August 2026 at Disney World: Crowd Calendar & Info
This guide to August 2026 at Walt Disney World features a free crowd calendar, when to visit & avoid, weather, new attraction openings & closures, and summer events. We also cover info & tips for what’s happening at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios.
August is the light at the end of the tunnel for summer season at Walt Disney World. It’s still one of the worst months of the year to visit thanks to the weather, but at least there are lower crowd levels and seasonal events towards the end of August. We’ll stress the same thing here that we did in our July 2026 Crowd Calendar for Walt Disney World: “a hot and rainy day at Walt Disney World is better than a perfect day at home.”
To underscore that point, and help relieve those of you who have already planned vacations for August: this used to be our go-to month to visit Walt Disney World. Back when we were still in school, we took our annual WDW trip in late August. There was about a two week “secret window” when we visited.
During this week, most K-12 students were back in school, but college classes had not yet resumed. Park hours were still long, and crowds were low. Some of my fondest memories of Walt Disney World are from those extra late closings in Magic Kingdom, strolling through a virtually deserted park. Now that we’re locals and visit all the time, August is far from our favorite month.
Walt Disney World has gotten better (or worse, from our perspective) and more sophisticated with its crowd forecasting models, and this “secret window” isn’t quite as good as it once was. Every park aside from Animal Kingdom opens later and closes earlier than it used to.
Walt Disney World’s date-based ticket pricing and Annual Pass blockout dates have also been somewhat effective at redistributing crowds. Nevertheless, there’s only so many people who can or want to visit during late August, and that number is not enough to result in significant crowd levels–or anything close to it. This is still very much the off-season at Walt Disney World!
Here’s what else you can expect from August at Walt Disney World…
August Weather at Disney World
In terms of weather, it’s still sweltering, intense back-sweat heat and humidity. It’s right there with August in terms of the worst weather of the year, with comfortable weather only 15% of the time–and that 15% occurs between like 2:13 and 5:49 a.m., so it doesn’t do you any good unless you’re nocturnal.
Temperatures are pretty consistent throughout August, but consistent is not synonymous with “good.” Daily lows are around 74°F everyday, and highs are around 90°F most of the month, going above 94°F or dropping below 87°F only one day in ten. Read our Tips for Beating Summer Heat & Humidity post for ways to minimize the effect of unpleasant summer weather on your vacation.
The good news? It’s in the mid-70s year round at Walt Disney World’s indoor attractions thanks to the true Disney magic: air conditioning. The bad news? Poor weather in August is exacerbated by high humidity and rain. Humidity levels exceed 94% for the majority of the month, and it rains 70% of days. August is the heart of hurricane and storm season in Florida, so you should be prepared for that.
We already blathered on about El Niño in the July at Walt Disney World post. Suffice to say, there’s still the strong probability of that in August, since it’s the worst month of the year for tropical storms. In addition to our standard Unique Items to Pack for Disney, you’ll want to pack the cheap 10-packs of ponchos; we’d recommend ordering 1 per person per day. Alternatively, you might just pick up some high-quality, reusable Frogg Toggs Rainsuits. Those might look dorky, but you will be thanking me by the end of the trip. Really.
AUGUST SPECIAL EVENTS AT WDW
August is basically two different months in terms of Walt Disney World’s “seasons.” The beginning of the month is summer, which means the tail end of Cool Kid Summer. This includes a handful of relatively minor offerings throughout the parks & resorts, aimed almost exclusively at young families.
The second half of August is fall. Well, not technically by any real world season standards, but things are different in Central Florida. Halloween actually begins in the first half of the month (yes, you read that correctly) and really gets going by mid-month. See When Do Halloween Decorations Go Up at Walt Disney World? for info on that.
Speaking of spook season, the 2026 Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party will be the big event for the next few months. MNSSHP will likely return to its normal timeframe, starting one week earlier than last year–on August 7, 2026. It’s likely that Walt Disney World will maintain the same density of parties, meaning there will be ~40 events over the course of the season.
The 2026 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival is once again be scaled back to “2019 normal.” After beginning in July for a few years, it doesn’t start until August 27, 2026. It’s possible that a handful of booths will unofficially open prior to the published start date (they’re already installed), but we wouldn’t bank on it.
AUGUST REFURBISHMENTS & NEW ATTRACTIONS
In terms of attractions that will be closed during August 2026, check the Walt Disney World Refurbishment Schedule. That schedule won’t be completely accurate until around May, and it’s likely that the announced ride reimaginings will be winding down before Spring Break.
It’s still early, but possible closures at this point include Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. If we’re lucky, either Spaceship Earth or Journey into Imagination will also be down for lengthy reimaginings next summer. It’s also possible that the new Walt Disney Studios Lot, a replacement for Animation Courtyard, is finished by summer, but that could be a Late 2026 debut.
One reimagined ride that will be available in August 2026 is Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, which will offer a new mission featuring Mandalorian & Baby Yoda. For the first time ever, the crew will be in control of their own destination, leading to potential adventures on Bespin, the wreckage of the second Death Star around Endor, or the bustling city-planet, Coruscant. That debuts around Memorial Day.
That refurbishment calendar doesn’t reflect the full scope and scale of construction at Walt Disney World. The parks are just now ramping up their next development cycle, and that’s already evident in Frontierland at Magic Kingdom, Dinoland at Animal Kingdom, and en route to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
While the guest impact won’t be nearly as bad as the last development cycle, there will be visible construction walls, closures, and more. See Walt Disney World’s 5-Year Plan: Construction, Closing & Opening Dates for New Lands & Rides for everything you need to know.
Making matters worse, none of the big new stuff will be open in 2026. It’s all still a year or more away. There’s a vague possibility that phased openings of Tropical Americas or Monstropolis start before 2027, but we doubt it. And we’re highly skeptical that anything would be ready by August, even if phased openings are to happen. Those would be more likely around Christmas, not the start of the off-season.
As for Walt Disney World’s other newest additions, they’re all entertainment as opposed to rides: Zootopia Better Zoogether, Villains Unfairly Ever After, Little Mermaid: A Musical Adventure, and Disney Starlight Night Parade. All but one of these offerings will be over one year old by August 2026. It’s unclear what newer offerings (aside from the aforementioned Baby Yoda mission) will debut for summer.
The newest actual attractions at Walt Disney World are both in Magic Kingdom: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and TRON Lightcycle Run. Both attractions now offer a standby line, as does Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (all three recently ditched their virtual queues). These attractions also have Lightning Lane line-skipping–as do almost all popular attractions at Walt Disney World. We highly recommend consulting our Guide to Lightning Lane Single & MultiPass at Walt Disney World & FAQ for everything you need to know.
Overall, the biggest new thing in Orlando isn’t at Walt Disney World at all, but rather, at Universal Orlando: Epic Universe. This brand-new theme park will be one year old as of Summer 2026, and this should be a sweet spot of lower crowds and smoother operations. When it’s firing on all cylinders and crowds are manageable, Epic Universe is something special. We highly recommend a visit.
For an overview of what else is on the horizon, see What’s New & Next at Walt Disney World in 2026.
AUGUST 2026 DISNEY WORLD CROWD CALENDAR
We don’t offer a color-coded August crowd calendar to start this because that’s reductionist and doesn’t give you the full picture of Walt Disney World attendance trends. Moreover, WDW crowd calendars are less reliable due to how Disney manipulates attendance patterns, staffing, closures, and ride capacity. Suffice to say, it better serves readers to offer an explanation in terms of what to expect crowd-wise this summer at Walt Disney World.
Even during the portion of August that’s summer, crowd levels are not as bad as you might expect. There is a bit of a “last hurrah” towards the beginning of the month as families scramble to take vacations before school goes back into session. But even that doesn’t make the parks truly busy. Summer vacation season is pretty moderate even at its worst.
This is actually nothing new, but pent-up demand during a couple of years in the post-reopening era masked it and skewed numbers for a couple of years. In any case, wait times data and ‘feels like’ congestion levels in the last two years points to a return to the pre-closure trend of summers being less busy.
For further insight into this, see Summer (Still) Is NOT High Crowds Season at Walt Disney World. The bottom line is that summer is not peak season, even at its highest point. And August is not the highest point, even at the beginning of the month when most districts are out.
As more and more school districts go back into session, August crowd levels should decrease. This will be most noticeable beginning August 10, 2026, which is when both Orange County Public Schools and Osceola County Public Schools start their first day of classes.
These districts have the biggest impact on crowds at Walt Disney World, and going back into session will result in immediate attendance drops. As other districts around the South, Midwest, and Northeast start their academic years, crowds will continue dropping for the remainder of the month.
From a crowd calendar perspective, you can basically split the month in half in terms of overarching attendance patterns. There are the dates before August 1oth that will be slightly below average. Our expectation is crowd levels in the 3/10 to 5/10 range most weekdays through August 7, 2026. It’s possible that there will be the occasional lower levels or higher levels, as we’ve seen several 1/10 and 2/10 days this summer, but higher is unlikely.
For the weekends in August 2026, expect 1/10 to 2/10 crowd levels. If you’re wondering why Saturday and Sunday attendance forecasts are lower, see the ‘Wonky Weekends at Walt Disney World’ section of our Best & Worst Days to Do All Parks at Walt Disney World for a discussion of this dynamic.
Note that this is somewhat dependent upon the end date for summer and early fall ticket deals. About one month before these expire, there’s actually a reversal in attendance dynamics and the weekends become busier than weekdays. This usually impacts September more than August, as the deals typically expire at the end of September. But they haven’t yet been released for 2026 and could expire earlier, in which case there might be a slight increase over weekends in late August.
As a whole, the second half of August is the heart of the off-season at Walt Disney World with crowd levels regularly in the 1/10 to 2/10 range. There could be some dates that are higher, but even 3/10 or 4/10 is not too bad. Most dates after August 10th are among the absolute best times to visit Walt Disney World. Even crowd levels of 3/10 are rare–it’s almost all 1/10 and 2/10.
Labor Day is not a busy holiday for Walt Disney World. To the contrary, it can be a great time to visit. For each of the last 3 years, the last week of August has had the lowest year-to-date crowds (up to that point) at Walt Disney World with average wait times under 25 minutes and 1/10 crowd levels. (Although we probably should not that the following 2 weeks are usually even better, hence the “up to that point” asterisk above.)
As you can see in our rundown of the Best & Worst Weeks to Visit Walt Disney World in 2026 & 2027, we’re strong proponents of the second half of August. So much so that we recommend a two-week stretch as opposed to just a single week.
Schools start going back into session mid-month, and fewer families are inclined to take summer vacations in the couple of weeks heading back into school. The result is typically that crowds continue to taper off throughout August before bottoming out in early to mid-September.
Expect the same dynamic in late summer and early fall. It’ll be interesting to see just how low crowds can go in the off-season. On top of that, there’s the start of the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival and other events that make us really like this stretch. Food & Wine does spike ‘feels like’ crowds on the weekends at EPCOT, but does not increase ride wait times. See the aforementioned best & worst days guidance for further recommendations.
For Magic Kingdom, there’s an added wrinkle to the crowd calendar: Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP). On nights this event is held, the park closes to regular ticket holders at 6 pm. Consequently, Magic Kingdom is less busy during the day time hours on dates when MNSSHP is held, and more busy on days the Halloween event is not occurring.
Consequently, we strongly recommend visiting Magic Kingdom during the day on Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party nights, and then bouncing to another park at around 4 pm. Animal Kingdom will always be your best option for lower-crowd evenings during the fall. Disney’s Hollywood Studios can be another great option. You can get more done in Magic Kingdom during ~8 hours on a party-shortened day than during ~12 hours on a regular day that time of year.
AUGUST PRICING & DISCOUNTS
In terms of promotions, there are likely to be room-only discounts for Annual Passholders, Florida residents, and the general public in August. See All Current Discounts at Walt Disney World for the various resort deals.
Regardless, you won’t have to pay full price, because August is always one of the best months for special offers at Walt Disney World, with lower rack rates coupled with percentage savings of up to 35% off in a normal year.
As far as pricing goes, early to mid-August is considered “regular” season and late August is “value” season for one-day park tickets (read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post for ticket recommendations to avoid having to deal with seasonal pricing). As far as room rates go, August is among the lower seasons.
Overall, early August is a lot like July–arguably worse due to the weather. Normally, that also comes with summer crowds as the school break season winds down and parents with school age children scramble for last-minute vacations before school goes back into session.
As always, the second half of August will be a lot like September. Crowd-wise, it’s an objectively great time to visit as one of the last true off-season times at Walt Disney World. If the heat, humidity, and storms don’t bother you, late August is potentially an excellent option. Crowd levels of 2/10 or below are quite common, and that could be even better in August 2026 if the summer slowdown accelerates into the early fall off-season!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Do you like August at Walt Disney World? If you’ve visited in August, do you have any tips to add? Hearing your feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts or questions below in the comments!
Hello Tom, I was wondering what your take is on the August 16th date already being booked up for Magic Kingdom?! I’m not sure how to take that – my guess is they are really limiting the number of people that day for the park, or it is booked up because a lot of people are going to the Halloween party that evening so they figured they may as well make a reservation for the whole day? I know you said this would be a good day to visit the park because of the early closing but now I am very leary! Thanks for any help with this.
For now, my guess is that it’s an error. This type of thing happens from time to time, and usually goes back to being green after a few days. Let’s circle back if it’s still yellow next week.
I travel to Disney often at the end of August. I am Canadian and our students don’t go back to school until after Labour Day. It is usually pretty quiet. One thing to keep in mind for August 2022 – there will be quite a few Canadian and British travelers that haven’t been able to go to Disney (we still can’t drive there from Canada). Most of the crowds in late August are British or Canadian. I have a feeling next summer is going to be busier than normal.
I agree, we are in U.K. and was supposed to go 2 years ago had our Holiday cancelled twice! We are going August 2022 and I think it will be very busy for those reasons you said.
As the Americans say Happy Holidays!
Hi Tom & Everyone!
We just booked from Wednesday August 18- Wednesday August 25. These are the days I am thinking for each park. Having a hard time picking which days for the weekends.
Thursday- Epcot
Friday MK
Saturday AK
Sunday HS
Monday Epcot
Tuesday MK
I am a pretty decent Star Wars fan and would really like to try to get on rise of resistance. Also, do we know if happily ever after will be taking place every night at MK, even with boo bash?
Thanks for all your input/opinions!
I will be going the exact same days as you
Just returned from WDW with my 16 year old. Although we had a good time, I must say, WDW is not the same. First, since the character experiences are not available for the little kids, everyone flocks to the rides. Very long lines and lots of rides breaking down for extended periods of time. Example- I have never waited in line for 35 mins for the people mover. It broke down, alone with mine train, splash, pirates, mansion, etc. I was surprised- not
To mention the trash around the park. It was bad. Not blaming the park on this one – where are peoples good manners! The people on scooters- honking for those of us that walk, to move out of the way. Seriously? I suppose I was just surprised. Hopefully it gets better for others that are going.
We just booked a trip for mid August. I’ve read this report twice, thanks Tom. Normally we wouldn’t even think about going in August but circumstances wouldn’t allow for a post October trip (even if they did there was hardly any hotel availability). After the slog for the past 16 months we can not wait to get there. We are just going to go slow and soak it all in and aren’t even thinking about a long list of must-do rides. Just being in the parks and being back at the Boardwalk is enough for us. The countdown is on!
We just booked a random trip 8-15. I am so excited! We got a Saratoga room though our time share again! It shot yes. But, I prefer August over October the last time we went. The rain is welcomed! We have neck fans, frog togs, and a portable ax unit ready! Can’t wait to see happily ever ever 3 nights!! â¤ï¸â¤ï¸ We hope annul passes are able to be purchased and we can I upgrade our tickets. So we can come back later this year. We have some points to use up. And we aren’t flying out of the country anytime soon.
Ashely,
when you say portable AC, do u mean like one of those small boxes or handlheld you add water to?
Thanks for the update! Our family could only find time for a 4 day trip from 5-9 AUG. Its going to be hot, we know that. But its the best we could do. Is there a post on travel around WDW yet? We haven’t been able to find info on the ways to get to and from the parks and to Disney Springs. We are staying at Shades of Green near the Polynesian Resort. What transit is open? What’s closed? What’s best? How much is a Uber/Lyft around the area? How do you recommend going from Magic Kingdom to diner at Disney Springs? Just some questions we have that I am sure so many others have too.
We typically head to Disney the last week of August – I’m a teacher so we’re chained to the school schedule, but in New York we don’t go back until after labor day (this year that means we can push our trip to the first week of September) – later than just about anywhere else in the country. We’ve always found that it’s pretty much us and what seem like a whole lot of Brits. The weather may be terrible, but we’ve pretty much been able to walk on to every ride, so there’s definitely a trade off.
Will be in Orlando for school trip the first two weeks of August, and we get out of lessons at 5 PM every day. Was hoping to go to Disney world with my mom and bro as it would be our first chance. Any tips or recommendations for us? Kind of wary now that I’ve seen so many reviews of how hot it is, as I tend to get dehydrated. Would love suggestions as I really don’t want to miss this opportunity, and I’m unsure when we’ll get another.
I have heard that there are water bottle refill stations at Cosmic Rays Starlite Cafe. You can get free ice water at any quick serve but you have to line up. Bring a water bottle but not a glass one. They are not allowed in the park.
I recommend being there for the rope drop. Also go left into adventure land. Most people go right.
We went the last week of August in 2019 and bought Camelback backpacks with a 100-oz water bladder. We bought a couple gallons of spring water (delivered via Amazon Prime Now,) and filled the bladder up every morning with fresh water and ice from the local machine to keep it cold. Worked great! We sipped water all day and I seriously don’t think us or the kids ever used the restroom the whole day. We just sweat it out the whole time. The backpacks are about $80 on Amazon and well worth the investment for future summer trips anywhere where you want to save on buying/carrying water and want to be hands free. The backpacks held a decent amount of junk, too! Ponchos, hats, etc.
You can get free glasses of water at food stations, but it’s a major PITA and time sucker. You can’t just cut in front of the hordes of people to get a glass, and it’s a tiny cup when it’s 95 degrees and 95% humidity. We loved the backpacks and are glad we have them for the future.
We typically go to Disney every year, and almost always in August, due to school/work schedules. Can it rain? Yes. Can it be hot? Yes. Does that take away from the Disney magic? No. Some of our fondest memories are those that include wacky rain storms or photos with intense clouds hovering over the castle. One year, there was a huge storm that rolled through while we were at Animal Kingdom. They ended up asking everyone to get into a sheltered place until the storm subsided. We ended up seeing a show that we never would have gone into and loved every moment! Another time we were at our hotel during a hurricane watch/warning (I can’t remember which). The cast members brought out snacks/games and crafts for the kids to keep busy with while we enjoyed a drink at the bar. Definitely did NOT dampen our spirits! Yes, the weather can be a bit unusual to deal with but it is all part of the FUN!
Where we live, we have 2.5 months, at most, of spring and summer weather. Temperatures top out at 80 and 5 months of the year is less than 10 degrees above freezing or below it. We love to bake in the last two weeks of august. Crowds have always been excellent except on weekends. It hardly rained over the last two years although it was a bit on the overcast/cooler side last year. A plus to this time of year is access Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween. I honestly see no downside to August, what-so-ever. We are taking a break from travelling to Florida in the next few years, but when we return we will be doing the last two weeks of August again! Best time of the year for us! You also get great prices on car rentals and vacation condos at this time of year. We tried staying on the resort twice. Once at Coronado Springs when it was discounted to the price of a value resort. Once at Pop Century. We can’t afford the moderate to deluxe prices and what you get for the value is just not worth it to us anymore after we discovered that we could get a three bedroom vacation condo for 40-50 US less a night than a value resort!
You are spot on!! We go every August and have had the same experience! We have dvc and it is also a better use of our points!!!
We have booked August 25th to September 1st to coincide with free dining and before returning to school.Noticed that there are no Happily Ever After fireworks listed for this whole week. Any info why and could this change?
Despite my reservations, we reserved our summer trip this year for mid to late August (3rd week of the month). I remember the last time we went in summer, it was early August and sweltering, and was not keen to repeat the experience (at least we did pretty good in terms of rainfall that trip). Also, being an East Coast native, it is prime hurricane and tropical storm season, so we are just crossing our fingers. I would have preferred late June, as soon as my kid and wife are done with school (one’s a student, the other a teacher), but that got vetoed, a they did not want the big vacation to be at the start of their summer breaks.
We did do early November (“Jersey week”) in 2016, which was primo as far as I am concerned, as both the wife and kid had a full week off. Nice cool temperatures and moderate crowds more than mad up for early park closings. Alas, in 2017, the kid has off the week, the wife only 4 days.
The best advice I can give anybody I learned from the Unofficial Guide to Disney World. Get to the parks early, do a few hours, then spend the hottest part of the day (aka afternoon) at the resort or hotel pool. Return to the parks after or for dinner, and a few hours of night time rides and shows.
How busy is it in the beginning of August
Any time of year can be busy now, as disney is getting better at filling the resorts and parks during downtime by hosting sporting/cheerleading events at their ESPN center etc. We go in the last two weeks of August when local schools go back. The wine and food festival is a draw during that time (and that is only pcot) but crowds are not bad. In August though, with the heat, I’d forget the busses and rent a car. If you stay at a resort ( we stay at vacations condos -a lot more convenient and cheaper) a shuttle will take you back and forth to the Disney car care center after you arrive. If rentals are not your thing, it costs less to uber it than to pay the parking fees at parks. I think the resorts are also charging fees now? I don’t know. We stay off resort and have enough money to take a second trip during the year.
While we recognize that it isn’t ideal because of the weather, we are limited in our vacation time because both my husband and I are teachers. Going during March Break or Christmas means we’d have to fly (doubling the cost for our family) and facing “peak” crowds. Since Canadian schools don’t begin until Labour Day, we are utilizing the “secret” time period that you mention, Tom. It’s really the best we can do, and we’ll work around the weather. It did, however, seal the deal with staying on resort. Being able to go back for a swim and sleep will be a must if we hope to manage the heat well.
Lol JLC. My wife and I are also both Teachers BUT Canadian, so the opposite works for us and we focus on the last two weeks of August when the US schools in that region have gone back.! 🙂
My family and I, (wife, 3 girls ages 6, 8, 11) go in late August every year for 10 days. It’s hot!! Obviously. But we find it very doable and quite enjoyable due to low crowds. It’s a simple plan- arrive early, break at 11:30-4 for nap and swim, rotate inside outside rides and attractions, always eat sit down inside meals, stay in the shade when possible, frog Toggs, cooler bag with ice for water and frog Toggs. We love August!!!
I agree. We do the same. But will borrow your idea for bagged ice
We are seriously thinking the end of August but all that I am reading about the weather is scaring me. We have no other options for times and I know you can’t control the weather .. My main concern is the rain, can anyone address this issue who may have gone in late August and your experience. Thank you so much
We went the last week of August through the first of September back in 2011. It was pretty warm from what I recall. It wasn’t the most pleasant time, but it also wasn’t ungodly hot either (obviously we survived) We just went back to our hotel for naps/pool time each day.
The great thing is that if you go for two weeks you can work around the weather. We live in a part of the world where living atound the weather is a way of life so its second nature for us.
I would hesitate, however, to just go for a week in case you hit a rainy week. Lightning can strike in a 5 mile radius from its origin, so when there is lightning pools and outdoor rides etc will shut down covering a range that is not practical to travel outside of.
In August, watch out for days in magic kingdom that have mickeys halloween at night. You’ll have to pay extra to stay for the evening. The parks also, rightfully so, fill up with local residents on the weekends.
It’s a hit or miss, You will get rain, but it stops……be sure to go back and rest during the day, use the night hours if you are staying at park hotels
Like Tom says, late August is a viable time to visit despite the weather. I was there around August 20, 2014, and with some planning such as avoiding being outdoors at high noon, was able to cover a lot of ground in MK, Epcot, and DHS in three days without any suffering. Yes, it was very hot but the heat is tolerable as long as you don’t stand around for long stretches in lines or watching parades in the middle of the day. The biggest effect it seemed from the high temperatures was being slowed down by it. I’m a fast walker and going from the buses to the MK gate was a slog. Once inside, I didn’t notice the heat as much just by sticking to shaded areas and walking under awnings wherever possible. I also ran into rainstorms and, despite the inconvenience of getting soaked, they definitely help cool down the temps. If you have health issues that make you have to stay out of the heat, then August at Disney World is obviously not a good idea. For everyone else, unless you were born and raised in a place like Arendelle, you should be ok as long as you stick to common sense.
My husband and I visited in mid-August the past two years. While we appreciated the cheaper pricing and somewhat lower crowds, I don’t think I can justify going just because of the weather. It is intolerable. We made our touring plans around attractions and going to restaurants with air-conditioning. Even with Frog Toggs towels and water constantly in our hands, the heat and humidity were horrendous. It’s just too bad because, with my schedule as a teacher, there are very few times of the year when it would be a good time to go. I think we are going to try Thanksgiving next time we go. I’m planning to take a couple of personal days so that we can enjoy the Monday and Tuesday after the holiday (those are supposedly low crowd days!). We’ll have to give in to higher prices and higher crowds overall, but at least I won’t have to spend an hour cooling down in a random hotel’s lounge area each day when I could be exploring the parks.
We went in late August last year. We had a great time, but it was clear that we were exploring the surface of the sun, only with higher humidity. One good thing that came out of that – we now have a new family name: the Solarnauts.
Hi Tom. Went in late August the year of Hurricane Charlie. In fact, arrived the day of Hurricane Charlie (but that’s another story).
Will never go in August again. It was so humid, I passed out in Animal Kingdom. An observant cast member caught me before I hit the pavement. She pulled me into an air conditioned room located a few feet away. The room was so well hidden, you’d never know it was there. (Maybe it’s the “guest passing out room”. I don’t know).
IMO, the very best time to visit is the first two weeks in December (never July or August); with a close second being the first two weeks in November (NEVER July or August).
Thanks for the cheap poncho tip. Got caught in a thunder storm at Epcot a few weeks ago. Poncho worked like a charm. When the storm was over, I threw it out. It felt good.