Help with October crowds

[MoragL]

We are trying to finalize our possible trip dates. We have a set of dates in September but then need to decide on a set of October dates as an alternative. I had previously asked about October 26th to Nov 4th and opinions were that the crowd levels would be crazy. Do people think the 5th to the 14th would be better or worse crowd wise since it encompasses the week before and after Columbus Day?

 

[Leo!]

Would be better, without doubts. But don't expect low crowds. I'd say it will be manageable.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

When surrounding any holiday especially one that often times gives kids a day or even the entire week (I know some schools have a "fall" break around Columbus Day) off is going to invite crowds.

October in general is just a crowded time in recent years.

With that said I do believe that would be a less crowded time than the days surrounding Halloween.

Overall though I would recommend September over October if crowd level is your most important factor.

 

[Disstevefan1]

In general, these days, it’s always crowded at WDW. I looked at the ticket price calendar for Sept. and during the week there are still $109 tickets in Sept mid week. This means WDWs data shows lower attendance during the week in Sept.

Looking at October, the mid week tickets jump to $121. This means WDW data shows it will be higher attendance In October.

Go when it best fits your schedule, it’s gonna be mobbed in Sept, technically less mobbed, but you won’t notice the difference, mobbed is mobbed.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Crowd number wise, you could say it will be better, but not by much. Over time people are going more for the Halloween decorations and the MNSSHP event. And there are lots of people who still dont put any effort into planning, thinking... Gee if we go in Sept or Oct. we will get walk on attractions. Then they complain about how horrible a time they had.

 

[DryerLintFan]

In general, these days, it’s always crowded at WDW. I looked at the ticket price calendar for Sept. and during the week there are still $109 tickets in Sept mid week. This means WDWs data shows lower attendance during the week in Sept.

Looking at October, the mid week tickets jump to $121. This means WDW data shows it will be higher attendance In October.

Go when it best fits your schedule, it’s gonna be mobbed in Sept, technically less mobbed, but you won’t notice the difference, mobbed is mobbed.

My only comparison is Christmas week, so maybe I don't have the right perspective, but we've gone in September twice now and it didn't feel mobbed.

 

[Disstevefan1]

My only comparison is Christmas week, so maybe I don't have the right perspective, but we've gone in September twice now and it didn't feel mobbed.

Agreed, compared to “close the park it’s so crowded” Christmas week, yes September mobs feel less crowded. All things being equal, the best time to visit the Magic kingdom is mid week, rope drop.

That is until the Tron coaster opens! When that happens, we will probably see the “get to the park at 5AM to get into a boarding group” madness we currently see at DHS.

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

We are trying to finalize our possible trip dates. We have a set of dates in September but then need to decide on a set of October dates as an alternative. I had previously asked about October 26th to Nov 4th and opinions were that the crowd levels would be crazy. Do people think the 5th to the 14th would be better or worse crowd wise since it encompasses the week before and after Columbus Day?

We've been the last week of October leading into November plenty and never found it crowded.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

We've been the last week of October leading into November plenty and never found it crowded.

Agreed. And much more pleasant weather.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

We've been the last week of October leading into November plenty and never found it crowded.

Out of curiosity how many times have you gone during that time and when was the last time?
Your sig would indicate you've only gone in October a couple times and it was a few years ago now.
The crowds have really shift in the last 4-5 years. (That being said I fully admit to never having gone in Octber. This is purely based on what I've seen from others in the past few years with the Halloween party and F&W becoming soooo much more popular)

 

[James J]

Out of curiosity how many times have you gone during that time and when was the last time?
Your sig would indicate you've only gone in October a couple times and it was a few years ago now.
The crowds have really shift in the last 4-5 years. (That being said I fully admit to never having gone in Octber. This is purely based on what I've seen from others in the past few years with the Halloween party and F&W becoming soooo much more popular)

We've been during that time for the last two years (20/10-30/10 in 2018 and 21/10-31/10 last year) and rarely found the crowds to be crazy busy. Sure Epcot is busy on Friday nights and Saturdays with F&W being on and MK picked up on non-party days, but on the whole we found it absolutely fine.

 

[Thndrmtnrdr]

We’ve been going Columbus Day weekend ( Thurs before to Sunday) for the past six years. We also go the week before Christmas as well for the past 9 years and other times in between. We have found October park crowds to be manageable for the most part but wait times over 1 hour for some rides. This past year (2019) in October was by far the most crowded and in contrast our December trip was the least crowded in 9 years. Both Halloween parties were sold out and it seemed there were more people at the party than in the Magic Kingdom those days. I’m not sure what you consider crazy but I would in no means call the time we go in October that. People at slower pace for the most part and always enjoyable. We will be back again this year and looking forward to our trip!

 

[PrincessNelly_NJ]

Out of curiosity how many times have you gone during that time and when was the last time?
Your sig would indicate you've only gone in October a couple times and it was a few years ago now.
The crowds have really shift in the last 4-5 years. (That being said I fully admit to never having gone in Octber. This is purely based on what I've seen from others in the past few years with the Halloween party and F&W becoming soooo much more popular)

It's been a few years however, I've sent my parents that week for the last three years and they haven't had any issues with crowds.