How are crowds on/around Halloween?

[BensWife]

I am a teacher, and found out I will be moving schools next year. The new school I will be moving to has a fall break during the 2 weeks around Halloween! Yea! We are so excited to have the possibility of going to WDW during a school break when it isn't crazy busy like Christmas or insanely hot like the summer. That being said, how are the crowds/weather at that time? I am thinking there must be other schools that have a fall break too. We did a vacation in 2013 in June during SWW and it was very busy and hot. We are hoping it will be cooler and not as busy. Also, if you were there for the actual day of Halloween, did your kids miss regular trick-or-treating at home? I know they have the special Halloween parties and all, but those are pretty expensive, and I'm not sure my kids will be able to stay up that long anyway. Any other pointers or things to note about a Halloween trip? Thanks.

 

[brittbrat63]

We were there last Halloween (a few days before and after) and it really wasn't all too busy. Many rides had posted 15-20 minute waits but were walk on, with the exception of headliners like Space Mountain, 7 Dwarfs Mine Train and Peter Pan's Flight. Many times we were able to grab extra FP's, including one for Anna and Elsa!

It was hot but really nothing too bad. 85-90 most days with the nights cooling off.

We did attend the Halloween party and it's something we wouldn't miss. Boo to You is one of the best parades we've ever seen. The music is catchy and the character's costumes are cute. We were also fans of the Hocus Pocus stage show and the fireworks. We did trick or treat a bit but it wasn't our priority. We focused on meeting rare characters like Jack Skellington and all 7 dwarfs. Many people left the party after the fireworks at 10 PM, just like a regular park night so after that ride lines were practically walk on.

There's also the Halloween decorations up around the Magic Kingdom which I personally love.

Don't forget during this time is also Epcot's Food and Wine Festival so Epcot on the weekend is very busy. The kiosks sure are fun to snack around though and try things that we can't get closer to home.

Overall, Halloween is a great time to go!

 

[Travis B]

We visited last Halloween, too. I'll echo PP that it was a really nice time to go - I was hoping the weather would be a little bit cooler but it was OK until our last few days where the heat and humidity started to get to me. Apparently it was unseasonably warm, though. We also did MNSSHP and really liked it, even though it was kind of gross and rainy on our party night. Crowds were manageable. We had Free Dining which was awesome. We were there also there late April/Early May of last year and while the spring weather was better, crowd-wise it was pretty much the same - at least as much as I can remember. Again echoing PP, it's a nice time of year to go.

 

[bbak30]

We were there from October 23-31 last year.
I didn't find the crowds bad, but we are fans of rope drop and use hoppers. We also close down parks, so we get a lot done that way.

I thought it was HOT, much more so than I expected for sure. Not middle of summer hot, but we could wear shorts for sure.

My kids were girls were going to be able to trick or treat on Halloween, we were set to get home around noon the day of. But bad weather was predicted and they moved it to Friday night, so we missed it at home. We did do the Halloween party and we LOVED it. They really loved trick or treating in Magic Kingdom. I would highly recommend it if there is any way you can swing it. Personally, I wouldn't have my kids miss trick or treating. They look forward to it! We were bummed that we missed it last year, but since they got to trick or treat in MK they were ok!

 

[pmaurer74]

We went last year and thought the crowds were low. We did the resort activities on Halloween itself and went to the party on Nov. 1. We had a great time. it was hot though.

 

[bwang123]

Also, if you were there for the actual day of Halloween, did your kids miss regular trick-or-treating at home? I know they have the special Halloween parties and all, but those are pretty expensive, and I'm not sure my kids will be able to stay up that long anyway. Any other pointers or things to note about a Halloween trip? Thanks.

We went on Halloween day in 2013 to WDW and the kids loved trick-or-treating there more than at home. All of the activities, including the parade make it a much more memorable experience than in our neighborhood (even though our neighborhood does it up with haunted houses, etc). Last year, we went to the Halloween party at Disneyland on one of the days leading up to Halloween and the kids were satisfied with only trick or treating that day instead of on actual Halloween.