Is Columbus Day a factor in crowds?

[aldisneygrl]

Our family is going to DW Oct. 7th - 12th. The fact that Monday will be Columbus day, will that bring in extra crowds? Maybe it is a non issue, but I want to be prepared.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

Yes.

I would also check on dates for the PGA Tourney (Funai Classic??). IIRC it used to be around that time as well.

 

[flortlebap]

We did Epcot that day in 2004 and it was slightly busier, but to be hoenst it was still relatively empty! Don't do MK that day, aim for Epcot if at all possible.

Of course Epcot was EMPTY in the afternoon in 2004 - but that probably had something to do with the fact that it was hit by a tropical storm and most of the attractions were closed!

 

[aldisneygrl]

Thanks MinnieGirl33. I checked and the Funai Classic isn't until the end of the month. Do you think the crowds will be as heavy as summertime? Will they be manageable?

I have my DH, DS 13, and DD 8 coming with me. It is DD first time to DW. She is very excited, but not very patient when it comes to lines.

 

[offkilterfan]

Yes there will be some crowds, plus some schools have their fall break in early October. We were there last year over Columbus Day weekend and we were surprised at the crowds. It did thin out Monday afternoon. Also, the Food and Wine Festival is going on at Epcot, which is very nice. The Funai Classic is the following week, so I don't think that will have any impact on your trip. Enjoy your trip!

 

[MinnieGirl33]

Anytime there is a 3 day weekend you will typically see an influx of FL residents. Not crowds like summer just heavier than usual for fall.

I agree EP is the place to be on any holiday as it is more spread out, walkways are wider, etc. Probably has the same # of people it just feels different.

We were down during the golf tourney twice. MK closed to capacity one day (granted that was several years back). I think the MK area ends up most affected.

You should be fine by Tuesday. Weather is great that time of year too.

Enjoy!

 

[aldisneygrl]

Yes there will be some crowds, plus some schools have their fall break in early October. We were there last year over Columbus Day weekend and we were surprised at the crowds. It did thin out Monday afternoon. Also, the Food and Wine Festival is going on at Epcot, which is very nice. The Funai Classic is the following week, so I don't think that will have any impact on your trip. Enjoy your trip!

offkilterfan, Since you have recently been at this time, maybe you can give me some feedback.

We are leaving AL Friday as soon as the kids get out of school. Fall Break!

We plan to drive to the GA/FL border that night. We don't plan to check the kids out any earlier because we would just run into worse traffic in ATL. Used to live there, know what it's like on a Friday night.

We will drive the rest of the way on Saturday, and will get to WDW by late morning. I figured we would go to MK first since it is DD's first trip. It is open until 11:00 that night. I figured we would have plenty of time to see most everything.

We have an ADR at CM's Sunday AM. Thought we would go to Epcot since we could ride the monorail, but am rethinking that since it was recommended doing that on Monday, due to the holiday.

I have also read that you should avoid the parks that have the EMH due to them being extra crowded. I like the fact that MK would be open until midnight on the 8th. We could do anything that we didn't get done on Saturday.

I've thought about going to AK on Sunday, after CM's. DS really wants to ride EE, but we won't be able to get there until lunchtime due to the time of our ADR at CM's. Would all the FP's be gone by lunch? Maybe we should go to MGM instead.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[offkilterfan]

aldisneygrl--MK on Sat was very crowded. We went to a couple parks and then to MK at 7:30 pm and there was a line to get into the park, which shocked us. Once we were inside, it was very crowded. It was comparable to the summertime crowds. I'm not sure how early it started to get crowded.

We were at a wedding Sunday, so can't comment on the parks. A group of 12 of us went to Epcot Monday afternoon and everything was fine. Then 10 of us went to MK Tuesday and with the use of fastpass and "lucky timing" we did everything we wanted to. Only suggestion I have is to make ADR's for the first couple of days because it will be more crowded. We (5 people) had ADR's for MK(Tues) and the other 5 didn't think it was necessary and they couldn't get into any sit-down restaurants. As for EMH vs non-EMH days, I think it is personal preference--we don't really follow the EMH schedule, so we sometimes end up at parks on the EMH days without even knowing it. In the summer it probably is more important.

As for AK and EE--it wasn't open yet, but from what most people are saying there is a chance the fastpasses being gone by lunch. It's going to be hit or miss. We will be there the week after you, so if you get the opportunity, please let me know if you went to AK after lunch and if there were any fastpasses still available.

Hope some of this helps you out. If you have any further questions, please send me a PM.

 

[makinorlando]

Orange County schools have "fall break" on the Oct 12th and 13th. I know there will be two more people there than normally would not be they are week days.... DD & me!

 

[Evad]

We have been there on the Columbus day weekend before and found only a slight increase in numbers. The parks were more then manageable. We did AK on the Monday and MGM on the Sunday.

 

[aldisneygrl]

Well we should avoid the Orange County Fall break since we will be leaving on the 12th.

The only ADR we are doing is Chef Mickey's since we don't have the DDP. My family is made up of very picky eaters. My DH and I decided it wasn't worth it for our family. I have printed off the menus from allearsnet, and I am not going to waste money on expensive meals that they aren't going to eat anyway.

My DD is so excited about the grilled cheese at the ASM Food Court. Since we are staying in the Family Suites, we can eat breakfast there, and then eat at a CS for lunch, then off property (possibly) for dinner.

I think sometimes you can get too much information, and I think I am there now. I have the Unofficial Guide, and have read touringplans, and have tried to pick the best days to go, but you can't avoid everything. I guess if it gets unbearable we can always go back and swim.

I just can't imagine that we can't get the major things done at MK on Sat. or Sun. due to the fact that it will be open until 11:00 pm on Sat. and 12:00 am on Sunday. That is 10:00 and 11:00, our body time.

If we don't get it all done, we will just have to come back.

 

[willise]

AS a Canadian, planning a trip over our Thanksgiving week, I didn't realize this was also Columbus day

So any information in this thread would be very useful to us!