Sept or Dec?

[CAPSLOCK]

Which is an overall better Disney experience, Sept (potentially late Sept into early Oct) or Dec before Christmas week?

Essentially trying to figure out weather vs. crowd level.

No kids - 2 adults.

 

[hiroMYhero]

I’ve been at both times and, if you’ve never seen MK decked out for Christmas, I’d choose December.

It’s now hard to predict crowd levels but for a less humid time, December is better than Sept-Oct.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

following and is Disneyland the same pm me

 

[RJstanis]

I've done both now too. Been a few years since we did late Sept (we typically go first half of Sept now) but you can't go wrong with either!

Late Sept, at least 4 years ago felt pretty crowded with our "Sept expectations", and crowds were prob close to when we went this past Dec (Dec 15th-20th).

What holiday do you enjoy more, Halloween or Christmas? I enjoy both but think Halloween is more fun, and I enjoyed the Halloween events more than the Xmas Party events overall, but both are worth going.

You absolutely can't beat the weather in Dec vs the Sept (each-day-requires-2-outfits) humidity

You really should do both if and when able, and we didn't regret either timeframe, but for us personally we were glad we did December and Xmas, but will more likely stick to Halloween and melt in Sept's humidity in the future

 

[Tksolomom]

following and is Disneyland the same pm me

No DL is not the same. September is a slightly wet time at DL and he weather is great, no hurricane season. December is nc because of the Christmas decorations though.

 

[Tksolomom]

I've done both now too. Been a few years since we did late Sept (we typically go first half of Sept now) but you can't go wrong with either!

Late Sept, at least 4 years ago felt pretty crowded with our "Sept expectations", and crowds were prob close to when we went this past Dec (Dec 15th-20th).

What holiday do you enjoy more, Halloween or Christmas? I enjoy both but think Halloween is more fun, and I enjoyed the Halloween events more than the Xmas Party events overall, but both are worth going.

You absolutely can't beat the weather in Dec vs the Sept (each-day-requires-2-outfits) humidity

You really should do both if and when able, and we didn't regret either timeframe, but for us personally we were glad we did December and Xmas, but will more likely stick to Halloween and melt in Sept's humidity in the future

September has F&W at Epcot too. It is a hard choice for me but I like Christmas for the ddecorations, Candlelight Procssional and weather

 

[g-dad66]

Weather is miserable in September, but crowds will be the lowest in the year.

The week before Christmas in 2018 appears to be December 16-22. By Saturday, the 21st, the year's largest crowds will start rolling in. Weather could get nippy, but is likely to be comfortably in the 70's.

So you are facing a weather vs. crowds tradeoff

 

[CynBeth]

December for the holiday stuff.

 

[Timothy02359]

We prefer Dec with all the decorations.

 

[kwdw]

Both are great times. It depends upon the experience you want. In Sept - the weather will be HOT and humid. If you go late enough - you can catch the beginning of F&W or a MNSSHP - both of which are great for adults. You will definitely have time to enjoy your resort - as the weather will probably encourage a trip to the pool. As a couples trip - we like that time of year because we enjoy the water parks and I like not having to worry about it getting cool at night - and me getting cold. However - my boyfriend can just be miserable if the weather is super humid each day.

December - the Christmas decorations really are fabulous. It's very pretty and can get you in the holiday spirit. I personally don't love MVMCP as much as the MNSSHP. So -we are more likely to skip the party that time of year. My boyfriend LOVES the weather in comparison to Sept because its so much cooler. For me - the weather is hit or miss. It can vary SO much. One year I went - the high temperature was in the 40's for like 3 days in a row. Last year - beautiful low 70's several afternoons - and one day was in the upper 70's and trip to the pool happened. But it also meant I had to wear/carry clothing layers for the day or I would be too cold first thing in the morning or at night. December always means paying for a locker each day for me.

I don't think the crowds are much different between the two times of year. Disney is just simply busy now. Maybe early Sept might be lighter - but you mentioned late Sept.

 

[jliucci]

We have gone in Sept a few times. Even the last few days of Sept into Oct were gross & muggy. We decided this year to push our trip back to November is hopes of better weather.

 

[OneinThree]

If you've never seen the decorations and want to, fighting the crowds in December may be worth doing at least once. September is hot as hell, only more humid. If these are your only options, you really have to pick based upon priorities. Have you visited before? Do you plan on wanting to see most everything, or would seeing Christmas decorations make for a better trip for you?

 

[rangerxenos]

Disney at Christmas is wonderful, but honestly I don't think I'll go back after last year, the crowds were INSANE when we were there the first week and a half of the month. Never, ever seen it so crowded, and I've been in early December 4 times in the last six or seven years.

Not sure what the crowds are like in early October, but I'm considering an Autumn trip this year instead of December.

 

[DisneyFive]

Depends when you are talking about in December. The second half is stupid crowded. We prefer late Sept, but we we like the hot weather. I would rather have hot, than potentially cold.

Dan

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

They're pretty different! The end of September will have Food & Wine, and the weather is HOT so if you like swimming, it's great! December has the Christmas stuff but the weather is unpredictable so it could be in the 60s, could be in the 40s. Definitely not pool weather unless you're used to significantly colder weather. It really depends on what you want to do for your trip!

 

[KCSherri]

It’s a toss-up -

Weather wise, December is obviously a better choice. September still has a lot of heat & humidity, and not to mention - hurricanes. Gah.

Decorations/Events wise, I’d choose September, as I love the Food & Wine Festival, and I think the Halloween events/decorations are better than the Christmas offerings.

My vote is, DO BOTH!!

 

[blakefamily]

We have a trip planned for the end of Sept 2019. We have been in earlier Sept a few years ago and then also mid November. We have been to both MVMCP and MNSSHP and really enjoyed both. I love Christmas decorations, but it was not warm enough for us in mid November. We were wearing pants and sweatshirts, it was in the 30's in the morning..Brrrrrr. We like to enjoy the pools. Just crossing our fingers for no hurricanes

 

[2009CAN]

I've been both late Sept and in December. Sept still had rain nearly every afternoon and was steamy, but really low crowds. In December, the crowds were still low and the weather was wonderful. The Christmas decorations and the party were so awesome. I won't go back in Sept.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Excellent, thank you all for your experiences & advice. It gives me a lot to think about.

Trying to figure out when to plan the big Disney trip. It will be my first time . I'm intending to do MNSSHP on a separate Universal trip most likely. There are so many variables!

 

[ameliahyde]

I have never been in early December but early- mud September has the lowest crowds of the year which we really love. The weather can be rough though. Late September seems to have slightly better weather but the crowds do start picking up. I've seen the Christmas decorations and they are what I consider a must see!