October trip

[momz]

We are thinking of heading to Orlando Oct. 6-Oct. 12. DH and I have 2 kids, DD(11) and DS(9). We've been to Disney many times, but now want to give Universal/IOA a try.

We will most likely be staying a Windsor Hills, so lodging is not a concern.

I was planning on budgeting 3 days to see the parks.

My questions...to start with....

-Is 3 days a reasonable amount to time to see the parks without feeling rushed/bored?
-Halloween events. I've read that this is for teen/adults. Should we therefor avoid the parks entirely..i.e. is it scary during the day too. And, will it even be an issue this early in October?
-What are the crowd predictions for that time of year? Will we need the express passes? Do the locals have a school break at that time?
-Any other info you can throw my way?

Thanks!

 

[mesaboy2]

We are thinking of heading to Orlando Oct. 6-Oct. 12. DH and I have 2 kids, DD(11) and DS(9). We've been to Disney many times, but now want to give Universal/IOA a try.

We will most likely be staying a Windsor Hills, so lodging is not a concern.

I was planning on budgeting 3 days to see the parks.

My questions...to start with....

1. Is 3 days a reasonable amount to time to see the parks without feeling rushed/bored?
2. Halloween events. I've read that this is for teen/adults. Should we therefor avoid the parks entirely..i.e. is it scary during the day too. And, will it even be an issue this early in October?
3. What are the crowd predictions for that time of year?
3a. Will we need the express passes?
3b. Do the locals have a school break at that time?
4. Any other info you can throw my way?

Thanks!

1. I think three days is just right.
2. Halloween Horror Nights is definitely not for kids, even your 11yo IMO. It takes place only at the Studios, not at IoA. There is nothing to be concerned with during the day other than shortened hours and increased crowds at the Studios later in the day.
3. October is nice, but Columbus Day should fall during your dates if I'm not mistaken. Still shouldn't be too bad.
3a. Probably not. Wait until you're there to see. Do not purchase them in advance.
3b. Columbus Day, but nothing else.
4. Have fun!

 

[Metro West]

-Halloween events. I've read that this is for teen/adults. Should we therefor avoid the parks entirely..i.e. is it scary during the day too. And, will it even be an issue this early in October?

Halloween Horror Nights is a hard ticket event meaning it takes place after the Studios closes to day guests at 5pm and is not recommended for anyone under the age of 13. Only the largest props are left out during the day because they are too large to move. Other than that...you won't even know anything is going on. If you wanted to do the Studios during the day and then head over to IOA in the late afternoon, you will avoid a lot of the crowds coming for HHN. HHN runs Thursday through Sunday when you're visiting so the Studios will close at 5pm and IOA will close at 7pm on those nights.

 

[momz]

great information, thank you.

 

[AussiePJ]

For mine 3 days is too much.

We went 2 years ago and had a day in each park and left well before closing each day having done everything we wanted and most things twice.

Last month we went back and did most of both parks in 1 day and multiple rides on Hulk, Rock it, Simpsons and MIB.

 

[AshleeH]

-Is 3 days a reasonable amount to time to see the parks without feeling rushed/bored?

We've been to US/IoA the last two years during the same October week that you will be there. I would say 2 days, tops, would be a reasonable time. In fact, we did US our first year and we were done by mid-afternoon (getting there at open). Last year we did IoA and we were done by early afternoon - it's possible you could do both in one day, if your kids aren't into thrill rides yet.


-Halloween events. I've read that this is for teen/adults. Should we therefor avoid the parks entirely..i.e. is it scary during the day too. And, will it even be an issue this early in October?

Definitely not kid friendly! HHN was Universal's answer to MNSSHP (very family oriented) and they shot for the complete opposite crowd. And no, it's not scary during the day at all. The worst thing we experienced was the Green Goblin making my youngest son cry - and that could've happened at any point of the year, it wasn't because of the Halloween season.


-What are the crowd predictions for that time of year?

They're not bad, but the parks do get a little crowded around lunch, so get there at opening and enjoy!


Will we need the express passes?

We didn't, but we didn't do a lot of the most popular rides - and those we did wait in line for were not long. You can always add the express pass later if you feel you're spending too much time in line, but I would save money here.


Do the locals have a school break at that time?

I didn't notice any excessive crowds of school kids, but only a local can give you this one for sure.


-Any other info you can throw my way?

If you're interested in WWoHP, go to the back of the park at opening and do that first. Our kids were so excited by the Marvel area (their favorite thing) that we hit the back of the park at lunch and did little but wander around and admire the details they put into it. The park is amazing, but built to scale, so it can't handle big crowds very well.

Also, get your tickets early - we wasted 45 minutes in line last year because they didn't have enough booths open and there were several people in front of us who either couldn't speak English, had numerous questions, or were just being belligerent. Felt like we stood in line longer to get tickets than we did for any of the rides. The year before we printed out our tickets before we left and sailed right through.

 

[tricia]

We;ll be there the same dates, with DS 15, and DS, 11. I am thinking DH and oldest DS will be doing HHN, but definitely not the youngest and I. We are staying at Hard Rock for the whole week and plan on Wet n Wild one day, one day of shopping, lots of pool time and parks whenever we feel like it. Just a relaxing trip.