Columbus Day or Veteran's Day Crowds

[headoflife]

I am looking for some help from the experts! We have generally gone to WDW in the week prior to Thanksgiving, and have found the crowds to be managable, though they do get thicker than we like by the Tuesday right before the holiday. We may do a trip this year in October or early November, and were hoping to take advantage of the childrens' days off , but if it is very crowded we may need to look at another date. How do these times compare to Thanksgiving? Thanks!

 

[toystorymom]

I have never been at Thanksgiving but we were there this past Veteran's Day week and I thought the crowds were not too bad at the beginning of the week and non existent by the end. We arrived on Monday, with Veteran's Day being Tuesday and stayed through the following Monday. We spent the entire Sunday at MK and rode everything over and over again. My boys went on Buzz no less than a dozen times. The wait for Splash Mountain was at 5 minutes in the middle of the afternoon, and I think that's only because it's that long of a walk from the entrance to the actual boarding area! Tower of Terror and Haunted Mansion had no waits, although they were posted at 13 minutes which I thought was cute. My son and I went on TOT and there were only 2 other people on the elevator with us. The weather was also perfect. As you can tell, we had a great vacation and I would definitely recommend this week!


I think Veteran's Day falls late in the week this year, so that may impact things. Still, I can't imagine it would be busier than Thanksgiving. I'm sure someone else will help you with October.

Whatever you decide, you will have a great time. Have fun planning!

 

[dylansdad]

the thurs and fri before vet day mon is the njea conv in nj=no school. this time period makes up jersey week at wdw

columbus day was a zoo at mk

 

[headoflife]

Veteran's Day falls on a Thursday 11/11 this year. Is Jersey week 11/6-11/14? I am looking at the 10/6-10/11, the 11th being Columbus Day or 11/9-11/14 with the 11th being Veteran's Day. Any other advice? As I said, Thanksgiving week, pre-holiday, is my barometer for crowds. Thanks again!

 

[pumpkinboy]

Tho only a few US school districts have vacation around Columbus Day, remember that it is also Thanksgiving in Canada, plus it's a Bank Holiday in the UK, so much of the UK also has a school break that week.

We were there for that whole week last year and the weekend (Sat & Sun) crowds at MK were fairly heavy for that time of year, it was by no means packed. As the week wore on, the crowds dwindled so that by the end of that week the lines were pretty minimal (still there but not unbearable; FastPass still useful for many attractions).

Of course if you are there in October, you will be able to take advantage of MNSSHP, which really should not be missed. Also, this year they have extended the Epcot Food & Wine fest to include all of October (plus the first two weeks of November).

 

[wdwphanatic]

Schools in NJ are out on Nov. 4-5 and Nov. 8... Many people I know are going Oct. 30-Nov. 8. I think you'd be fine going Nov. 9-14 -- you'd hit the very end of the Food & Wine Festival and be there before the crowds hit for Thanksgiving, too!!

Have a great trip,
Sarah