Crowd levels mid october

[Disneyfan1977]

Hi all

Can anyone tell me how crowded it gets in mid October in Disney? Starting to worry....

 

[Pixiedust530]

I was in WDW from Oct. 15-22 in 2011. The crowds were very comfortable and manageable. We had a general plan of attack for the parks, arrived at or very close to rope drop each day and had ADR's for each day (booked 180 days out). The longest we waited for a ride was maybe 20 minutes and that was only on a couple occasions. We are going back in early October this year as our school's fall break changed.

Keep in mind that the parks will not be empty but will not be at or near capacity either. Have a general plan to tackle the parks and try to arrive as early as you can and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Quick question(s): Is this your first trip? If you have been before, what time of year have you gone? Sometimes crowds are relative to our past experiences.

 

[AmyB2006]

October is nice. We go mid to late October and I love it then. One of my fave times to go.

Now, with that being said, weekends will always be more crowded. Epcot in the afternoons/evenings will be really crowded due to Food and Wine Festival. MNSSHP can increase crowds as well.

But overall, I enjoy October. It's probably my favorite time of the year to go. After Christmas. LOL

 

[Disneyfan1977]

Definitely not our first trip but concerned because i have been having a hard time renting a dvc. Everything is coming back full so I am concerned we picked a bad week. Got an amAzing deal on our flight (430.00 RT NS for 4 people) so our dates aren't flexible. Apparently there is a fall break in other parts of the country and people flock to Disney during this week. We don't have that here so I didn't know. Thanks for the quick and informative response.... We will make the best of it regardless of crowds. I just wanted a heads up....

 

[Hopefully]

Definitely not our first trip but concerned because i have been having a hard time renting a dvc. Everything is coming back full so I am concerned we picked a bad week. Got an amAzing deal on our flight (430.00 RT NS for 4 people) so our dates aren't flexible. Apparently there is a fall break in other parts of the country and people flock to Disney during this week. We don't have that here so I didn't know. Thanks for the quick and informative response.... We will make the best of it regardless of crowds. I just wanted a heads up....

October is no longer a slow time of year. We have gone for the past 10 years or so and every year is busier than the last. It certainly is not holiday or summer busy, but it is not slow any longer. I agree with going early and doing what you can before the crowds build.
It is a very popular time for DVC owners. Food & Wine Festival and MNSSHP bring folks in. We own at BCV and I always book at exactly 11 months in advance or risk not getting a Villa at my home resort. If you are looking now, you may be out of luck.
Good Luck

 

[siskaren]

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

 

[Legendteri]

We went last year on Oct 21-26. I would describe the crowds as average. I also followed easywdw.com's most recommended park every day. The longest we had to wait was maybe 25 minutes for Dumbo. Most everything averaged out to 10 minutes. Some rides were longer while others we simply walked on.

Now, here is my best advice for going in Oct. Go to MK on a day it is hosting MNSSHP. Most people won't bother going on a day it closes early, leaving the non party days to be extremely busy. I am completely serious. Go on a day it hosts the Halloween party. Yes, it will mean missing the night time parade, but you can still see the fireworks at other locations like the observation deck on the Contemporary resort or the beach at the Polynesian. Show up at rope drop, ride the most popular rides first, use fastpass, leave at 6 or 7, have dinner at one of the monorail resorts and then go watch the fireworks.

Oh and avoid Epcot on the weekends.

We loved going last Oct and I know you will have a wonderful time.

 

[pooh4evr]

Not quite mid October but we will be there over our kids fall break Oct 9- 18th. We were there in 2011 from Sept 27 - Oct 7, it was hot, but the crowds were very manageable. Short waits, it seemed there was a fair number of people around but we really didn't wait for any rides longer then about 20-25 minutes. Except for the 40th anniversary day WOW, that was insane! We went to Ak no real crowds, I think my girls went on EE 3 times in about 30 minutes, anyway we went to Ohana for dinner, decided since we were close to MK to swing by and see the 40th stuff whoa holy crowds batman! We were able to make it up to Casey's by going through the stores, but could not move any further. We watched to castle show, and fireworks from there and spent about 45 minutes standing waiting for the crowds to thin enough that we could move further into the park. Once we got past the hub it was great! Front row seat in Liberty Square for the late parade, and no lines after that for the rides Pp was a walk on! It should be fine avoid Epcot or at least world showcase during the weekend because if Food and Wine.

 

[misstammy824]

Lots of schools here in the south have a 2-day Fall Break that creates a 4-day weekend in Mid-October. I was there during our Fall Break last year. Because I am a teacher, school breaks are my only option for travel, and the Fall Break trip was by and far the least crowded I've ever seen. Epcot on Friday was packed for Food and Wine, but we knew that going in. We traveled with a DVC member, and this is apparently an extremely popular time for DVC travel because it is not peak, making the points go further, and F&W at EPCOT and MNSSHP at MK are in full swing. Our MNSSHP night was a sell-out that Thursday (the 18th, maybe?) and we still saw all of the characters we wanted to see (including Dwarfs, Mickey, and Princesses), saw the 2nd parade with no trouble, and had a great spot for fireworks and the Villains show. Because of flight availability, we had to leave a day later than planned and moved over to AoA for our last night. There was plenty of availability in the new Little Mermaid section, so I think the real issue is just DVC availability. Hope that helps you worry less about crowds. Good luck finding a resort.

 

[chocovrdmicears]

Definitely not our first trip but concerned because i have been having a hard time renting a dvc. Everything is coming back full so I am concerned we picked a bad week. Got an amAzing deal on our flight (430.00 RT NS for 4 people) so our dates aren't flexible. Apparently there is a fall break in other parts of the country and people flock to Disney during this week. We don't have that here so I didn't know. Thanks for the quick and informative response.... We will make the best of it regardless of crowds. I just wanted a heads up....

I am no expert, but isn't it a little late to rent points for Oct of this year? We have looked into it before (but never actually rented) and I assumed the majority of the popular rentals were gone around 5-7 months. I don't think it's a crowd concern - but rather trying to rent something 3.5 months away, especially during F&W.

 

[vicki_c]

I am no expert, but isn't it a little late to rent points for Oct of this year? We have looked into it before (but never actually rented) and I assumed the majority of the popular rentals were gone around 5-7 months. I don't think it's a crowd concern - but rather trying to rent something 3.5 months away, especially during F&W.

Yes, October DVC rental is highly unlikely at this point, other than spotty days and/or at the larger resorts.