Would you go over fall break (mid-Oct) or Thanksgiving week?

[imjen]

We have a family trip with 4 of our kids (ages 7 to 21) scheduled in June but it looks like Disneyland may not be open then, or if it is, it will be with restrictions and possibly really crowded with many waiting to go when it opens. So we want to have a Plan B and book a hotel for fall. Dh is a teacher and 2 teens are in High School so we need to use a holiday break. We went over fall break several years ago and enjoyed the Halloween decorations and party. We haven't been before Christmas and thought that would be a lot of fun if Thanksgiving week isn't super busy. We are looking at either Wed Oct 14-Friday or Saturday that week. Or Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving for 3 or 4 days. Is there a big difference in crowd levels these 2 weeks? What would you do? Thanks!

 

[midnight star]

https://www.disboards.com/threads/c...ays-between-10-5-19-through-10-13-19.3773629/
I included a thread thats from mid October during fall breaks and Columbus Day. For this year with the virus I’m not sure how that may impact crowds, but the last few years, October crowds are pretty bad. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fun time of year, but the crowds can be shocking if you aren’t mentally prepared. I went on Columbus Day last year and expected big crowds, and was still shocked at how packed it was! I almost couldn’t believe it.

So with that said, I would pick thanksgiving week. I enjoy Christmas at the parks. I also think around this time there’s more entertainment during the day. In October, entertainment only happens on weekends. The increase in entertainment spreads the crowds out. Crowds can be large but I don’t think they were on the same level as October crowds. Again, this could all change with the virus.

 

[LAS2AMS]

Crowd history is irrelevant. Health officials/experts don’t expect the virus to entirely go away, and are encouraging businesses to introduce distancing measures when they reopen. Additional, millions of families will be rebuilding their finances. In other words... fewer people will be traveling to DL for a variety of reasons, and it’s possible DL itself may limit crowd capacity and/or introduce other measures (eg no lines, but a fast pass system instead).

If you’re able and willing to travel, this year will be a great time to do so (assuming you stay healthy).

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Can you make a hotel reservation for both times (with a no penalty cancellation policy, of course) and wait to see how things look a bit closer to fall? No one knows if Halloween Time or Holiday Time will be anything like what we're used to from the past, so you might want to have a hotel on hold for now, just in case, but wait for more news.

 

[Aurora0427]

I’m with @midnight star. October was horrible last year. Obviously this year, all bets are off, but I’d definitely choose Thanksgiving week over October in a normal year.

 

[gelatoni fan]

I generally advise people who aren't frequent visitors to avoid Halloweentime because Oogie Boogie Bash makes crowds bad and shortens DCA hours. Going around Thanksgiving means that you'll see Christmas stuff. Most people prefer Christmas but if there's a particular show that you really want to see, you need to make sure it isn't replaced by a Christmas show.

You'll need to pay attention to the news because we don't know when the parks will reopen and what the situation will be for Oogie Boogie Bash and Avengers campus opening.

 

[imjen]

I generally advise people who aren't frequent visitors to avoid Halloweentime because Oogie Boogie Bash makes crowds bad and shortens DCA hours. Going around Thanksgiving means that you'll see Christmas stuff. Most people prefer Christmas but if there's a particular show that you really want to see, you need to make sure it isn't replaced by a Christmas show.

You'll need to pay attention to the news because we don't know when the parks will reopen and what the situation will be for Oogie Boogie Bash and Avengers campus opening.

Thank you! So in general, the Thanksgiving week crowds tend to be a little less than October crowds? I would love to see the Christmas stuff. I've only seen some of it once in January when I went with my sister and some of it was still up. The rest of my family hasn't been there during that time.

 

[Aurora0427]

Thank you! So in general, the Thanksgiving week crowds tend to be a little less than October crowds? I would love to see the Christmas stuff. I've only seen some of it once in January when I went with my sister and some of it was still up. The rest of my family hasn't been there during that time.

This past October was crazy.... this Thanksgiving the weather here was crappy, so it helped keep the crowds from getting too crazy. Thanksgiving is busy, but DCA isn’t hosting the Halloween party, and both parks will have longer hours. I just think October is a mess nowadays (pre pandemic) because of all the fall breaks and Halloween.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Thank you! So in general, the Thanksgiving week crowds tend to be a little less than October crowds? I would love to see the Christmas stuff. I've only seen some of it once in January when I went with my sister and some of it was still up. The rest of my family hasn't been there during that time.

Fall break seems to happen all month long and everyone and their cousin and aunt and uncle think it’s the PERFECT time to go to Disneyland which leads to YIKES!! crowds... don’t get me wrong, Halloween Time is fun, but the crowd reports from the last couple year aren’t something I care to encounter.

If you go over Thanksgiving you’ll get IASW holiday + full park hours and entertain schedules because it’s a holiday weekend. It will definitely be crowded, but maybe not as crowded as Oct can be. And at least people going over Thanksgiving expect it you know?

 

[midnight star]

Fall break seems to happen all month long and everyone and their cousin and aunt and uncle think it’s the PERFECT time to go to Disneyland which leads to YIKES!! crowds...

hahahahahahaha this is funny and true! There were soooo many family reunion trips in October. Like legit saw multiple families of 20+ people getting their pictures taken in front of the castle.

 

[Marssiful]

November is a great month at Disneyland. The weather is usually just right... not to warm but not yet cold.

 

[katyringo]

We are going October 23-27th this year. We’ve never been for Halloween!

that being said we did that thanksgiving time in 2018 and it was wonderful.

 

[Jerryp49]

The week after Thanksgiving is alot less crowded.. We went Thanksgiving week one year and we swore we would never do it again. It was miserably crowded. This year may be different if the Parks limit guests because of the virus and social distancing

 

[imjen]

We are going October 23-27th this year. We’ve never been for Halloween!

that being said we did that thanksgiving time in 2018 and it was wonderful.

Thanks! October can be fun too. We had fun a few years ago, in spite of crowds. Halloween decorations and activities are pretty cool. What days did you go near Thanksgiving in 2018? Was it Thanksgiving week?

 

[Aurora0427]

hahahahahahaha this is funny and true! There were soooo many family reunion trips in October. Like legit saw multiple families of 20+ people getting their pictures taken in front of the castle.

And everyone thinks the weather will be amazing and it’s usually HOT

 

[katyringo]

Thanks! October can be fun too. We had fun a few years ago, in spite of crowds. Halloween decorations and activities are pretty cool. What days did you go near Thanksgiving in 2018? Was it Thanksgiving week?

We arrived on Black Friday and left the following Wednesday. So we were there for the weekend and it was very manageable.

 

[Rory607]

Has anyone done both DL and WDW in October? Our spring break trip to DL was obviously cancelled, so we’re considering going over fall break. We went to WDW over fall break last year, so we are familiar with the October crowds there. So when people say DL is crazy crowded in October, it is better or worse than WDW?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Has anyone done both DL and WDW in October? Our spring break trip to DL was obviously cancelled, so we’re considering going over fall break. We went to WDW over fall break last year, so we are familiar with the October crowds there. So when people say DL is crazy crowded in October, it is better or worse than WDW?

When is your fall break? I don't know about fall break in WDW, but at DLR, you'll be looking at fall breaks for the various districts in Southern CA, Northern CA, AZ, UT, NV, OR, WA, etc. The ones that hit DLR hard are NV, AZ, and UT (in addition to, of course, the CA fall breaks). Throw in Columbus Day Weekend, and the parks get CROWDED. Hard to move anywhere, lines for everything -- that kind of crowded. If you look at the first page of the Official October 2020 Check In Thread...Take 2!!, you'll see the dates for the big fall breaks in October. How will things look this fall? Will October be as crowded as it has been in the past? Stay tuned...