Not-So-Endless Summer & Free SoCal eBook!
It’s hard to believe that there’s less than a month of summer remaining. Well, at least for Walt Disney World. Fall starts in Magic Kingdom on August 25 with the first Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Over at Epcot, fall kicks off on August 31 (possibly a day earlier with potential soft openings) with the start of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.
While the “real” first day of fall doesn’t occur until September 22, Walt Disney World getting a jumpstart on the season is not exactly unprecedented. About a decade ago, Magic Kingdom tried to bridge the gap in its hard ticket party ‘season’ by offering the Pirate and Princess Party throughout August.
Still, it feels a bit premature to be celebrating in August. I remember our visit last year in mid-September: it was incredibly hot and humid for the first day of Food & Wine, and I was not exactly in the Halloween spirit as I sweat mixed with sunscreen dripped into my eyes, stinging me as I tried to photograph the first Boo to You parade…
While I never miss a chance to complain about Florida’s sweltering heat and humidity, I honestly can’t complain too much about this. I’m looking forward to both events, and we’re visiting near the beginning of the fall (going by Walt Disney World’s calendar, not the real thing) in order to have planning-oriented posts up early in the season.
We’re also aiming to avoid the heavy crowds that we predict will descend upon Walt Disney World around the end of September and throughout the month of October. While I’m not exactly a fan of sweating through my shirt, I’ll take it over milder weather, congested walkways, and high wait times.
One area of disappointment is that we won’t get one final chance to experience Great Movie Ride or Universe of Energy. We booked this trip prior to the D23 Expo, and while we were pretty confident the closure of both would be announced, we assumed it would occur just before the start of the next fiscal year (October 1). We’ve been making a point of experiencing both on every trip for the last year–knowing each ride might be our last–but one final ride still would’ve been nice.
Speaking of which, many of you have asked us about the impact of construction on your late 2017 or 2018 vacations. There’s no concise answer to that, but tomorrow we’ll have a post offering some thoughts on the anticipated timeframe of each upcoming project, and how it’ll impact guests. Readers seem most worried about Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but Epcot is probably going to be more heavily impacted…
We’re attending Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party even earlier this year than we did last year, and I started to get myself excited for it yesterday. Fun “fact” – there’s absolutely nothing wrong with listening to the ‘Boo to You’ music once August starts. (I also listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving, so you might take my opinion on this with a grain of salt.)
We’re optimistic that the late August dates through mid-September will be among some of the best parties to attend in terms of crowds. No matter which date you’re attending, consult our Guide to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party for comprehensive advice.
The other reason I’m excited for this fall is all the food. We already covered the 30% discounts and $35 Magical Dining Month in our Fall 2017 Walt Disney World Dining Deals post, but it’s worth reiterating that September will be a good month for eating.
If you’re wanting to dine at more popular restaurants, be mindful of the fact that the entire fall is Free Dining “season” too, which means availability will already be incredibly limited at many restaurants. Even when Free Dining is blocked out in October, scoring ADRs at the last minute won’t be all that easy, since hotel occupancy is high. Suffice to say, make those ADRs now.
With that said, we are still debating our ADRs (thankfully, all of the restaurants that interest us have availability…hence the deals), so that’s ‘do as we say, not as we do’ kind of advice. We are leaning towards Jiko, STK, Olivia’s, and Ravello. Maybe a return to Artist Point or Todd English’s bluezoo, too. (We’re open to suggestions!) Then, there’s the main foodie event…
If you’re starting to prep for Food & Wine, Step 1 should be to some ‘Stomach Expansion Training’ so you can eat everything. Or, perhaps ‘Stomach Contraction Training’ if you don’t want to empty your bank account. 😉
Step 2 should be consulting our Guide to the 2017 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. If you’ve never done the Food & Wine Festival (or even if you have), there’s a lot to know about the event, and there are tons of aspects that fly under-the-radar, so doing some research before heading to the event can pay dividends in trying out various seminars, special meal offerings, and that sort of thing.
We also have Booth Menus & Food Photos of every item we tried last year, which will be refreshed once we try everything this year. Finally, our 10 Best Snacks at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival. With most of our favorites returning, that’s a good resource if you’re only doing light grazing.
Fall comes early–but not quite as early–to California, too. We’ll be attending the first Mickey’s Halloween Party of the year on September 20 at Disneyland, and will have a full report for you after that.
If you’re a Californian and are debating which date to attend, we’d strongly recommend getting into the Halloween spirit early if you can. Not only are the early parties cheaper, but the ones in October will definitely sell out and be more crowded. Even the September ones very well might sell out, but we’re hoping the latest price increase will help cull the crowds a bit.
As we’ve noted in our September Disneyland Crowd Calendar and October Disneyland Crowd Calendar, it’s a tale of two seasons in terms of anticipated crowds. For some of the same (and for some different) reasons as Walt Disney World, October will be one of–if not the–busiest months of the year at Disneyland. September should be significantly lighter.
We’ll have a comprehensive update on Disneyland and the new-look Rivers of America this Sunday. We know the changes made to the Disneyland Railroad and back-half of the Rivers of America have been polarizing, and there are definitely some tradeoffs. (We’ll have a full ‘review’ of sorts in that update post.)
With that said, it is fantastic to have finally have the Rivers of America attractions back. Even if these slow moving ‘transportation’ rides are not for you, they add so much kinetic energy, and Disneyland just didn’t feel quite like Disneyland without the Railroad and Mark Twain running. It’s really, really good to have the boats and trains back.
Oh, and one quick note before we move on–thank you so much to everyone who has supported our fundraising campaign for Give Kids the World. So far, our readers have raised over $13,000 for this wonderful charity. We really appreciate your support of this wonderful organization that helps grant wishes for families of terminally-ill children. Thank you!
Free 101 Things to Do in Southern California eBook
If you’re planning a Disneyland vacation–or even if you’re not–we have an update that might interest you. Today, we’ve relaunched our non-Disney blog, TravelCaffeine.com, with a new look. To celebrate, we’re giving away a free eBook, 101 Things to Do in Southern California, to newsletter subscribers.
We’ve been putting a ton of work into TravelCaffeine recently, and we think it could be a great companion planning resource to those of you planning trips, especially to Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris. (We’re “looking into” more posts about Florida.)
In addition to that eBook and today’s Ultimate Guide to Los Angeles, we’ve done several posts recently that might be of interest to Disney fans. In particular, our 1-Day Walt Disney-Inspired Los Angeles Itinerary offers a look at real-world “Disney” places.
Even if you aren’t planning a trip to any of those destinations, TravelCaffeine features tons of nice landscape photos I’ve taken (which is probably the only reason you “read” this blog, anyway), so at least there’s that. If you’re into my photography, you can likewise follow TravelCaffeine on Twitter or Like the TravelCaffeine Facebook page. Landscape photos are like puppy photos–you can never see too many!
Anyway…that’s our pitch. We really hope you’ll check out TravelCaffeine.com. We pour the same time, energy, and heart into that blog as we do with DTB. That means you’ll find it written with the same ‘voice’ (for better or for worse), which means the same type of value for money reviews, comprehensive planning guides, travel hacks & tips from our perspective…even the lame jokes are there! If you enjoy DTB, we think you’ll enjoy TravelCaffeine. If you hate DTB, well…why are you reading this post?
Your Thoughts
Are you traveling to Walt Disney World or Disneyland this fall? Are you visiting earlier in the ‘season’ or waiting until the temperature cools a bit and crowds increase? Any particular offerings you’re looking forward to in the parks this fall? Any thoughts on TravelCaffeine or our 101 Things to Do in Southern California eBook? Any questions? Hearing from you is half the fun, so please share your thoughts in the comments below!
We are going early September. Excited for our first Food & Wine and hopefully MNSSHP (haven’t pulled the trigger on tickets yet)!! The night we plan to go is a Thursday and just waiting until about a week out to check weather and make sure all plans go accordingly since it’s non-refundable. Keeping our fingers crossed that it won’t sell our prior to that. We sat and watched YouTube food videos yesterday….so many good things to eat in 10 days…. bringing lots of stretchy pants!!!
Hi Tom, why are you predicting heavy crowds at Walt Disney World around the end of September and throughout the month of October? I always thought it was a better time to avoid excessive crowds….
Not anymore! October is one of the busiest months these days. I think it’s due to the cooling of temperatures, the theming, and what used to be “free dining” time- which is now mostly blocked off for October (I think).
We’re doing a family trip to Disneyworld December 3rd to the 9th. We will be hitting all the parks including the Very Merry Christmas Party. We will be staying at the Art of Animation. As I’m looking at hotel prices to see if there’s any promos coming I see that they are completely booked at all the value hotels. What’s your opinion on how busy the parks will be? Kind of worried that we’re going to encounter some pretty good crowds. Any thoughts?
Will and Family
Hi Will,
Your trip is basically mirroring mine and my husbands. We are going the 3rd to the 8th and staying at Art of Animation as well. The week of our trip is also the week of the Pop Warner Football and Cheerleading Championships at the Wide World of Sports Complex. Most of these team groups stay at the Values, and some overflow into the Moderates. While the resorts may be a little crowded, these kids are pretty busy during the daytime hours competing, so it probably won’t effect park crowds that much, maybe slightly in the evenings. Hope this helps!!
We are hitting Disney World August 27-September 1st. This was a hard call for us; we really wanted to come during Christmas and enjoy the incredible decor and theming, but we also wanted to take advantage of small crowds and low wait times (and lower hotel prices, cha CHING!).
After researching some crowd calendars, we determined that the humidity and random deluges of water from the sky that are apparently a regular part of the end of August would be well worth the chance to hope on Space Mountain or Tower of Terror 70 billion times (approximately) in one day.
In regards to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party:
We are hoping that the hard ticket event will cause less “regular” ticket holders to show up that day, which would hopefully decrease standby times for the rides during the day. The goal is to hit MK at rope drop both party days we are there, stay till 4 or so, then hit another park for the rest of the night.
In regards to what we are most looking forward to?
I have been following blogs religiously, and I have to say I am most excited about going to Pandora, and eating at the Wilderness Cafe.
*hop. I hate making typos.
We are going September 15 – 23 and are really bummed that some of the places will either be closed for refurbishments or closed for good. My husband and daughter have never been there before, so we were hoping to experience a lot of it. I wanted to go to the Halloween event at WDW, but my husband, not so much. Do you think it’s worth it to go to Hollywood Studios since the Great Movie Ride will be closed and they are doing so many construction updates?
I think it depends on whether you have a park hopper. We’re going around when you are, and our plan is to do Hollywood Studios in the morning and then walk over to Epcot for Food and Wine events in the afternoon. Hollywood Studios has some great stuff (I must do Tower of Terror, Toy Story Mania and Star Tours every trip), but if you don’t have a park hopper it may not be worth an entire day at this point.
BTW, the Halloween party is so fun (best parade ever) and most of the attractions are walk ons. I hope you can talk your husband into it!
I’m wondering the same thing as Liv. Our trip is planned for Oct 20 through Oct 28. We traveled the same week in 2013 and it was practically empty. There were more people from England there, on “holiday”, than there were from the U.S. Because it was such a fantastic time to visit, we booked the same week this year (months ago) and are now kind of freaking out. From what I’ve read on blogs, it sounds like it’s going to be busier than spring break and I’m already disappointed.
We are going last week in November (26- 12/2) and I’m a bit concerned about all the potential closings. Is there anything on the horizon new for that time ? I have seen limited info on something at Hollywood studios? Thanks!!!
We are visiting WDW in Sept (12-21). I was certain at one point you had a link to approximated crowd sizes broken down by park by day, but for the life of me, I can’t seem to find it again. I’m trying to book my fastpass+ and ADRs (I know, Ive waited way too late), and a crowd calendar would be extremely helpful.
thanks!
That wasn’t on this blog. Did you check TouringPlans.com or easyWDW.com? I might’ve linked to either or both of those sites for their WDW crowd calendars.
I think (after further digging) it was undercovertours I saw before, but their calendar doesn’t seem to be working. TouringPlans.com was very helpful tho.
A separate question: do all ADRs now require a credit card?
We’re going mid-September and again early-ish November. Can’t get enough of the Food & Wine Fest. We’re going to (hopefully get some things checked off our bucket list – all 4 parks in 1 day, staying at 3 different hotels that we’ve never stayed in, and doing the Keys to the Kingdom Tour. Hope to spot you two!
My family and I planning an early Halloween party too – might see you there!
Definitely make your dining reservations as soon as you can! We’re going to Disney the end of October and started making ADRs as soon as our 180 day time came up and can’t get some of the restaurants we wanted! Believe it or not, even resort dining is questionable. I’ve been trying for over a month to get a reservation at Beaches & Cream restaurant at the Beach Club resort and can’t – no matter which of the 7 days I try, for either lunch or dinner.
But if you can’t get something you want, keep trying! It took me a month to get a Be Our Guest reservation. But we got one!
Beaches & Cream is pretty popular (so convenient to Epcot!) and small, so I’m not too surprised. I think the restaurants we’ll likely do in Swan & Dolphin and elsewhere will (hopefully?) be easier to book.
Funny that I stress pre-planning so much, yet am procrastinating on this myself…
Hello Tom!
First of, we really appreciate your professionalism. It must be a lot of hard work because your posts are top grade!
We will be at WDW for two weeks, starting on September the 19th 2017.
We’re a little worried about the humidity… Will it be really terribly awful?
Thank you!
I’m a wuss when it comes to humidity, but yeah, I think it’ll be pretty bad. YMMV.
We’re going to WDW the end of August. I’m so glad they moved MNSSHP up. I have wanted to go but can’t go after school opens in Sept. I’m so excited I even changed our dates to attend the party on 8/29.
We will be attending the first MNSSHP on 8/25. Which date are you and Sarah going?
We are going 3 weeks from now, the same time we were there as last year. We are surprised that the Halloween party will be affecting our visit this year. Seems to be happening much earlier than last year. So there are days when MK will be closing early. I’m glad we found this out and were able to adjust our itinerary .
My husband and I will be there the 2nd week in September staying at the Boardwalk (renting DVC points – first time in a Deluxe/DVC resort), and it will be our first time going to Food and Wine. We have way over booked events (wine tastings, dessert parties, MNSSHP, etc.), but I’m super excited and am going to read all your Food and Wine advice right now. Thanks for all your hard work! If I see you and your lovely wife I promise not to be a crazy fan and make you talk to me. 🙂
My family is booking our 1st trip to Disney World end of Jan 2018 to beginning of the first week in February. We’ve booked tickets dining plan and our moderate resorts for us and the 4 kids. When we start seeing any specials or discounts for that time period? From past deals, what is usually offered during this time period as far as specials? Any insight would be helpful and we just started subscribing to your newsletter and love it. Thanks in advance
This is extremely disappointing, as we booked our first WDW trip for the last week of September based on weeks of research and sleepless nights. Now it seems like it is going to be a mad house and not at all appropriate for a child with special needs. This will most likely be our only chance to experience Disney and I am feeling pretty bummed. It seems occupancy for all of the values and most of the moderates is at capacity.
Try adjusting your dates to the first week of September. That is when my family goes each year. (I also have a high-anxiety, special needs child.)
That week is pretty chill and a great time to visit.
We went the first week of September in 2016 and although it was hot, the crowds were really low. It was great!
Call me disloyal to the U.S. if you like, but after moving to Canada one of the things I didn’t expect to like and now love is that Canadian Thanksgiving is the same day as Columbus Day/Indigenous People’s Day in the U.S. By having Thanksgiving in October, we can start celebrating Christmas soon after Halloween ends!
What are you seeing in terms of crowds for 1st week of September including Labor Day weekend? This week is new to me. Seems like there is still alot of adr and fast pass availability.
I’d anticipate that week to be relatively moderate in terms of crowds. Epcot will be busier, as will restaurants.
Things won’t start getting bad until the end of the month.
Why will end of September be crowded? I spent so much time researching over the past year and decided on Sept based on low crowd levels. What has changed? How is construction impacting crowds? Did I miss something?
I agree, What has changed to make the end of the month so busy??? You research and change plans and then you get this?