canada's retaurant went to signiture dining so its not onthe plan im guessin or if someone knows more about please tell me.

 

[Monty]

yeah i knew about the rain, and the heat, im just worried about line sizes but i think well be good then... i know im gonna be putting in reservations for some places but i dont know which are the good ones that are on the dining plan that would be good were getting the deluxe so it dont matter even though it sucks that canada's retaurant went to signiture dining so its not onthe plan im guessin or if someone knows more about please tell me.

Le Cellier will still be on the Dining Plan, it'll just be two credits for dinner instead of one. Lunch will still be one credit.

 

[SeaCastle]

We went from the 21st to 27th in 2008, and 12th through 19th this year. The later you go, the less crowded it is. From the 12th -19th the crowds were a good size, but not overbearing. It really depends on what parks you do each day. The 21st to 27th was a good date...never waited more than 30 for anything. We're aiming to go from the 26th through Sept 2nd in 2011. We had no problems with the heat. Enjoy your trip!

 

[disneygirl1]

We were just there this past August, checking in on 8/13, and I have to say I was surprised at the lack of crowds... I was expecting it to be really BUSY and it wasn't. Waits were not bad and were very manageable. We are heading back the end of Aug beginning of Sept and hoping it is just as good!

I will second Master Yoda's remarks it is HOTTER then you know what that time of year thou!!!

 

[AJScooch]

My wife and I just took our 16 month-old daughter for her first visit this summer. We were there from 8/15 to 8/29. The crowds weren't too bad. Walked right on to some rides like Mission:Space. The second week we were there, the crowds were even less than the first week. Like other people have mentioned, it does get extremely hot during the day. A great time to catch something indoors, go back to the resort for a dip in the pool or have a nice sit-down lunch. We used the deluxe dining plan for the first time and found that it worked so well for our family. Didn't have to stalk out a table at a quick serve restaurant and wait for the people before us to leave. Be sure to book your dining reservations as quickly as soon as you are able to in February.

If you're not afraid of the heat, you'll have a great experience.