Is the heat of September worth the smaller crowds?

[twoplustwins]

We are considering early September but are concerned about the heat. Advice?

 

[BoardWalkBelle]

September is hot. It’s hot in Fl from May thru October. And humid. It’s very uncomfortable.intolerable. Take this from me a CM who works in this heat and humidity everyday. Sept is also rainy and still hurricane season.

 

[BoardWalkBelle]

And crowds are still here with the Halloween parties and Food and Wine at Epcot.

 

[slp87]

Yeah, I’ll second all that.

 

[hertamaniac]

If you plan on retreating to an onsite resort to replenish yourself during the peak heat hours, then yes. The answer really depends on the itinerary.

 

[Smugpugmug]

If you plan for mid day breaks at your hotel, then yes. I've gone in September before and wouldn't have survived the insane heat and afternoon storms without a break at my resort.

 

[StageTek]

We are considering early September but are concerned about the heat. Advice?

You are right to be concerned. It's STUPID hot in early September. And hard rain, too.

The lower crowds almost make up for it, but it's getting busier and busier in September.

 

[Sweettears]

I will echo the PPs. I have gone in late September a few times. You can count on heat and humidity and most of the time a 4 o’clock thunderstorm. However the crowds are definitely lower and the rain doesn’t last long. I wouldn’t let the weather stop me

 

[DonMacGregor]

Hard "no". Orlando in September is like being in Satan's armpit.

 

[marshallabney]

I’ll be a touch contrarian here, but we love September. We tour early and late, take mid day breaks, and if you follow a good strategy it’s the best time to beat crowds. It’s hot any time between April through early November, we prefer the easier crowds.

 

[patty57]

It also depends on how well you tolerate heat and humidity. Would I go then? Heck no, but a lot of people do.

 

[North of Mouse]

Deep south Louisiana here, so I know what heat and humidity are. Summer heat, high humidity, daily thunderstorms, threat of hurricanes, nope, no way, no how. We go in April and even at that the heat and humidity and daily showers can be a factor. It just revs up through October usually - or sometimes beyond. I love the heat, but that doesn't mean I stay out in it all the time.

 

[RuntheMouse]

We went this past September, arrived on Labor Day. Not doing it again, ever. We were so uncomfortable and the crowds weren’t much different than other times we go. I couldn’t drink enough! Hotter than the surface of the sun.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Deep south Louisiana here, so I know what heat and humidity are. Summer heat, high humidity, daily thunderstorms, threat of hurricanes, nope, no way, no how. We go in April and even at that the heat and humidity and daily showers can be a factor. It just revs up through October usually - or sometimes beyond. I love the heat, but that doesn't mean I stay out in it all the time.

This right here. Yes, you can take 32 steps to carefully time your day and effort, go back to the resort mid-day, etc. in order to avoid the heat and humidity and thunderstorms, but that's almost just as exhausting, and you've cut your park time by 25-30%, basically offsetting the benefit of the lower crowds.

ETA: the thunderstorms typically show up after the hottest part of the day, so you'd need to be taking 4 or 5 hours out of the middle of the day to really avoid the heat and rain.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

I think it depends on the kind of vacation you want to have. If you are hoping to pack everything into a few days "go-go-go", I think you will be frustrated between the heat and frequent thunderstorms. If you go in with realistic expectations, plans to take mid-day breaks to beat the heat, anticipate the almost daily rain, then I think you can absolutely still have a great time.

 

[loves to dive]

I go in Sept. just about every year. Yes, it's hotter than the 5th level of the sun. Yes, it will rain every single day. Sometimes that rain will happen and be over quick. Sometimes it will be a gully washer, sometimes just a summer storm. Yes, there is a possibility of a hurricane. Again, it will be hot, it will rain. I'm not a park open to park close person. I go in the early, leave around 1 or so, go back to the resort for a while then go back to another park at night. I just carry rain gear with me and deal with it, just make sure you have shoes that can get wet and have good rain gear. Drink water, water, water and more water. Take every opportunity to go in doors.

 

[CoasterGT24]

I think so. September is usually a bit drier than July and August, and there is always a chance for an early cold front.

 

[5kidsmommy]

We enjoy September. We tend to only do one or two park days and spend the rest of the time at the resorts. I am a baby when it comes to heat and humidity but I don't find the month to be unbearable. But the crowds are still there just not wall to wall. Disney is always crowded.

 

[Mango7100]

We have gone a couple of times. We live in TN so know humidity and heat, but it’s 5 levels up in the parks. Coupled with the afternoon storms everyday that leave you either soaking wet (which won’t dry because it’s so humid) or wrapping yourself in a plastic poncho (which turns into a oven baking bag for you). It’s marabke if you do early mornings, long break, and nights. However, the storms seem to pop up around 3-6, so that does eat into your evening time (especially since park hours may be reduced at night). It’s just not worth it to us, we only go Nov-March now.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We've done Sept 3 times. After the first time, it was so hot and miserable, we said we'd never do it again. But a decade later, we did - and got caught there by a hurricane that had the parks closed for a couple days. So we said never again. But our memory got fuzzy again, and many years later we gave it another try - and got chased out of town early by a hurricane (and it was incredibly hot again!). So we're back in the 'never again' mode! Unless there was some reason to do it again, we will skip the heat and hurricane possibilities of Sept into Oct! If you do go early Sept - you have some great advice from folks out here for handling and tolerating the heat........