Early August or Early September?

[Jack Kerouac]

My wife and I are planning our first trip as DVC members for either August 5-13 or September 1-10. We have three boys, two of whom will be in school come September (3rd grade and K.) The youngest will be three at the time of travel. The older boys would miss four days of school if we travel in September. For both trips, we are considering one visit to AK, one to DHS, one to Epcot, and three to MK. We would have one to two resort days. We live near Chicago and would be flying. From my research, it appears flights are cheaper in September, but Labor Day can cause prices to climb on a relative basis for September. Park crowds should be lower in September and park ticket prices reflect that as well. We are new to this, as we just had our first trip to Disney as a family in April. Do I emphasize the school calendar, costs and crowds, or something else? I know so many of you are Disney veterans, so please let me know what else I should consider and if you have any experience with traveling during these times. Thanks!

 

[Smugpugmug]

September will have lower crowds (even with Labor day weekend), but it is VERY hot and humid. It's also guaranteed that it'll rain and thunder every afternoon.

 

[LadyNia]

I have trip booked in August for the dates you mentioned above. Went around the same time this past August and experienced the beginning of the decline of summer trips to WDW. It was a nice time. Didn’t find it to be too crowded. Can’t comment on September because I’m a teacher and am unable to travel then. I will say that as a former kindergarten teacher, I wouldn’t recommend pulling out your kindergartener from school for a trip in September. Kindergarten is such a big transition and there’s a lot of community building that happens within the classroom during that time. Students are also becoming acclimated to their new school surroundings. Wouldn’t recommend they miss it.

 

[Skippyboo]

When does your school year start? Could you go later in August? Both times will be super hot. Beginning of August will be more crowded and then the crowds will thin as you approach September.

 

[Minnie1222]

I think there's a higher chance of a hurricane to make landfall in September than August.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

When does your school year start? Could you go later in August? Both times will be super hot. Beginning of August will be more crowded and then the crowds will thin as you approach September.

The school year generally begins around the middle of August. So we were trying to utilize the Labor Day weekend to help limit the number of school days being missed. So the August dates I gave would be safe from the school calendar, but we can’t go much further into the month.

 

[CarolynFH]

As a resident of the Gulf Coast all my life, I would recommend that you get good trip insurance no matter which month you go. The likelihood of a hurricane is higher during the September dates you give, but it's not out of the realm of possibility for August. The insurance that DVC sells covers the member fees on any points that might be lost; I believe it can also cover nonrefundable costs such as airfare as well, but I'm not sure.

And the heat/humidity is to be reckoned with during either period, too. Plan on early mornings and late evenings in the parks, with afternoons at the pool or indoors.

 

[SLThomas318]

We enjoy September... crowds and points are lower vs August. It is going to be hot and humid for both dates and you'll most likely have at least a rain shower in the afternoon. It is going to feel very different weather wise from your April trip! We have done labor day twice... once was during Dorian and we really lucked out with that one. It's Florida... traveling during hurricane season will always have risks. My only concern with the September dates would be for the kids missing school at the start. Obviously you won't know with the Kindergartener, but have you ever pulled the older one from school? My oldest isn't the biggest fan of school so we've learned from experience that shaking up his routine, especially in the beginning of the school year isn't worth it. We go in June and/or Thanksgiving now that both boys are in school (husband is a teacher).

 

[Jack Kerouac]

I appreciate the heads up. My oldest has ADHD and, while too smart for his own good, struggles with the day to day of school. My middle son is a traditional learner, as I call it, so my biggest issue with holding him out for those days is social. And my youngest will be three. He’s late in speech and is getting help with that and physical therapy. A lot of moving variables…

I mentioned to my wife the idea of late May 2024 instead. She does not want to wait. Is there any benefit from waiting? Again, this is a yearly thing for us, as we are DVC members. I just like having every variable in front of me when making a decision.

 

[SLThomas318]

I appreciate the heads up. My oldest has ADHD and, while too smart for his own good, struggles with the day to day of school. My middle son is a traditional learner, as I call it, so my biggest issue with holding him out for those days is social. And my youngest will be three. He’s late in speech and is getting help with that and physical therapy. A lot of moving variables…

I mentioned to my wife the idea of late May 2024 instead. She does not want to wait. Is there any benefit from waiting? Again, this is a yearly thing for us, as we are DVC members. I just like having every variable in front of me when making a decision.

Then I would say go for August so you don't disrupt school... the beauty of DVC is that you're going to go regularly so why wait? Try out August and see if it's something you like. In the hotter months we tend to do the parks early, take a good break at the resort/pool, and then head back when things have cooled off.

 

[scrappinginontario]

We visited the 2nd week of September every year until my daughter was in Gr 7. Lower crowds for sure! Both of those times are hot and Sep will come with a brief thunder storm almost every day. You’ll just want o be prepared for that.

I vote for Sep with lower crowds.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

Then I would say go for August so you don't disrupt school... the beauty of DVC is that you're going to go regularly so why wait? Try out August and see if it's something you like. In the hotter months we tend to do the parks early, take a good break at the resort/pool, and then head back when things have cooled off.

I really like this idea a lot. I told my wife about it and she agreed. Plus we decided that school should be a priority, especially for our oldest son.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

As a resident of the Gulf Coast all my life, I would recommend that you get good trip insurance no matter which month you go. The likelihood of a hurricane is higher during the September dates you give, but it's not out of the realm of possibility for August. The insurance that DVC sells covers the member fees on any points that might be lost; I believe it can also cover nonrefundable costs such as airfare as well, but I'm not sure.

And the heat/humidity is to be reckoned with during either period, too. Plan on early mornings and late evenings in the parks, with afternoons at the pool or indoors.

Thank you for that great advice! Just mentioned these ideas to my wife and she agreed.

 

[maryj11]

We have gone in August a couple of times in the past couple of years and used to go the first week in September every year. That was a long time ago though when we went in September. If I could I would go in September again. The crowds in August are pretty high. I would take a chance on hurricanes just to have lower crowds. Heat and crowds are just not a good mix.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

We decided to book early August to avoid having the boys miss school. We understand the weather will be hot and humid, so we are planning on pool visits during the mid-afternoons. And we will be there for enough days to ensure that partial visits during the days won’t cause us to miss much. Plus, being DVC, my wife and I, and probably more importantly my kids, know we will be coming back to in a year or so. We realized with our oldest son that missing school was not a wise choice. Perhaps one day we can see WDW in September and see how we like it.