Is the heat of September worth the smaller crowds?

[pixiedust33]

I went once in early September and would never do it again. It was insanely, disgustingly, nearly unbearably hot and humid. I was dripping sweat the entire time and felt disgusting (and, at least at the time, I was runner who would run outside for long distances in temps as high as the mid 80s). As a parent now, I would never take young kids. And it was still crowded!! This was 2019 so it was newer, but we rope dropped FOP and still waited over an hour for that. Waited in many long lines. Couldn't get some dining we wanted. Lots of bodies all around and it FELT more crowded because it was so hot. I did not think the crowds seemed any lighter than other recent March trips. A million percent not worth it in September. A bit passionate about this, if you couldn't tell haha

I will say, if someone was determined to do it, my advice would be to stay deluxe, go early for early entry, then leave for lunch and don't come back until the sun is about ready to set and take advantage of extended evening hours and/or pay for after hours party. The only way I would ever even consider another trip around this time of year is it was primarily to lounge by a pool or water park in the middle of the day and go to the parks after the sun has set.

 

[scrappinginontario]

For us, totally worth it! If you can handle the heat, lower crowds are a great trade-off. We now go in late Aug due to my DD being in high school but if it wasn't for that we'd still be going in September.

 

[ftbaker1313]

Honestly it can be fun, I've taken the family a few times in Sept. For us the biggest problem was the impact on our feet. We've never had as many blisters as that trip from sweaty feet. The next trip we used Foot Glide and changed socks during the day with fewer problems. Stay Hydrated and ride things like COP in the heat of the day.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

We love going in late summer, though we tend to go more in August than September. a trade off of September is that there are more MK Halloween parties. WDW thinks Halloween starts in early August, which is absurd, but there are fewer parties in August.

As for weather, look at factual information for yourself, rather than hyperbolic expressions from some posters.

Some trips we get no rain, other times there's minimal rain in the form of short downbursts, a few trips the rain has been more widespread. Shortly before the rain, the humidity can get a bit intense, and it is typically a high around 90F. After the storm passes, and especially after dark, the temps are lovely, IMO. But know that afternoon storms are common and plan for them.

WDW used to reward us with lots of PM hours. More recently they have cut back a bit.

Hotel prices are low.

Often it is helpful to take an afternoon break during the peak heat/storms. Compared to other times of year, we tend to do things like take the shuttle boat over walking, more than we would in spring. Some rides also stop during thunderstorms, so that is also something to know, animals and coaster, so a good part of AK.

If you really dislike summer temps, it might not be the best time of year to visit. Myself, WDW isn't WDW if it is too cold for swimming and water rides.

 

[Miffy]

I think it all depends on your tolerance for the heat/humidity/weather, including how prepared you are.

We were there this past July and came prepared with UV umbrellas, cooling scarves, plans to never be out in the noon hour, etc., etc., and although I was able to handle it, my sister crumpled. So that's the end of going in the super heat/humidity for us.

We knew it was going to be miserable, but we were lured in by the discounted resort prices. We have APs, so we didn't have to buy park tickets. Figured we give it a go. Never again.

 

[SL6827]

Nope

 

[Brian Noble]

We are considering early September but are concerned about the heat. Advice?

I know some strategies to avoid crowds. I don't know any way to avoid September's heat. YMMV.

 

[NewDisneyEnthusiast]

My wife & I took a spur of the moment 5 night getaway mid Sep this past year. We had waters, umbrellas & ponchos packed along with water shoes in the event of the afternoon downpour. Didn’t need any of that stuff besides the water. Temps were as high as 91 one day but most of the week was mid 80s. Crowds were still there, maybe a touch less than the previous month and little to no rain. It was a more enjoyable experience in Sept 23 vs Aug 23. Take this with a grain of salt. I feel the weather is always a crap shoot in wdw. We always ask ourselves, would you rather be at wdw during ( enter your season or specific date here ) or home. Needless to say, we always end up at wdw.

 

[bakerworld]

There is a reason it is cheaper in September and it's the HEAT with the RAIN. Back in the 90's September is when we visited with the kids - taking long weekends over Rosh Hashanah. If you can stand being more relaxed, September is doable. We'd visit in September to hit a park briefly first thing in the AM, eat an early lunch at the Castle to exit the park for pool time. Eat an early dinner around 5p and our real park time was after 7p. Florida sun stays out late, like 8:30p. So how good are you at spending buko bucks for park tickets and getting in a 5 hours? Maybe visit the parks staying open until 11p or midnight and sleeping late in the AM (how late is sleeping late with twins?).

Quick Answer: yes, it's doable but do you want to or can you wait 2 weeks for mid-October when the weather is fantastic?

 

[Golfjbc89]

I did this in Sept 2022 with an infant and 2yo. Would I do it again? Yes, but it wouldn't be my first choice. I choose it because it was my first time renting DVC points and September is the cheapest season. We stayed at VGF and for the same dollars we would have been off the monorail another time of year.
The heat was bad and forced us to take more mid-day breaks and go easy for part of days than before, but it was definitely doable just expect the worst. Drink a lot of water, have fans ready and don't be afraid to take it easy if thats what your group needs!

 

[defrogger]

saying some of the same things others have said, but it is definitely bad weather in September, Hot and Rainy, but if you normally go in the summer its not different.
From a crowd standpoint, in the past i would say its worth the heat, use to be very low crowds in Septemeber when we went, but we went september of 2022 and it was crowded. Not sure if that was a fluke or not. We also like to go in early December for lower crowds and we went this last year and it was crowded, ide say less then summer, but still crowded.
I think Disney has figured out how to keep it crowded all year long. So September will be less crowded but not by much.

If you have the choice you might want to consider May, Still on the hot side, but ide say not as bad as July through September, plus less rain.
Lower crowds then summer in May.

 

[ktink]

September is my favorite time to go! I know it's hot before I get there so I'm prepared.

 

[keishashadow]

We are considering early September but are concerned about the heat. Advice?

Going off your signature, appears you’ve visited WDW many times. look at the average weather (especially real fee) for those time frames vs September for an idea if you want to attempt that time span.

you may also want to check the parks hours, multiple nights do close early @ MK for MNSSHP

We’ve run into two major weather events in Sept/Oct over the years, wherein we had to hunker down at the resorts. Special events we had tix to attend were cancelled. Even as regulars, that is disappointing to experience.

if your kids are of school age, be sure to check your school’s policy. Here, no excused non-medical absences during first & last months of school or during standardized testing periods.

that said, I’d rather be sweltering at WDW vs a temperate day at home. From the north, we manage during 4th of July week (when it’s crowded and hot) and an annual Sept or Oct trip (or two ).

only time I’d truly think twice about visiting again is first two weeks of August. even tho accustomed to extreme temps of July trips, August feels far more humid. It also seems more crowded than the predictions, guessing many people want to sneak in one more trip before the kids go back to school.

 

[Pooh2]

Never again for us in September!
We were too overheated to enjoy the Halloween party and parks.
We attempted the pool in the afternoons but it was shut-down everyday due to thunderstorms.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I know some strategies to avoid crowds. I don't know any way to avoid September's heat. YMMV.

As a number of folks have posted, afternoon breaks are a common way to avoid the peak highs. Another strategy is to go swimming, as long as no lightning.
After dark the temps are fairly nice because WDW is a peninsula.

OH- another important option is to acclimate yourself to being outside in summer BEFORE the trip starts. The more the better. Folks who spend all their time indoors, chilled to 68 degrees will find 90 hotter than people who spend time outdoors in 80+. Part of that is where you live. Another is one's workspace; we don't always have control of those factors. Acclimating when we can have some control is helpful, like getting outdoors for walks and our home thermostat. We try to keep ours close to 80.

Another FL heat strategy is misting fans, but I don't find them useful. They tend to make us clammy.

For hoots, I bought a neck cooler, but it felt heavy/weird on my neck. Luckily it didn't cost much. We left it home.

We also bought some inexpensive cooling towels last year. Those work a little better, but we also stopped using those mid-trip, because they are also a bit clammy/drippy, a bit annoying, and they feel less clean the longer you use them, esp in WDW. some folks like them.

Mainly though, we just modify our park touring a bit to spend a bit more time indoors. We also wear sandals, cool wick/quick dry lightweight clothing.

The one thing we haven't figured out yet is chocolate. Seriously, every WDW visit we end up with chocolate, and in the summer, it melts rather quickly. It seems no matter what we try, we end up with a bit of melted chocolate.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

We are considering early September but are concerned about the heat. Advice?

One more thing to know is that September is the peak of hurricane season.

If we go that time of year, we tend to book room only - so we can cancel up to 5 days with no penalty (pay 1 night deposit), as opposed to a WDW travel package (usually it is a $200 deposit, but paid in full about 45 days before arrival, with stricter cancelation terms)When booking, I have sometimes had to REALLY insist they give me a room only booking. Sometimes they try hard to talk me into a 'basic package.' Universal hotels are a little more flexible than WDW.

If we stay offsite, we also always book rooms with generous cancelation terms, never non-refundable rooms. VERY IMPORTANT when booking hotels to know the cancelation policy!

If we fly that time of year, we fly Southwest, which has generous flight rebooking terms.

If you end up with portions of the trip that can't easily be cancelled, trip insurance is an option, but I try to avoid paying for it just by always booking vacation options that can be cancelled. If a really major hurricane will be hitting FL, some companies get a little more flexible, but not always.

 

[carlbarry]

I've been a few times, for my birthday on September 16.
If the sun hits your skin, it's like pouring lighter fluid on your arm and setting it on fire.
Last time I was there, in 2022, it rained every day like clockwork about 2:45 pm.
In the parks, all I could think about was getting to an air-conditioned attraction.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I do solo trips in Sept as I like the low crowds and cheap prices. However, if you are taking children and they are not used to that level of heat + humidity this would be a hard pass. I can barely take care of myself in that heat- actually I wasn't even successful at that last Sept as improper footwear for that level of heat led to lots of swelling of my toes which resulted in 2 runners toes (luckily the nails stayed attached). I did an eat to the beat concert that trip as well which ended up delayed when someone sitting in the crowd passed out and paramedics had to be called to take them away.

What does help me- rope drop, cooling towel, cooling hat, moisture wicking clothing, I am obsessive about hydration, indoor TS lunch breaks force me to take a long time off my feet in AC, and long afternoon hotel breaks.

And 100% make sure you're booking flexible stuff, no non-refundable hotels or basic economy airfare due to hurricane season.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I like to go in September for the Halloween Party. When I go there is usually a Hurricane on the horizon and tons of all day rain. I live in Georgia so it's not much different except in Georgia I'm not outside all day.

I still manage to enjoy myself despite all the heat and humidity and how crowded it has been.

 

[Paul Stupin]

I’ll be a touch contrarian here, but we love September. We tour early and late, take mid day breaks, and if you follow a good strategy it’s the best time to beat crowds. It’s hot any time between April through early November, we prefer the easier crowds.

We love September as well. The heat’s not that bad in the latter half of the month, and you can’t argue with the point charts.