Need some Halloween Visit Advice

[TXHauntedMansionFan]

We are planning a trip to see all of the Halloween decorations (Haunted Mansion overlay, fireworks, etc) but are WDW veterans. We have no idea if it would be better to head down in late September or sometime in October in order to get the best experience. Does anyone have some suggestions on when to go keeping park hours & crowds in mind? Also, are there usually some good deals to be had at the on property resorts?

TIA
TX HMF

 

[HydroGuy]

We are planning a trip to see all of the Halloween decorations (Haunted Mansion overlay, fireworks, etc) but are WDW veterans. We have no idea if it would be better to head down in late September or sometime in October in order to get the best experience. Does anyone have some suggestions on when to go keeping park hours & crowds in mind? Also, are there usually some good deals to be had at the on property resorts?

TIA
TX HMF

There are things going on at DLR related to Annual Passes that are making crowd prediction really screwy. Last October surprised a lot of people. I have not gone in October for a very long time and only know what I read. Be very careful with anyone who gives advice based on their personal experience prior to 2009 as last October was unusual and that is expected to continue next year.

To get a feel for this you can read the following two articles from the respected Al Lutz as well as a thread I wrote last summer.

ONLINE 12/1
Thanks a Million (APs)
AP numbers climb - parking doesn't, EO update, DCA update, More...

ONLINE 10/13
Hello George & Starbucks
Good-bye Ed & Easy Parking, World of Crowds, More...

"The Psychology of the DLR Annual Pass Holder" http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2244322

Based on the above I would try to plan your trip around SoCal AP blockout days. SS Columbia has a link to 2010 calendars here:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=34839545&postcount=3

 

[TheZue]

We went this October right at Halloween. I didn't find it too busy, I've seen it busier over the May long weekend. That said it wasn't dead by a long shot either. The only night we left due to really stupid crowds was Friday the 30th but I think there were a lot of people trying to see the fireworks before they ended.

For decorations don't leave it right to the end. When we were there the Halloween stuff as already coming down and Christmas was going up. New Orleans square was totally switched to Christmas when we were there.

 

[PHXscuba]

We were just there Oct. 11-15 (Sun-Thu). This bridges Columbus Day weekend and some AZ fall breaks. I had a last-minute panic because the Friday beforehand the park hit capacity (my guess is buzz from the new fireworks and Ghost Galaxy got a lot of AP holders out), but we found the weekday crowds OK and even better than some past spring-break weekdays.

The Monday (Columbus Day) had "weekend" park hours and showed Fantasmic twice, which was great for us since we wouldn't be there over a real weekend. Crowds were there, but using Fastpass well I think the longest line we had was about 20 minutes for PoTC. It was colder and rained on and off on Tues and Wed, which gave us great low crowds.

Unlike WDW, Disneyland doesn't do all of its entertainment every single night in the off-season. I would say to plan a trip for being in the park at least one weekend night if you want to see Fantasmic (and not knowing when the new World of Color will be showing, maybe another night for that), and some weekdays. Like Tuesday through Friday, or Sunday through Wednesday. That way you get the entertainment but have some lower-crowd days.

I had a friend who was there the last weekend in September when they debuted Ghost Galaxy and the new fireworks and she said it was nuts. I don't remember the Southern Calif APs being blacked out on weekends last year, but they are this year. Might have some effect?

I thought the Halloween stuff was wonderful and some of my favorite things from the trip -- Haunted Mansion, the fireworks, Ghost Galaxy on Space Mountain.

PHXscuba

 

[HydroGuy]

Unlike WDW, Disneyland doesn't do all of its entertainment every single night in the off-season. I would say to plan a trip for being in the park at least one weekend night if you want to see Fantasmic (and not knowing when the new World of Color will be showing, maybe another night for that), and some weekdays. Like Tuesday through Friday, or Sunday through Wednesday. That way you get the entertainment but have some lower-crowd days.

Good point. To see Oct 2009 schedules check this link:

"Historical DLR Park Hours, Entertainment and Refurbs" - www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2291124

 

[Husker Mickey]

We've been in the parks the last 3 Octobers and it really depends on whether you go during the week or on a weekend. We have experienced normal crowds on week days but the weekends are usually very busy. The Friday crowd was insane, but we used the fastpass system to the max that day and enjoyed rides at the end of the day without a lot of stress.