Crowds last week in Sept?? Maybe I was wrong after all?

[loveshak22]

I always heard that September is the slowest time at WDW. I've been in January (which I was told was the second slowest time of the year) and loved, loved it! So we booked a trip in September this year, expecting even less crowds than in January....

But...the free dining ends the day we arrive (09/24) so does that mean they expect it to be busier the rest of September? Also, as I'm booking ADR's all of the popular ones are hard to get. In fact, we almost upgraded to the deluxe dining plan but as I was trying to book ADRs it was hard enough to get one good TS meal a day much less 2. Without fitting in 2 TS's a day then the deluxe wasn't really worth the extra $400.

Now I'm really worried it's going to be busy, which is hard on my family because I am traveling with my disabled father and a child who is very, very impatient.

Thoughts???

 

[nkereina]

I'm also arriving 9/24. Those arriving 9/24, or even the day or two before, can get free dining their whole stay which may explain why ADRs are hard to get. There will still be plenty of people there with free dining that time, even though it's not offered, so restaurants will still be crowded. As to why it's not offered that week, who knows. The following weekend, 10/1, is the half marathon and the 40th anniversary, and F&W starts Friday 9/30, so maybe attendance is up towards the end of the week. Based on Touring Plans numbers, I'm not concerned about high crowds.

 

[Demosthenes]

The parks will not be crowded, but free dining packs the restaurants. We go most Septembers, and always have great crowds, but since Free Dining began, it is hard to get any ADRs. Conversely, it is often the case that people make reservations for dining and don't show up, so don't give up on trying some walk-ups.

 

[ancestry]

I do think that it is a slower time of the year but that doesn't mean that it is "slow." Basically I mean that in my opinion Disney is always fairly busy anymore. Some periods are busier than others. You are going in one of the slower periods overall (compared to the Holiday season, etc.) but the slower periods aren't necessarily slow.

For example a crowd level of a 1 (the lowest) according to touringplans.com still means approximately an hour long wait at Soarin' and Test Track. To me, that isn't slow. By my standards, slow would be less than 10 minutes wait for everything and that just doesn't happen anymore (unless you use fast passes).

 

[loveshak22]

I'm also arriving 9/24. Those arriving 9/24, or even the day or two before, can get free dining their whole stay which may explain why ADRs are hard to get.

I didn't think about that but maybe that's why the end the free dining on 09/24. Since you can still get free dining your whole trip, even if you arrive on 09/24, they cut it off so that people won't be able to get the free dining when they arrive in October when it's busier. For example, someone books a trip 09/30 - 10/05. If the free dining went all of September then they could arrive on 09/30 and get free dining into October. And since it's busier they probably don't want anyone on free dining?

Does that make sense? Haha - it does in my head but when I read what I wrote it doesn't sound as clear

 

[DisneyFive]

Looking at Touring Plans.com it is pretty much the slowest week of the year, along with the 2nd week in Dec before the holiday crowd shows up.

We went the last week of Sept last year and the crowd level was nice and low. You'll love it.

Dan

 

[loveshak22]

I do think that it is a slower time of the year but that doesn't mean that it is "slow." Basically I mean that in my opinion Disney is always fairly busy anymore. Some periods are busier than others. You are going in one of the slower periods overall (compared to the Holiday season, etc.) but the slower periods aren't necessarily slow.

For example a crowd level of a 1 (the lowest) according to touringplans.com still means approximately an hour long wait at Soarin' and Test Track. To me, that isn't slow. By my standards, slow would be less than 10 minutes wait for everything and that just doesn't happen anymore (unless you use fast passes).

True. And I understand a wait at some of the more popular attractions but I like to at least be able to walk through the park without being shoulder to shoulder with people or waiting for 2-3 shuttle buses to come by before I can get on because they are so packed.

When my DH and I went at the end of January one year we got really lucky. We only had 2-3 long lines the whole trip - Thunder Mtn, Expedition Everest, Test Track, and that ride in the Norweign Pavilion. We both laughed about that because we decided to ride it just because and it was the longest line by far! And the ride is like 5 minutes and not really that exciting.

 

[loveshak22]

Looking at Touring Plans.com it is pretty much the slowest week of the year, along with the 2nd week in Dec before the holiday crowd shows up.

We went the last week of Sept last year and the crowd level was nice and low. You'll love it.

Dan

That's what I was hoping to hear

I've never heard of touringplans.com. I'll have to check it out!

 

[mareed]

The parks will not be crowded, but free dining packs the restaurants.

This. Also, the original free dining that was available Aug 2010 through Dec 20, 2010 was free dining for arrival dates through Sept. 29, 2011. Don't worry about crowds during your trip, except at restaurants.

 

[mousegear]

It's second year going to WDW in last week of Sept. I thought the crowd was very very low. Expedition Everest, Toy Story Mania, Soarin, Test Track, Space Mt. had the most lines but exception of Toy Story Mania, everything was less than 30min. For those, we used FP. As for the rest of the park, it was very enjoyable.

 

[pooh4evr]

We arrive the 27 th , we did not have any problem getting adrs when I made them months ago, I am looking forward to the low crowds easywdw has most days averaging 2 with the busiest being 5 when we r there (oct 1)

 

[loveshak22]

We arrive the 27 th , we did not have any problem getting adrs when I made them months ago, I am looking forward to the low crowds easywdw has most days averaging 2 with the busiest being 5 when we r there (oct 1)

I just checked out easywdw.com - thanks for providing the resource. It figures, all my ADRs and plans are the opposite of what the website's calendar recommends. Oh well, given that the crowds are pretty low I'm sticking with my plans and ADRs

Thanks for all the posts everyone!

 

[gusgus76]

We went last year from Sept 10-18 and there were good size groups of people in each park. So when they say it is slow, they lie. We had a great trip.

1977-CR
1979-off disney Holiday Inn
1982-CR
1984-treehoues
1986-cabins
1989-CBR
2010-AKR Jambo

 

[JerseyJanice]

Whether this is a factor or not, I don't know, but I can tell you that our trip is in the time frame because our public schools are off on Thursday, 9/29 and Friday, 9/30 for the Jewish High Holidays. I can't imagine we're the only family going that week because of it.

 

[doggydoc]

We went last year from Sept 10-18 and there were good size groups of people in each park. So when they say it is slow, they lie. We had a great trip.

1977-CR
1979-off disney Holiday Inn
1982-CR
1984-treehoues
1986-cabins
1989-CBR
2010-AKR Jambo

I think you have to realize that slow is a relative term. This will be our 5th straight year going around the dates you mention (in fact we were at CSR on those exact dates last year) and I can assure you that crowds are FAR below average in Sept. I see from your dates that you had a 20 year gap between visits, crowds have gotten significantly larger in those 2 decades.

 

[toddlermickey]

We are going Sept 21-Oct. 2. We went last year at this time and it wasn't too bad.

Sylvia in MN

 

[seadd67]

I am so listening, our dates are comeing up the 16th to the 27th,if i seen a 30 min time for sorain I would thought i was dreaming! But heres to hopeing!

 

[mom2rtk]

We were there the last week of September in 09. I do think it's busier than early to mid-September. Late September was the latest you could book free dining for the offers announced last August and for the repeat of free dining announced this spring. Many holding out for a fall trip chose this week as the closest to fall they could get without waiting to see if October was ever offered. Also, it's when the F/W festival starts.

That week we were there was rather odd. Some days were very slow, some days were really packed.

Just know that it will be manageable, not crazy busy but not dead by any means.

 

[boufa]

Popular rides will tend to fill up first. No matter how crowded it is in the Parks. Once the big rides fill, they overflow into the other rides. So you cannot judge a crowd by how busy soarin is. Walk on for tower means more about crowds then a 2 hour wait for toy story.

 

[dolphindan1]

I do think that it is a slower time of the year but that doesn't mean that it is "slow." Basically I mean that in my opinion Disney is always fairly busy anymore. Some periods are busier than others. You are going in one of the slower periods overall (compared to the Holiday season, etc.) but the slower periods aren't necessarily slow.

For example a crowd level of a 1 (the lowest) according to touringplans.com still means approximately an hour long wait at Soarin' and Test Track. To me, that isn't slow. By my standards, slow would be less than 10 minutes wait for everything and that just doesn't happen anymore (unless you use fast passes).

I can almost guarantee if the crowd level is a 1 you will not have an hour wait on Soarin ot TT...TSM may not even be an hour....I have made several trips with crowd levels 3 -5 and have not seen a TSM wait of an hour...I did see 80 mins 1 trip but that was at closing and I am sure it was inflated cause my kids rode 4 times in the last 45 minutes of park opening....

this was a crowd level 4 in mid Nov...about 3pm

same day about 10ish

here are more picks of the same week....3's and 4's all week...not once was anything over ever over 30 mins excepts TSM and it stayed around 45 mins...we gathered FPs but quit in the afternoon cause we never needed them...1 other thing at BTMRR we rode 5 times in a row without having to exit the train....

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/g1031-disney-crowds.html

if you look at TPs site the same week this year is getting anywhere from a 1 to a 5....we have gone this same week 3 or 4 times same result