Is there still hope that Oct crowds will be lite?

[Luv2Travel]

Hi Kris
I don't know if LaurenS is from the Huntsville area, but I am. Okay, so I'm from Athens , but our schools will be out at the same time (October 6 - 10). See you down there next week!
Jessica

 

[Crazy Kanga]

Hi North Alabama girls, I am from Huntsville and we will be there Oct. 5-10. I know of at least 6 other North Alabama families going around this time. Guess there will be a lot of southern hospitality in the World this October. Maybe we'll see each other. Have fun!

 

[Simba's Girl]

Oh no us "Yanks" are in for it this week! Hope Y'all don't mind the sounds of Boston!

Actually IMHO I can't imagine crowds any worse than during our Honeymoon (December 28-Jan2 1997) or during the times I went as a kid during Winter and April break. I would actually like it to be no worse than when we went last, November 7-12 2000-the other dreaded long weekend in the fall (President's Day, F&W fest AND Super Soap Weekend). I'm hedging a bet that it will be a bit lighter at the start of the week and picking up later on in the week-just in time for us to leave!

The other time of the year I've been was late May/early June which wasn't too bad either, a lot more hot and alot more humid. Also we've been the first week of April too, and I would call those crowds moderate.

See Ya Soon!! Travel Safely

 

[polkadotminnie]

LUV2Travel- sent you a PM. We are staying at HRH too! It sounds like we are neighbors here too.

Crazy Kanga- Are you going to MNSSHP on Oct. 5th? I will post our costumes when I decide for sure. If you see us, say "Hey!".

 

[LaurenS]

polkadotminnie, Luv2Travel, & Crazy Kanga -

Yes, I'm from the Huntsville area. My kids go to the Madison County schools. We'll be down there the week before you (Sep 28 - Oct 5). We'll be sure to check out all the rides and make sure everything is ready for you!

 

[n2mm]

Hi all--I did not read all 3 earlier pages of post, but wanted to respond to the OP.

I just returned from WDW last night and have a trip planned for the end of October. We visited with a friend who works at Dixie Landing (POR) 2 nights ago and she told us that starting in October that the resorts will be at capacity and they are going to be required to work a mandatory 6 days a week. She said that that includes all of October. So folks get ready for the biggest crowds ever for October. She couldn't not believe it and like us finds October to get busier and busier every year. But this year will be the biggest CROWDS ever in October that she has seen and she has worked for the Company for 10 years. Here's a tip....avoid early entry day. We tried it for MK in July and it was a diaster, so we tried it last week at AK and never again. I use to be a big fan of EE, but no more. We did find the parks pretty empty at the non-EE days, but found AK busy most of the time. The attendance was picking up on our last couple of days. We also found the line for ToT to be busy every time we went, but mostly because only one side was open.

 

[johnsonet]

Good point about EE days. Although I WILL be going to MK on EE day - AT OPENING and leaving midday - I think that since the Disney resorts are going to be packed that the EE days will be mob scenes after about 10 or 11am. I think most people traveling to Disney are staying on-site b/c of Fairy Tale Package and AP rates. And everyone on-site qualifies for EE so it will get crowded. I hope it won't be as crowded as I found it during Spring Break right before Easter this year. I think at that time not only were the Disney resorts packed but the off-site hotels as well...at least we aren't all expecting light crowds...maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

[ghost1000]

We are going Oct 3-12th (and we are Huntsvillians also )

I just checked those dates on the Disney Reservation system - Yacht Club, Coranado Springs, and All Star Music are the only ones available for the full stretch.

Although even if all the on property resorts are to capacity the parks can handle that many people easily - it is the off site resorts that it would be interesting to get a guage of...


We took a quick trip over a weekend this summer and it really wasn't that bad even with summer crowds. Fastpass and some general know-how will take care of 90% of the problems crowds can cause.

 

[DrTomorrow]

Originally posted by n2mm
... starting in October that the resorts will be at capacity ... So folks get ready for the biggest crowds ever for October.

I guess that I'm still not convinced that busy on-site resorts means large crowds. If a lot (most?) of those filling the WDW resorts came from off-site locations due to the savings of the FTP, then park attendance might not increase by that much. I agree that it will increase EE crowds.

I'm with ghost1000 - is there any way to determine relative off-site bookings? I've heard that some off-site places have gone belly-up....

 

[madge]

Originally posted by DrTomorrow
I guess that I'm still not convinced that busy on-site resorts means large crowds. If a lot (most?) of those filling the WDW resorts came from off-site locations due to the savings of the FTP, then park attendance might not increase by that much. I agree that it will increase EE crowds.

I'm with ghost1000 - is there any way to determine relative off-site bookings? I've heard that some off-site places have gone belly-up....

I agree--the S/D are booked for 3 days next week, it is due to a large convention...I am sure other Epcot resorts are affected as well. They might be in the parks at night, but they are busy during the day...

One other thing on the crowds for the upcoming weekend-this is the last weekend for the FL "play 4" pass...blackouts start soon, I think.

 

[nowellsl]

We just got back Tues. (9/23). Crowds were the lightest I seen them in a while and we've been a lot this year. Tue. was the most crowded at MGM. Sun. afternoon at Magic Kingdom was super!! We're going back in Oct. (24th) for MNNSHP for the first time. I was hoping the crowds would be about like Sept. but it looks like probably not ...

 

[johnsonet]

I looked online and the brand-new Ritz Carlton Orlando has no availability for my dates Hyatt Grand Cypress seems to have plenty of room...

 

[mcnuss]

Remember that the Ritz is likely to have a conference...

I just ran a search in Expedia for the Disney area for our dates, 10/3-8, and got 13 screens of available hotels. I don't think it's going to be the disaster people are worried about.

 

[polkadotminnie]

LaurenS -Please post a trip report on crowds and if Mickey's Philharmagic is open during MNSSHP (if you go). Also, a weather report would be great! I was trying to decide if long sleeves will be needed for night time. Thanks!

 

[n2mm]

Nowells, we seem to be on the same schedule. We just got back on 9/24 (arrived 9/17) and return on 10/23 (until 11/1). The place was empty at the beginning of our trip, but started getting heavy on Tuesday (23rd) and Wednesday (24th). We went to the AK on Wed. (not the EE day there) and the lines to get in were all of the way to the security tables. I knew we would be in trouble after seeing that. Earlier in the vacation we walked onto everything at AK. Seems the crowds were picking up as the end of September was coming. The resort was also getting very busy (A/S Movies). As my friend at POR said, the resorts are at/near capacity for the entire month of October and she is dreading the 6 day a week mandatory schedule. Of course we will be there. October is becoming a very busy time of year--it seems our secret is out. This is the 8th year in a row for us in October. (though we go about 5 times a year.)

 

[billybaruch1]

What can I say? I have no information about the future. I'm just typing these words to express my opinion that the October crowds will be light to moderate as they always have been. But the new fall breaks for school could slightly impact the first part of the month.

It's been the best time of year to visit and even if that's changed to maybe November, most of us have plans made for this year that we will not be changing. I appreciate the worry that some people have, but in my opinion, until we go and find out for ourselves, it's just alarmist bunk. No offense. I'm only saying we'll see what it's like when we get there. Okay?

 

[jenfur]

I just checked the Disney website and almost all resorts have availability for my dates, so I am not too worried about it.

 

[ScarletIndigo]

[Note to the DIS Board Moderators: It may be wise to post a message somewhere that reading certain DIS postings right before your vacation begins can be very hazardous to your health! ]

Thanks folks, now I'm thoroughly second-guessing my wisdom in choosing Sept 28 - Oct 6 as our vacation dates!

Although here's a bit of GOOD news ... I called up the WDW dining line, and was able to get several prime PS reservations for the exact times I wanted -- and it did it with only THREE days to go before my vacation begins. Hopefully that's a sign that crowds won't be as big an issue as many of us think -- or at least the "crowds in the know" when it comes to making PS reservations will be light(er).

Here's crossing my fingers till Sunday!

 

[DrTomorrow]

Originally posted by billybaruch1
I'm only saying we'll see what it's like when we get there.

What!?! Wait until we get there??? What kind of fresh heresy is this? What is the DIS for, if not to worry about how bad Spring Break 2005 will be, and how many years in advance we need to make CRT ressies? Next you'll be telling us that we can make PS ressies THREE days before our trip!

We agree, though; October either works for people, vacation-wise, or it doesn't. And I like a poster who works the phase "alarmist bunk" into a post!

Note to ScarletIndigo: if you cross your fingers until Sunday, you could get a bad finger cramp!

 

[LaurenS]

Originally posted by polkadotminnie
LaurenS -Please post a trip report on crowds and if Mickey's Philharmagic is open during MNSSHP (if you go). Also, a weather report would be great! I was trying to decide if long sleeves will be needed for night time. Thanks!

I'll be happy to post the information when I get back, but I won't be back until after you've left!

Have a great trip! I have to go and frantically pack!

LaurenS