Typical late October crowds (Pre-COVID)

G00fyDad

Well-Known Member
So we have always gone in late September to early October. Since 2000 the crowd sizes at Disney World have steadily gotten larger at that time of the year. We've decided to move our trip next year to October 21st to the 29th. Can someone who has gone closer to Halloween please give me an idea if the crowds die off a little bit or are the parks still moderately packed? This will be the following week after Columbus Day weekend. October 2020 is a wash because of covid restrictions. However, I fully expect the parks to be back to their normal capacity and normal operating schedules by October next year. So what are the crowds like on the last week of October?
 

Queen of the WDW Scene

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Pre covid the closer you got to Halloween the more crowded it got with MNSsHP and F&W on the way out.

This year I think summer is coming back full force when pre covid summer was actually known for being less crowded since more people started going in the fall.

Come next year I think we may see summer slow a bit again.

October is going to be crowded this year especially with the 50th but I also think that it will come roaring back next year as travel gets back to a normal state.

So basically no one knows but I'm guessing late Ocotber 2022 is gonna be crowded just like pre covid.
 
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G00fyDad

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I have gone throughout the whole month of October and the crowds are heavy no matter when you go. If you want low crowds, stick to mid September or wait until mid Nov.

Crud. I was afraid someone would say that. :( September is out because of the Lovebugs. My wife cannot stand them and we moved it to October so my son's new girldfriend could see the Halloween decorations. We may move it back to mid November. :(
 
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Queen of the WDW Scene

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Crud. I was afraid someone would say that. :( September is out because of the Lovebugs. My wife cannot stand them and we moved it to October so my son's new girldfriend could see the Halloween decorations. We may move it back to mid November. :(

So move it to August... Seems like Halloween decor will be up at MK for Boo Bash which starts August 10th.
 
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G00fyDad

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Original Poster
So move it to August... Seems like Halloween decor will be up at MK for Boo Bash which starts August 10th.

Nah. The Lovebugs start in August. We went in Sept before and my wife nearly lost her mind over the bugs. She hates bugs normally but those things were everywhere. My son (who was very young at the time) called them two headed bugs. LOL We're just going to move it to mid-November. :)
 
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Queen of the WDW Scene

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Nah. The Lovebugs start in August. We went in Sept before and my wife nearly lost her mind over the bugs. She hates bugs normally but those things were everywhere. My son (who was very young at the time) called them two headed bugs. LOL We're just going to move it to mid-November. :)

I've been a number of times between mid August and Labor Day and I gotta say we haven't encountered many lovebugs.
Going August 25-30 this year.
 
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G00fyDad

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Original Poster
I've been a number of times between mid August and Labor Day and I gotta say we haven't encountered many lovebugs.
Going August 25-30 this year.

Maybe but I will never be able to get my wife into the state of Florida between August and September again. For 10 days straight that's all we listened to. "These things are everywhere!", "Ew! One just flew in my face!", "They're all over the place!". And she spent nearly the entire 10 days waving her hands in front of her face and swatting at the things in the air. It's just not worth it. 🤣 Even I noticed that they were literally on every single surface outside. Not covering it like Mayflies or anything but they were everywhere.
 
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jaklgreen

Well-Known Member
Maybe but I will never be able to get my wife into the state of Florida between August and September again. For 10 days straight that's all we listened to. "These things are everywhere!", "Ew! One just flew in my face!", "They're all over the place!". And she spent nearly the entire 10 days waving her hands in front of her face and swatting at the things in the air. It's just not worth it. 🤣 Even I noticed that they were literally on every single surface outside. Not covering it like Mayflies or anything but they were everywhere.

We used to go in September every year when our kids were little and I don't remember there being a ton of love bugs. There are bugs, it is Florida after all, but I don't remember swarms of them. And my oldest hates bugs also but she does not even mention it when we go. I think that some years are just worse then others. We have more issues with the intense heat and humidity then bugs. LOL They say that May is worse then September, but I don't really remember them being bad last May either. Maybe I just don't notice them. LOL
 
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GrumpyDude

Active Member
We are going the last weekend of Oct. into the first week of Nov. We are banking on the crowds being down (except for Halloween weekend) because people may be reluctant to pull their kids out of school.
 
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John park hopper

Well-Known Member
Not trying to be political but things are indicating we are headed for some major inflation if calculated the same way as during the Carter years we are at 14%. This may have a major effect on WDW attendance as people tighten their belts and have less disposable income.
 
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Queen of the WDW Scene

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
Not trying to be political but things are indicating we are headed for some major inflation if calculated the same way as during the Carter years we are at 14%. This may have a major effect on WDW attendance as people tighten their belts and have less disposable income.

Except you're not accounting for the fact that for 15 months MANY people did absolutely nothing and have money to spend or at least have a will to get out there and do stuff that they missed doing last year and are willing to go into debt to make up for it.
 
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Queen of the WDW Scene

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
We are going the last weekend of Oct. into the first week of Nov. We are banking on the crowds being down (except for Halloween weekend) because people may be reluctant to pull their kids out of school.

With the way things are going I don't actually see this happening. Besides that is a very popular time for people who really want to see Halloween and Christmas in the same trip.
 
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John park hopper

Well-Known Member
Except you're not accounting for the fact that for 15 months MANY people did absolutely nothing and have money to spend or at least have a will to get out there and do stuff that they missed doing last year and are willing to go into debt to make up for it.
Consumer spending has been reported to be down for the month of May as people have spent the government covid checks. Only time will tell if people have the money to vacation.
 
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G00fyDad

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Original Poster
I am thinking that those people that were locked down and you think are ready to spend some vacation dollars may not have a job or vacation dollars to spend if they were locked down this long. My wife and I work in healthcare and were never hit financially by the lockdowns but others have. There is a large cross-section of this country that have been out of work for a long period of time and they are trying to get caught back up. I don't see these people having this disposable income. Of course that is just an uneducated guess on my part so...
 
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Queen of the WDW Scene

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
I am thinking that those people that were locked down and you think are ready to spend some vacation dollars may not have a job or vacation dollars to spend if they were locked down this long. My wife and I work in healthcare and were never hit financially by the lockdowns but others have. There is a large cross-section of this country that have been out of work for a long period of time and they are trying to get caught back up. I don't see these people having this disposable income. Of course that is just an uneducated guess on my part so...

And how many people have taken advantage of the unemployment system? I know someone who was getting paid more money for not working than if they had been working.
And there are sooooo many jobs out there right now that are going unfilled because people don't want to work.
 
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G00fyDad

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
And how many people have taken advantage of the unemployment system? I know someone who was getting paid more money for not working than if they had been working.
And there are sooooo many jobs out there right now that are going unfilled because people don't want to work.
Not as many as you think and some of them have had issues and have not been getting the unemployment checks. I am an addictions therapist and I help people with other things like employment, transportation, finding a primary care physician, etc. and I have had a lot of patients tell me that the unemployment offices in Kentucky are (were) closed and they have had a problem from the start but have no one to talk to. There just simply wasn't anyone there to talk to at the office about their check.

And yes, people do want to work. That is a very tired old argument that I am not going to get into.
 
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Queen of the WDW Scene

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
And yes, people do want to work. That is a very tired old argument that I am not going to get into.

There are some that do not.
That is evident when businesses have had to close or cannot return to full hours/capacity even though they are allowed to because they cannot get people to fill the jobs.
I understand that not every job is right for every person but its not for lack of companies currently looking for workers.
 
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