October Crowds

[wrestler72]

We are going last week of October. Fifth year in a row. In my opinion (after visiting WDW around Christmas and New Year) it is not really crowded. Well, it is crowded but not crowded enough to create a lot of troubles if you plan properly. And I always tell my friends that it takes a lot of planning to have great spontaneous fun at Disney World.
My plans include - start as early as possible (EMM, EMH or PPO breakfast), book fast passes at 10, 11 and 12, book lunch for 1pm and have a rest after that. You can of course do early morning in one park and hop to another but I find it a bit tiring.

And the weather is really good.

It is really a great time to visit WDW.

 

[wrestler72]

We will be there Oct 21-28 at BLT and I’m hoping it’s not spring break packed! Been in October once before but that was 7 years ago....I don’t remember it being terrible but things change

It is not! As I said above we are going for the fifth year in a row. You will see quite a few British kids as it is a school break in the UK but fortunately it is quite a long way to Florida for us so we could not possibly create really huge crowds.

It is an excellent week to visit.

 

[goofyintoronto]

We're going Oct 23-30 for our first fall trip! Doing 3 nights at Pop and 4 nights at Beach Club. I'm just expecting a lot of people so I can prepare myself mentally.

hey, i just might see you there. I too will be going that week and staying at pop also.

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

I think October continues to get busier each and every year. We were there the week of Columbus day in 2016 (left on the 14th) and it was really busy. So busy, we really didn't ride anything we didn't have a fastpass for. It's a Small World has almost a two hour wait. Not what I would call enjoyable. We're steering clear of October from now on due to our experience on that trip. But how busy it feels is very subjective, so you really have to go for yourself and find out. My advice would be to prepare for it to be busy, plan for it, and you'll be fine!

Agree with this ^

Now that I don’t have to work around my DDs post secondary school breaks we won’t be going back in October. It’s obviously not Christmas or Easter busy, but the parks are much busier than I am comfortable with. Back to November for us.

 

[Haley R]

hey, i just might see you there. I too will be going that week and staying at pop also.

You might! I'm excited for our first October trip with MNSSHP and F&W!

 

[goofyintoronto]

You might! I'm excited for our first October trip with MNSSHP and F&W!

oh boy, those are my two fave things at Disney! MNSSHP is so much fun. The amount of candy you get is crazy. And the parade is fantastic! And F&W...omg, bring your stretchy pants. A lot of good food and drinks there. Thats why I go in October every year. I love it. Plus the weather is phenomenal.

 

[HollyMD]

My experience was similar to that of @SarahC97 and @mickey’s best girl. We also went that week in 2016 and found it to be a lot more crowded AND hotter than our June trip that same year. But, that being said, the hurricane cancelled our MNSSHP that year so we are giving Oct another try this year the weekend of/week after Columbus Day. Expecting crazy crowds again but just going to go in with a plan and hope for the best. We still had fun in 2016. But I definitely can say was super busy

 

[bcinohio]

We also are going Oct 20-27 this year. Been there once in Oct but it was the beginning of Oct. From the crowd calendars that I have been looking at they are both saying average crowds. We have done Easter one year (our son's band marched) and it was busy but we still had a good trip. Just have to plan ahead. Can not wait. I'm not worried so much about crowds as I am about the hurricanes being gone before we get there. Last Oct trip the weather was great.

 

[wrestler72]

We also are going Oct 20-27 this year. Been there once in Oct but it was the beginning of Oct. From the crowd calendars that I have been looking at they are both saying average crowds. We have done Easter one year (our son's band marched) and it was busy but we still had a good trip. Just have to plan ahead. Can not wait. I'm not worried so much about crowds as I am about the hurricanes being gone before we get there. Last Oct trip the weather was great.

I believe as far as hurricanes are concerned we are quite safe. But it can be chilly. Last year I had to buy some warm clothes...

 

[Haley R]

oh boy, those are my two fave things at Disney! MNSSHP is so much fun. The amount of candy you get is crazy. And the parade is fantastic! And F&W...omg, bring your stretchy pants. A lot of good food and drinks there. Thats why I go in October every year. I love it. Plus the weather is phenomenal.

I'm so excited for the candy and meeting special characters!! We have never stayed at Beach Club before so I hope it's somewhat warm so we can enjoy SAB.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I'm so excited for the candy and meeting special characters!! We have never stayed at Beach Club before so I hope it's somewhat warm so we can enjoy SAB.

The line up for the characters during MNSSHP can be pretty CRAZY LONG. People start lining up well before the start of the party time. Just so you know. As for the weather, the pools are heated at disney. So it should be fine. Then again i'm from Canada so I swim no matter what the weather is like in October.

 

[Haley R]

The line up for the characters during MNSSHP can be pretty CRAZY LONG. People start lining up well before the start of the party time. Just so you know. As for the weather, the pools are heated at disney. So it should be fine. Then again i'm from Canada so I swim no matter what the weather is like in October.

I've been following the different MNSSHP threads so I know all about the crowds! @FoxC63 has helped me lots with my itineraries. We are from Iowa so I will most likely swim no matter what.

 

[J'aime Paris]

Count us in! Oct 17-22nd for DD's bday! She's turning 20 and this is where she picked! Gotta love her

First night is at Pop and the rest is at Poly, since Poly was booked for our first night.

We did Universal last year for DD's bday and that was very very relaxed. We spent so much time by the pool, since we had express pass with staying at Royal Pacific Resort onsite.

But this year DD really wanted to see the new Avatar/Pandora attractions, plus the new Toy Story attractions as well. I've already purchased MNSSHP tickets and we will attend Food and Wine festivities. Possibly an Eat to the Beat concert package too.

It won't be nearly as relaxed, I'm sure.

But we've been to WDW so many times since DD was 2 years old....We will just roll with it! And drink, definitely drink, lol!!!

 

[goofyintoronto]

I've been following the different MNSSHP threads so I know all about the crowds! @FoxC63 has helped me lots with my itineraries. We are from Iowa so I will most likely swim no matter what.

Awesome! Sounds like your all set. Im sure you'll have an amazing time. Maybe i'll see you around.

 

[firsttimer4]

We"ll be there Oct 5-9th. We are prepared for crazy crowds! We usually do end of May but wanted to catch Toy story Land this time. With the kids getting older it's harder and harder to take them out of school. Hopefully with some good planning we can still have a great time.

 

[jerseygal]

Count us in! Oct 17-22nd for DD's bday! She's turning 20 and this is where she picked! Gotta love her

First night is at Pop and the rest is at Poly, since Poly was booked for our first night.

We did Universal last year for DD's bday and that was very very relaxed. We spent so much time by the pool, since we had express pass with staying at Royal Pacific Resort onsite.

But this year DD really wanted to see the new Avatar/Pandora attractions, plus the new Toy Story attractions as well. I've already purchased MNSSHP tickets and we will attend Food and Wine festivities. Possibly an Eat to the Beat concert package too.

It won't be nearly as relaxed, I'm sure.

But we've been to WDW so many times since DD was 2 years old....We will just roll with it! And drink, definitely drink, lol!!!

Enjoy your DD's b'day! Must say, we also stay on site, RP and HR..gotta LOVE LOVE the Express Pass! So relaxing! We also can't wait to see the new Avatar/Pandora attractions and Toy Story will be SO MUCH FUN! We stayed at Poly a few times, once during F&W, beginning of October that year. We always request Tokeleau, such a nice stroll to Transportation Center. We really enjoy the Poly. We are staying 2 nights at AKV, Jambo, AKV is our home and 3 nights at BLT lakeview(first time at BLT). Cant wait for F&W, so much fun, yummy food and drink!

 

[FoxC63]

Just so you know. As for the weather, the pools are heated at disney. So it should be fine. Then again i'm from Canada so I swim no matter what the weather is like in October.

The last week in October 2017 was a bit more chilly. We started to see a shift as early as Oct 25th where the temps fell to 64° degrees and kept dropping. I can confirm on Oct 31st it was 43° on the night of party. The pool might be heated but they're not enough to keep you warm. DH & DS went swimming for 15 minutes before they felt too cold, they both came out covered in goose bumps and purple lips and we're from Michigan.

[URL="https://www.disboards.com/threads/mnsshp-2017-strategy-in-the-making.3604086/page-101#post-58320976"]MNSSHP 2017 - Strategy Post #2016[/URL]

 

[mombrontrent]

We will be there October 27-November 5. I’m expecting moderate to heavy crowds between Halloween, food and wine, the race thing (sorry can’t recall the name) and the start of Jersey week. We have never been in the fall before so we are excited for Halloween decorations and the beginning of Christmas decorations. I think we are going to skip MNSSHP in favour of Univerals Haunted nights. MNSSHP is just too expensive for our dates and my kids are teens or almost teens and are more interested in the scary Halloween stuff at Universal.

 

[Haley R]

We will be there October 27-November 5. I’m expecting moderate to heavy crowds between Halloween, food and wine, the race thing (sorry can’t recall the name) and the start of Jersey week. We have never been in the fall before so we are excited for Halloween decorations and the beginning of Christmas decorations. I think we are going to skip MNSSHP in favour of Univerals Haunted nights. MNSSHP is just too expensive for our dates and my kids are teens or almost teens and are more interested in the scary Halloween stuff at Universal.

They are brave lol. I considered the Halloween Horror Nights, but paying someone to make me pee my pants isn't my idea of fun!

 

[FoxC63]

They are brave lol. I considered the Halloween Horror Nights, but paying someone to make me pee my pants isn't my idea of fun!