Is the heat of September worth the smaller crowds?

[queenofhartz]

Ugghhh. Not for me. The heat is TOO much for me. But, I think this also depends on where you are from. I've been in a very dry climate that can get to 100 degrees for a few days in the summer. But, I am not accustomed to the humidity in Florida, and the humidity + heat is too extreme for me. It just makes what is a very expensive vacation for me a lot less enjoyable. If you are used to a lot of humidity, you might not find that it's as intolerable.

 

[Diana ZP]

I have been several times in September and it wasn't too bad to me...there are always misters on to help cool you. It was better weather and crowds wise when we went in the early part of the month...the last time we went towards the end of the month and we had record crowds, record rain and record lightening storms! Of course the sun came out right before we left...but it was still a fun trip!

 

[sadiecatie]

It’s amusing/surprising to me how many people immediately discount hot months. We do our big Disney trips in July, because our group is primarily teachers, and summer is the only time we’re all available (long weekends in the fall/winter are amazing, but we can’t do a full week+ then). Yeah, it’s hot, but it’s manageable. I’m from the midwest for reference, and we just plan on taking breaks when needed; we all have cooling towels, water bottles and fans; and more often than not we plan a sit-down lunch for a mid-day break (we stay off-site, so same general idea as those who go back to their resort mid-day, but we’re parks commandos and plan it as a mid-day sit-down air-conditioned break).

Only you know what you can handle, but literally thousands of families do Disney during the “insufferable” months (May-October?), and yeah it might be more pleasant at other times of the year, but it’s still fun!

 

[Ladyandthepuppies]

Our last 4 trips were:

2017- Sept
2018- December
2021- January
2023- August

And I liked August the best! Heat and humidity don’t bother me. We spend a lot of time on indoor attractions, dining at TS restaurants, or in shaded queues. Overall I spent very little time standing in direct sunlight. December is too crowded for me and January is too cold. Our September trip was awesome until Hurricane Irma hit, closed down the parks and stranded us for several extra days.

Maybe I’m a psycho but on our August trip, I actually wished that it was hotter at night so that I would want to go night swimming. It was too chilly for me in the mid-70s.

Anyway, YMMV (especially depending on your heat tolerance) but I would absolutely do September or August over any other month in order to have lower crowds. ADRs are much easier, VQs are easier, and it’s value season. My kids don’t mind the heat and they definitely appreciate lower wait times.

 

[WLSILVERCREEKSPRINGS]

If you can't tolerate heat and humidity there are better times to go. I love 90 degrees and 90% humidity, dislike cold (below 75) weather.

 

[MickeyMouse3!]

September is also hurricane season. Many trips have been postponed or canceled for this reason alone. I will only advise using discretion when planning for September.

 

[KPeterso]

Been every year in September since 2004 (except 2020). Apparently, I am either a glutton for punishment or really like that time of year. It is the latter. Crowds are not too bad (although each year September does seem to get more crowded). Is it hot? Sure is! Does it rain? You bet! Have we experienced a hurricane? Twice (2004 and 2022). Will we continue going in September? Yup! We plan for mornings and then do a leisurely sit down lunch around 2-3 PM to get some sitting in AC for a bit. And then a couple more hours before heading out early. I live in SoCal and it gets pretty hot here during the summer, but not the humidity. But even that really does not bother me much.

 

[elvispursley]

I'm from Hawaii and live on the "dry" side of Oahu. The temps in the summer regularly are over 90 deg and often the humidity is 90% as well ("dry" in Hawaii means no rain, not low humidity ). I also have a home that doesn't have a/c! So heading to WDW in Aug/Sept isn't as horrible as it was when I lived in Seattle. I also totally agree with the pp who mentioned that if this is your first trip to WDW, pick another month! We've been many many times and don't feel the need to see everything anymore. The mid-day break is a must for my mom (72 yo) to recharge. We're also not rope-dropping and take our time. I'll take the heat over the crowds any day.

 

[greeneyedchick]

We used cooling towels (I used the FroggTogg brand and will agree with a pp in another thread that they’re kinda “slimey”.

I bought some Frogg Toggs cooling towels, but like other reviews, the dye runs. Do you have any tips for getting that to stop?

 

[scrappinginontario]

I bought some Frogg Toggs cooling towels, but like other reviews, the dye runs. Do you have any tips for getting that to stop?

Have used many Frogg Toggs (some coloured) and not had that problem. Could you purchase white ones or, if coloured ones purchased, I'd rinse in sink before your trip, until the dye stops running.

 

[jsmla]

It’s worth it to me but I’m from south Louisiana and grew up in the days before air conditioning was a thing in schools.

 

[greeneyedchick]

Have used many Frogg Toggs (some coloured) and not had that problem. Could you purchase white ones or, if coloured ones purchased, I'd rinse in sink before your trip, until the dye stops running.

I wanted to purchase white ones because I had read a lot of reviews about the dye running. I couldn't find any. You're lucky you haven't had that problem. I wouldn't be surprised if they changed manufacturers or processes to save some money and now they aren't made as well. Given that the whole premise is to keep the towel wet around you, having color run from the towel seems like a bad design. I bought them hoping that I would be one of the lucky ones. When I called the company, they told me to wash in the washing machine by itself on warm with detergent. Hang dry and then rinse in cold.

 

[elvispursley]

I bought some Frogg Toggs cooling towels, but like other reviews, the dye runs. Do you have any tips for getting that to stop?

I had a hot pink towel and didn't notice any dye running. I actually wasn't aware of that issue! Wow, that would make for a miserable experience. We washed it along with my mom's pink disney cooling towel every few days on cold and just let it line dry. I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of the texture of the towel--reminds me a little of a wetsuit. We'd wet them in the AM, stick them in the ziploc with some ice cubes, and that towel stayed cool a ton longer than my mom's disney towel. It'll definitely be making a return trip with me this Aug.