Only 7 Disney hotels/resorts with vacancy for October date at Columbus Day Weekend. Crowds galore?

[Disneyliscious]

• This was for 2 adults, 2 children for October 11th-12th (was trying to add on a day). I have a feeling we are REALLY going to regret booking the 6th-11th.
• https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/caribbean-beach-resort/rates-rooms/
• https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/caribbean-beach-resort/rates-rooms/
• Check rates and availability at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
  
  
  
  Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
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  Epcot® Resort Area
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  Booked here 275 times in the last 24 hours.
  $36500USD$365 USD
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• Check rates and availability at Disney's Yacht Club Resort
  
  
  
  Disney's Yacht Club Resort
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  Booked here 98 times in the last 24 hours.
  $66900USD$669 USD
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• Check rates and availability at Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge
  
  
  
  Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge
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  Booked here 47 times in the last 24 hours.
  $74100USD$741 USD
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• Check rates and availability at Disney's Beach Club Villas
  
  
  
  Disney's Beach Club Villas
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  Booked here 75 times in the last 24 hours.
  $78700USD$787 USD
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• Check rates and availability at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
  
  
  
  Disney's Coronado Springs Resort
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  Disney's Animal Kingdom® Resort Area
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  Booked here 515 times in the last 24 hours.
  $96700USD$967 USD
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• Check rates and availability at Disney's Beach Club Resort
  
  
  
  Disney's Beach Club Resort
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  Booked here 77 times in the last 24 hours.
  $2,18600USD$2186 USD
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• Check rates and availability at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
  
  
  
  Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
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  Booked here 158 times in the last 24 hours.
  $2,29400USD$2294 USD
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[Thecouch]

Some have minimum days it seems now for certain dates . I bet if you search 3 days a lot more will show . Not that it helps you

 

[buzzgirls&dad]

Columbus day/ week is very busy. It's a short week for many schools, others have fall break and I believe it's the week of Yom Kippur. Through in SWGE, MNSSHP and Food & Wine oh yeah it's going to be busy.

 

[PSUGuy]

We learned the hard way to avoid Disney on the Friday before Columbus Day weekend through the Tuesday after. Otherwise Oct is OK.

Bill From PA

 

[Rach3975]

What happens if you search for a longer time period? We're booked for a 3 night stay in November. Earlier this summer I wanted to compare rates in case we decided to switch resorts, and the only rooms available for our dates were $600+ a night. When I entered a longer time period that included our 3 nights, a lot more showed up.

 

[Mickey's Best Girl]

I’m so happy we are no longer relegated to October due to my DDs post secondary school schedule. Although there are really no slow times at WDW anymore, October has become a very busy month.

I’m not surprised there’s little availability left on site for the Columbus Day (Thanksgiving for us Canucks) long weekend. That will be a crowded weekend. But as others have suggested, change the search criteria. A longer length of stay quite often shows different results.

 

[LSUmiss]

FYI-I searched for the whole month of Oct & couldn’t find much for 5 nights in any set of days. We ended up at the Swan. But, I’m expecting it to be PACKED!

 

[mamamelody2]

I do think it will be busy then. However, that may not be why you can't find one night. Disney has a complicated algorithm for hotel availability that tries to avoid "orphan" nights. When I wanted to add a night (8/28) at POP, it showed as not available. But if I searched for an entire week including that night, it was available. Annoying, but I just booked that night at AoA as it was available. I looked again last week, and that one night showed available for POP, so I nabbed it. I think because it was so close to check-in, they open up all available rooms in all configurations. That's just a guess, though.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Very busy. Do a search for Columbus Day from last year. I saw some crazy crowd pictures.

 

[TinkLoverSam]

Canadian Thanksgiving is Monday, October 14th so schools are closed that day. I'm sure some Canadians will be coming down the week before and the week of Thanksgiving to miss less school and get "fall" weather.

 

[drdrowsy]

I'm not totally convinced. Some of the cheapest rooms are still available, discount rooms still available, and normal timed ADRs still available. This is coming from someone who usually goes in January, we are going to be there starting 10/18 this time, and i was surprised about the amount of availability, even now.

 

[Selket]

I also cannot find a room for 2 nights on the property near the end of October except the most expensive rooms. We just returned from an August trip and I was easily able to tack on one night to our reservation at Pop while we were still down there - at the last minute. I agree that rooms for short stays may well open up.

 

[Disneyliscious]

I'm not totally convinced. Some of the cheapest rooms are still available, discount rooms still available, and normal timed ADRs still available. This is coming from someone who usually goes in January, we are going to be there starting 10/18 this time, and i was surprised about the amount of availability, even now.

We’ve always found the 3rd week of October to be very pleasant in terms of crowds. It’s our first choice of October weeks. Just couldn’t make it happen this year though.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I think because it was so close to check-in, they open up all available rooms in all configurations. That's just a guess, though.

They can't or don't just open up more rooms, as they don't hold any back. Either room-only guests cancelled, or remaining room blocks that were assigned to OTAs have been returned to Disney's control.

 

[vinotinto]

I'm not totally convinced. Some of the cheapest rooms are still available, discount rooms still available, and normal timed ADRs still available. This is coming from someone who usually goes in January, we are going to be there starting 10/18 this time, and i was surprised about the amount of availability, even now.

That's not the weekend she is talking about. She's talking about Columbus Day weekend (the weekend of Oct 11-14).

To the OP, it's been busy for years. Have a good plan and lots of patience and enjoy being at Disney.

Here is a screen shot of my dates. This is full rack rate, not discounted availability. There's been nothing available for a few weeks. Every once in a while, a resort will pop up.

 

[Mgc213717]

Is columbus weekend busier than halloween weekend?

 

[vinotinto]

Is columbus weekend busier than halloween weekend?

Yes because it's Fall Break for many schools in the South, and some adults have Monday off from work. Plus, it usually falls around some of the Jewish holidays and Canada's Thanksgiving.

 

[Mgc213717]

Yes because it's Fall Break for many schools in the South, and some adults have Monday off from work. Plus, it usually falls around some of the Jewish holidays and Canada's Thanksgiving.

Good to know, thanks very much! In general, anyone know how crowds are on the week of halloween?

 

[epcotty]

Some have minimum days it seems now for certain dates . I bet if you search 3 days a lot more will show . Not that it helps you

You'd think that would hurt them by people wanting less expensive hotels going offsite instead because of that, but they must know what they're doing

 

[Deb & Bill]

You'd think that would hurt them by people wanting less expensive hotels going offsite instead because of that, but they must know what they're doing

Disney isn't hurting for paying guests.