Just Back from trip 10/11-10/14

[IBLarsen]

We just got back last night from 4 full days in the parks 10/11-10/14. And my oh my was it busy!!! Keeping an eye on the boards leading up to the trip had already led me to believe that this fall season has been busy already. I wasn't quite prepared however for this weekends crowds! Crazy! This weekend was on par with Thanksgiving crowds and worse than summer crowds.
We had rain our first day, Thursday. We started in DCA on a non- mm/ee morning. Even with the rain, and lining up for security 40 min before opening, we of course tried to head straight to Carsland, which RSR was down I believe someone said they won't run it in the rain. Carsland in general was wall to wall people. By the time we learned the ride was down, the line for fast pass was so long, the CM said it would take over an hour to get fp at that point. I opted not to. The ride didn't open up before we left DCA in late afternoon. I have to say, when we finally rode RSR on Saturday, it was amazing! It is worth all the hype! Disney has done a wonderful job with Carsland and Buena Vista Street. DCA is quite impressive now. (And I liked it just fine before the changes).
We still had a great time, of course! We did the Halloween Party on Friday night (the 12th), and it was very busy, as well, but lots of fun.
Friday morning was the least crowded of our trip and we got a lot of rides done on the DL side.
Saturday night we watched Fantasmic, and tried to get a spot at 7:00 for the 9:00 showing, and at 7, all the good spots were already taken. We have never had a problem getting a good spot 2 hours early in the past.
Sunday was the CHOC walk and the crowds were insane all day!

 

[LILOLO]

Thanks for the warning about the crowds! We are headed to DL for a 4 day trip this weekend (10/19-22) and was wondering about the crowd level.

We will be doing carsland for the first time, so glad you said RSR is worth it!!

Other than the rain, how was the weather temperature-wise?

Thanks, and glad you had a good trip!

 

[Tenuviel]

I'm nervous about the crowds! The whole point of picking the week we did was for the lower crowd level, otherwise I might as well have waited for the Christmas decorations...Oh well! I will be at Disneyland, so no complaining!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I'm glad you had a good time despite the crowds - I'm really hoping for fewer people next week, we're there Tue-Thu!

 

[IBLarsen]

Weather wise, we had a mixed bag! On Thurs, with the rain it was chilly, needed jeans and light jacket. Friday was still chilly for the morning, but warmer mid day, and that night during the halloween party, I had the kids in pants and long sleeve shirts, and I was fine in jeans and tshirt still until 10:00 when we left. Sat started chilly again, I think that is typical from what I remember in past trips, it seems to be chilly mornings and evenings, but warms nicely for the afternoon. By Sunday, it was hot! Not too hot, but hot enough to sweat, and I was wearing Capris, wishing I had shorts like the rest of my family

As for the crowds, I LOVE halloween time at Disneyland! We went during Thanksgiving last year and when I'm spending all days outside, I personally prefer the warmer weather. So to me it was still worth it to go in October with the crowds, rain and all, but it helps to have some idea of what to expect. We weren't quite expecting the crowds to be so heavy, so it seemed more irritating at the moment. Where as going during Thanksgiving week, we went into it with the expectation of crowds, so planned accordingly.
So hopefully hearing about the crowds helps others to have slightly more realistic expectations