Help me decide on trip dates

[Wikker24]

Completely stumped for our next trip dates, so I thought I’d ask for feedback from the dis experts because this forum has helped me make the most out of all our trips. I bought the tickets (5-day park hoppers with MP) and thought we’d go September 8-14 but I get a little anxious feeling like we will end up being there the first week of Halloween parties and I had that happen in 2017 and don’t need a redo. Halloween party nights mean my ph is useless and we end up leaving Non party park early because it’s crowded. But if I go at the beginning of September will space be out of commission for the Halloween edition?! For September I thought either the 1-10 or the 8th-14? Or do I skip September all together and plan for some time in November? If you were going in November and had 5 park days but 9 nights in total what time frame would you choose? I frequently see these date inquiries and always think anytime is a good time to go, but now that it’s probably our last trip to Disney for awhile I’m going to overthink everything... thank you in advance.

 

[smartlabelprint]

We were there November 3rd weekend 2019 for dapper days. Good crowd levels. Who knows how ROTR will affect it now.

Last year they didn’t do a Halloween overlay for Space.

 

[Wikker24]

We were there November 3rd weekend 2019 for dapper days. Good crowd levels. Who knows how ROTR will affect it now.

Last year they didn’t do a Halloween overlay for Space.

Kind of mildly panicking because I feel like prices are going to go way up when the avengers campus opens and the ROTR crowds look insane. Beginning of November might be a good idea. Thank you for the response.

 

[mel2014]

Following your post because I am looking at similar dates in September. I'm looking for the sweet spot between when the Halloween decorations and ride overlays are up and before the parties start. Based on the last couple of years, the 9th to 13th seemed like good dates for that. But in those years, that was a full week after Labor Day. This year, with Labor Day so late, I'm wondering when Halloween decor and the parties will start. And then I realized that the CHOC walk is on Sunday the 13th, when I was thinking we would go to the parks for a few hours before hopping on the short flight home. But the parks won't open until 10 that day, making that almost a wasted park day. So then I was looking at the 8th to 12th but wondering if that's too soon after Labor Day. We've never been during Halloween and definitely want to see the decorations, but the hotels seem to start getting more expensive later into fall and the parties cut short the hours.

 

[Wikker24]

but those hotels seem to start getting more expensive later into fall and the parties cut short the hours.

this is my dilemma.... I’m trying to book 8 or 9 nights in a hotel to avoid the let down of being corralled into an overstuffed park while the parties are happening. It’s happened to me twice and I just want to avoid it again but I don’t think I can afford to wait for much longer to book. September 1-10 looks appealing but so does the first week of November.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Does Holiday Time appeal to you at all? Those decorations are wonderful and there are no holiday parties at DLR like there are at WDW. So both parks stay open regular hours. Holiday Time usually starts on the second Friday of November. Any rides with holiday overlays (e.g. HMH, IASWH) should be up and running. And November is much less crowded than December!

 

[mel2014]

FYI, I went back and looked at the past several years to try and discern a pattern to the start of Halloween and the parties.

2019: Halloween start Friday 9/6, party start 9/17
2018: Halloween start Friday 9/7, party start 9/19
2017: Halloween start Friday 9/15, party start 9/20
2016: Halloween start Friday 9/9, party start 9/23
2015: Halloween start Friday 9/11, party start 9/25
2014: Halloween start Friday 9/12, party start 9/26

Based on this, my speculation would be that Halloween decorations/overlays will start on Friday 9/11 this year, with the parties starting no earlier than the 16th or 17th, in which case you would be good for your dates. The Marriott has a helpful "flexible reservation" tool on its booking site and the week of Labor Day (starting on Sunday even) is showing as one of the lowest priced weeks in the fall, which leads me to believe that there's less demand that week. Assuming that Halloween starts on 9/11, I'm thinking I will stick with my original plan of 9/9 to 9/13 so we get two full days of Halloween time and live with the CHOC walk crowds on 9/13

 

[Wikker24]

Does Holiday Time appeal to you at all? Those decorations are wonderful and there are no holiday parties at DLR like there are at WDW. So both parks stay open regular hours. Holiday Time usually starts on the second Friday of November. Any rides with holiday overlays (e.g. HMH, IASWH) should be up and running. And November is much less crowded than December!

I was mulling around the beginning of November and was hoping for a positive insight on the parks. Thank you. We’ve done September, October, January, and July. November would be a new experience for us. The only downside being no mlb in November and my dudes are really hoping to see a game

FYI, I went back and looked at the past several years to try and discern a pattern to the start of Halloween and the parties.

2019: Halloween start Friday 9/6, party start 9/17
2018: Halloween start Friday 9/7, party start 9/19
2017: Halloween start Friday 9/15, party start 9/20
2016: Halloween start Friday 9/9, party start 9/23
2015: Halloween start Friday 9/11, party start 9/25
2014: Halloween start Friday 9/12, party start 9/26

Based on this, my speculation would be that Halloween decorations/overlays will start on Friday 9/11 this year, with the parties starting no earlier than the 16th or 17th, in which case you would be good for your dates. The Marriott has a helpful "flexible reservation" tool on its booking site and the week of Labor Day (starting on Sunday even) is showing as one of the lowest priced weeks in the fall, which leads me to believe that there's less demand that week. Assuming that Halloween starts on 9/11, I'm thinking I will stick with my original plan of 9/9 to 9/13 so we get two full days of Halloween time and live with the CHOC walk crowds on 9/13

Amazing info. Thank you so much for your response. I appreciate it. Hopefully there are no huge refurbs planned for then either.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I was mulling around the beginning of November and was hoping for a positive insight on the parks. Thank you. We’ve done September, October, January, and July. November would be a new experience for us. The only downside being no mlb in November and my dudes are really hoping to see a game...

For the beginning of Nov., IASW will be down for the installation of the holiday overlay. It will come back up as IASWH on the first day of Holiday Time. Other refurbs? Can't know until they get announced -- but IASW goes down at that time every year. Would your dudes like a hockey game? There might be something going on at the Honda Center at that time.