Med/low crowd levels, but shorter park hours - touring tips?

[Mikie]

Of course there are many trade offs traveling in "off" times. We are going in October and wondering whether some of the tips about ride times shortening closer to park close are valid that time of year when we'll have some park close times of 5p, 7p, 9p, and not be in the parks when close is more like 10, 12am, 1am.

Maybe crowd levels of 3-6 have reasonable waits anyway, but will I likely still find waits shortening closer to park close?

 

[JennyDrake]

This isn't what you asked, but I would put October crowds at 6-7; VERY few times of year see low crowds as we used to know them. Many schools have a fall break in October and don't forget year round schools. F&W will really pull the locals into Epcot on weekends.

If there are EMH pm hours, I don't find the ride lines to decrease significantly as park closing nears.

 

[Ariel on Land]

This isn't what you asked, but I would put October crowds at 6-7; VERY few times of year see low crowds as we used to know them. Many schools have a fall break in October and don't forget year round schools. F&W will really pull the locals into Epcot on weekends. If there are EMH pm hours, I don't find the ride lines to decrease significantly as park closing nears.

Agreed. Our trip last Oct had the heaviest crowds we had ever seen compared to April, Nov, and Sept.

 

[Mikie]

Agreed. Our trip last Oct had the heaviest crowds we had ever seen compared to April, Nov, and Sept.

All the more critical, then. . . Did you use a touring plan or know the predicted crowd levels before your Oct trip? Do you think they underestimated? And did you find that parks experience any shortening of lines toward the end of regular park hours? (We're not planning to take advantage of EMH - we're avoiding parks on those days in hopes of lighter overall crowds)

 

[Mikie]

This isn't what you asked, but I would put October crowds at 6-7; VERY few times of year see low crowds as we used to know them. Many schools have a fall break in October and don't forget year round schools. F&W will really pull the locals into Epcot on weekends.

If there are EMH pm hours, I don't find the ride lines to decrease significantly as park closing nears.

Thanks - it's my kids' fall break week and I keep equating it with a late sept trip 4 years ago that was also their fall break at the time - we used to be a "year round" school so fall break was generally pretty different from other schools. Our calendar has now changed and more schools have added fall breaks, so I really need to try to change expectations it sounds like!

 

[ZoZo]

I have been on five October trips. With the shorter hours, I did not follow the often-given advice of taking an afternoon break. You'll read that tip over and over on the DIS - but to me, it doesn't make sense in the off-season, when the parks are usually open until 9:00 at the latest. By the time you leave the park, go back to the resort, rest/swim, and travel back to the parks, it eats up at least three hours (if not more).

Instead, I nearly always got to the parks before official opening time, and if I needed a break from the heat (which can be pretty oppressive in October!), I just went on air-conditioned attractions, and also ate in air-conditioned restaurants. I'm pretty much a rope-drop-until-closing person. The only exception is when I get super hot and sweaty - then I might go back to the hotel for a quick shower and change of clothes - but then right back to the parks.

 

[wendybeth75]

I think the crowds vary drastically from the first week of October to the second week. We went last year the first week with light crowds, I had some friends of mine the next county over go the next week and she reported hour long waits on rides we had 5-15 minute waits on.

 

[Mikie]

I think the crowds vary drastically from the first week of October to the second week. We went last year the first week with light crowds, I had some friends of mine the next county over go the next week and she reported hour long waits on rides we had 5-15 minute waits on.

Oh, wendybeth, I'm going to try to pretend I didn't hear that I really have no choice due to school schedules, but I totally thought of my great "fall" trip in late sept a few years ago, and sure enough our fall break now falls in the 2nd/3rd week of October (12-18 including Columbus Day). I'll swallow my temporary disappointment and having the right expectations will make it all go better, right?