Crowds at the end of October

[badger5]

Hello.

We will be going to Disney OCt 25-29 this year. Staying at the YC. How will the crowds be this time of year. Do we need to have a touring plan or could we just go to the parks without one? Traveling with pre-teens who love the big rides. What about ADR's. Do we need them or will we be able to eat pretty much anywhere without? Thank you!!

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

Just booked CR for almost the exact same dates. We usually go in September. Heard from CM's that they can see the crowds increase as you move through September and into October (F&W Festival). Still heard it is one of the slower/not as packed times. Will be interested in what others say.

 

[Going Broke]

Hello badger 5! We will also be there Oct. 27-Nov. 4 AND we are also coming from Wisconsin (Racine). We usually go over the summer and I have speculated that the crowds will be better in Oct. We are also hoping to 'wing it' with our dining plans, although we are perfectly content with counter service.

 

[jwfla422]

Last year we were there from 10/27 thru 11/3...for an unplanned trip. Hurricane Wilma forced many SW Floridians inland so many evacuated to WDW, after it did most of its damage to SE FL, many of them went home and many SE Floridians went to WDW in search of electricity, food, etc...so it was very busy that weekend. As South Floridians electricity returned many returned home and it really emptied out. We had a really fun Halloween and went to a party on the Boardwalk. Keep in mind the weekends will be busy in Epcot with F&W, but during the week it was a pleasure.

If the hurricane didn't hit I would say the whole last week of October would have had low crowds, even with Halloween.

I can tell you though, this year seems to be a whole new cup of tea. We just got back from a VERY BUSY WDW and we were up there the same time last year and it was much less crowded then, so you can't really rely on past years to base how the crowd levels will be.

You also have to keep in mind that late October is still active for hurricanes. Don't let this worry you, you just need to be prepared for an influx of people if a hurricane threatens anywhere in Florida or hit somewhere in FL prior to your visit because this will affect crowd levels. WDW has a top notch plan if any should threaten the area.

 

[SamanthaL]

Was there last year at the end of Oct and found it to be pleasant as far as crowds go.

 

[Cimorne]

As far as the ADR's go, I'd recommend that you make them if you have your hearts set on a particular restaurant - particularly if you plan to eat dinner at any table service restaurant in Epcot. With the F&W Festival going on, they seem to fill up pretty quickly. When we went 2 years ago, we had ADRs at Le Cellier and they were turning walk-ups away left and right.

Otherwise, though, crowds were very, very managable. Have a wonderful trip!

 

[goalie5hole]

The only thing that might add to the crowds around that time would be the PGA. I'm not sure of the dates but I think it might be over by the time you go.

 

[NC State]

I checked with touringplans.com and they have my week Oct 28-Nov 4 at a 4 out of a 10. I can't wait!

 

[mickeymousemom]

This is our normal time to go. Our dates this year are Oct. 21-28th....In the past we have not had too much of a problem with the crowds. The F&W Fest doesn't seem to affect things in Epcot much(maybe the restaurants, but not much else). It's not dead by any means but the crowds are extremely manageable. I'm hoping for no hurricanes this year...The end of October is a little better than Sept. as far as that goes. We've actually never had a problem and the weather has always been very nice, but with the way things have been the last couple years, you never know.

 

[JoBird]

I checked with touringplans.com and they have my week Oct 28-Nov 4 at a 4 out of a 10. I can't wait!

I was wondering about this myself.
I have the same dates reserved and used touringplans.com in order to choose the dates. The big question is, how accurate are they? Here's hoping their dead -on!