October Crowds

[Greg36]

I have read in a number of places that crowds have become much more significant in October. The last few years we have been going right after Thanksgiving and staying first couple of weeks of December or so. We don't find the crowds too bad during that time although we have found some of the non party MK days a bit crazy (especially Saturdays). Looking back at Touring plans prediction data that we have saved I see that a lot of the numbers for MK from 2016 and 2017 (two weeks or so after Thanksgiving) seem higher compared to what Touring plans is predicting for Oct 2018. Are people expecting lower crowds this October? Just looking at the publicly available data for Touring Plans right now and they are predicting a number of parks 5 and under even some 1's from mid Oct onwards. I don't believe we have ever been to a WDW park anytime of year we have gone when Touring Plans was predicting a 1...

 

[randumb0]

I'm expecting the crowds to be quite large with F&W being in full swing along with the Halloween parties.

 

[Alesia]

I haven't found the touring plans predictions to be particularly accurate. Expect fairly heavy crowds.

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

Some folks are predicting that for the next little while the parks will be less crowded than in the past few years due to people putting off their trips a bit in hopes of hitting the opening of Star Wars next year.

I’m not one of those people. I think October will be just as busy this year.

We have visited in October a few times and it’s a very busy month. I’m glad I don’t have to work around my DDs post secondary school schedule anymore.

 

[PSUGuy]

While Oct. crowds have inched up the last few years we've found that if you avoid Columbus Day, the weekend before and the Tues. after that things aren't bad at all. Also we don't do WS on a Sat. but we hit F&W every other day and evening.

Bill From PA

 

[gharter]

October has been busy the last 2 years, at least mid month. Not as bad as the first week of November was. Definitely not Christmas busy.
Last year, the crowd calendars were way off. This year, they are predicting less crowded as well. I don't believe them either.

 

[bwang123]

I haven't found the touring plans predictions to be particularly accurate. Expect fairly heavy crowds.

we quit using them years ago when they predicted an 8 at animal kingdom and said actual was a 9. we were in the park and all rides were 5minutes due to heavy showers.

we went a few years ago in october halloween week. great weather and lower crowds than times we had gone before. we are also going this october and cant imagine they would be any worse than when we went this june or week before christmas this past december. even if its crowded, we always manage.

 

[ktlm]

We have been the week after Thanksgiving several times. In the last few years, we have been going in October. It has been the week before Columbus day- so our trip ends on that weekend. The crowds we have experienced in October have always been significantly more than the crowds we have experienced the week after Thanksgiving. One year we went the week after Pop Warner which was Mid-December, but before schools got out for Christmas break and that was the least crowded of any week we have ever gone. Even though the October crowds are higher- I would still call them moderate. I would say the week after Thanksgiving and especially that trip later in December but before schools were out were low crowds and that October was moderate crowds. We have been the week between Christmas and New Years once as well and October is absolutely nothing like that week.

 

[Wes1stTrip2016]

We get a week long fall break here in my part of Alabama - which falls Columbus day week - which is when we will be there. I am expecting crowds.

 

[Dinglehopper626]

I was there mid-October in 2016 and found the crowd levels to be tolerable. I would classify as moderate, with some glimpses of low crowds.
However, my absolute favorite time to visit Disney is the week after Thanksgiving. Weather is usually nice, Christmas stuff is out (my fave time at Disney) and crowds are fairly low.

 

[stinkpickle]

I'm keeping my expectations low.

 

[wrestler72]

We will be visiting DW in October for the sixth year in a row. And every year we read scary predictions and every year we find crowds very manageable. Having said that I do think that crowds have grown steadily through these year but not by too much and if you follow some easy and pretty obvious steps (morning EMHs, go to MK on party days, PPO breakfasts in MK and Epcot, fast passes for busier times etc) - you do not have to spend a lot of time in queues. To be honest we have no choice (this is the only time school holidays in the UK co-inside with no school holidays in the US and my ability to take a break) but I would still consider late October for my visit in any case. Also, I hope that the fact that we can see a lot of people worried about October crowds might mean that people change their plans and go later. But I am not really bothered about it. This is a good time to visit in my opinion.