Questions about October Visit

[figment27]

Hi to All,
I have never visited WDW in October. I will be visiting the world with a very dear friend and her 12 y.o. grandson October 6 - 13th.
This will be his, and his grandmother's, first trip back to WDW since he was 2 y.o.. We would like to make the experience extra special. My last visit was January 2003.
Are the parks extremely busy during this time of year considering the Food and Wine Festival is at this time?
Do you think it is worth getting tickets to the Halloween Party at MK?
Is the party very crowded?
Will a 12 y.o. boy really enjoy it?
We will be visiting one of the water parks, is one more enjoyable than the other?
Any info/suggestions are very welcomed.

Thanks,
Barbara

 

[LibertyBelle]

Crowds are not bad in October so I would put that on the "least of the worries" list I would suggest the Halloween party. It is a lot of fun. They limit the amount of tickets sold, so it won't be "packed" but it will still be busy. The parade is awesome (with the Headless Horseman) and there is trick or treating (for all ages) as well as having the rides open. I definetly think that a 12 year old boy would enjoy it (costumes are optional).

As far as the water parks. In my opinion Typhoon Lagoon is more laid back and relaxed. If you are looking for a mellow day Typhoon is the one to go to. Blizzard is the one to go to for awesome slides (Typhoon has lots of slides as well, but Blizzards are more fun) especially if your 12 year old likes that kind of stuff. You can't go wrong at either, but Blizzard would definetly be my choice for adventure and Typhoon for relaxation.

 

[te2077]

were going for the first time in oct. i think your 12 yo would love mnsshp. my brother is 12 and we are going (he loved mvmcp). he picked out our costumes and were going as sherk and princess fiona. hope you have a great trip.

 

[Geomich]

We went last October (about the same week) and the crowds were low- only thing there was really a wait was mission space but it was very new at that point.

We did do MNSSHP and even though the children in our group were younger I would think a 12 yr old would still enjoy the night.

You wont be dissappointed in either waterpark but I agree with LibertyBelle- Typhoon Lagoon is more laid back and Blizzard Beach has faster and I believe longer slides. If you decide to go the laid back route-TL still has a great wave pool and plenty to keep a 12yr old occupied. We actually try to get 2 waterpark visits in our schedule while we are there.

Enjoy your trip/planning ( planning is half the fun!)

 

[holcomb-mania]

We've been the past 2 Octobers, and last year was significantly more crowded than Oct 2002 (probably due to still-sluggish travel following 9-11). That said, it was still managable.

MNSSHP is great. It's just now sinking in that this will be the first Halloween in three yrs we won't be trick-or-treating in MK. Maybe we'll go to the party at Tweetsie.

Blizzard Beach is the real deal, and IMHO a 12 yo will dig it. My DD8 and DS6 loved it. Summit Plummet is a flat-out MUST DO.