Going to WDW in October!!

[jacobsmommy]

We are planning our first October WDW trip!! We usually go during the summer and have been one during Veteran's Day week in November. We haven't been to WDW in a few years, since the opening of the new Fantasyland in MK. We are planning on flying into MCO on the morning of October 23 and leaving Orlando on the late afternoon of October 28. That only leaves us with four full days and two partial days, but we will have to make the best of it! We want to do the Halloween party and plan to try to do as much as we can with minimal breaks during the day since the kids are a little older now (11 and 7). We are doing park hoppers and are not doing the dining plan this time since we won't want to be doing lots of sit down meals with so little time in the parks. Any suggestions for that time of the year or such few days? We have never been for less than 7 days, but with me being a teacher I can't take more than three days off work at a time.

 

[ConnieB]

We were there last year Oct 17 thru Nov 16.....went to MNSSHP on Oct 23. Great weather....relatively low crowds, definitely a good time to go. There is a lot of beautiful fall decorations throughout the parks, especially in MK, special fall only food, and of course the Halloween party.

Remember that the MNSSHP goes until midnight......so while you want to get in as much time in the parks during your brief visit, you do not want worn out cranky kids who don't enjoy this extra cost event because they're tired. Obviously, you know your kids best, but rope drop to close for 3 days can be intense.

One thing to consider is to save yourself money by NOT buying a regular park day for the day you'll attend MNSSHP. You have to buy a separate ticket for MNSSHP, and that ticket will let you enter the park at 4:00pm (party is 7pm to midnight). That means you can have 8 hours of high intensity time and all the special stuff for the party. Spend the earlier part of the day doing DTD shopping, hanging at the resort, etc, keeping some energy for the party.

 

[CMNJ]

We went for 4 days last October....Try to go to MK during the day on MNSSP days (I mean when you aren't attending MNSSP)-lower crowds b/c day trippers and anyone without a park hopper seem to avoid as they close at 7 and no fireworks/evening parades for non partygoers. Try to avoid Epcot on weekend nights if possible as it is MOBBED because of food and wine. We also took advantage of Morning EMH at MK, AK, and DHS which enabled us to really get in a lot of good rides before lines got too long. Honestly we were pleasantly surprised at how much we were able to do in 4 park days (one of which was arrival day and got to MK at 11 am) with a toddler and needing afternoon breaks-I know people hate fast pass+ but it really worked out very well for us on this last trip (esp. arrival day)

 

[ZoZo]

Since park hours are significantly shorter in October, it's important to decide your strategy regarding afternoon breaks. One of the most common pieces of advice here on the DIS is to take an afternoon break, and to return to the parks around dinnertime.

That really only works well during the times of year when the parks stay open really late. Breaks can really eat into your park time when you factor in travel time each direction. Except for EMH, the parks generally close anywhere from 5:00 pm (AK) to 9:00 (MK and Epcot). If your break takes about three hours, you've wiped out a good part of your day.

So for me, I tend to skip the afternoon breaks most days and take a "break" in the air conditioning during lunch.