September sadly no longer "Off Season"

[Figments Friend]

Well it's happened: I did'nt want to accept the possibility until i returned home from my most recent trip to say it, but now it's "official".......

.....September is no longer "Off Season"......

This may not be news to some people, but i felt a need to bring it to the attention of anyone planning on going down in the next couple of weeks ( or whenever the "Free Dining promo ends..). It was a little nutty this year compared to my previous visits at this same time of year.

For about 7 years now i have been visiting WDW right after Labor Day day week...as i discovered it is absolute bliss. Weather is still warm, crowds are non-exsistant, room rates are cheap as well as airfares. It's all good! A few years back the "Free Dining" offers started up for folks visiting during what used to be one of the slowest times of the year On Property. Naturally i gave it a try and enjoyed it....all the benefits of being at WDW in September and with FREE FOOD with NO restrictions ( like today...). Ahhh it was awesome!

Well, this time around it was more then obvious to me that everyone and their grandmother was well aware of the 'Free Dining' offer....and thanks to the US Government had some extra money to spend. What to do? Ooo go to WDW! I knew something was up when i went to book my usual dates and could not get the 'updated' Free Dining package. Uh oh....i thought.....i guess everyone knows about it now!

I'm not complaining....this is not ment to be a negative rant or anything folks...just noting that September is now no longer a great time to visit The World. Its more a 'heads up' to other World Travelers out there.

When i arrived at my usual Resort ( All Star Music) the place was packed. I have not seen it this full since last years EPCOT 25 Event. I knew this was not going to be the usual Sept visit when i was sent to stay at the Country Fair building ( eek! you know the place i full when you end up there!). So yeah....the joint was jumping!

The Parks were much fuller then i had experienced on previous visits. Now i had read already that attendence was up, and i did expect to see more people, primarily because of all the extra Tax Refund money that was received this year.....but man....it was almost like Summer crowds at times it seemed!

I noticed all the additonal signs displayed at most of the counter/full service resturants this time around too....to help people make their Dining Plan choices. I also noticed all the restrictions placed on them now. It must be a bit confusing for the First-Timer, so the signs are a plus...but pardon a joke...also a sign of the times.

Whenever i went to a Full Servie resturant, i was always asked if i was on the Dining Plan. When i answered no, and then said '..and i am probably the only one here who is not!' i always got the CM's laughing. It was true! Many were actually visably relieved to hear i was a 'paying' customer...ha ha! Most table service places were busy. So places i normally visited that were usually ghost towns...like Marrekesh for instance....were packed to the rafters with familes with toddlers. I have to say that was a teenie bit surprising.

So just be prepared folks when you visit this September. It will not quite be as serene as you may be expecting. Again, just a heads up.....



Definately GO and ENJOY.....but rememeber to get into the Parks EARLY and plan ahead!

:wave:

 

[bliss]

In year's past, there was a few weeks when crowds were down. This year the off season was noticeably shorter. Beginning of last week, we went and it was much slower. This week, crowds had picked up a lot so the "off season" seemed to only last one or possible two weeks this year. Good for Disney, not so good for regular guests

 

[Tinkerbella16]

Im so happy I don't go during free dining, or September. The last time we took a trip in September was in 2000...and I know what you mean, it was very nice and the parks were basically empty. What I would give to have those wonderful days back again!

 

[Cynderella]

I think unfortunatly there is no "off season" time anymore. For the past 5+ years we've gone the week after thanksgiving. It used to be dead. 5 min waits on everything. Now, it's more crowded than it was before. Each year it gets a little more crowded. I understand your frustration!!

 

[WildLodgeFan]

Well, we had to realize at some point that we couldn't keep a secret of how great WDW is. Especially with all these pesky marketing campaigns.

Seriously though, it seems like most people are reporting the ride queues weren't too bad, but that dining was definitely full. And judging from most of what the OP was discussing, it was from the dining angle.

 

[EpcotServo]

This off-season is more crowded than usual, yes.

 

[disneytopdog]

For the past four years I have been going in September during the free dining promo. I was there Sept 6-10 and the crowds were the lightest I have ever seen. The longest wait we had was 20 minutes(except for Toy Story Mania). In fact we would show up 30 to 45 minutes before our ADR time and were seated within 10 minutes. I even noticed people were getting tables without ADRs which did not happen last year at all.

 

[kimmychad]

we just got back last night and we never waited longer than 15 or 20 minutes for a ride. i did have to wait longer on a couple rides due to the mil being in a wheelchair, even when the regular line was walk-on. plus we got a same day california grill reservation to see fireworks. this was my 6th or 7th trip since 2005, and definitely the slowest with crowds.

 

[imamouse]

I'm glad I'm going after free dining!

 

[DisneyGigi]

I have to diasagree at least for our trip the first week of September 8/29- 9/7) it was lighter crowds than both of my trips last year 2/23- 3/4 and 8-30-9-8. Soarin was only 30 minutes max with FP available all day. ( it was gone by noon both trips last year with waits of 90 minutes. The last day MK was more crowded but only in the evening. Dining was more corwded but we checked in early at each place and were seated almost immediately. It was wonderful!!

We did not have anyone on the other side of us at the resort either the whole time.

 

[RedBaron]

We were there last September, just after Labor Day, and sadly, no, it was not the peaceful park that it used to be at that time of year. Amazingly I did not experience terribly long waits for most rides, but longer than what I was used to for that time of year. Maybe everyone was spending all of their time eating? :lol: I suppose I expected the free dining to bring in bigger crowds, but was still surprised at how many school age children were there. Heck school just started and they are already taken out for vacation.

 

[disneydiva72]

I remember when the Very Merry Mickey Christmas night time party (or whatever its called) use to be really uncrowded, now its a frikkin zoo! After last year Im not doing it anymore.


Im think the moral of this thread is....dont go while there is free dining, not worth it.

 

[Figments Friend]

In year's past, there was a few weeks when crowds were down. This year the off season was noticeably shorter. Beginning of last week, we went and it was much slower. This week, crowds had picked up a lot so the "off season" seemed to only last one or possible two weeks this year. Good for Disney, not so good for regular guests

Yeah, i noticed that! When i arrived on the 10th, the crowd levels were not anything out of the ordinary. By the 12th, suddenly it seemed everyone had arrived from abroad. It was VERY noticable after that weekend. I am ashamed to admit it..but there was actually a part of me ready to go back home just to get away from the big crowd that suddenly desended. It must have conincided with the big European Package Deals that were run to attract business from the UK/Europe. There was a HUGE concentration ...moreso then other years. Not that this is bad in any way....i love being surrounded by all the accents! It's more the unruly homeland family groups ( you know the rude types you sometimes bump into in public places...) that tend to deminish the Magic.

I was asked twice to take part in surveys though which i enjoyed...always love giving my feedback to WDW Survey Teams. First one was when exiting Animal Kingdom. It was primarily focused on Food Service, so most of the questions were regarding food quality, CM service in resturants, and other related topics. There were also a couple of Dining Plan questions, though this time around i was not a part of that. Still good to know they were interested in Guest feedback.

The other survey was after i checked out of my Resort. I have been surveyed before when checking out, so this was nothing new. Most of the questions involved Resort related feedback. Still, always a pleasure to give my feedback to them.

So yeah....i think the next time i visit WDW i will be looking at January or early February. Septemeber is now oficially 'OFF' of my list for 'Best Times to Visit'.

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

I think unfortunatly there is no "off season" time anymore. For the past 5+ years we've gone the week after thanksgiving. It used to be dead. 5 min waits on everything. Now, it's more crowded than it was before. Each year it gets a little more crowded. I understand your frustration!!

I agree that there is no off season now.

 

[Figments Friend]

I think unfortunatly there is no "off season" time anymore. For the past 5+ years we've gone the week after thanksgiving. It used to be dead. 5 min waits on everything. Now, it's more crowded than it was before. Each year it gets a little more crowded. I understand your frustration!!

Thanks Cyn, though i had not reached a point of frustration about the situation, more surprise then anything. In the back of my mind i expected some change this year, not just because of the Dining Offer, but more so because i knew attendence was up due to the Tax Rebates. I also knew to expect a increase in attendence from our friends overseas, as the exchange rate is so completely in their favor these days ( it's like two for one!). So it was more surprise...and then later slight sadness as i now knew Sept was now going to have to be crossed off my list.

I used to always go in October, but the Halloween Events changed that. Septemeber then became the 'Golden Time', exspecially after 9/11. I was there a year afterwards, on the 1 year anniversary to the day, and all of WDW was a ghost town. It was AWESOME. Okay...awesome for me, but NOT awesome for a business needing to make money to keep running operations...ha ha! So i applaud them in a way for turning around those 'slow' times and making them into profitable times.

Still.......it is a bummer though for those that used to enjoy these slower periods.

 

[Figments Friend]

Well, we had to realize at some point that we couldn't keep a secret of how great WDW is. Especially with all these pesky marketing campaigns.

Seriously though, it seems like most people are reporting the ride queues weren't too bad, but that dining was definitely full. And judging from most of what the OP was discussing, it was from the dining angle.

Well said LodgeFan.....indeed the ride times/lines were not all that bad. most of the time they were very managable, with the usual exceptions. What i noticed was large concentrations in all the resturants ( which i expected in some sense) but i also noticed more people in general just being around me...walking through the Parks, at the hotel, and exspecially at the hotel food court. Last year i assumed the spike in attendence was due to the EPCOT 25 Event ( i was there for that the last week in Sept when the Free Dining offer was over and the FAWFestival was in swing). So to come back and see it this year was ...well....a surprise.

I TOTALLY agree about those 'pesky marketing' efforts...ha ha....i also noticed a more prominant push to bring Mickey's Halloween Party to your average Guests' attention this year ( big time..). So i am sure it is only a short matter of time before this oaisis of non-exsistant ride lines and thin crowds in the Park will become a thing of the past. 'The Best Kept Disney Secret" was in reality THIS event...not some 'Vacation Club'!

 

[Figments Friend]

I remember when the Very Merry Mickey Christmas night time party (or whatever its called) use to be really uncrowded, now its a frikkin zoo! After last year Im not doing it anymore.


Im think the moral of this thread is....dont go while there is free dining, not worth it.

Well i would have to say this thread is more about just giving people a 'heads up' that things are not the usual this Sepember..if they did not know already.

I have yet to have done the Christmas Party, but this was my 3rd year attending one of the Halloween Parties. It was great as always...and the attendence seemed up a little this year then before which was to be expected with all the additonal people staying On Property. It is still well worth attending, and ALL RIDES were walk-on. You did'nt really notice the 'crowd' levels unless you gathered with them to see the Parade or HalloWishes. It really is "The Best Kept Disney Secret"...i highly recommend it for anyone sitting on the fence and thinking about splurging an extra $48. Trust me, it is SO totally worth it. You will not regret it!

I convinced three friends to try it out this past trip, and all of them LOVED it. They were not really expecting much at all...but because of my rave reviews and insistance, they went for it. Needless to say they throughly enjoyed it and would definately do it again.

I should get commission from Mickey....ha ha ha ha!

 

[brucie]

I will have to disagree we just got back from our trip from Sept 5-15 and all of us thought that all of the parks were slower then in years past. We were on the Dining plan. The restaurants were full but we didn't wait longer then 20 min max for all the major rides in all parks (with the exception of TSM which had up to a 120 min wait.) We will still continue to travel in Sept.

 

[crlachepinochet]

I don't know what September was like in years past, but I was there 6th-14th at ASMo and I thought the crowd levels were pretty light... FPs for everything except TSMM available throughout the day, Soarin' usually had a posted wait of 20-40 mins when we were there (our actual wait was even less), and I seemed to notice many snack carts closed. I assume the crowd levels just didn't merit opening them. I would definitely do Sept. again; even the waits to check in at TS restaurants wasn't bad. We ate at Yak & Yeti and 50's Prime Time around 11 when they were supposed to be opening and they were both dead. They must really keep a lid on ADRs at this time of day because I had to call more than once to get both places, which was a little weird.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so here are 2000 words describing the crowds:

 

[matt_taylor1985]

We're going early october this year (same as last year) and we're hoping it'll be a bit lighter on the crowds than what has actually been reported. It wasn't overly busy last year. I don't take part in the 'disney dining plan' though, so don't know if that will affect me much.