October Questions

[larryhog]

We have been going to WDW and Universal for 15+ years now, but we have always gone early in the months of March, June and December. We have always stayed on site at both places because of the benefits of being on site especailly the front of the line at universal. We have also always stayed one week or longer so we had plenty of time to do everything. However I was looking at taking a short trip with my 19 yr son (two days at WDW and two days at universal) October 9th thru 12th to hit all four parks at disney with him and the halloween party at Universal. Over the years I have always heard October is a slow time at the parks and a good time to go. However, in trying to book rooms the prices are higher then normal off season rates especially at universal. Plus both reservation people I talked to at disney and universal told me the parks are usually crowded in October now because of the popularity of the halloween parties. So now I am concern that the crowds might be much higher than I thought and a short trip is not a good idea. Any thoughts on what the crowd levels are like now in October compared to early March and early December?

 

[SpectroMagic*o*]

We went in October last year thinking it was going to be fairly light on the crowds, that was not the case. The last day we were there, it was so crowded we couldnt even move. It wasnt a holiday so we were terribly confused. We asked a CM and he said this is very unusual and it was so far the most crowded day they had that year!! And it was also unseasonably hot. It was like 90 degrees but with like 100% humidity so it felt like 120 degrees! We couldnt take it anymore and escaped to Tom Sawyer Island for a good hour to get away from it all, I ended up falling asleep in one of the rocking chairs in the shade! I swore that I would NEVER go back that time of year, but I love the MNSSHP and F&W Festival so much that I couldnt resist and am going back same time this year! The only short lines you will have from my experience is in the MK the night of the Halloween party cuz only a limited amount of people can come in during that time. Good Luck!

 

[babynurse1]

We've been in October before and the crowds were quite manageable. I'm hoping with the free dining extending only to Sept. 30 alot of people will go then, and MAYBE October will be less crowded. It definitely beats July!

 

[chamonix]

I've found the crowds managable, but you do have "holidays"--Columbus Day and Halloween, and several special events as well: the Food &Wine fest as well as the MNSSHP. Also, the FUNAI Classic (PGA golf tournament) is in October. Lost of golfers, etc bring their families with them.

On the plus side, the weather is great!

 

[Lila95]

We were at WDW over Halloween of 2002 and will be back for Halloween this year. Last time, the crowds were very managable. Big attractions rides like Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain had about a 20 min. wait, but we were able to get off some of the smaller rides and get right back on. I loved it! The weather was beautiful...usually low 80's.

One thing to consider is how bad the hurricane season is. Late Oct and early Nov are fairly slow, so if someone has had to cancel due to the weather, they are usually rebooked for this time. This happened to my cousins and they said the first week of Nov was packed when they went. Hopefully this will be a quiet year!

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

Our last 2 trips to WDW have been in October and we found the crowds to be busy but not overly so. Waits for rides were tolerable and weather was warm and humid during the day and cooled off nicely in the evenings. We also make sure to plan our visit so that we are able to take in Halloween Horror Nights - which is far more crowded than any of the Disney parks (more so on weekends). IMHO the Disney parks are always crowded - the only difference in how big the crowds are is the time of year (whether the kids are out of school, or if it's a holiday or weekend, etc). Even with everything going on during October we wouldn't contemplate going any other time of year.