Disney in October

[Dabear]

We are planning a vacation to Disneyland on October. Will be the first time visiting during Halloween season. My question is does anyone know the typical park hours and are the crowds manageable ?

 

[Baptist]

October is a great time to go! Crowds very manageable. The weather can be warmer than what you might expect. Plus, you might get some nasty rain as it is still hurricane season. Don't let that detour you. Magic Kingdom will close early on Halloween party nights (unless you are going to the party of course). Have a great time.

 

[Dabear]

That sounds like information for WDW we will be in Disneyland in CA.. probably hurricane free..lol

 

[jammyjam25]

Mickey's Halloween Parties will be going on select nights throughout October so you may want to check those dates against your trip to see if you run into any. Disneyland closes early (6pm or 7pm) on party days so unless you have a separate party ticket for that night you will have to either a) leave the park for the night or b) Park hop over to DCA (if you purchased park hopper tickets). - https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/mickeys-halloween-party/

Park hours are not posted for October yet but on non-party nights I would guess Disneyland will be open till 8 or 9 pm and DCA 8pm during the week (with a 9 or 10am opening for both parks). On the weekends you could probably bump those out by an hour or two for each park. It's hard to compare to last years October park hours because they seemed to be extended due to the 60th Anniversary.

Crowds will depend on when you go in October. The first weekend of October is Gay Days weekend which brings in crowds. There's also the Columbus Day Holiday and some other events throughout October that could potentially increase crowds on certain days.

 

[tlovesdis]

October at the DLR is one of the most popular times to go, so expect it to be crowded. There are a lot of parties throughout the month, so if you are not planning on buying party tickets you will need to exit the park at 6pm (on weekday parties) or 7pm (on weekend parties).

Lots of schools have fall break in October, which increases the crowds. The first weekend is Gay Day, the second weekend includes Colombus Day and The CHOC Walk is during the last weekend.

The weather can be unpredictable. It can be really nice, or super hot.

Hope this helps a little!

 

[The Lucky Bug]

We have gone for the week of Columbus day (for our Oct 12th Anniversary) the last two years. In 2014 the park was empty and the weather was perfect. There were overcast skies, no rain, and high 70's the entire week. Last year, 2015, the crowds were noticeably increased from 2014. The weather was awful. 90 degrees still at 10pm. It was not enjoyable in a Halloween costume for the party. It did sprinkle one night but it made it more humid. There were also mudslides that closed the grapevine that week which probably made the crowds greater since a lot of people could not get home (we had to extend our trip until the pass reopened). We are going again this year same week again and I am wondering how it will be this year as well.

 

[Imdboss]

We've been numerous times in Oct, the weekend of Columbus Day and a couple days leading up to it. Last time was 2014, the holiday was very busy, it was our last day and we only got on a couple rides. The Wednesday before was great, a bit busier on Thurs but still not horrible, then quite busy over the weekend. During that time DL opened at 8am except Tues and Thurs it was 9am and closed at 6/7 on party nights, midnight on Sat and Sun, 9 on Tues and 11 on Thurs. Basically the hours were all over the place lol. With so many events happening in Oct and school breaks I'd definitely do research on the dates you choose so you have an idea of what to expect with crowds. I'd say all the weekends will be quite busy but if you go in knowing that then I think it's very manageable.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Weekdays are better crowd-wise than weekends, but check the party dates to make sure you don't have a lot of them during your visit. UEA happens the 3rd weekend, so the dates around the 19th can be crowded. October is a very popular time to visit DLR.

 

[tarheelalum]

Party this October every Mon/Wed/Fri. Park closes down at 6pm (5pm?) for non party goers on those days.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

When MHP runs from 6-11pm, DL closes at 6pm to non-party guests. When the party runs from 7pm-12am, the park closes at 7pm. Party guests are allowed into DL 3 hours before MHP starts, so those overlap hours can be crowded, especially around Main Street.