Several questions all conveniently located right here!

[klitteral2009]

So my Disney addiction has taken hold and we're officially becoming a twice a year family We took a 7 day trip in January but we can't wait that long to go back so we've decided to go on the kids fall break the first week of October. Looking at mousesavers and a few other places I've seen that FD is usually offered then? We'll be staying at POR because we fell in love last time and can't see staying anywhere else...at least for a while. I wanted to book asap so I can reserve dining ressies and be ready to make FP ressies when they become available 60 days prior (or sooner if they change things...AGAIN lol). My questions are...

1) Is it likely we'll see FD? trip dates are 9/29-10/2
2) Should I book now and just amend the reservation when and if FD becomes available or wait until the promo is released and book first thing in the morning on release day?
3) Out of the blue..I know F&W takes place around those dates and wasn't sure how the crowds would affect our touring of Epcot. We're used to the blissfully low crowds in January so I'm trying to prepare for a different experience.

Thanks! You guys here on the DIS are the best

 

[Vohdre]

1. It is not super likely for FD since that is 10 days into F&W although there was one that started 4 days after F&W began last year I believe.
2. I would book first depending upon how specific your room request is it may not be available come FD announcement. Plus you can make dining reservations pretty soon.
3. Those are weekdays so Epcot will be more crowded because of F&W, but overall crowds will be lower than average.

 

[mickeynut1]

So my Disney addiction has taken hold and we're officially becoming a twice a year family We took a 7 day trip in January but we can't wait that long to go back so we've decided to go on the kids fall break the first week of October. Looking at mousesavers and a few other places I've seen that FD is usually offered then? We'll be staying at POR because we fell in love last time and can't see staying anywhere else...at least for a while. I wanted to book asap so I can reserve dining ressies and be ready to make FP ressies when they become available 60 days prior (or sooner if they change things...AGAIN lol). My questions are...

1) Is it likely we'll see FD? trip dates are 9/29-10/2
2) Should I book now and just amend the reservation when and if FD becomes available or wait until the promo is released and book first thing in the morning on release day?
3) Out of the blue..I know F&W takes place around those dates and wasn't sure how the crowds would affect our touring of Epcot. We're used to the blissfully low crowds in January so I'm trying to prepare for a different experience.

Thanks! You guys here on the DIS are the best

1. Your chances of FD for end of September are probably good, but there's no way of knowing for sure as Disney has been scaling back on discounts and dates they are available. With that said, if FD is offered for September, there is always a chance it might not go through the end of the month.

2. If you will go regardless of whether FD (or another discount) comes out for your dates, I would book now to make sure you get what you want. If you will only go with FD, I would wait to see if it comes out and covers your dates. Since Disney releases discounts to fill rooms, if resorts start filling up now, Disney will see no need to offer discounts during that time as booking "in hopes" of a discount will be less rooms Disney needs to fill.

3. F&W seems to get more popular every year, so I would imagine it's pretty busy. That's not to say it will be overly packed, but I think you'll see more crowds than what there are in January.

 

[jezebel73]

I went mid-October last year for F&W and the resort seemed very quiet, as expected for the season, but Epcot was still pretty busy. Lines for food moved quickly. Soarin' fastpasses were gone within an hour of park opening; I don't think fp+ was open to more than a test group then either. But it otherwise wasn't all that bad.

 

[PFopma]

Just stay way from Epcot on weekends. We made the mistake of going to Epcot on a Saturday but not for Food and Wine. It took forever just to get in the park and It was difficult to maneuver around World Showcase with the crowds. We did Food and Wine on weekday evenings and there were short lines and it was much easier to get around. This was early November.