October crowds, which is it?

[mjc2003]

We are heading down October 18th. While many of the crowd calendars call for 4/10, I'm seeing very little restaurant availability and cash rates really high if available at all. So what should we expect? I know F&W obviously will be busy but what about the rest of the parks?

 

[Missyrose]

We are heading down October 18th. While many of the crowd calendars call for 4/10, I'm seeing very little restaurant availability and cash rates really high if available at all. So what should we expect? I know F&W obviously will be busy but what about the rest of the parks?

Not an especially busy time in the parks. But realize the parks won't be ghost towns. Get there early, have a good plan for the mornings and you should get everything you want done.

 

[drusba]

We were there for 10 nights in October last year. The crowds were somewhat heavy and significantly more so on the Columbus day holiday weekend and weekend after but not overwhelming like prime holidays or mid-summer crowds. Epcot in latter part of afternoon and evening at times had some long lines at the numerous wine kiosks. However, even there for the most part it was manageable and if you go to the hidden wine cellar there was almost no one there (they turned the closed down Wonders of Life Pavilion into a large hall with lots of wine stands, some food stands, and have some presentations and apparently most don't realize it is actually open).

 

[SnowWhite2]

I think Oct 18th is the day that all of Florida (or just central) have off of school. Magic Kingdom on that day is overrun by large roaming groups of unsupervised teens. We used to go that week for years when my kids were small. We tried to avoid MK on that Friday so my small kids wouldn't get pushed or hear vulgar language (from the teens...mostly )

Between MNSSHP and Food and Wine festival, October has become a busier month.

 

[ssawka]

In October, Free Dining is being offered. This will increase the number of booked on-site hotel rooms and decrease the number of available ADRs. However, that does not necessarily mean that the parks will be crowded since the off-site lodging is likely to be well below capacity at that time of year.

 

[dwight16]

i was there last year oct 20th to the 28th and it was packed. Food and wine made epcots countries a war zone after 12. i actually am glad i experienced it once i wont ever be going back to disney in october. No so Scary nights made the Magic Kingdom busy the other 2 were average.

 

[mjc2003]

i was there last year oct 20th to the 28th and it was packed. Food and wine made epcots countries a war zone after 12. i actually am glad i experienced it once i wont ever be going back to disney in october. No so Scary nights made the Magic Kingdom busy the other 2 were average.

This sort of contradicts what the crowd calendars are predicting, but jives with what I'm seeing availability wise. Most days, outside of Epcot, they are predicting low-average crowds. Was Epcot that crazy even during the week or were you there on the weekends? Was MK busy only on days when they had the Halloween party?

This is our 7th trip in 3 years so I'm not that worried for us, but we have family coming for the first time and I didn't want their experience to be a bad one.

 

[dwight16]

I was their a Friday to the next Saturday. We stated at beach club so spent a lot of time in Epcot and that is why I said to my self this is enough for me. Ride wait times in the other 3 parks were average in my option but the 1 to 5pm were beefy. I would just hit Epcot early and stay away on the weekends it was a complete cluster on the weekends.