Out last 2 trips were in late October
Beautiful weather...warm enough to go swimming, but not as scorching and humid as summer - even a little "coolish" sometimes at night
Lighter crowds...minimal wait times for most, bigger attractions were maybe 30 mins standby
MNSSHP...out favorite thing about Oct in Disney - trick or treating around MK in costume (my son was Mickey, I was Minnie, hubby was Goofy), seeing characters in costume, and the Boo To You parade - believe me when I tell you the music will be stuck in your head for MONTHS!
All of the "
free dining" people will be gone by then, so the restaurants should be less crowded too - we changed a few reservations last minute while we were there and had no problems.
We did not do F&W Festival, and LOEMH was not happening during our trip, so I can't comment on either one of those.
ENJOY - We LOVE October in the World!