Confused about October

[hipporina]

We are planning on going in the first week or October with our entire extended family. Our thinking was that we would push as far into the fall as possible before hitting crowds and regular rates. I really figured this week would still be light crowds.

I was just reading a thread with a response from Disney stating that the 1st 2 weeks of October are average attendance. I was really hoping for a low attendace time.

What is October really like? Why would the crowd levels jump like that? Would it be better to push our trip back a week or two? I've never been in any month except May or June, so I'm really out of my element on this one. I would really appreciate any help!

Kristy

 

[AJKMOM]

Experts say there are very few Low attendance times at WDW anymore. You should go on the Disney website or allears.net and check out a calendar of events. I think there might be some sort of festival or something going on. The Not So Scary Halloween Party, I think, runs certain days throughout October. Also, hurricane season goes through November.

 

[travelin' tigger]

I'm planning on going Sept. 29-Oct. 4 and not worried about crowds. Granted both the F&W Fest and MNSSHP start, but I think (or hope) only the weekends will be a little more crowded.

HTH!!!

 

[jillybeanjo]

We have gone to WDW the first week of October for the last few years and have found the crowds to be light. We haven't waited more than maybe 10 to 15 minutes at the most at popular rides, but we do take advantage of EMH and use fastpasses sometimes. It is a great time to go - nice weather, MNSSHP, F&W Festival.

 

[CleveRocks]

You should go on the Disney website or allears.net and check out a calendar of events.

I'm sorry. I'm not the type to correct people or be nitpicky, but this one actually matters. There's no such website as allears.net, it's allearsnet.com. That actually matters if someone's actually trying to find that site for helpful info.

-- Eric

 

[CleveRocks]

Geez, did I use the word "actually" enough times in that post? It's mistakes like that that make me not want to be nitpicky of others. Oh well ....

-- Eric

 

[MickeyFlirt]

We love going in Oct. Crowds are light, weather is good cooler, but usually still warm enough to swim, and than theres MNNSHP and the Food and wine festival. We try to go for at least one night every Oct. Yes we just go and spend one night at WDW, but we only live 2-3 hrs away. You should have a great time.

BTW I would try to go during the week esp. to MNNSHP since the locals go more on the weekends.

 

[Amy&Dan]

With the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom and the fact that many schools get a fall break (ours does) or go year round (we do that too) I think October is more crowded than it used to be. Add to that the 50th Celebration and I don't think it will be "light" crowds. I would hope that it will be about like it was last October when we were there from the 15th to the 24th, moderate during the week with 10-15 minute waits on many rides, longer on the big attractions. The weekends were especially crowded. With fastpass we were able to do everything we wanted to do, most things multiple times. We loved it and will continue to make a trip within the same time frame every year. If you go at this time, defintely get MNSSHP tickets, we did this twice last year and it was the highlight of the trip. We will be there again this year from the 14th to the 22nd. I'll bet the crowds will be lighter than when you have been in June. I agree about there being no true low times anymore. When we were there in January into February we experienced more crowds than we thought we would especially our last Sunday there. Magic Kingdom was a zoo and the weather wasn't even nice! The weather in October is perfect by the way! Also, try to avoid Columbus Day week if possible.

 

[WhatsaPooh]

Hi

We were there Oct. 18-25th in 2003. Our trip before had been in Dec., and although the Oct. crowds were a little larger, they are still very manageable. The week we were there, the weather was in the 80's (warm, but not humid) Epcot was busier due to the F&W festival and the Funai Classic was going on (this only seemed to make the resort restaurants busier as there were alot of ABC sports employees staying at the Polynesian & Grand Floridian) The MNSSHP was a 1st for us and we (and Ds) loved it. We won't hesitate to go back in Oct. again, hopefully 2007 as I can only talk Dh into a trip every other year

 

[KimWDW]

The Unofficial Guide for 2005 says WDW in October (all days except Columbus holiday) has a crowd rating of 2 out of 10. Sounds good!

 

[kdhollis]

I have my families first trip to WDW planned on Oct. 15.

We considering purchasing tickets to Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. Is the weather appropriate for water activities at this time?

The WDW website doesn't have the operation hours for october listed yet.


Thanks,
Kerry

 

[lasmickey]

We were there from September 28th through October 8th last year. The weather was PERFECT (at least for us). It was in the upper 80's to low 90's everyday (althought the humidity was a bit high). We had about 10 minutes of rain on Sunday, October 3rd while we were having dinner at LTT prior to MNSSHP (it had stopped raining, and the sun was back out by the time we were finished with our dinner).

On most evenings, the MK closed at 8:00 pm. while we were there (with the exception of MNSSHP nights, then it closed earlier to clear the park for the party). The crowds were GREAT during the majority of our vacation. We couldn't believe our luck! We pretty much walked on to EVERYTHING, in EVERY SINGLE PARK! We didn't use fast pass the entire time we were there! (Although we did start out at park opening each day). Because the crowds were so light during the day, we were a bit surprised to find the MK a bit more crowded for MNSSHP when we attended on the 3rd, but given the fact we were riding everything we wanted during the day, we just focused on the special activities being offered during the party, and we had a FANTASTIC time! We even did Epcot on the first day of F&WF, and didn't find it to be all that crowded.

We did notice that the crowds were picking up by late Wednesday and on into the rest of the week (towards Columbus Day weekend). During our last two mornings there, we did run into MUCH LARGER CROWDS, but since our trip was winding down, we just left the parks earlier in the day as the crowds began to form.

Hope this information was helpful to you. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

 

[PixiePop]

We have gone the first week of October for the last two years. We LOVE this time of the year. The crowds aren't bad, the weather is still warm and we get to go to the MNSSHP. I would highly recommend going this time of year.

 

[kareneast]

I have my families first trip to WDW planned on Oct. 15.

We considering purchasing tickets to Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. Is the weather appropriate for water activities at this time?

The WDW website doesn't have the operation hours for october listed yet.


Thanks,
Kerry

Welcome to the Dis!

Yes, it will be warm enough for swimming & water activities. High temps. should be mid 80's to mid 90's.

WDW posts there operating hours 2 months in advance. October's should be posted on or about August 1st. Since October is a slower time of year there will probably be shorter hours. MK & MGM will probably close around 7-8pm; AK at around 6-7pm; and Epcot at 9pm.