Last minute trip

[Gzub1003]

Hey I am thinking about booking a last minute trip from Sept 26th to Oct 2nd. Wanted to get thoughts on crowd levels. I know its slow right now from what I have been reading and with the 50th being on Oct 1st I expect the MK and Epcot to be crazy on that day but I am ok with staying away from those 2 parks that day. (Saying they have no park availability anyway it isn't really a choice haha) just wanted to get other people's thoughts. Thanks for any advice you guys Have

 

[Marionnette]

Hey I am thinking about booking a last minute trip from Sept 26th to Oct 2nd. Wanted to get thoughts on crowd levels. I know its slow right now from what I have been reading and with the 50th being on Oct 1st I expect the MK and Epcot to be crazy on that day but I am ok with staying away from those 2 parks that day. (Saying they have no park availability anyway it isn't really a choice haha) just wanted to get other people's thoughts. Thanks for any advice you guys Have

I think that you will find that even HS and AK will feel more crowded starting on 9/29 and especially on 10/1 because people will book what they can get and attempt to hop to MK or Epcot after 2 PM.

QS and food courts will be extremely busy and mobile ordering early will be essential. Bring snacks into the parks to tide yourself over.

If you're staying onsite, expect buses, monorails and boats to be packed on 10/1. If you're offsite or driving your own vehicle expect traffic to increase significantly as the weekend approaches. Parking lot trams are still not running as of today. Plan to walk a good distance even before you pass thru the park gates.

Overall, I think the festive atmosphere should outweigh the negatives. Just approach the visit with tempered expectations. My best trips were always the last-minute ones.

 

[Eastern]

Nothing wrong with it but you could probably go other times that are cheaper and less crowded.

 

[Gzub1003]

Thanks for the advise. My debate was now or January or February. I can get dirt cheap air fare that week so that's why I was leaning there. Plus newer have done a last minute trip and everyone says that have the most fun doing it. My biggest wildcard would be my almost 3 year old son and him being patient in long lines. Which is why I am hesitant if it's going to be really crowded.

 

[NashvilleMama]

I was going to say "go for it!" until I saw "almost 3 year old son." I really think it's going to be insanely crowded - which could be fun, but also could be a nightmare. Do you go to the parks often so there aren't a lot of must do rides/attractions? Or will you feel like you need to milk the park days and do as much as possible? If you can go in with a light agenda and just take in the celebration, it could absolutely be fun.

 

[Marionnette]

Thanks for the advise. My debate was now or January or February. I can get dirt cheap air fare that week so that's why I was leaning there. Plus newer have done a last minute trip and everyone says that have the most fun doing it. My biggest wildcard would be my almost 3 year old son and him being patient in long lines. Which is why I am hesitant if it's going to be really crowded.

With a 3-year-old, I would want to avoid the big crowds, although Touring Plans is not predicting insane wait times for the first 3 days of your visit. January or February might be a more relaxing time for you to visit. And by then Genie+ should be available to purchase if you want to skip standby lines one or two days out of your visit.

 

[Gzub1003]

Yea so hard to decide. We haven't been there in a few years but our realistic that is may be crazy towards the end of the week. Just one other thought and I appreciate your guys time with all this. Do you think things would calm down at any point in October?

 

[Marthasor]

Yea so hard to decide. We haven't been there in a few years but our realistic that is may be crazy towards the end of the week. Just one other thought and I appreciate your guys time with all this. Do you think things would calm down at any point in October?

We are going the week after the actual 50th celebration in the hopes that crowds will diminish a little. We leave just as the Columbus Day weekend crowds will, most likely, roll in. I would probably try to avoid Oct. 1, Columbus Day weekend and Halloween weekend. IMHO, I would probably wait until January/February (again, avoid holidays and any runDisney weekends). The 50th celebration will still be in full swing and you will most likely find lower crowds.