We are planning a last minute trip with 3 children. Ideally we would go in September to take advantage of lower crowds, but SWGE opening has me concerned. However, looking at resort and dining availability as well as flight prices, September actually has more availability and better prices than the end of August (19th-25th) and I’m confused. Is there any other explanation or will crowd levels truly probably be much lower in September than late August even with SWGE opening? I wonder if a lot of people moved their trips to late August to avoid SWGE.
We will be staying off-site.
If you had to bet on when the crowds would be lowest in that time frame (last two weeks of August through September) which week would you choose?
I keep reading that crowd levels don’t matter as long as you have a good TP, but I have yet to figure out how to make a good one. Also, how crowded the parks feel matters to us more than wait times.
Schools are all back in session & most people ease off vacation trips after the Labor Day weekend. Remember, the majority of WDW visitors are going when it fits their vacation & kids school schedules - not just to see a new land open. (Unlike DLR that gets filled with local AP visitors.)
It will be busier than normal through the end of 2019 when SWGE opens, but the August calendar is fuller because it’s the time when people can actually travel.
The later in September you can go the less crowded it will feel. Especially if you can avoid those first couple weeks in September with the holiday weekend and excited SWGE crowds.
I’d highly recommend you get there about an hour before RD, if you are really concerned about crowds. Historically, it is worth it to get up to be there early for rope drops. WDW is adding those EEMH just to entice people not to wait until 9:30am - 10am when they know the parks will start to fill.
Yes, there was! I was wondering about that! Would it also decrease resort room availability? Or would there possibly be less available because of the special they are running until August 28th and the fact that August is closer than September?
I would normally pick September, i went in September 2014 and 2018. But if you aren’t particularly interested in star wars, and you can find acceptable accommodations and airfare, i would pick August this year.
You won’t be able to pick the best ADR times, but you will get a lot of good ones. Just use the reservation finder for whatever you can’t get right away.
That’s a judgment call based on your budget. I always stay onsite. I find getting those EMH & 60 day advance FPP selections to be worth any additional cost. I also like one stop shopping. I book it all directly with WDW. I know I could save a couple hundred dollars each trip if I piecemealed it out. I find value in convenience.
Definitely! Your OP made it sound like your didn’t want to go in August because you couldn’t find a room. If you can go before SWGE opens don’t hesitate There are a lot of good deals on rooms & packages as WDW is seeing lower than normal occupancy right now. I see rooms for $135 / night on WDW site
We typically go in September, and the week of labor day is typically dead. We did this in 2018, and had great touring. That’s what I typically recommend.
But it all depends on whether you want Star Wars lands or not. I expect Hollywood Studios to be very busy, less so for other parks.
Personally I planned to skip 2019 and go in September 2020 Star Wars land can blow over. But if I was going to go in 2019, I’d have to see the land. Rave reviews all the way around. (Except for the milk. Apparently, Disney screwed up making flavored milk taste good.)
