Columbus Day Weekend

[MinnieMe129]

We are thinking of going to DL the weekend of 10/11-10/14 for our daughters Fall Break. Flights are cheap and everything was lining up perfectly, until I saw that it is one of the most crowded weekends of the year.

We have been to Disney World countless times, so really are mainly interested in checking out the attractions that are different at DL. Would this weekend be manageable or miserable?

There aren't any Disney Hotels available (should of been my first clue), so we would be across the street, but not able to take advantage of the early entry hours for onsite guests.

 

[JerrodDragon89]

We are thinking of going to DL the weekend of 10/11-10/14 for our daughters Fall Break. Flights are cheap and everything was lining up perfectly, until I saw that it is one of the most crowded weekends of the year.

We have been to Disney World countless times, so really are mainly interested in checking out the attractions that are different at DL. Would this weekend be manageable or miserable?

There aren't any Disney Hotels available (should of been my first clue), so we would be across the street, but not able to take advantage of the early entry hours for onsite guests.

With Genie Plus you should be good to go

HM, Indy, Small World, The Adeventureland Tree House are a few at Disneyland you should want to hit

HM is easy to get on because its Virtual Q.

I'd just get genie plus and hit as many rides in the morning and then hit more shows and genie in the afternoon and night time

 

[BrianL]

We are thinking of going to DL the weekend of 10/11-10/14 for our daughters Fall Break. Flights are cheap and everything was lining up perfectly, until I saw that it is one of the most crowded weekends of the year.

We have been to Disney World countless times, so really are mainly interested in checking out the attractions that are different at DL. Would this weekend be manageable or miserable?

There aren't any Disney Hotels available (should of been my first clue), so we would be across the street, but not able to take advantage of the early entry hours for onsite guests.

This might be helpful in prioritizing ride diffeerences and what is unique.

DL Exclusive Attractions:
Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye (uses same ride system as DINOSAUR at AK)
Snow White's Enchanted Wish
Pinocchio's Daring Journey
Mister Toad's Wild Ride
Casey Jr. Circus Train
Storybook Land Canal Boats
Alice in Wonderland
Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough
Roger Rabbit's Car-Toon Spin
Chip & Dale's Gadget Coaster
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
The Matterhorn (note this uses the same ride system as Space Mountain at MK)
Space Mountain (same theme but completely different ride)

DL Similar but not exactly the same:
Enchanted Tiki Room - longer show
Pirates of the Caribbean - longer with more show scenes
Haunted Mansion - even without the Nightmare overlay it is slightly different
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Big Thunder Mountain - some additional effects and scenery
Autopia - much longer than the Tomorrowland Speedway, but basically the same
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters - removable laser blasters make it a little better

DL Exactly (or basically) the same:
Peter Pan's Flight - technically some minor differences
Dumbo
King Aruthur Carousel
Milennium Falcon: Smugglers Run - all of Galaxy's Edge is practically identical
Rise of the Resistance
Mad Tea Party
Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway - The queue is very different and cool - may be new to you and is worth it if so.
Star Tours
Astro Orbitor - though at ground level

CA Exclusive Attractions:
Monsters Inc. Mike & Sully to the Rescue
Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout - based on Tower of Terror, though the DL version works a little differently
WEB Slingers
Radiator Springs Racers - this is like a massively bigger Test Track
Luigi's Rollicking Roadsters
Incredicoaster
Inside-Out Emotional Whirlwind
Silly Symphony Swings - though this is an off-the shelf "wave swinger" ride
Jumpin' Jellyfish
Golden Zephyr
Goofy's Sky School

CA Similar but not exactly the same:
Mater's Junkyard Jamboree - the same as Alien Swirling Saucers
Grizzly River Run - longer version of Kali River Rapids - definitely a wet ride!

CA Exactly (or basically) the same:
Mickey's Philharmagic! - smaller screen though
Turtle Talk with Crush
Ariel's Undersea Adventure - same as Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid
Jessie's Critter Carousel
Soarin' - though note sometimes they run it with the original Sorain' over California, in which case it is a must do!

 

[MonocularVision]

If your priorities are hitting attractions a combination of rope drop + LLMP should be more than enough, even during very busy times to hit everything you want into have a few days. I recommend checking out the pinned threads about maximizing LLMP, specifically around Modifying Reservations in combination with refreshing times.

The parks will be packed, no doubt, but with fairly simple strategies + time it is absolutely possible to have a great time riding on lots of attractions

 

[AZMermaid]

I teach first grade in the greater Phoenix area. Every year I have 3-5 of my 24ish kids going to Disneyland for fall break. I’ve already had two kids tell me they are going. So in my very small sample size, 15% of Phoenix is at Disneyland . But…. Our Fall Break is actually the week ahead this year- the 7-11. Now there are also like 40 districts in the Phoenix area…. But the two near me are the week before Indigenous Peoples Day and it seems like people go in the early part of break. So it might not be as full as typical. But it’ll be busy for sure!

 

[sky13]

I'm there that weekend as well, and did notice that there are no Disney hotels available (at least for 13-14 the last I checked)!

Unfortunately for me I don't have much control over my dates (am in the area for something else that week) so it was a choice between going to Disneyland or not going at all, and of course I'll pick going to Disneyland even if the predicted crowds are high!

My plan is to rope drop, stay until around 1pm ish, head back to my room and maybe catch some sleep, then head back into the parks and stay until midnight close. Definitely getting genie+ as I really don't go to Disneyland often (at this point it's something like once every 6 years). Pretty much similar to my usual Disney parks touring style to be honest! I am planning to be there for a few days though so hopefully that will help with not having to rush everywhere in a short time...

However I think there are quite a few things that are down during that time. If I'm not wrong this includes World of Color (which I'm especially disappointed about), the monorail, the railroad, it's a small world, winnie the pooh, plus Splash/Tiana isn't open yet.

 

[twodogs]

We go this holiday weekend every year since my kids don’t want to miss school. It is VERY busy, but we always have a great time!! We rope drop for EE (though it is only an extra 30 minutes, so don’t worry if you aren’t able to stay onsite), use those good morning hours, stack LLs for later and take an afternoon break when it is hot and lines are crazy. If you are night owls, you can do the reverse and plan to stay late to take advantage of that. Do look at which nights have OBB, as you will be kicked out of DCA at 6pm those days if you don’t have an OBB ticket (and this can impact your choice of park reservations if you only have one park per day tickets). Highly recommend PH tickets since the walk from one park’s front gate to the other’s is about 2 minutes-the beauty of DLR compared to WDW (spoken by a person who loves both!).

Definitely go and have an amazing time!! Flights (at least from Dallas) get VERY high for this weekend, so if the prices are good now, pull the trigger on those!