For all of those considering going in Oct.

[EPCOT.nut]

This past weekend was an absolute nightmare. My family was in town to visit and I told them not to worry about crowds because they hadn't been that bad this month. I was completely wrong. Friday at EPCOT Soarin' was at 100 minutes and TT was 120 in the afternoon. Today at MGM, RnRc was up to 90 minutes by 11:30. I couldn't believe how many people were on property, but the reasons have already been mentioned. Several schools have fall breaks at this time, year round schools give a few weeks off at this time, and UK guests are still coming in droves. Add all that to the absolutely disgusting heat and humidity and it doesn't seem like this was a great time to go.

That is sooo weird! I just got home from my 1/2 day at MGM and felt like it was a great day. We got there at 11:00am and immediately got Fast Passes for RNRC (which had a 40 min posted wait time) and we went to Tower of Terror which had a posted 40 min wait time. We only waited 15 minutes for Tower of Terror. It was a walk-on for the Back Lot Tour, Star Tours was 10 minutes and Great Movie Ride was about a 10 minute wait.

Yes the humidity killed me and I had chest tightness and wheezing when we were walking fast to get to attractions. I had to slow down so I could breathe.

But we did all the attractions in the 3-1/2 hours we were there and also ate lunch at the counter service by TOT.

 

[MattyFresh]

October still seems like an interesting time to go, particularly if one has not done MNSSHP.
If you break October into three parts: Beginning, Middle, and End
then would it be correct to say that chances for the least crowds and the best weather combination would be the Middle?

We are considering going in October next year.
Tks.

I would stick to my time at the first week of October. I mean its florida so you are going to have to be concerned with heat and rain no matter when you go. Plus it seemed to me that the crowds were picking up towards the end of our trip. I was very pleased with my trip, and like I said would go back at that time without hesitation.

 

[MattyFresh]

That is sooo weird! I just got home from my 1/2 day at MGM and felt like it was a great day. We got there at 11:00am and immediately got Fast Passes for RNRC (which had a 40 min posted wait time) and we went to Tower of Terror which had a posted 40 min wait time. We only waited 15 minutes for Tower of Terror. It was a walk-on for the Back Lot Tour, Star Tours was 10 minutes and Great Movie Ride was about a 10 minute wait.

Yes the humidity killed me and I had chest tightness and wheezing when we were walking fast to get to attractions. I had to slow down so I could breathe.

But we did all the attractions in the 3-1/2 hours we were there and also ate lunch at the counter service by TOT.

When we were there, 3rd-9th, every ride was like that. It was posted 30 mins or more, but we waited maybe 10-15 mins. I don't think we ran into a ride that was as long or longer then the posted time.

 

[Fluxuated]

More than likely people were giving dirty looks because EVERYONE and their dog grabs a wheelchair at WDW. You rarely can get on a bus, without having to wait another 5 minutes for the driver to load a chair into it. No doubt it's legit, but I'd say most of the chairs are not. Maybe that's got em perturbed. And what the other poster said, about the people in chairs thinking they can do whatevr they want. It puts a bad stereotype on the masses.

 

[phenom1307]

Not if you're in all year around school. we get 3 weeks off!

what school is that?

 

[Hrudey3032]

wait wait wait....2 weeks for fall break!?!?!? in indiana we got all of 2 DAYS for fall break...lame

Well some schools here in Indy now go year round so they get 3 weeks now for a fall break unlike the old 2 day break we got when I was a kid.Some of the schools I know of is where I went to School.Warren Township on Eastside of Indy has about 4 schools on year round system.

 

[Hrudey3032]

I know when I went to Florida in October back in 1999 we had such a great time as the weather at that time was about 80 everyday and not humid at all.The parks were sparse during that time and we were walking onto most rides within 10-15 minutes.Of course things have changed alot since I was there at that time of year so things are sounding alot different.

 

[sorceresssamara]

I was just visiting the world Oct 20th-27th. It was probably the busiest I have seen it by far (in the past I have gone in Jan, Mar, and Dec) for an "off" season. The parks were really crowded, ride wise it was ok until the afternoon. I also went to MNSSHP on the 25th, there were so many people there you could barely move! A drastic change from the MVMCP I went to the previous December, where you could move about freely and get to what you wanted without battling a sea of people. I don't know if I would ever go this time of year again, I heard that it isn't suppose to be that bad, but that was just my experience, and oh yea not to mention the nasty heat. Don't get me wrong I still had an awesome time!

Figured I would add my two cents.

 

[phenom1307]

Well some schools here in Indy now go year round so they get 3 weeks now for a fall break unlike the old 2 day break we got when I was a kid.Some of the schools I know of is where I went to School.Warren Township on Eastside of Indy has about 4 schools on year round system.

dang! i went to North Central and i know we only got 2 days off

 

[Hrudey3032]

dang! i went to North Central and i know we only got 2 days off

Warren Central 20
North Central 14
Sectional semi-finals 10/26/07

:ROFLOL:
Had to do it man.As far as Warren itself well the HS isnt a year round.

 

[NASAMan]

A couple points that have not made it into this discussion:

The US dollar is in a low period and the exchange to British pounds is favorable. That means a Disney vacation is more affordable to our UK friends. Its like a big sale is going on, and they are taking advantage of it. Thanks, folks, for visiting Florida and spending your money here!

Second, this October has seemed hotter and damper than normal. But, despite the dire predictions earlier this year, we have had no hurricane activity to speak of. I'd gladly trade humidity and thunderstorms for the high winds and damage caused by hurricanes. I took my brother's family to Not-So-Scary and brought along my Zero-G flight suit to change into for the evening. It was so humid I just left it in the locker. But I wasn't dissapointed because the kids were so excited, and any trials we experienced were kept quiet at the adult level level so the kids could fully enjoy thier time.

Remember in weather, their is no such thing as 'normal'. All you can do is look at trends over the past years, and guess (hope?) that the trend will continue. I remember beautiful Octobers, so don't give up on this month yet!

 

[phenom1307]

Warren Central 20
North Central 14
Sectional semi-finals 10/26/07

:ROFLOL:
Had to do it man.As far as Warren itself well the HS isnt a year round.

idk why youre laughin...NCs football team sucks...i'm surprised they were even that close

 

[MinnieMommy]

Just wanted to add our take on visiting the "World" in October. First, I think it's all a matter of perspective. If you usually go in the heat of the busy summer, October feels cool and less croowded. If you have gone in January or early December, October could feel very warm and crowded.

We've been in October several times. I think the trips we took in early October had less crowds. Mid to late October was when we found more school breaks. (We home school, so we can go whenever) To me it was warm, but not as warm as our July trips. Last year, we visited in early December and it made our October trips look like "July". December was cool and crowds were minimal. Definitely our favorite time to be at WDW!! :xmas:

On the topic of MNSSHP, we loved it and our kids had a blast! I think for us, seeing them having so much fun really put us in the spirit. Although, it wasn't fun returning to our car in the MK lot after the party to find it had been broken into! We had decided to drive to MNSSHP so the kids could ride up front in the monorail that night. Students on a break from school in Florida had broken into many vehicles that night. So our MNSSHP fun was a little dampened at the sight of broken glass from the van window.

 

[sknydave]

The weather is starting to get much cooler at night

 

[Preacher Gravy]

I am going next October (first time trip, first full week) and hope that this is not the case, but we are prepared for long lines, etc. hopefully since it is early the fall break crowd isn't out yet. . . .

 

[whizGoofy]

Hey everyone,

Just got back from WDW after a very stressful, very hot week at the parks. I have a lot to say on the subject, but I'll try not to ramble.

The parks were very, very crowded most of the week. It was hard to walk (and push mom in the wheelchair). The attractions had short wait times (under 30 mins.) but walking around was a nightmare. People wouldn't move out of the way to the point that I actually hit someone with the chair. I couldn't stop it in time, and I said excuse me 5 times, so it happened.

The biggest problem we experienced was the enormous group of extremely rude people, especially when it came to the chair. It's not my mom's choice to have to use the chair, so when I hear the complaining and see the dirty looks, it never ceases to amaze me.

We stayed at Pop, and the bus lines were double the length of every other resort. It was extremely frustrating.

MNSSHP was ridiculously packed. You couldn't really get to the special events (E.G. the Villian show, etc.) and character greeting was nearly impossible. My group waited 45 minutes for the Dwarves (all of them!) but as far as other rare characters, if they were out, it was difficult to find them.

I was advised that Halloween was less hectic then the Christmas season, but I was there last year around Christmas, and didn't see anything like this. The heat, the crowds, and the people, tried to dampen our fun, but I tried to remain optimisitc!

I too went this October and also went last October. I did MNSSHP both times and this year i was 150% disappointed in the party and the parks, compared to last year. The party is supposed to be a separate ticket and only those guests are supposed to be able to ride/do anything in the park aside from shopping. Well that was not the case this year. There were many times that there were people that didn't have thier bands on that were getting on rides and standing in line for pictures. There was even a couple that was bragging to someone on the phone about how they got in for "free" and they were having a heck of a time. Last year was not like that at all. Cast members were ensuring that only "banded" guest got the party experience.

We went last year and did not experiance this at all. The MNSSHP was not crowded, and we got to do all of the meets EXCEPT the pictures where Cindy's carriage is (sorry, don't remember the name of that spot).

I also went last year and is was tons better than this year. I have heard that October is no longer non-peak season and now it is harder to get around./

 

[suedenim]

Any expectations for really early November (like, say, this coming Nov. 2-6, when we're going? )

Looking at historical weather and such, it seems like anything from really warm to quite chilly is a possibility, though now that the 10-day Weather Channel forecasts are kicking in, it looks like temperatures will be in the 70s, which should be pretty nice.

 

[WhyteAL]

I have been severl times this year. Once in May, then in June, back in August and September. I have two more trips planned in November, and it has been my experience that this year Walt Disney World has seriously seen a huge increase in attendence. I being a florida resident used to be able to make reservations 2-3 weeks prior to leaving and get great hotel accomidations. That is no longer the case I have to plan way ahead. I don't think they expected such a huge increase or attendence since last year. But I guess it's a good situation because it will increase profits which in turn will force them to pump more money into there property.

 

[Deadmanwalking]

Hey everyone,

Just got back from WDW after a very stressful, very hot week at the parks. I have a lot to say on the subject, but I'll try not to ramble.

The parks were very, very crowded most of the week. It was hard to walk (and push mom in the wheelchair). The attractions had short wait times (under 30 mins.) but walking around was a nightmare. People wouldn't move out of the way to the point that I actually hit someone with the chair. I couldn't stop it in time, and I said excuse me 5 times, so it happened.

The biggest problem we experienced was the enormous group of extremely rude people, especially when it came to the chair. It's not my mom's choice to have to use the chair, so when I hear the complaining and see the dirty looks, it never ceases to amaze me.

We stayed at Pop, and the bus lines were double the length of every other resort. It was extremely frustrating.

MNSSHP was ridiculously packed. You couldn't really get to the special events (E.G. the Villian show, etc.) and character greeting was nearly impossible. My group waited 45 minutes for the Dwarves (all of them!) but as far as other rare characters, if they were out, it was difficult to find them.

I was advised that Halloween was less hectic then the Christmas season, but I was there last year around Christmas, and didn't see anything like this. The heat, the crowds, and the people, tried to dampen our fun, but I tried to remain optimisitc!

Seems we were there at about the the same time... As for your comments, let me start by saying it was a bit of luck of the draw as to whether the halloween party was crowded or not... we had tickets for th 23 and the 25... the 23 was crowded to the max... Then to our surprised the 25 was less than half as crowded... there was no reason we could figure for this...We did notice a large number of British and from those I talked to it seemed the UK's Fall break gave rise to a small British invasion.

And as for your comments about people in wheelchairs... I think a large part of it is based on the number of people that go to Disney and don't actually need the wheelchair/scooters... both my wife and I were hit numerous times by idiots on scooters. In all those cases it was pretty clear that the person wasn't really handicapped to the point of needing a scooter but rather to lazy to walk. The end result is you have people that don't depend on a motorized scooter playing Richard Petty in a park full of people... guess what the un-scootered legs will pay the price... and the end result is that people stop looking at the person driving the scooter/wheelchair and everyone in one gets the ire of those previously whacked by one.

Add to that was the observation that a good many (I'm guessing 15-25%) of those guests claiming to need handicapped parking really didn't need it. The fact is that handicapped parking was intended to be used by drivers that required it, instead of seeing that you see families that bring grampa or grandma along with their handicapped tags simply because it allows them to park closers. The reality is a family bringing someone that can't walk should have used the guest drop off area and then parked like a normal driver - but too many think bringing grandma or grandpa is some huge sacrifice that should entitle them to special parking... it really only makes everyone else a little less forgiving toward those claiming to be handicapped in the park (whether they truly are or aren't)...

So if anyone acted rude toward your wheelchair, you might want to consider that they may have just been run down by a frat boy or lazy dolt (that just wanted an easy way to tool around the park) two seconds earlier... and that often leads to guilt by association.

 

[magickingdom55]

what school is that?

The kind of school were you get 3 week off in the fall 3 weeks off in the spring but olny 6 weeks of summer.