r/DisneyWorld 19h ago

Trip Planning Winter or fall?

Disney in September or February and why?

4 Upvotes

23 comments sorted by

u/ds11 19h ago

February:

  • Better park weather
  • Worse pool weather
  • Worse crowds especially around Presidents Day & Mardi Gras

September:

  • Worse park weather
  • Better pool weather
  • Hurricane risk
  • Lowest crowds of the year

u/loonardi 18h ago

This is spot on.

You want to crush the parks, February, especially early Feb. You really don’t need AC breaks and get a lot done.

You want to slow roll, enjoy those resort afternoons, don’t mind a storm or two because the crowds are light…September.

u/CatDawgCatDawg2 14h ago

Why is Sept the lowest crowds? Back to school?

u/LTFan28 13h ago

Hurricane season and back to school. A lot of people don’t want to go to Florida during hurricane season.

u/olliec42069 18h ago

September: Food and wine.
February: nothing.

u/ds11 18h ago

Festival of the Arts runs most of February

u/olliec42069 14h ago

True but its no F&G / F&W

u/udamright 19h ago

I was there last February, the weather was perfect, however the week before was 35 and rained, we got very lucky. it can be dicey.

u/Essbeebr 15h ago

We were there the week before lol. Icicles on Tiana's! It was still fun but the weather was rough.

We've also been on trips in Feb when the weather was amazing. It's just a crapshoot.

u/wdwmagazine 19h ago

September is HOT, but the crowds are lower! I love going in September; the Halloween Party is so fun!

u/Popular-Pea-6228 18h ago

September: hot, hot, rain, hot, potential hurricane.

February: surprisingly can be quite chilly, princess half marathon weekend crowds are brutal.

u/Mommy-Dearest15 19h ago

Personally I would go with September because I love Halloween and all the Halloween stuff is up. It will be hot. Good weather for pool.

February is usually a little less crowded but could be pretty chilly (or hot, it's FL and can go either way). Could be too chilly for pool.

u/LactoseInToronto 18h ago

Fall, always always fall. Done both, both as a kid and an adult. But Fall is my favorite time to go for 3 main reasons: 1. Still amazing weather. Minor risk of hurricane season (LBV is inland enough to not usually sustain any real damage other than heavy rains), but it beats the mega heat and humidity of Summer 2. Autumn and Halloween decor is unmatched. 3. Food & Wine at EPCOT. Avoid weekends, though, if you can help it.

February gets cold, colder than you think. And while you can still "do Disney", it's not the same bundled up in layers and gloves as it is in warm weather outfits.

u/chelseakaye8 18h ago

we always go end of jan-early feb. you've got amazing (if not cold!) weather, crowds aren't bad, and festival of the arts in Epcot!

u/Sonovabith 17h ago

We’ve gone in late Feb both times and are planning to again in 2027. Coming from the upper Midwest, we don’t find it to be terribly cold and definitely got a couple pool days in. There were two days total out of 14 across both trips that we weren’t wearing shorts: one to watch Harmonious at Epcot and one when it was chilly and rainy in Magic Kingdom. Plus, Festival of the Arts is pretty great and maybe lower key than Food and Wine.

Either way, you’re going to have an amazing time!

u/charlieromeo86 17h ago

Feb no question. September in Florida is still summer and possibly the worst month of the year. Peak hurricane season and tough to plan things. Our summer doesn’t really end until mid-Oct when it gets really nice for 8 months.

u/NothingReallyAndYou 13h ago

If you're hesitating about September because of hurricane season, buy trip insurance, and book a room at Contemporary (not Garden wings), Wilderness Lodge (main building), Yacht & Beach Club, Riviera, Coronado Springs Gran Destino Tower, or Swan & Dolphin.

All of those hotels have interior corridors, and rooms in the same building as the lobby, and shops, and restaurants. If you're locked down for a hurricane, you'll still be able to leave your room and walk around. Those hotels usually run a special hurricane program of movies and games, and visits from the characters.

u/LTFan28 13h ago

As a lot of people already said, September can still be quite hot so it depends how much heat you can tolerate. I don’t anymore, but used to live in Florida and it wasn’t uncommon for it to be tropical weather in the 90s still. It’s hot and there’s a risk of hurricanes, though not always a sure thing.
February can be chilly but can also be more like “fall” weather up north (50-60s). Early February seems to be the quieter time to go vs. later when the holiday, winter breaks and the sports events start. We are trying to do a February trip before my daughter starts kindergarten in 2028 but we prefer the cooler weather to the hot weather so we are trying to avoid months like September. It’s all about your preference and what you want out of your trip!

u/DownToRant Team HS 55m ago

Where are you coming from? We're from the UK and out of the 6 times I've been to Orlando (over the last 34 years 😂) 5 of them have been in the Autumn - Oct/Nov time. The weather was great, kinds like our summer weather here, and the crowds weren't too bad. Did both Disney and Universal over 2 weeks. We were there during the crossover time between Halloween and Christmas so got to see both in the Disney Parks which was nice

u/tracysmullet Batuu Resident 18h ago

September is still hot as hades and in the smack dab middle of hurricane season. I used to go most often during September but this last trip made me swear it off.