How crowded when HMH & SM open for Halloween?

[94bruin]

Our trip overlaps the first weekend of the HMH & SM overlays. Just wondering how crowded Fri, Sat & Sun will be. I notice that only the Southern Cal APs are blocked out. Will Friday be crazy? I'm sure Saturday will be - which is why we're taking it easy that day (late morning.)

SM is my favorite ride, so I'm sort of bummed that it's closed during the slow part of our week (we're there WEd-Sun).

 

[disneynerd420]

It is really hard to predict crowds in this situation since this will be the first year they are doing a SM halloween overlay. We will not know how popular it will be until we experience it. I've been wondering this too. I arrive on the 25th of sept. My first day will be the first official day of the halloween season.

 

[LavenderPeach]

If you think that Saturday will be crazy (which it may or may not be) then you should think about going there first thing in the morning instead of taking it easy and getting there late. Locals are notorious for not getting there at opening but will show up around 11 or 12. And besides the locals, I think there are a lot of other people who don't realize the importance of getting there first thing in the morning so the crowds are really quite a bit lower at that time. You can get SO much done, even on a crazy day, in the morning if you're there when the park opens.

My sister and I went to DLR on New Years Day last year and we walked on to all the rides for the first few hours. Then it started to get pretty crowded in the afternoon but we had to leave then anyway so we missed the really big crowds.

 

[94bruin]

If you think that Saturday will be crazy (which it may or may not be) then you should think about going there first thing in the morning instead of taking it easy and getting there late.

Well, since it'll be day 4 of our trip, I'm not sure the other members of my party will be too keen on waking up for the 7 am MM or even 8 am rope drop. We do plan on waking early Wed-Fri - although Friday we're doing a character breakfast.

 

[Lynzer Torte]

We'll be then there too.

There's really no way to predict- we can only hope!

 

[Eeee-va]

Is it possible that SM might have "soft openings" a day or two early, or is 9/25 a hard date?

The HMH will be busy enough, but I'd bet money that SM will be insane. Regular standby wait times regularly surpass 60 minutes during the summer, and FPs can easily be all gone by 2 PM. This will be a 5-week (or so) promotion, so there won't be any saying "Hey, I can see it in a couple months, once the crowds die down". Locals in particular seem to love to visit an attraction as soon as it opens, and having one that is in a limited timeframe will just exacerbate that. I'm not trying to exaggerate or stir up concern, and hopefully FP will keep things from getting as crazy (though you'd definitely want to snag those early in the morning). If not for FP then I'd think there would almost certainly be lines going down Main Street...even with it, I wouldn't be surprised if that happened.

Isn't Friday the scheduled opening? If so, I would definitely arrive at the park early on Friday, as a lot of locals will be working that day but showing up later in the afternoon or evening. If you are hoping to ride SM multiple times, then I'd personally even CONSIDER bucking traditional logic and using MM on Saturday or even Sunday, so you can have a better chance of doing SM more times without as crazy of waits, and a way to get into the park before the crowds set in. If you're by SM right before the park opens to the public, you can even get a FP before the crowds reach it! And even if you arrive at MM 10 minutes before the park opens (though I do NOT recommend that as a strategy!!!!), you'll get in without a line, while there could be some pretty darned long lines to get into the park through the regular entrances.

At any rate, yes, I would definitely arrive early every day if there is any way in the world to manage it, especially if SM is a high priority. The HMH might be a bit problematic but it offers FP and is high-capacity, and will be running through Christmas, so locals/regular visitors shouldn't be quite as crazy about it, IMO.

 

[fairycat]

Helpful tips get to SM fast and get a FP as early as you can and maybe see how the line is early and get a ride in then. SM does not tend to get better as the day goes on.

HMH is always packed it seems earlier in the day. I find that as the evening goes on the HM, in either state tends to get a shorter and shorter line. In fact some nights we all but walked on. Part of this is the fast loading nature and many ride early in the day.

I also agree look for a possible soft opening as that could help you get in even more rides!