When to go...

[Chax]

I love-love-love reading travel books on Disney, so before our trip in 2009 I read the lot and they all advised going in October. Nice weather, low crowds, great discounts and the F&W festival.
So we did and had an amazing time. Longest line during our 10 day trip at the end of October was 30 minutes and it really annoyed us since we've been so spoiled the rest of the trip.

Now we're planning a new one for October 2018, but since I started my new book-athon I saw October went from a low attendance period (back in 2009) to a peak period because of the F&W festival and the nice weather and great discounts... (the irony...)

Has anyone been in October a few years ago and recently? Has it really changed that much? Or do people just attend the F&W and is the rest still pretty calm? Should we reconsider the period? We could also move to late April/ early May.

Love to hear your advice / experiences.

 

[Alesia]

October is pretty busy now. Much busier than it was in 2009.

Personally, I would pick May.

 

[TXHauntedMansionFan]

Definitely more crowded now in Octobers than in previous years. Seems like Mondays and Tuesdays are below 5s on the crowd calendars but Wed through the weekends are 6s or above. We still love attending in the fall because of the F&W and MNSSHP but we have had to adjust our expectations/touring plans to make sure that we hit the things that are priorities to us.

October is still very doable with some planning (which you're doing if you're working on a 2018 trip already!) but Apr/May will have lighter crowds probably.

 

[Ds4angels]

October, over 1/2 the days MK closes at 7 for MNSSHP, so I'd avoid Oct for that reason alone. We like beginning of February, nice temperatures and low crowds. My sister enjoys May since her kids like the water parks

 

[loves to dive]

We enjoy mid-March to mid-April. Not crazy hot yet, the afternoon rains haven't started yet and the crowds are not bad as long as you avoid Easter. Most schools are in session, again if you avoid Easter, so it's not bad.

 

[Mome Rath]

Went and came back before the hurricane this year; EPCOT on a Sunday, MK on a Monday (no party day), crowds were really manageable, weather was hotter than average, light rain in afternoons (downpour the day before we got there). I'd go again in October. I've been every spring and fall for years. The attendance has definitely increased, but if you are a planner and plan your day, it's not hard to handle. The hurricane changed up things quite a bit I think. For me the biggest crowd change is the increased traffic in Fantasyland/New Fantasyland sometimes it does get so packed there I can't take it and hop to EPCOT.

 

[abnihon]

We're going this weekend for just pool time, Pirates and Pals fireworks cruise, and MNSSHP.
Then in early May we're doing a weeklong trip with all the parks.

In Oct 2018 I may go back for MNSSHP and Food and Wine but not to hit all the parks.

I think my plan going forward will be weeklong trips in early May-early June or early Dec and short weekend trips every few years in Oct for MNSSHP.

 

[PeasandCarrots]

We were there last October the 3rd week of the month and crowds were moderate. Not as low as Sept, but not as busy as late April (away from Easter) and early June. Everything is relative though - from 2009 to 2018 the crowds will be higher all year round because the parks are just consistently more crowded now.

 

[Hootch]

Early November has lowish crowds and generally good weather. Early May is a good time to go also. Temps may a bit higher.

 

[Dbktmc]

We were in Disney from October 2nd-9th. (We extended 2 days because our flight home was cancelled due to the hurricane.) This was our first time traveling in October as we go every summer in June. I was looking forward to the crowds being lower than a typical June day and I was also looking forward to the cooler weather.

Well..... the crowds were MUCH higher than they were during our June trip. (We were there from June 15th-25th this year.) We went to a MNNSHP on Oct. 4th and the parade viewing was at least 5-6 people deep. The humidity was just as bad for our October trip as it was in the summer. My family was not prepared for any of these things and I wish we had known what to expect.

That being said.... it's Disney. A hot and crowded day at Disney beats any day at home.

 

[Dbktmc]

Double post. Sorry!

 

[SpaceMtnGirl]

We were in Disney from October 2nd-9th. (We extended 2 days because our flight home was cancelled due to the hurricane.) This was our first time traveling in October as we go every summer in June. I was looking forward to the crowds being lower than a typical June day and I was also looking forward to the cooler weather.

Well..... the crowds were MUCH higher than they were during our June trip. (We were there from June 15th-25th this year.) We went to a MNNSHP on Oct. 4th and the parade viewing was at least 5-6 people deep. The humidity was just as bad for our October trip as it was in the summer. My family was not prepared for any of these things and I wish we had known what to expect.

That being said.... it's Disney. A hot and crowded day at Disney beats any day at home.

We were at the oct 4 party and thought it was the least crowded MNSSHP has ever been! Watched the second parade in a 1-deep crowd in Frontierland!

 

[Dbktmc]

We were at the oct 4 party and thought it was the least crowded MNSSHP has ever been! Watched the second parade in a 1-deep crowd in Frontierland!

I heard that it was a sold out party due to the hurricane. We were originally scheduled to go on the 6th but we (along with just about a million of my closest friends )moved our party to Tuesday night. We watched the first parade right in front of the Liberty Bell. I do agree that it was empty by the 2nd parade. We were able to leave during the parade and were able to easily walk down main street.

On a side note... when we needed to add 2 days to our trip because our flight out of Florida was cancelled we were told that we may not be able to extend our stay at our hotel. (Port Orleans Riverside) The employee at the front desk who was helping me told me that the resort was already at 98% capacity when he arrived this morning.

 

[SleepyHollow]

We went to Disney 4 times in 7 years, all trips taking place in late October. It was always a great time to visit and I never considered another time to travel to Florida. That said, I have not been to Disney in close to 10 years. We leave tomorrow for our first trip with kids. I am expecting the much higher crowds that have been regularly reported here and through other Disney sources. I will gladly report back next week on my experience in terms of "that was October then, this is October now."

 

[dlavender]

We went October last year, and MK is basically a 10/10 most days on off party days. One big consideration is if you like to use the resort pools. Sometimes October can be a little too chilly for that (not the case this year!). April/May is nice as you get the pool weather, but you couldn't pay me to be there around Easter. Pricing is similar for both time frames, so no difference maker there. Good luck. Choosing which time of the year is one of the toughest decisions.

 

[SpaceMtnGirl]

I heard that it was a sold out party due to the hurricane. We were originally scheduled to go on the 6th but we (along with just about a million of my closest friends )moved our party to Tuesday night. We watched the first parade right in front of the Liberty Bell. I do agree that it was empty by the 2nd parade. We were able to leave during the parade and were able to easily walk down main street.

On a side note... when we needed to add 2 days to our trip because our flight out of Florida was cancelled we were told that we may not be able to extend our stay at our hotel. (Port Orleans Riverside) The employee at the front desk who was helping me told me that the resort was already at 98% capacity when he arrived this morning.

That's so wild because there was even a thread started on the dis about how empty that party was. Interesting how different perceptions can be

 

[minijeanie]

We were in Disney from October 2nd-9th. (We extended 2 days because our flight home was cancelled due to the hurricane.) This was our first time traveling in October as we go every summer in June. I was looking forward to the crowds being lower than a typical June day and I was also looking forward to the cooler weather.

Well..... the crowds were MUCH higher than they were during our June trip. (We were there from June 15th-25th this year.) We went to a MNNSHP on Oct. 4th and the parade viewing was at least 5-6 people deep. The humidity was just as bad for our October trip as it was in the summer. My family was not prepared for any of these things and I wish we had known what to expect.

That being said.... it's Disney. A hot and crowded day at Disney beats any day at home.

totally agree but I was on the shelf about going to MNNSHP on the 4th but we decided to do a pool day instead.. Glad we did.. crowds to me were horrific but as you said better than being at work

 

[Chax]

Thanx for all the advice. Since we'll be planning to go for a week or a week and a half I was wondering; is the "Easter period" crowded or just the weekend and Easter Monday?

And Sleepyhollow I'd love to read your experience with then and now! Thanx and have a great time out there!

 

[Mome Rath]

We've found the whole of Easter week to be crowded. I'd say there's a spread of time around Easter that is more crowded, so the weekend before, the weekend after, and perhaps the Thursday before as well (Holy Thursday before Good Friday through Easter, and the weekend after).

ETA; to clarify; Easter is April 17th, so you're talking April 13th through the 23rd.

 

[Praying Colonel]

This is a pretty nerdy (and pretty cool, IMHO--maybe because I'm nerdy) graph that shows WDW crowds from 2010-2016. (Sorry for the size--I found it on Google images and can't find a way to resize.)

Notice how October 2010 (the earliest October they chart) was much less crowded than October 2016 is now. It just confirms what many of us have seen over the years, but it's a pretty cool illustration of it IMHO.

It also shows what many have said for awhile: there really is no "slow" time at WDW anymore. September's the slowest, but looking at the September levels for the last couple of years I wouldn't necessarily call them "light" or "slow," especially when compared with other years.