October

[twins09]

Planning a trip for October 18-23. From personal experience, how are the crowds? Weather? Difficulty getting sought after fast pass? Mickeys not so scary Halloween party? Lines for Kiosk for fast pass after first three have been used?

Thanks so much!

 

[Mikie]

My Oct 2014 trip was busier than prior Sept and Oct trips. I went the week of Columbus Day, so your week should be slightly less busy. I actually liked it because a trip during old-time off peak season meant much shorter park hours and fewer chances to see certain parades and fireworks.

I found it busy enough to support longer hours and very festive atmosphere, but not outrageous. As at any time, judicious use of FP+ and a plan for how to attack the parks goes a long way. I had no trouble getting all my desired Fastpasses for a group of 12 during the day of that my 60-day window opened (not at midnight, but the hardest thing I wanted was 7 dwarfs - no interest in Ana and Elsa meet or fireworks). I was able to change FP around up until my trip with little trouble (although 7 dwarfs and Toy Story had extremely limited availability shortly after I initially booked them). I didn't attempt many changes in the parks simply because I liked our plans and they worked well for us - no need to swap around. I can't speak to the availability of 4th FPs as we saw a few long-looking lines then decided not to bother.

Weather was fantastic! Hot enough to swim, even in evenings if you're tough, and not too sweltering during the day.

I used crowd calendars to pick park days, which means I usually avoided parks with EMH and I did go to MK on party days, but didn't go to the party. Crowds were very manageable but I was surprised a bit by the big crowds entering/leaving right at 7. I think it would be a good idea to have an ADR shortly before 7 inside MK or at a nearby resort around 6-6:30 to avoid some of the exodus crowd.

 

[JimmyBean42]

That was the exact week we went last year. I'd say it had Moderate crowds. Never overly packed but never ridiculously short lines either. Just the right wait time if that makes sense. If you are seeking Anna and Elsa FP+ start at your last day first thing. We had a tough time getting that one. Other than that all the FP+ (including 7DMT for every day in MK) were easy to get. AK and HS had very little lines or wait at all when we were there. You will be in Epcot for Food and Wine so that draws a crowd at times.
MNSSHP was awesome. Crowd was small for a hard ticket event that Thursday (CM told us it was not sold out). Reservations were easy to change and bus run times were excellent with the exception of one day. Great week to go.

 

[smitch425]

Planning a trip for October 18-23. From personal experience, how are the crowds? Weather? Difficulty getting sought after fast pass? Mickeys not so scary Halloween party? Lines for Kiosk for fast pass after first three have been used?

Thanks so much!

We have gone that week the last several years. Crowds have increased the last two years, but still very manageable.

The weather was still warm for the most part, but it can get cool without much notice, so it's always good to have a few layers packed in case the weather changes.

We booked A&E and 7DMT for our 8th park day first, but I also was able to get 7DMT for our 3rd day, too. I didn't look to see if A&E was available because the 8th day was the day I wanted it anyway. We booked our 3 FPs during the 10am-2pm timeframe, which allowed us to sleep in (we did some 2am nights) or hit some rides at rope drop before using the FPs.

MNSSHP was great, as always. We attended two parties that week, Sunday and Friday. Friday was sold out, but we still had a blast.

The kiosks were empty. We had to wait behind one person one time, and we used them at least 30 times. Had no trouble using 8 FPs in MK and 6 or 7 in DHS and Epcot. Didn't try for additional in AK. The biggest tip I can give about the kiosks is to take the first available ride that you are satisfied with and then try changing it to something better with the app. We did this 75% of the time and found better availability.

This year our school break was moved to Columbus week, and we are no longer pulling the kids out the Friday before their week long break (too stressful for DD). It's going to be more crowded, but I will take a crowded Disney day over just about anything. Lol! Have fun!

 

[ZoZo]

October weather can fluctuate a lot, even within the same trip. In October 2009 (the second week), I started my trip with mid-90s and high humidity for several days. Left to spend three days on the gulf coast, then back to WDW. The temps had dropped down to the low 60s and very windy during the day, and even cooler at night! I didn't pack the right clothes; I had almost all shorts, sleeveless tops and sandals. One pair of long pants and one sweatshirt. About froze my tushie off! I layered the best that I could and soldiered on.

Be aware that October is hurricane season, too. Your likelihood of experiencing a hurricane are very low, but not impossible, We were at WDW for Hurricane Wilma in 2005. We got the outer edges of the hurricane, told to stay in our hotel rooms due to high wind (about 85-90 mph) and heavy rain. WDW shut down the parks for a half-day; they opened MK and Epcot around 2:00 pm. Was actually (strangely enough!!) one of our best trips. Very low crowds because lots of folks cancelling their trips due to the hurricane. And once the storm blew through (Day 3 of our trip), perfect weather - pleasantly warm with low humidity!

 

[Disneyliscious]

We were at WDW for Hurricane Wilma in 2005. We got the outer edges of the hurricane, told to stay in our hotel rooms due to high wind (about 85-90 mph) and heavy rain. WDW shut down the parks for a half-day; they opened MK and Epcot around 2:00 pm. Was actually (strangely enough!!) one of our best trips. Very low crowds because lots of folks cancelling their trips due to the hurricane.

We drove down the day Hurricane Charlie hit in 2004. There was a mass exodus of people on the interstate leaving FL and we headed right on in to Orlando (trip was paid for, wasn't about to cancel). The hurricane hit about 4 hours after we got there and it was something to experience. The next day there was devestation everywhere. It was like a war zone. We went to MK and had the best day ever because the park was eerily empty. No lines on anything at all.

Disney had electricity, gas, and food. At the house we rented we were without power for 4 days. There was no where to eat but a waffle house and we got (literally) their last meal as they ran out of food. Thankfully we had some steaks we had kept on ice and were able to grill at the house. But Disney was fantastic.

 

[twins09]

Thank you everyone. A & E is the fastpass that I am concerned with. We are only there for 5 days and we are planning to spend day 2 and 3 at Magic Kingdom (Tues and Wed) with MNSSHP on Tuesday. I did not want to try for the last day of vacation because we plan to be at another park that day. I keep hoping maybe the mania has died down a bit. However, it does not seem like it. I will just hope for the best.