September

[Jedi Osborn]

Money is a bit tight this year....we had hoped to visit WDW in December and enjoy the Christmas celebration (we've been before and LOVE being there at Christmas time) but with things the way they are, and the really good specials being offered for September, we're thinking about saving the money and going early. Who can turn down the free dining package?!

So my questions are: What's it like in September? Is it crowded? We're used to 1st week of December or mid January crowd levels. What about the heat? I'm a northerner and enjoy the cool temps in Dec/Jan. What about hurricanes and rain?

Thanks for any help

 

[Florida Rocks]

Pretty much expect rain/ thunderstorms every afternoon...and theres always a possibility for a hurricane..

 

[STITCHRULES]

We usually go in September (this year the last week of August). In the past the Labor Day weekend is crowded although not as bad as some other times of year that we have been. Middle to late September is moderately busy- I found it to be similar to say the first week in December.

 

[KnK]

We go every year the first full week after Labor Day. The crowds are great. We can usually get through most parks by lunch.

We've been lucky the past several years with regard to rain. 2003 rained only 2 out 9 days and those rains only last about 1 hour and did not stop us. 2004 rained only 1 day, and it last about 3 hours.

The years before that don't recall, but never anything to stop the fun.

 

[poohbear6103]

Last year we went late August early September. We loved it so much that we are doing it again this year (even though we did get caught in a hurricane early Spetember last year. Disney took real good care of us). It will be very hot in the beginning weeks and it will rain/thunderstorm. But on the bright side, kids are generally in school so we also did the parks in a few hours. Even Space Mountain and other high ride time rides were under 20 minutes. I have gone for Christmas and it was great but for me the smaller crowds make this off-time worth it. Have fun!!!! :wave:

14 more days!!! (But who's counting

 

[bgraham34]

I have gone the last week in Sept many times and crowds were low. I plan on going Sept 06 in the last week as well.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

We're in the same boat as you... The free dining was too good to pass up. :slurp: Sept. is a great month to be going. You'll be happy with the crowds. The only thing I wanted to mention that didn't seem to be talked about yet was that if there WERE a hurricane while you were there, you'd be in a very safe place. We were there last year during one, and they go to great lengths to make guests comfortable... And should they have to close the parks because of it, they give out free return trips (at least they did last year!!)... In addition, all Disney's power lines, etc., are underground and I BELIEVE they are on their own power grid. The chances of them losing power is fairly remote. In reality, being on Disney property is probably one of the safest places to be should there be a hurricane. The morning after, there was hardly any debris or downed trees... But as soon as we left property to check things out, it was a completely different story with damage all over the place.

 

[dizknee]

I didn't start this subject but I am sure happy it is here. I am going the last week of september. I ahve heard that crowds are very light. If it anything near as light as the end of January I will be in Heaven. However the hurricane thing did scare the booty out of me originally I ahve not heard of the parks being closed for 4 or 5 days out of a week so I will surely get my money,s worth anyway.

My only TRUE fear is having my flight cancelled the day I am going to WDW .... returning I don't mind. Heck I will be in Florida so I will find something to do I'm sure

 

[DisneyBunny]

We went the last week in Sept last year, and are doing it again this year for my birthday - it's wonderful! Even though we did lose a day and a half last year due to Jeanne, the crowds were so incredibly low that we packed so much into our stay that we didn't miss the day we lost at all. On the contrary, we really enjoyed our day off. It was nice to be able to laze around the hotel all day in your PJs, and not worry about missing out on any of the fun at the parks. It recharged us a lot! We loved it so much last year dispite the hurricane, we said we'd do it again if we could. And then the free dining plan came out - we were there!

 

[LivinWitTheLand]

We visit WDW every year for the past 5 years in September. Its great! Most of the kids are back at school so the crowds are very low. The kids that are there with their families are usually so little since they are not school aged yet, that they can't even ride on the attractions like Splash and Space etc. So those wait times are usually very low.

The weekends can become crowded with locals, as are some of the dark rides in Fantasyland most days. Dining is great though. We usually always made priority seatings for our whole trip, but if we were delayed in getting to the restaurant or early even, we never had a wait either way.

Tip of advice though. Get to the parks early still. It is really fun to be there about a half hour before the park opens, and be the only ones in line at the turnstile. Last year each time we went to MGM or Epcot in the AM were practically the first people in the park.

Hopefully maybe we'll see some WDWmagic friends in WDW this September. We are going the 24th through Oct 1. With Mickey's Not So Scary on Sept 30!

 

[beagle 1]

I have gone to WDW in September for my honeymoon. Frankly, it is the best time to go if you do not want to deal with crowds, since there are no crowds to speak of. Plus, the rates are cheaper due to the fact that this is "down time" for WDW because kids are back in school. The weather was hot but bearable. Of course, there is always the risk of hurricanes.

 

[Jedi Osborn]

Thanks for all the advice....but I just can't feel convinced.
I'm a Christmas fan, I love the whole Christmas season. To give that up to go in September would feel like I'm settling.
But then again, I'm saving a whole lot of money.....

I wonder what the chances of a good package price or the free dining offer are for the week after Thanksgiving.

 

[loxley44]

I love it in sept. Best time to me, little or no lines, not too hot, a lot of rain, and nice nights. I am goin back again this year. I will not go at any other times if I can't help it. AND FREE FOOD!