Kicking the tires on a potential late September/early October trip.

[Jafar30]

I've been thinking about making a return trip to WDW/Universal after about a ten year absence. Just wondering if it's a good time to go down there. I would imagine with schools mostly being back it's not as crowded. And I know Food and Wine is usually going on. As is the Halloween events(but I don't really care about those)

 

[SgtTibbs]

The Touringplans calendar shows it as a good time to go crowd wise, but I can't vouch for how accurate that is of course.
Mickey's Halloween party means the Magic Kingdom closes early several times a week so watch for that in your planning
Toy Storyland will be open, and Pandora is worth a look.
Overall, I don't know that there is every really "down time" anymore. But it should be a better time than when school's are out.

 

[DFII]

October has been more crowded in the last couple years. Late September is a better bet. If you can do first week after Labor Day you’ll be looking at some of the lowest crowds of the year.

 

[sponica]

Granted my info is out of date, I was down in late Sept/early Oct 2014. The crowds were decent during the week but definitely more crowded on the weekend (we still ate/drank our way around the world....)

 

[ars0525]

Disney has pretty much done away with "slow" times. Weekends in the fall will be busy...especially at Food & Wine. Weekdays are pretty good though. Just have a good plan (and a few back ups if you need to change on the fly) & enjoy your trip! As always if there is anything you REALLY want to do, make sure you book it reserve it whatever in advance.

 

[loves to dive]

I've been going in Sept. for about 6 years now, sometimes early in the month, sometimes late. I really haven't noticed the crowd levels being any different but I'm pretty immune to crowds. I go for F&W and while I do go to the other parks, it's usually just in the mornings or late evenings, most days are spent at F&W.

 

[Davey Jones II]

Crowds are supposed to be decent, but the heat/humidity can be nearly as bad as summer.

 

[tex1989]

Be aware of Jersey Week if it's October, not that it's a bad time just more crowded. F&W is really heavy but it is mostly at Epcot. ADR's can be difficult if you have your heart set on something specific, but otherwise it's not bad.

 

[Jafar30]

Thanks everyone. And I realize I’m in the Disney theme park section. But is Universal about the same crowd wise?

 

[JerseyJanice]

Be aware of Jersey Week if it's October, not that it's a bad time just more crowded. F&W is really heavy but it is mostly at Epcot. ADR's can be difficult if you have your heart set on something specific, but otherwise it's not bad.

Jersey week is in November, and it doesn’t have a huge impact on park then.

I’ll be the bad tire and tell you that we went in early October in 2016 and mid September in 2017. The crowds were insane, and the hurricanes impacted both trips.

MNSSHP 3 or 4 nights a week is a real drag on your ability to enjoy the MK. You have to hightail it out of the MK early on party nights, and it’s packed to the rafters on non-party days.

I am done going in September and October for many, many years.

 

[Micca]

the heat/humidity can be nearly as bad as summer.

Absolutely! It may officially be "Fall" but it's still very hot all through September and most of October. We've been going in early November and it's still quite warm.

 

[SarahC97]

I would avoid October -- it's busy. September is a better bet, but it's still going to be more crowded than you probably remember, so just prepare for crowds no matter when you go. I know people say it often on here, but there's truly no low crowd times anymore like there used to be even just three or four years ago.

 

[SarahC97]

Jersey week is in November, and it doesn’t have a huge impact on park then.

I’ll be the bad tire and tell you that we went in early October in 2016 and mid September in 2017. The crowds were insane, and the hurricanes impacted both trips.

MNSSHP 3 or 4 nights a week is a real drag on your ability to enjoy the MK. You have to hightail it out of the MK early on party nights, and it’s packed to the rafters on non-party days.

I am done going in September and October for many, many years.

I totally agree with you. I'm done with October. Then again, we tried late January/early February this year and it was nuts!

 

[Davey Jones II]

Absolutely! It may officially be "Fall" but it's still very hot all through September and most of October. We've been going in early November and it's still quite warm.

The weather in late October is comfortable. Last year, we were there from 18/10-4/11, and the first several days were actually cool, and downright chilly in the evenings. But that was unusual. Early or mid-October can be sweltering.

As for the crowds, yes it was busy but we found it manageable. As they say on these boards, having a good touring plan helps a lot. One key was to visit the MK on party days.