Crowds early October..

[RuthieT]

What are crowds like the 1st or 2nd week of October? When do they start the trick or treat thingy?? TY

 

[Blanche_Neige]

wondering the same thing

 

[Carrie in AZ]

Halloweentime usually begins around Sept 17 or soon thereafter, this year it was pretty early. I think the parties start soon after that.

We are in Arizona and many schools are off the second week of October for Fall Break. I think many Utah schools are as well. We've been to DL twice over Fall Break and it has been very, very busy. And, last year when we were there, it was HOT, like 93-97degree type of hot. Not a good combo.

Is it all do-able and enjoyable? Of course it can be if you have a plan, arrive super early, and utilize FPs. Would it be my first choice to visit during those weeks? Probably not due to crowd sizes. But I will say the decorations are amazing and SO MUCH FUN!! If you can go the third week of October during the weekdays, that may work better.

I would highly recommend you do some searches here or go back a few pages to the October timeframe and spend some time reading about the Oct. crowd levels.

 

[Sherry E]

The Halloween party usually starts on the very first Friday in October, whichever date that is each year. Normally, they don't go by dates (for example, they don't decide, "We're going to start the Halloween party on October 1st every year") so much as they go by the days of the week and which week it is, in particular. The party always begins on the first Friday in October, and it's anyone's guess after that if they will only hold it on Fridays and Tuesdays, like they did this year, or change the schedule.

However, in 2011, if I'm not mistaken, the first Friday in October will be October 7th - and frankly, that seems rather late to start the Halloween party. So I wonder if, perhaps, they may decide to begin the party on Friday, September 30 next year?

Halloween Time (the season itself) started on 9/17 this year, but that doesn't mean it will start at that time next year. In the past, it has begun on the very last Friday in September, as well as on the next to last Friday in September. I've seen both happen. Sometimes it's an early season start date and other times it's not.

Not only did I think it was crowded when I was at DLR in early October in 2008, but recent reports have indicated that October was pretty packed overall this year. It seems that October is no longer an off-peak time of year, sadly.

 

[kylieh]

Australian and Kiwi school holidays are normally the last week of September, first week of October. Expect a heap of us to visit too!!! My semi-educated guess would be 4000-5000 or so.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

We were there the second week of October, over Columbus Day weekend and it was pretty busy. We took advantage of Fastpasses and getting to the park early so we didn't wait too terribly long for any rides. The park hours are a pretty good indicator if DL expects crowds. The park was open until midnight every night we were there, except for the party.

Also, the Tuesday night Halloween parties tended to be a little less crowded. We walked on rides when we went on the 12th.

 

[taaren]

We usually go in early October, and its empty during the week but crowded on the weekend, particularly Columbus day weekend. If you're going then try to aim for Sun-Thurs. =)

 

[BELLEDOZER]

I can give you some answers regarding this since I was there from Oct2-10th this year. I found the crowds heavy, but if you hit the rides first thing in the morning, then the waits, especially for the more popular rides were decent. Many mornings I was able to get on POTC with not more than a 10 min wait, alot of times even less. The crowds tend to get heavier closer to noon and beyond. The weather was unpredictable, with hot weather one day and cold the next, so cheap dollar store rain ponchos are a must. The poncho's are a must for this time of year. The MHP party is worth the money IMHO, and really enjoyed the 2 parties I attended. I loved the fireworks. My advice when it comes to the Halloween time merchandise, is if you see something that you want, buy it immediately, otherwise it may not be there the next time you look. This applies to the Halloween time especially. Check out the Halloween time super thread for tons of great info on DL at Halloween time. Hope that this helps you out.