probably going Oct 7th-12th. how crowded should i expect it to be?

[disney world dreamer]

my sister is a teacher so she's somewhat limited as to when she can go.
her school gets Columbus Day off and because they are a diverse school district they also get Yom Kippur off and this year Columbus day is on Oct 10th and Yom Kippur is on Oct 12th so the school district opted to use their one flex day off on Oct 11th.

we've never been in October and obviously we have not been around Columbus Day.
how crowded should we expect it to be during those dates?

it may be useful to know that we have been during Thanksgiving week many times and we never find it to be overly crowded.
so with that in mind how crowded would you say Columbus Day week is in comparison?
more crowded? less crowded? the same?

 

[mom2rtk]

If the combination of Yom Kippur and Columbus Day makes it convenient for you, it will for many others as well. The parks will be very crowded that weekend.

 

[rastahomie]

Check out www.easywdw.com for free crowd calendars. The October 2016 calendar isn't up yet, but looking back to 2015, the second week of October looks to have been middle-of-the-road, crowd-wise.

 

[PaintsWindColors]

The holiday weekend plus MNSSHP will make it fairly busy. Looks like crowd levels 7/8 for the weekend but surrounding days should be less busy.
EDIT: used the crowd calendar at touringplans.com (with subscription)

 

[rastahomie]

The holiday weekend plus MNSSHP will make it fairly busy. Looks like crowd levels 7/8 for the weekend but surrounding days should be less busy.
EDIT: used the crowd calendar at touringplans.com (with subscription)

It blows my mind that weekends are busier at WDW. You would think that most people would be traveling on the weekends, so they could get back to work and school. And from what I understand, the vast majority of locals are ambivalent at best about Disney parks, so it doesn't make sense that locals would be flooding the parks on the weekends.

 

[disney world dreamer]

should mention 'm not a crowd calendar fan lol.
so personal experience from past visits may help me more.

 

[oufpat]

For the same reason, we'll also be there from October 7 to 12. Don't worry we'll all be in Disney and have fun, despite the crowds.

 

[skuttle]

We'll be there Oct 6-9 for a long weekend to check out MNSSHP for the first time. Our fall holiday is Oct 7th, but we aren't off on Columbus day. I don't do crowd calendars either! I figure, if I can survive Easter week, Thanksgiving, and 4th of July, then Columbus day weekend should be a breeze! LOL!

 

[Govols1997]

We were there that time last year. It was crazy on the non party nights! Like I almost freaked out crowded. Otherwise, it was fine. We're going back same time this year.

 

[Boopuff]

We were just there last Columbus weekend. We thought it was pretty darn busy. My DD is a CM and during that time with the party going the CM had blackouts that week. It's crowded but not Christmas crowded.

 

[Delirium]

You should expect at least 4 people to be there as my clan will be there at that time. Seriously, we last went at that time of teh year in 2013, and even that year it was much more crowded than previous Octobers we had gone.

Party days at MK were nice. Non-Party days were very busy.
Epcot seems to remain crowded because of F&W
HS seemed to handle the larger crowds poorly, and that was before they closed so much. I expect it to be insane this year.
AK was the best park crowd-wise

 

[Polydweller]

We were just there last Columbus weekend. We thought it was pretty darn busy. My DD is a CM and during that time with the party going the CM had blackouts that week. It's crowded but not Christmas crowded.

Last year was a bit out of the norm. The huge Gartner Conference was held Oct 4-15, 2015 so there were lots of people staying on with their families.

We have often gone starting that weekend and typically the Columbus Day/Canadian Thanksgiving weekend has been busy but by Mondau afternoon the crowds settle down. Though the place really never is quiet anymore.

 

[NYCANC]

We left on the 8th last year and that was the day we noticed the park was packed! People were coming in for Columbus Day weekend.

 

[mom2rtk]

Just don't do the MK on a non-party day. That alone will help quite a bit.

 

[disney world dreamer]

so its better to go to MK on a party day?

we would be going to MK 2 times.
one would be for the whole day and one would be for MNSSHP.
between monday october 10th and tuesday october 11th which would be the better day to go for the day and which would be the better day to go for just the party?

 

[mom2rtk]

so its better to go to MK on a party day?

we would be going to MK 2 times.
one would be for the whole day and one would be for MNSSHP.
between monday october 10th and tuesday october 11th which would be the better day to go for the day and which would be the better day to go for just the party?

MK closes early on party nights with no Wishes or MSEP. Most try to avoid those days so they can stay longer and have night entertainment. Your best shot at a lower crowd experience would definitely be on a party day.

Since neither Tuesday nor Wednesday are days off work and school, it should be a toss-up on crowds for those parties.

For the full day, I'd take Tuesday over Monday if possible.

 

[AshleeH]

That's our standard week to go - it's crowded. Is it packed? Sometimes. But definitely hot and crowded.

 

[RubySue]

Last year was a bit out of the norm. The huge Gartner Conference was held Oct 4-15, 2015 so there were lots of people staying on with their families.

Just FYI, Gartner Symposium 2016 is Oct. 16-20.

 

[policycobb]

That is our school district's fall break. My family will be there too.