Halloween week - how crowded?

[MisterPP]

We will be going to WDW from Oct 27 - Nov 2. How crowded do we think it will be?

Last time I was at WDW was New Years 1999. That was pretty bad. Not 4th of July bad though.

 

[jacknsally19]

I was there last year the week of Halloween and I thought the crowds weren't bad at all. The only thing that I felt was a bit too crowded (for me) was the Halloween party but there was a lot of construction in the hub last year so I think that made things annoying at the party.

 

[laurafaith]

curious as well -- we arrive on Halloween till the next sat -- attending the party on the 1st -- here is hoping for light crowds and a great trip!

 

[Kelly014]

We will be there the 28th - 2nd, I've been wondering too. We went last year at the end of May (first trip) so it will be interesting to see how it compares. Hoping for warm weather too, it's pretty cool where I live by end of October and I always have to bundle the kids up in their Halloween costumes!

 

[MisterPP]

We are also going to the Halloween party on Nov. 1st. =D

 

[goofyintoronto]

i'll be there oct.26 - 31st....im curious about crowds too! I usually go in august, so im sure it'll be fine. Im just excited to not have scorching heat like we do in August!

 

[Ladyfish77]

I'll be at the party on the 1st also! I'm hoping the crowds are not bad, but I haven't been to WDW in so long, it probably won't matter! I'm looking forward to the trip.

 

[MisterPP]

I have a special needs daughter and we are really worried about her becoming over stimulated by the crowds. Could be interesting

 

[GovieMom]

We went during Halloween week a couple years ago. Not gonna lie, the crowds weren't low; I would put them on the moderate side. I was amazed at how many school-age kids were there all week long! The MNSSHPs had tons of people pouring in, though the MK had fairly light crowds during those days.

 

[LadyDiznee123]

This is my 5th trip and even though it's been a while for me, I have never gone at any time other than late Oct / early Nov... because the crowds (or lack thereof) are sweet. In general... this is not a crowded time of year. We have done certain rides multiple times back to back because there just weren't long lines. I'm sure the MNSSHP will be crowded though.

 

[Tiggerrn2]

Going the 28th through the 2nd as well. Party on the 1st. DD is dancing at DTD on the 30th at 1:30pm- if you are in the area, stop by to watch. Have gone over Halloween once before in 2004. The only crowds then were at the party, and even that wasn't bad, but the parks have really gotten increasingly busy over the years.

 

[jillgunter]

We went last year, crowds weren't awful. Epcot was crazy with food and wine. The year before we went third week in Oct, and the crowds were much worse! I was able to get all my fast passes so I hope it won't be bad.

 

[TeeterTots]

This is reassuring! We'll be there Oct 31-Nov6!

 

[spinandmarty]

dont expect crowds of the past in oct, think the good old days of lower crowds are gone forever, whenever you go.... still think oct is pretty good, did the party on halloween day once, it was nuts, still a good time but it was packed... think you will have a much better time the next day...

 

[Aerinha]

I was there last year. Found it more crowded than first week of Dec but less than the timely I insanely went in August. Weather during the day was high 80s to low 90s with moderate, for FL, humidity. I wore sleevless shirts and skirts all week. They were having freakish lows over night with the temps dropping to the 40s, but they quickly rose with the sun. I hate heat and at home we were already cruising into winter temps with highs in the 40s so I found the heat an adjustment and didn't mind the cool early morning temps while dressed for summer.

 

[mickey1968]

I went the week of Halloween in both 2012 and 2013. I will be going the weekend before Halloween this year. I attended two MNSSHP parties each time including Halloween night. The overall crowds at all of the parks are moderate. EasyWDW, a very well respected crowd calendar/blogger, has the crowd levels as 4s and 5s out of 10 most of that week. The parties are more crowded for the parades and fireworks, especially on Main Street, but the rides are not bad. I have read elsewhere that the closer you get to Halloween the more people at the parties are concentrating on the holiday-related stuff versus the rides. There are also a ton of people who are focused on the special character meets (I waited close to 2 hours to meet Jack & Sally the first year they were there). Seven dwarfs will be long too. I got in line around 6pm. Also, from what I understand, the Nov 1 party will most likely be as crowded (possibly a sell out) as Halloween night.

The weather is much more to my liking the end of October, but is still pretty warm. The difference between 85 degrees in October with lower humidity and 90 degrees and massive humidity in mid-May make all the difference to me. The crowds felt about the same. I have read that the end of October used to be a lot slower, but has gotten more crowded due to free dining and due to the weird year-round school schedules that a lot of places have now that gives a lot of them a week off in October.

Here is a link to the crowd calendar I referenced earlier: http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/10-october-2015-crowd-calendar/
I have followed his recommendations for all of my trips over the past five years and feel like he is usually spot on.

Touring Plans also has good info about the party on their blog and other info in their paid service ($12 a year). Their rankings for how busy a party will be are related ONLY to the rides. Not character meets or parades, etc. http://blog.touringplans.com/2015/04/06/disney-world-least-crowded-halloween-party/

Last but not least, you guys should check out the "official" MNSSHP thread. It is bursting with all things MNSSHP! Don't try to read the whole 100+ page thread unless you read really fast and/or have lots of time on your hands. The same questions get asked every few days so if you just read the first page with all the info, then pickup and start reading a day or so back, you will soon be up to speed.
http://www.disboards.com/threads/official-2015-mnsshp-thread.3383728/

Sorry, so long, but I LOVE MNSSHP and can't wait for this year's trip.
And I just ate two cupcakes with frosting, so Talking Disney+Sugar=

 

[gonitts]

We will be there 10/24-11/1. Am hoping for reasonable crowds and cooler weather.

 

[1Grumpy9]

My friend and I were there last year from Oct 26 - Nov 1 and crowds were ok...Most wait times were around 30-40 mins (standby lines). I got all the fast passes we wanted when my window opened up. The weather was absolutely beautiful mid to upper 80's. MNSSHP on the 26th was not that crowded, but we were tired from driving down so we only hit one side of the park and we did the candy stations. As we were walking out we caught the second parade on Main Street and the crowd was only 2 or 3 people deep (near the Emporium). I love going that week because it isn't too overly crowded. I have been to WDW for Christmas Week and comparing the two...Halloween is empty compared to Christmas.

 

[jimandami]

We were there that week last year as well and thought the crowds were very manageable...it wasn't January empty but it wasn't bad at all. I would avoid Epcot (World Showcase) on Friday and Saturday, and follow easywdw for planning park days. The Halloween party does get crowded (I expect every party that week to sell out) if you just want to do party specific things such as trick or treat, characters, and the parade/fireworks, but ride lines are very short. We had perfect weather last year as well, although Halloween night and the next couple got a little chilly. If you are looking for something to do on Halloween night, I cannot recommend Ft. Wilderness enough...we did Magic Kingdom for a while during the day and let the girls go to BBB so they could be princesses. We then went to Mickey's Backyard BBQ which was a blast and finally went trick or treating around the RV loops at the campground. It was a great time!!

 

[Kelly014]

We were there that week last year as well and thought the crowds were very manageable...it wasn't January empty but it wasn't bad at all. I would avoid Epcot (World Showcase) on Friday and Saturday, and follow easywdw for planning park days. The Halloween party does get crowded (I expect every party that week to sell out) if you just want to do party specific things such as trick or treat, characters, and the parade/fireworks, but ride lines are very short. We had perfect weather last year as well, although Halloween night and the next couple got a little chilly. If you are looking for something to do on Halloween night, I cannot recommend Ft. Wilderness enough...we did Magic Kingdom for a while during the day and let the girls go to BBB so they could be princesses. We then went to Mickey's Backyard BBQ which was a blast and finally went trick or treating around the RV loops at the campground. It was a great time!!

This is our plan, I am so excited for it! We are doing the party on the 29th, and then on Halloween day we will do MK and head over to Ft Wilderness for trick or treating. Glad to hear you recommend it