are these dates ok for disney??? no crowds??

[carol9999]

Hi.. i am ready to book our disney vacation (first time with kids age 9,8 and 5 ) and would like to know if there is any reason why i shouldn't book it for oct 12 thru 21..... i know that monday the 11th is columbus day holiday...does this increase the crowds during the rest of the week or not really? anything else i should know about? is it still hot enough to use the pool and water park facilities? also, are the weekends at disney terrible at this time of year? should i only go during the weekdays and just relax on the weekend outside of parks? which park is generally best to do on weekends and are there any better days during week for certain parks? i heard something about wednesdays at magic kingdom are especially bad? is this so and why???? sorry for so many questions, but i figured i'd ask the "experts"...thanks for any info or advice!!

 

[WeLoveThePoly]

While October crowds are nowhere near the level you'll find during the holidays or summer I woudn't say you'd experience "no crowds".

In October you have the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party that draw people to WDW.

But, we LOVE going in October. We're going again this year.

Debbie

 

[QuickGold]

For wait times at the Studios, try http://www.mgmstudios.org/wait.html and you can see what the wait times were last year.

 

[Dopey Sharon]

I don't think there is any time when the parks are empty! The weather should be still warm enough to go swimming. We usually go the first week in November and it's still very nice.

Epcot is supposed to be a good choice on the weekend. I would definitely stay away from the Magic Kingdom, especially on Saturday.

Unless you're going to use the EE days at each park, I would stay away from the EE parks those days.

I don't know, offhand, which parks offer Early Entry, but I'll find out...

http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/earlyentry.htm

I've never heard that Wednesdays is a bad day for the MK. From the information I have, it's one of the best days and one of the days we usually go there.

Have a great trip!

 

[dvcgirl]

I'm not sure that Columbus weekend will increase the crowds too much, but there will be crowds. It won't be as bad as Christmas or Easter weeks, but October seems to be more and more popular.

October is a a big convention month, so lots of business people around. October is MNSSHP in the MK. And October is very popular due to Food and Wine Fest in Epcot. Avoid Epcot on the weekends due to locals coming in for Food and Wine. Definitely still be able to swim though.

I really think that the absolute best time to hit the World if you're looking for no crowds is September. But MNSSHP and Food and Wine are worth dealing with the extra people....

 

[carol9999]

Hi.. thanks for the info... i understand that there will still be crowds as always, but i just wanted much less crowds than usual...anyway...what is EE nights and is the halloween party worth it ..i have three boys 9,8 and 5? Also ..another question.. can i go and see some of the beautiful disney resorts and do dinner etc there even though i am not staying at a disney hotel?? thanks

 

[JulieWent]

Definitely feel free to explore some of the Disney resorts for dinners. (Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary is particularly fun for kids.) It's a great way to get away from the craziness in the parks if you need a break.

If you're not staying on-site, I'd think about trying to hit one of the Mickey's Not So Scarey Halloween Parties. The crowds are generally really low during these parites (except on the actual Halloween night), and you'll get a chance to explore Magic Kingdom without having to worry about the crowds so much.
(Your children's ages seem perfect for the party!)

Otherwise, do stay away from whatever park is having early entry. (MK is Thursday and Sunday, for instance. Plan on going to MK on another day besides Thursday or Sunday.) We try to go at park opening because lines are generally non-existant then, but if you're not an early riser, just use Fast Pass and try to stay out of which ever park is the early entry park for guests who are staying on-site.

A word about the water parks -- we love them. October should still be plenty warm for visiting them. (We're planning on it! -- Taking a mini-trip, I hope, for one of the Halloween parties.) Florida in October can still be nice and toasty.

Hope that helps some. Don't worry too much about the crowds. October is easy compared to summer and holiday months. Just try to get in early if you can and take advantage of the things Disney builds in like MNSSHP and FastPass.

(You may want to check out the restaurants board for info. on dining and Priority Seating -- which is Disney's weird take on reservations.)

Hope that helps some.

Julie