Do I need a touring plan in Oct?

[PugMom76]

We just booked our trip for Oct 14-20, 2012. As I'm sure is very common, I'm becoming a bit overwhelmed with the prospect of making a touring plan. I haven't been to WDW for about 20 years and I'm not even sure what rides we want to hit. I'll obviously be doing a lot of research in the coming months. I know that touring plans are typically geared towards high traffic periods. I'd appreciate your opinions on how much of a touring plan I'd really need during this time period. We'll be traveling with our daughter, who will turn 5 while we're there. *my apologies for putting this is in the wrong area; can a mod kindly move it for me?*

 

[cassie]

Where are you staying? I'm sure you will find DW has changed a lot in the last twenty years. There is a cd that Disney will send to you free from their web site.

I don't really understand about you touring plans.....maybe someone else can help you with that.

 

[ruthies12]

I was there for the first time two years ago in October. Didn't even know what a touring plan was at that time but I can tell you about my experience.

Flew in on a Wed. did MK on thursday, not crowded at all, walked onto most everything. Friday at AK- packed! Couldn't move at times. They were having some kind of record heat wave for Florida in Oct. too and it was crazy hot and humid. Sat. was at MK again and it was packed. Sunday we flew home.

So I would say if you are going on weekdays probably don't need a plan but on weekends you might, based on my very limited experience. Hope this helps!

 

[nolanboys]

Weekdays aren't bad. The weekends tend to be more crowded because of F&W. We've gone twice in October and love it for the great weather and lower crowds. Although I don't make a specific touring plans, we usually stick to the best parks on touringplans.com. We've deviated from it and been fine as all. I would suggest making tentative plans, but feel free to go with the flow if you want to.

 

[PugMom76]

Thanks for the feedback! We're staying at the Caribbean. Good to know about AK being busy on Fridays. My tentative plan was to head there on Fri. My daughter's birthday will be on Thurs that week so I definitely wanted to be at MK for that and since we'll likely want at least a day and a half there, I figured we'd do MK Wed/Thurs but maybe we'll do Thurs/Fri. I have time to figure it out.

 

[LilyWDW]

Thanks for the feedback! We're staying at the Caribbean. Good to know about AK being busy on Fridays. My tentative plan was to head there on Fri. My daughter's birthday will be on Thurs that week so I definitely wanted to be at MK for that and since we'll likely want at least a day and a half there, I figured we'd do MK Wed/Thurs but maybe we'll do Thurs/Fri. I have time to figure it out.

For free, use Easywdw. If you want another option, Touringplans.com is also great.

That is the same time I went this past year (2011). I did need a touring plan at least in the mornings and an idea of which park would be best to go to each day. It was a bit busier then I thought it would be so I was glad to be prepared.

Also, make sure to have ADRs if you want to eat at "normal" times. There were a few places that were turning people away.

 

[lesabrowning]

The last two times we went in October the crowds were larger than expected. (the heat as well) I am not sure what changed, but maybe quiet Octobers are a thing of the past? I think a touring plan never hurts. I follow the "least crowded Park" suggestions and then use judgement from that point. No military style planning, but try to stay away from most crowded parks.

 

[hawklady313]

Hi,
In answer to your question, YES, you will need a master plan. Some things to consider: are you early morning people? (The parks are less crowded first thing in the morning.), are you on the dining plan? You will need to make advance dining reservations for your sit down meals. You can do this yourself on line if you are not using a travel company. (disneyworlddining.com) If you do not know which restaurant you want, they have a full overview, including menus for all restaurants in the park and downtown.
I would NOT go to Magic Kingdom on Saturday if I could help it. It is open late on Saturdays in October--at least it was this past October--and everyone on the planet was there on Saturday!
Magic Kingdom has more rides of interest to your 5 year old than other parks, although Animal Kingdom might be of interest to her also and because it is a much bigger park, I would allow 2 days there. If she likes animals, you might want to consider 2 days at Animal Kingdom also. The petting area after the short train ride is very enjoyable to youngsters. I think it's called Rafiki Island.
I would highly recommend the use of the Fast Pass program. It saves a ton of time waiting in line and with a 5 year old, it is a life-saver!

 

[nilseks]

We went October 23-30, 2010 and I could not believe the crowds (or the heat!). It was mobbed. By comparison, when we went early last month, it seemed like nobody was there.

I find the crowd forecast from Undercover Tourist to be very accurate. What we have started doing is staying away from the parks that have EMH. On this last trip we always followed Undercover Tourist and went to whichever park was 'Green' on the forecast for the day. Worked like a charm.