What to expect in September?

[Jane E.]

I like going in September. The crowds are usually much less than at other times. Also rates for hotels are usually cheaper too. Two years ago we went in September. The only time that the love bugs got in the way was when we were at the swimming pool. At Water Mania we got swamped with love bugs. As long as we kept moving they didn't bug us. However, we couldn't sit & relax around the pool. When our children were little we always went in the month of September. They never knew that MK had fireworks until last year! However, they always got on every ride. Of course, I think the parks overall are much busier now than they were 10 years ago. We went to MK last June & October, and I was surprised at the long lines at MK. HOwever, Epcot & MGM weren't bad at all. There are advantages & disadvantages no matter when you go. Have fun!

 

[msdznyduck]

We are also going Aug 31 to Sept 7. Can't wait!!! We have not been there before this time of the year, are lovebugs just annoying? I read that the parks close early, does anyone have any recommendations which parks to visit on which days?

Thanks
Msdznyduck

 

[dBugged]

We just tweaked out vacation and are now there from Aug 30 - Sep 9. Can't wait! The love bugs didn't seem as bad (or noticable) last September. They seemed worse in Sep, 2000. They are more annoying than anything else.

 

[Kenbar]

Re Love bugs
Quote >You can guess what
they look like from their name. <

I give in!
Is it
a) a big red heart shape
b) A compact german car shape
c) None of the above

 

[Clover9990]

It is SOOOO hilarious for me, as a Floridian, to hear of everyone getting all up in arms about the lovebugs! I mean this in a good natured way, not a mean spirited way!

Here are some informative pages about lovebugs for the curious:

http://www.gaipm.org/publichealth/lovebugs.html

http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/misc/lovebug.htm <~~~This one has some pictures

And once and for all, while these bugs ARE a nuisance (they often fly nilly-willy, right into you, your hair, or what have you!) they do NOT bite!!

 

[BamaTigger]

We will be there from Aug 31-Sept 5th.

I dont care if it rains, sleets, snows, hails, hot, cold, humid, muggy, sunny or gloomy---IM GONNA BE AT DISNEY WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The weather is only a sideline for me, I can make my trip fun in any kind of weather!!!!

 

[dBugged]

Great attitude! Disney = Fun! Weather = who cares! I completely agree!

 

[Kimkimba]

We'll be there Sept. 22 - 28th. Since my dh is not a crowd lover (seeks refuge and hides - just kidding), I being the trip planner thought this was the perfect time to go. I like it warm, and the rain doesn't really bother me. And since we aren't late park people, the early closings are fine with us. See some of you there!

 

[SheDaisy0088]

September is much better than any other time of the year. We have went for the past 3 years. Lines are shorter, not as hot as in July or August.

There is rain. But the rain makes it less crowded. Rain in Florida can last from a minute to a few hours. Being a born and raised Floridain that is one thing that I am used to. I have lived here all my life and am so used to the rain and sunshine at once that it seems like second nature to me.

Sorry to ramble on.

 

[SHELL]

We are so excited to go in sept as well. We are going August 30th through Sept 7th. We were there over Labor Day last year and it was so hot and crowded. However on Tuesday after Labor Day it all died down and was so empty. Unfortunately we left that night. So we decided to use our DVC points at the Boardwalk this year for the week. It should be interesting. Not to much rain during that time last year. Lets hope we don't see much this year as well!!!

 

[Mirthrindr]

My fiancée and I spent 14 nights at the Beach Club from Sept. 1 through the 15 last September. I'm not disputing what anyone else remembers, but like dBugged, I don't really remember excessive amounts of rain or totally rained out days with ONE exception where it did rain lightly for most of the day one day (though I KNOW we were never stuck in our hotel room all day due to rain so if memory serves me, it couldn't have been that bad after all). In fact, I remember specifically thinking we once again had excellent (albeit very hot) weather for our annual Sept. trip (we go every year for the first two weeks of Sept. basically). I checked my trip report as well and don't have any mention of excessive rain, and in addition, we actually watched our home videos of the trip just last weekend as a warm up for our upcoming Sept. 2 through the 14 trip this year at AKL, and again didn't see any signs of disappointment due to rain. So can't explain what others who were there on the same dates remember as it's completely opposite what our experience/memory was/is. That's not to say it didn't rain, I just didn't think it rained excessively nor do I recall losing full days to constant rain through out the day.
In general though, early Sept is a great time to visit, weather can still be very hot, average in the mid to upper 80s with good chances for 90+ on any given day. As usual and as expected, brief showers occur almost every day, but are usually very short in duration, though it can REALLY rain hard during those showers sometimes.
Like others have pointed out, going in Sept. is a compromise, the parks close earlier, in some cases like the MK it can be MUCH earlier. MK closes so early in fact that most days in Sept. don't have fireworks or nighttime parade at MK, there are a few exceptions though. Epcot always still has Illuminations at 9PM though, as does Disney Studios with Fantasmic at least once a night. But the benefit to going at this time is the greatly reduced crowds compared to what you would have experienced only a few weeks prior. This means shorter lines usually and less waiting in general. The biggest most popular attractions can of course still generate long lines during peak hours of the day, but with less effort than is required during other busy times, you can really minimize the amount of time you spend standing in lines. And often, we find no waiting at all for even the most popular attractions during early mornings or early evenings.
So this is just our personal experience and we absolutely love going in early Sept. and have continued to do so for several years now due to the consistent good weather (again very hot though, but we like that), and low crowds. Good luck with your trip.

Mirth

 

[Shinji]

The only time I have been to WDW is in September. I have heard of the 'peak season' crowds and I want no part of that! This year: Sept 7-14 2002 !!!

I cannot wait to get back.
shinji

 

[jxh1]

My wife and I went in September of 2000 for our anniversary. If you can put up with a little heat and humidity, I think it's a great time to go. We stayed at CBR, did the parks in the morning, laid out by the pool in the afternoon, and then around 3:00 or so every day we got a nice thunderstorm for maybe an hour and then things cleared up. That seemed to happen everyday like clockwork! I haven't been there since they shortened hours, etc., but when we were there, crowds were very manageable and we had no problem seeing and doing everything we wanted to. We plan on going back again in September of 2003. Good luck!