Mid or late October? - ETA***make that early Oct?

[tmfranlk]

Well, I've decided to go with the "variety is the spice of life plan"
and rotate trip months for a while. That means we will now be going in
October this year. Yippee, that's 6 weeks earlier (though I am
disappointed that I will miss MouseFest). However, I have no idea
about crowds in October except to avoid Columbus Day (right?).

The Unofficial Guide lists Halloween week as slightly slower than the
rest of the month. That sounds good to me, but what about MNSSHP? Are
the crowds at the party much heavier towards the end of the month?
Will the Food and Wine Festival be okay crowd wise if we're there in
the middle of it's run?

I am open to any and all October advice. That is one time of year that
I have never been.

Thanks!

ETA: Okay, just got to realizing that mid-late Oct is value season. We could save $150 if we arrive by 10/5 so let's revise my question. How is the first of October? (If anyone has answers for the original mid-late question, please feel free to answer as well for the others who have posted looking at that time frame.)
Thanks again!!!

 

[Tinkerbell_Girl]

I am wondering this as well. I will be going to WDW either the 1,2, or 3 weekend in Oct. for the F&W fest.

 

[Scottish-Helen]

We last went in October 2002 (and it was really really quiet) but I have kept my eye on what people have said about crowd levels since then as my husbands birthday is at the very end of October so it is a time we would always think about going.

It seems to be that it is a busier month than it used to be with Disney doing all sorts of promotions. We are going right at the very end next year from 28th (DH's birthday) and the reports seem to be for pretty low crowds at this time of the month. I think the earlier you go the busier it would be. Although MNSSHP will be a sell out at this time I think overall it will be more pleasant.

 

[mattsdragon]

We went mid october in '04, crowds weren't bad at all. The food and wine festival was going on.

 

[mcgrawfan]

We just went at the end of October and the crowds and weather were perfect excpet one day of rain . We went to MNSSHP on Sunday October 30 and it was pretty busy. If you do MNSSHP, I would avoid directly around Halloween and the weekend.

 

[lrathslag]

We took our first trip to WDW this past October (10/30 - 11/5) with our three kids (9, 7, and 4 years old) and it was great! I thought the crowds were fine. We did MNSSHP on Halloween night and we thought it was not crowded at all and so fun. We literally walked on all of the rides, which made it nice because then when we went back to Magic Kingdom later on during the week we could just ride our favorites again. We did think it was a bit crowded on the final Saturday and Sunday we were there but we heard due to the hurricane that took place the week before we left, quite a few people rescheduled to the following weekend that we were there. We stayed at the Beach Club (awesome!) and had a fabulous time. I'd be happy to answer any more questions you have.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

I'd like to sub, too. We are planning on 1st or 2nd week of Oct for MNSSHP trip. Would love any more info about the crowds.

 

[dismom9761]

I am looking for all the info I can get too.We are going 10/2-9.I know that weekend is Columbus weekend but I am hoping for low crowds in the beginning of the week.

 

[tmfranlk]

I am looking for all the info I can get too.We are going 10/2-9.I know that weekend is Columbus weekend but I am hoping for low crowds in the beginning of the week.

My thinking (and hope ) is that we will see good crowd levels until Saturday. I am planning to hit all of the most important things before Sat the 7th. Then on Sat and any park time we have on Sun, just catching some favorites, shows and fireworks.

 

[dismom9761]

My thinking (and hope ) is that we will see good crowd levels until Saturday. I am planning to hit all of the most important things before Sat the 7th. Then on Sat and any park time we have on Sun, just catching some favorites, shows and fireworks.

That is my plan too.Hope it works!

 

[Goofy4]

That sounds good to me, but what about MNSSHP? Are
the crowds at the party much heavier towards the end of the month?
Will the Food and Wine Festival be okay crowd wise if we're there in
the middle of it's run?

We were at MNSSHP on the 26th and the crowds were not a problem.

As for the Food and Wine Festival, can't say for sure. Wilma changed a lot of touring plans I'm sure, but I was surprised at how busy Epcot was by early afternoon.

 

[imatoad]

We were there Oct. '04 and '05, crowds were not bad, but there were crowds. I know that sounds contradictory, but it was far from quiet in all parks. There is a lot going on in Oct., W&F in EPCOT, MNSSHP in MK, the Funai Classic Golf tournament, and Expedition Everest will be relatively new. It's becoming a very popular month, great weather, lots going on, hurricane risk is lower, but it's not Christmas or summer crowded believe me. We'll be there Oct. 1-7 this year, can't wait.

 

[never_enough_pooh]

We have been both the 1st and 2nd week of October.

We found the 2nd week much more crowded, with lines as long as 60 minutes. This was also the week of Columbus day and we found out that a lot of schools in the South have the entire week off (which is probably why the crowds were higher)!

During the first week, we practically walked on everything!

 

[eeyore45]

I"ve responded to this inquiry enough times I almost feel eye rolls from people that have read my response!!

We also took advantage of the last day of value season last year - Oct 4 - 11, and did MNSSHP on the Thursday thinking it would be "less crowded" than the Friday - - I cant imagine it being more crowded!!

Now, that being said, I was under quite a bit of stress - from planning "the perfect" vacation for my parents, and my family... I just didnt anticipate the amount of crowds everwhere, it upset me!! IF I had prepared for crowds, (worse than the 1st week of August 2004) I would have had a better attitude... I made all the ADR's, some getting just the "only available time" which included CRT, and LeCelllier, Food&Wine Party of the Senses... so those drove my scedule more than the "Best DAys"

However, we did use FP, we did get to parks before opening, we did do the list of "major must do's" We did eat extravangatly (thanks to the free dining) I was just no prepared for a 20 min line in the FP lane at BTRR, or Splash Mt, now I was prepared for the lines for Soarin, and we did ride that baby 4 times (all on FP!!) Anytime my mom saw me stressing over the lines, and apologizing, she'd take out her watch and "time" it (that included the line for the bus in the morning, from POR one morning it was atroctious that they sent a bus for DTD at 8:30AM - as well as one for the water parks - while everyone kept strolling up, and the crowd got bigger and bigger for MK... very frustrating for me!!)

So a crowded day in disney is better than sitting at home wishing I was in Disney~!!