Crowds in late August?

[Walt Disney1955]

So it might be that time, or perhaps in the fall, where we take the trip. But if it is the couple weeks leading up to Labour Day, how are the crowds? Yeah I know, WDW pretty much never has a down time anymore. It used to be Christmas, and in 2017 we went the week after Thanksgiving in late November/early December and I have never seen it so packed.

But late August? There would be some locals back in school prior to Labour Day I assume. Depending on the county. I know the heat is going to be there, but we were there in late September in 2018 and it was hot then and a month earlier isn't a deal breaker for us. I am just thinking about going when the kids are still out of school.

So is it unusually jam packed late August?

 

[Wilbret]

A crystal ball would be a useful tool for a Disney planner!

Schools here in GA start back early August, some will go back as late as the last week of August. If you go "too" late into August, you run the risk of overlapping with people that are adding onto the holiday. It is extremely common now for families to bail from school a day or two early heading into a long weekend.

(don't quote me) Northern schools tend to start back much later, so there could be crowds of those folks trying to cram a trip in.

We head down the last week of July most years to cram in a last trip, and it hasn't been awful. It can be hot, of course, but that makes water parks and pool time more enjoyable. ;-)

I just checked for a family of 5 on the DVC site for 8/22-8/27, and there are rooms widely available everywhere except GF, Poly, and BCV

Will be interesting to see the consensus. I wish the reservation calendar was color-coded to show you "how full" each park is already.

 

[payload]

Pre-COVID era I'd say early August was still busy with crowds lightening around late August as school season picked up.

Post-COVID, I'm expecting the crowd levels to still be quite high just due to sheer demand and amount of pent up revenge spending/travel.

 

[eliza61nyc]

echoing everyone else. we generally go the last week in August or the first week in September. we use to love it for the lower crowds and still hot (my kids were pool rats). I think for the next year and a half the parks will be continuously crowded. my next family trip will probably be Mid september 2023. I do have a quick girls getaway in another month but that's more of a relaxing trip.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Of the summer months, comparably late Aug typically hasnt been the worst of times other than the incessant humidity thats hanging in there. But as more people are increasingly booking trips back... some as make up ones, some as rewards of going back to reclaim normalcy... the crowds will be more than n the past. Sadly crowd calendars arent as helpful as the once were. I'd like to say youd be more likely to find lesser crowds but who can predict?

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Typically, late August is not bad crowd-wise if you can go very late August, but I expect this August will be crowded. Also expect end of the month the park hours to drop off.

The weather is also perhaps a factor. August is hurricane season. The afternoon highs are usually in the 88-91 range. To me, that mostly feels like summer, but it really helps to be acclimated (=spend time outdoors). If you are the kind of person who spends all your time in 68-degree air conditioning/live in a northern state, 90 might not be for you. The other factor is the frequent afternoons storms. Summer rain in WDW often comes down in buckets. It may only last 15minutes, or maybe longer. If you go for a week, you might only get a little rain, or you might get thunderstorms every afternoon.

IMO, summer requires some flexibility. Consider taking afternoon breaks, though that break probably won't include swimming, because thunderstorms = pools close, WDW boats stop, all water/animal/coaster attractions close. so about half of AK stops during a storm.

Late Sept is comparable, though perhaps slightly cooler.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Low crowds (relatively speaking) but really awful weather on this cooked space rock

 

[Weather_Lady]

We visited during the last week of August 2021 -- the last, beautiful days before Genie+ and Lighting Lanes were introduced, when standby lines were all there was.

The weather was stinky hot, but we were prepared for it, with cooling towels, extra masks, and plenty of patience. A couple of days saw monsoon rains and high winds, for which we'd packed water-repellant sandals and heavy-duty rain ponchos to tough it out.

Putting aside the weather though, the crowds were unbelievably low, not just because of seasonal factors, but I'm sure COVID-related reluctance to travel also played a large role. When I say crowds were low, I'm talking less-than-30-minute-wait-for-Slinky-Dog-Dash-in-the-middle-of-the-afternoon low! For that kind of experience, it was worth it to endure any kind of weather, and when we left, the family agreed that even if the norm for August crowds was a bit higher than what we saw, we'd gladly go at that time of year again.

That being said, everything we've read about Genie+, ILL, ongoing delays with construction and ride openings, and the persistence of parkhopping restrictions, limited extra hours, and ticket/hotel price hikes, has dampened our enthusiasm for a return trip for a few years at least. At such time as we decide to go back, we'll have to revisit the crowd calendars and see if late August is still as good a time to visit. Visiting WDW in August is like natural childbirth: it's painful and fraught with uncertainties, but the payoff is amazing, and once you know you're capable of enduring it, you're happy to repeat the process.

 

[danlb_2000]

Of the summer months, comparably late Aug typically hasnt been the worst of times other than the incessant humidity thats hanging in there. But as more people are increasingly booking trips back... some as make up ones, some as rewards of going back to reclaim normalcy... the crowds will be more than n the past. Sadly crowd calendars arent as helpful as the once were. I'd like to say youd be more likely to find lesser crowds but who can predict?

Yeah, we were already seeing summer like crowds in February, I can only imagine what summer will be like.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

We visited during the last week of August 2021 -- the last, beautiful days before Genie+ and Lighting Lanes were introduced, when standby lines were all there was.

The weather was stinky hot, but we were prepared for it, with cooling towels, extra masks, and plenty of patience. A couple of days saw monsoon rains and high winds, for which we'd packed water-repellant sandals and heavy-duty rain ponchos to tough it out.

Putting aside the weather though, the crowds were unbelievably low, not just because of seasonal factors, but I'm sure COVID-related reluctance to travel also played a large role. When I say crowds were low, I'm talking less-than-30-minute-wait-for-Slinky-Dog-Dash-in-the-middle-of-the-afternoon low! For that kind of experience, it was worth it to endure any kind of weather, and when we left, the family agreed that even if the norm for August was a bit higher than what we saw, we'd gladly go at that time of year again.

That being said, everything we've read about Genie+, ILL, ongoing delays with construction and ride openings, and the persistence of parkhopping restrictions, limited extra hours, and ticket/hotel price hikes, has dampened our enthusiasm for a return trip for a few years at least. At such time as we decide to go back, we'll have to revisit the crowd calendars and see if late August is still as good a time to visit.

You mean I could have high fived you on the paths?

 

[Weather_Lady]

You mean I could have high fived you on the paths?

Perhaps! We were at WDW August 21-25, 2021 -- so not the entire last week of August. We might have been posting similar numbers on the countdown thread beforehand, although my memory is concededly fuzzy as to who else was visiting at the same time.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Perhaps! We were at WDW August 21-25, 2021 -- so not the entire last week of August. We might have been posting similar numbers on the countdown thread beforehand, although my memory is concededly fuzzy as to who else was visiting at the same time.

Oh I was there, baby…

Though I don’t participate/ post in meetups.

Maybe I’ll start to monitor them though? If I see a group of you jokers canoodling at a bar ever…I’ll really “stick it to you” and pay the bill and you won’t see me. I did it for people on “other boards”…that’ll show you

 

[danlb_2000]

So it might be that time, or perhaps in the fall, where we take the trip. But if it is the couple weeks leading up to Labour Day, how are the crowds? Yeah I know, WDW pretty much never has a down time anymore. It used to be Christmas, and in 2017 we went the week after Thanksgiving in late November/early December and I have never seen it so packed.

But late August? There would be some locals back in school prior to Labour Day I assume. Depending on the county. I know the heat is going to be there, but we were there in late September in 2018 and it was hot then and a month earlier isn't a deal breaker for us. I am just thinking about going when the kids are still out of school.

So is it unusually jam packed late August?

I think we all need to accept that this year is going to be quite a crap shoot when it comes to going to Disney. I have a trip booked for the end of April and I am concerned about the crowds and the what the parks are really going to be like now. We haven't been on a proper vacation for over 2 years now so we are just going to go and make the best of it. A bad day at Disney is still better then a good day at work!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think we all need to accept that this year is going to be quite a crap shoot when it comes to going to Disney. I have a trip booked for the end of April and I am concerned about the crowds and the what the parks are really going to be like now. We haven't been on a proper vacation for over 2 years now so we are just going to go and make the best of it. A bad day at Disney is still better then a good day at work!

I have something scheduled for June and I’m very close to dumping Disney altogether…

…no matter what the scenario - if you give in to their whims they will take the place/policy farther away from you in the next move. It’s a little bit immature to not think that. The only way it should be this easy to make you accept it is if you never want to go back and don't have a need to care about erosion.

 

[danlb_2000]

I have something scheduled for June and I’m very close to dumping Disney altogether…

…no matter what the scenario - if you give in to their whims they will take the place/policy farther away from you in the next move. It’s a little bit immature to not think that. The only way it should be this easy to make you accept it is if you never want to go back and don't have a need to care about erosion.

It's a dilemma, give in to their whims and still go, or take a stand against it knowing that it may not make a difference and that I will have denied myself something I enjoy.

 

[Disstevefan1]

In a word, it's gonna be MOBBED and WDW will still be understaffed.
But look on the bright side, the pandemic is over

 

[vikescaper]

The times I have been to WDW in late August, the crowds have been fairly light. This was pre-pandemic, though.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

It's a dilemma, give in to their whims and still go, or take a stand against it knowing that it may not make a difference and that I will have denied myself something I enjoy.

That it is. And to clarify: when I say “you”…I meant “all of us”

 

[AndyS2992]

Keep in mind schools in the UK and Europe are still off for summer so European crowds will still be about plus the Halloween parties start in mid August so Magic Kingdom will be closing early every other day, plus hurricane season and the scorching summer heat to contend with. Just some things to consider.

 

[NelleBelle]

Plus Love Bugs (at least when we were there one trip in late Aug.)