talk to me about October!! Please:)

[~April~]

We have gone in April and in May (time of year we LOVE, the flower and garden festival and all, however with the kids getting older and final review and final testing this time of year isn't going to be possible anymore) So dh and I were thinking of October, but know nothing about Disney and this time of year, what are the crowds like? anything special going on in October? Tell me why or why not we should go in October. Please and thank you

 

[wesbw]

I've been numerous times in October (more than 5) and have thoroughly enjoyed it! Weather is usually great (not too hot, not too cold). Crowd level is probably about the same as May (I went in May last year) - maybe even a little less. The Food and Wine Festival is going on at Epcot and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party will be happening at Magic Kingdom.

Overall I think you will find things very similar to April/May.

 

[DisneyQueen1320]

October a great time of year to go.
The weather is great and there are some great events during that time.
Food &Wine plus MNSSHP.

I have found the crowds to be low.

Have fun

 

[karenTX]

Just to warn you...
We chose Oct. because of being told all of the above. So we went Oct. 2013. My DH said NEVER AGAIN!!! It was THE WORST crowds we have ever experienced. There were tons of Europeans and South American groups. It was worse then our past June trips. No lie! Maelstrom...40 min wait, AK safari ride... 2 Hours, even the Swiss Family treehouse was at a 60 min wait. No joke!

Just so you know...

 

[dawnhaze]

I went in October 2012, I think my dates were the 25th through Nov 1. It was nice and not too crowded, except at the sold-out MNSSHP on Halloween itself, which is to be expected.

This past October in 2013, my dates were about a week earlier, and it was very crowded, much more than I had been expecting. It was still better than August though, lol.

 

[siskaren]

http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/10-october-2013-crowd-calendar/

This is for last year, but it should give you a good idea of what to expect.

 

[amg35]

Just to warn you...
We chose Oct. because of being told all of the above. So we went Oct. 2013. My DH said NEVER AGAIN!!! It was THE WORST crowds we have ever experienced. There were tons of Europeans and South American groups. It was worse then our past June trips. No lie! Maelstrom...40 min wait, AK safari ride... 2 Hours, even the Swiss Family treehouse was at a 60 min wait. No joke!

Just so you know...

What part of October did you go?

From what I heard/read, last year the first part of month through Columbus day was pretty crowded (due to fall breaks for schools in US), but the last two weeks were fantastic.

Didn't hear anything about tour groups though...

 

[amg35]

http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/10-october-2013-crowd-calendar/

This is for last year, but it should give you a good idea of what to expect.

Hmmm, from that it seems like the most crowded days were Fridays and Saturdays, which I would expect for food/wine.

The other days were 4's and 5's...that's pretty good!

 

[wiigirl]

http://www.easywdw.com/category/calendar/10-october-2013-crowd-calendar/

This is for last year, but it should give you a good idea of what to expect.

 

[glamdring269]

Just to warn you...
We chose Oct. because of being told all of the above. So we went Oct. 2013. My DH said NEVER AGAIN!!! It was THE WORST crowds we have ever experienced. There were tons of Europeans and South American groups. It was worse then our past June trips. No lie! Maelstrom...40 min wait, AK safari ride... 2 Hours, even the Swiss Family treehouse was at a 60 min wait. No joke!

Just so you know...

We were there first week of October 2013 last year and thought crowds were great. So much in fact that we are going again in Oct 2014. When were you there?

 

[karenTX]

We were there oct. 11-22. We knew to expect American crowds from the holiday. But it was the wall to wall South American Spanish speaking crowds that did us in! All the cms we talked to were also shocked at the size of the crowds. They compared it to July Latin Month. The food and wine fest...was a sea of human cattle. You could not turn around. It got worse as the day went on and more people drank. And it's not that we're prudes about it. We like to drink our way around the world too. But we are talking loud, obnoxious, rude, crude drunks...most pushing strollers too. Not fun.

 

[amg35]

We were there oct. 11-22. We knew to expect American crowds from the holiday. But it was the wall to wall South American Spanish speaking crowds that did us in! All the cms we talked to were also shocked at the size of the crowds. They compared it to July Latin Month. The food and wine fest...was a sea of human cattle. You could not turn around. It got worse as the day went on and more people drank. And it's not that we're prudes about it. We like to drink our way around the world too. But we are talking loud, obnoxious, rude, crude drunks...most pushing strollers too. Not fun.

That's disheartening to read.

We are scheduled to arrive on 10/21 and stay until 10/30. We know to avoid Epcot on Friday night and Saturday, but we did not expect to be dealing with the tour groups.

Oh well, to plan is to succeed I guess!

 

[karenTX]

That's disheartening to read.

We are scheduled to arrive on 10/21 and stay until 10/30. We know to avoid Epcot on Friday night and Saturday, but we did not expect to be dealing with the tour groups.

Oh well, to plan is to succeed I guess!

I'm really not trying to ruin anything. But we were taken totally off guard by what we encountered. A friend and his family had gone just about the same week in 2012 without any problems which is why we chose it. I just want anyone who goes around then to be prepped because we weren't. We hadn't planned for crowds of that size. Maybe this year will be great again.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

Everyone's definition of "crowded" is different, so it's hard to give a definitive answer. I've gone the last week October for the last five years and always found the crowds to be very manageable, but it isn't a ghost town. With advanced research and smart touring, though, you should be able to hit all of the attractions with minimal waits. My average wait time for attractions is probably 15-20 minutes, which I consider to be very good.

Throw in MNSSP, F&W, and beautiful weather and it's my favorite time of the year to go.

 

[misse320]

We have gone twice in October and loved both times. The weather was perfect and the crowds were low. We like MNSSHP a lot better than MVMCP. We went in May one year and FL got the most rain they've had in the last 100 years. I think it was about 20 inches over the course of the week, and I'm not exaggerating.

We did experience even lower crowds in mid-December, but you just can't beat the ambiance of the fall season.

We are going for spring break this year (last week of March), and I'm kind of dreading it.

 

[AmyB2006]

I LOVE October, towards the end. The beginning can still be a little warm for me. Towards the end you have a better chance of it being a little cooler.

Love the Food and Wine Festival. Love Halloween decor and the MNSSHP.

It's just nice all around.

 

[myjourney]

We were there last October from the 7-18 and I must have had pixie dust in my eyes cause I did not see any tour groups. We already knew not to do F&W on weekends so that was not a problem. We have gone in May many times and I like October better.

 

[My2Qtz0205]

Our first family trip was in the middle of October (16-22). The first few days were a little cool, but it warmed up by the end of the week. I thought it was an amazing trip!

Re: tour groups: We have been in October, early December, and the third week of August, and I have never seen a tour group. Maybe I had stars in my eyes, too!

 

[amg35]

8 months 4 days to go, I can't wait!

I can deal with tour groups if they are there.

 

[Hopefully]

We have gone every year in October for the last 10 yesrs. Each and every year has been busier than the year before. It has gone from being a virtual ghost town and value season, to being moderately busy and regular season.
The F & W Festival and MNSSHP bring in lots of folks.
In my opinion, it is crowded now, but not like summer or holiday crowds. You will experience lines and waits.
The weather is generally great. Warm days and coolish nights. Much less huimidy than prior months. But we have had stretches of HOT and HUMID misery, and cool/cold jeans and jacket weather in October. We pack for both now. And it is Hurricane Season, although it is pretty unusual for a full blown hurricane to impact central Florida too much or too often
Good Luck