Need all the tips I can get. Taking my 2 kids to Disney for the first time in October

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I think you can take a photo snapshot of a moment in time on almost any day in the parks and it can look super crowded … but I do remember feeling compelled to take this photo (October, 16, 2022) because in the moment I was feeling really crushed by the crowds that day and I wanted to remind myself what October at Disneyland looks like.

 

[Astylla]

I literally just saw the post mention "October" and "1st time"...and skipped to post here.

PLEASE listen to all the advice above likely echoing to go any moth BUT October. I'm an annual passholder for 10 years and live 6 hours away by car or 1 hr away by flight and I only go to meet up with friends if they are really desperate.

I love Disneyland Halloween and cannot recommend going in early to mid September enough. They usually sell the Oogie Boogie Bash tickets for dates early on in Sept. and you avoid the insanity of October. I personally did two OBB parties last year
( one solo September , one with friends October) and let me tell you the general admission crowd differences a month apart were RIDICULOUS.

Halloween at Disneyland is my absolute favorite and I do coast to coast trips several times a year. That said if October is your only time to go, go EARLY at rope drop , manage expectations and be okay with not doing it all. I have DAS myself and have used Genie Plus as well in tandem to get more done and less downtime but for me as a solo adult it's not a must , YMMV as you know your children and family best

 

[smartlabelprint]

I have one child with ASD and another with other disabilities, including sensory issues. We last went at the end of April 2022. It was challenging. You’ve really got to love Disney to go with kids with special needs. We have gone at least annually, including with the kids (minus covid), for the past 15 years. This last trip, I booked a Disney cruise while we were still there. That being said, when my sibling said they we’re going to Disney after the cruise we tacked on a single park day.

We do not get parkhoppers with our kids. So many people talk about how great and easy it is to pop between parks, it’s one park…. Not for my kids! We have success with a park day, an off day, etc for 4 total park days. (We’ve always done 5, but I just had and our 2024 trip will be only 4 days, they really can’t handle the extra day.) We don’t rope drop, but try to reach the park gates at park opening. We just can’t wait in the rope drop lines and have a successful day.

We take time for snack, potty or quiet every half hour. We spend 2 hours on attractions. Then we eat lunch in the park and walk back to the hotel. The stroller ride to the hotel relaxes and resets them. We head back to the park around 4/5, have dinner in the parks and then take about 2 hours on attractions. We generally don’t stay for fireworks. Some of us did the dessert party and the kids enjoyed that. We bring 5 additional adults with us that help in various capacities. Some tend to wait in lines for us. Two actually help with the kids. One was very helpful with the das ride selection. We don’t need genie+ since the kids generally don’t ride those rides. We stick to what the kids can handle. Lots of fantasyland and food breaks.

Sometimes while waiting for a das ride we’ll do a stroller exit ride.

For us Disneyland isn’t worth it as a budget trip. We can’t spend enough time in the parks without meltdowns to make it “worth it”. We go because we love the atmosphere, and by making necessary accommodations, our kids have come to love the parks.

 

[Gypsybear]

We absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Halloween at Disneyland. We go every October. That said, as others have already mentioned, it can be crazy busy.

Personally, I believe it's because DL does Halloween alot better than WDW. Yes, we've done both, and to us, there's no comparison. Just my opinion, others may differ.

Rope drop, if you plan on rides, is really necessary. You'll be able to get some rides in before many of the locals begin to pack the parks.

As for Park + OBB vs. just OBB? We've done both ways. We enjoyed doing both. Yes, it's a double dip in terms of expense, however, we focused on the rides for most of the day, then when it was party time, we focused strictly on the party, and no rides. With family, that may or may not be do-able. We don't have children, and it's just the 2 of us, so your experience may vary.

Universal will also be crazy busy during October. Yes, we've done that too.

As for hotels, we stay off property approx 4 miles away. It's great to get out of the bubble, and feel a bit normal to "decompress", as it were. We get free parking there, and free breakfast as well. Rates are reasonable, and it's also close to a Target store, as well as other shopping (depending on what you're looking for).

Anyway, just my 2 cents.

 

[kittyklawz]

I echo those who suggest Legoland as an alternative. We went during Halloween time when my son was about 7and he had a great time. There was a costume contest and tons of other stuff to do.

October at DL is crazy.

I would caution that the Jurassic Park ride might be a bit too much for a 6 year old…
it’s pretty intense.

My sons favorite movie is godzilla vs kong, so I think he will be fine. He's watched all the Jurassic park movies as well lol.

 

[kittyklawz]

I have one child with ASD and another with other disabilities, including sensory issues. We last went at the end of April 2022. It was challenging. You’ve really got to love Disney to go with kids with special needs. We have gone at least annually, including with the kids (minus covid), for the past 15 years. This last trip, I booked a Disney cruise while we were still there. That being said, when my sibling said they we’re going to Disney after the cruise we tacked on a single park day.

We do not get parkhoppers with our kids. So many people talk about how great and easy it is to pop between parks, it’s one park…. Not for my kids! We have success with a park day, an off day, etc for 4 total park days. (We’ve always done 5, but I just had and our 2024 trip will be only 4 days, they really can’t handle the extra day.) We don’t rope drop, but try to reach the park gates at park opening. We just can’t wait in the rope drop lines and have a successful day.

We take time for snack, potty or quiet every half hour. We spend 2 hours on attractions. Then we eat lunch in the park and walk back to the hotel. The stroller ride to the hotel relaxes and resets them. We head back to the park around 4/5, have dinner in the parks and then take about 2 hours on attractions. We generally don’t stay for fireworks. Some of us did the dessert party and the kids enjoyed that. We bring 5 additional adults with us that help in various capacities. Some tend to wait in lines for us. Two actually help with the kids. One was very helpful with the das ride selection. We don’t need genie+ since the kids generally don’t ride those rides. We stick to what the kids can handle. Lots of fantasyland and food breaks.

Sometimes while waiting for a das ride we’ll do a stroller exit ride.

For us Disneyland isn’t worth it as a budget trip. We can’t spend enough time in the parks without meltdowns to make it “worth it”. We go because we love the atmosphere, and by making necessary accommodations, our kids have come to love the parks.

We are having grandparents come with so if kids need to leave they are going to take them. Its my husband and mine 5 year anniversary vacation.

 

[kittyklawz]

We love DLR in October and go during that time yearly. We love OBB as well. While we go many different times of year (always school holidays or summer, so busy times), October is particularly crowded. Everyone loves Halloween, and Disney does it so well!! That said, you will really need to adjust expectations if you are coming during that time with small kids, a stroller, grandparents and are wanting to be able to eat full breakfast in the hotel and not make rope drop (and I assume not stay late until MN either with small kids). I know it is a mess trying to get young kids and grandparents (and hangry husbands!) out the door for rope drop! That said, it is your best time of day to try to get through some rides without terrible wait times. As well, even if you buy G+, you can’t book a LL for a ride until each person in the party has scanned into the park for that day (ie you can’t scan in at RD while everyone eats breakfast at the hotel and then you make everyone a LL). By the time you get to the parks after breakfast, lines will be starting to get (or will already be) long (think 1hour+ for many rides and 1.5 hr+ for headliners or more) and LL return times will be stretching out into the afternoon already. The value of G+ diminishes quickly if you aren’t able to start booking in the morning (due to LL return times pushing out, as well as the 2 hour block out between bookings; see the Sticky about G+ for more details). I have never used DAS, so I can’t comment on how that might work if you arrive to the parks mid morning.

Crowds will be thick, but the stroller sounds like it will help the kids. What about the grandparents in that scenario? Dining with 6 ( or even fewer) can be a challenge if you don’t do TS (which adds up in expense quickly). You can do QS, but make sure to Mobile Order your lunch in the morning so that the return times for MO don’t start to move out on you (that is, you decide to MO lunch at noon, but the first slot for MO is an hour away or longer). Finding a place to sit and eat can be a challenge when the park is crowded as well, so try to eat at off times.

We love OBB, and yes, you can enter at 3pm with only a party ticket, but know that regular day ticket guests can usually stay in the park until 6pm, when the party starts. So 3-6pm can be really crazy busy. Once the party starts, there is a lot to do! If you are using that only to ride the rides, you won’t have much time for anything else (parades, treat trails). If you do the parade and the treat trails and Villains Grove, you won’t have much time for rides (especially if your kids can’t stay up and keep riding/going until the party ends at 11pm). G+ does not work during the party hours, though I think it works during the mix in time. You can buy an ILL$ during the mix in time. IMO you can’t do DCA justice by only going to the party, so we always have a regular ticket that day too, but that adds a lot of cost.

You can still make a great trip out of it when it is like this (we always do!), but you have to have a plan and be ready to not get everything done. Have some priorities in mind, and count the rest as gravy. If this is not the type of trip you will be happy with, I would definitely come back in the summer. Crowds are actually much lighter at that time.

We could probably be there close to opening or at opening, I just don't think my son would like waiting around in line for too long at rope drop, so not going to get there at 7 am is what I meant. Grandparents aren't planning to do much dining in the park and are going to bring their own food in for most meals due to dietary restrictions. We are probably going to do quick service and maybe a few TS depending on what reservations we can get. and we might do one character meal.

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

Hi!! I'm an adult with autism so I have some experience with DAS. I've never used Genie+ along with the DAS so I can't answer your questions about that. If you pre-register your DS for the DAS, you can book two times for each day you're there (you'll need to pre-register between a month and two days before you leave). As for the stroller as a wheelchair thing, that's an option if you guys would like to do that

 

[kittyklawz]

Hi!! I'm an adult with autism so I have some experience with DAS. I've never used Genie+ along with the DAS so I can't answer your questions about that. If you pre-register your DS for the DAS, you can book two times for each day you're there (you'll need to pre-register between a month and two days before you leave). As for the stroller as a wheelchair thing, that's an option if you guys would like to do that

Do you know if I can schedule the preselected rides for in the afternoon when wait times will be longer, and will we still be able to use DAS before those times on other rides or would we have to wait until we went on the preselected rides?

 

[kittyklawz]

Is DL less busy on days when they do not have OBB? If they do the parties on the same days they did it last year, we may be able to avoid doing the full park days on days with no party.

 

[kristensideaoffun]

Do you know if I can schedule the preselected rides for in the afternoon when wait times will be longer, and will we still be able to use DAS before those times on other rides or would we have to wait until we went on the preselected rides?

You can select any time that is available for DAS. The earlier you register, the more likely you will be able to get the times you want. The preselected rides are independent from the rides you select when you get to the park. You will be choose a ride to out on your child’s DAS as soon as you arrive.

Is DL less busy on days when they do not have OBB? If they do the parties on the same days they did it last year, we may be able to avoid doing the full park days on days with no party.

It will not be less busy on non-party busy in the mornings and afternoons. The mix-in period of the parties are miserably crowded, so you could avoid full park days on those days and avoid those crowds. If you’re looking for less crowds, I highly recommend doing the OBB. OBBs are way less crowded than any other time in October.

 

[WDWJonasGirl]

You can select any time that is available for DAS. The earlier you register, the more likely you will be able to get the times you want. The preselected rides are independent from the rides you select when you get to the park. You will be choose a ride to out on your child’s DAS as soon as you arrive.

That's correct. If you guys have any food reservations, they can also work around those times too