Disney World in October
Walt Disney World: Wait times in October
My parents, one of my sisters, and I wll be traveling to Disney World in October. We have been a bit worried about how busy it is this time of year. Was wondering if any of you would have a good idea about what estimated wait times would be on big rides such as Splash Mountain. We're going to be leaving Friday the 15th and returning the following Tuesday. We're going to all parks except Epcot because we just recently traveled there. Any ideas?
October is one of the best months to go in regards to low wait times. The kid's are all back in school and the parks are generally not crowded at all. Do keep in mind though, that this is also the time of year when the parks will occasionally close down attractions for refurbishment. Also keep in mind that Magic Kingdom closes earlier some nights October due to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, so be sure to check the schedule. Other than that though, you should have a great time and not run into any huge crowds. Have fun!!
Honestly lines aren't going to be to bad. Your weekends we be slightly more crowded but your normal Monday threw Thursday should be low level lines. Last years about the same times your most popular rides ranged from 30 minutes to an hour though a lot depends on the day. We waited about 25 minutes for Thunder Mountain, 30 for Splash Mountain, 40 for Pooh and 15 for Pirates. Space Mountain was down for refurbishment at the time, I'm not sure whats down this year other then Star Tours over at MGM. I'm sure if you look at the WDW website you can find a toll free number or if you have free long distance the local number is 407-WDW-INFO.
That's about what we have been assuming for the past several months. We started planning this vacation at the end of our last visit to Universal Studios during my spring break week from college. We haven't made an all park vacation to WDW since 1999 when Animal Kingdom was brand new so my sister and I are as giggy as we were when we were 9 and 13! October cannot come soon enough!
Yeah, its a good time to go since the weather is nice and most kids are back in school.
But.....
It is the Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT during the month of October which is really popular with the locals, but mostly on the weekends. If you can, I would try to minimize going to EPCOT Saturday or Sunday. The Food and Wine Festival runs all month so you can get some good food and wine during the week as well!
Also, check when Mickey's not so Scary Halloween Party is because the Magic Kingdom Closes early!
I am also going to Disney World in October. Something to maybe consider is doing the Universal Halloween event, which is an upcharge, but it sounds fantastic! Also keep in mind that Epcot should be fairly busy because of the Food and Wine festival that will be going on about the same time, which includes free concerts from some fairly popular groups. Do be aware of the times that the parks close, since they are staggered all over the place. There are some good websites that show the times of the different parks.
Anthony- We went to Epcot back in March so we will not be attending that park. Thank you for the tip about MK though. We were actually thinking about going on the day that that event was! We have now changed our plans.
Jeff- The other half of my family attends Halloween Horrors every year. The part of my family that I'm going with this time went to the event last year but do not intend to return. Universals Halloween Horrors is very intense. At some points the fog is so dense that you can't see your hand in front of your face. While we enjoy the event we don't plan on spending that kind of money anytime soon.
A couple of years ago my mom, my sister, a friend and me went to WDW on October and it has been one of my best experiences, since the wait up lines where so short, we were able to do some of our favourite attractions twice. The weather was very nice, not too hot, not too cold. my only advice is to try to avoid the weekends. Have a great time!!
October is a great Disney time. I went a few years ago and the park is dead, so is Universal. Have fun!!
We love going in October/November, mostly because of the low crowds and the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival. The week before Halloween can be a little crazy, especially if you plan on doing HHN, but the rest of the month is a great time to visit. We will be there in just under a month.
We love going in Oct or Nov. crowds are lite and weather is cooler. Mickey's not so scary is fun but the Boo to you Parade and fireworks are top notch. You can also watch the fireworks from the Contemporay or Poly and hear the music. A secert show that most people do not know is the Haunted hay ride at Fort Wilderness. It used to be a story teller boarding the wagon and telling the tale of the headless horsemen. At the end the headless horseman would chase you through the woods at full speed. But people complained it was to scary and Disney taimed it down. It's still fun but not as good as before. You are in a small horse buggy and it has a audio recording of the story. But you still see the headless horseman.
Even though you will not experience the lines you will in summer, Spring Break or Christmas, there will be wait times for some of the more popular or newer attractions. Make use of the fastpass option, especially for attractions like Toy Story Midway Mania (even on slow days, the line can be an hour or more and the fastpasses can be gone well before noon, so get there first thing in the morning and get those fastpasses first thing!), Soarin', Space Mountain, Expedition Everest and Kilomanjaro Safari.
Magic Kingdom will close by 7 several times a week for the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, and Fantasmic will only be shown at Disney's Hollywood Studios about 2 times a week, and the other nights, the park usually closes at 7 pm. Animal Kingdom also closes at 5pm during this time of year. Due to lower crowds, you should have no problem seeing everything you want in the parks if you plan wisely. Also make sure to check out any attractions that may be down for refurbishment during the time you are there so there are no surprises when you get there. You can do this by going to the official Disney World website.
Making your dining reservations well in advance, especially if you are taking advantage of the free dining plan, is a really good idea. Full service dining can fill up very early and it is more difficult to come by reservations for character meals and more popular locations on the same day.
The 15th annual Epcot Food and Wine Festival will be in full swing by October, so if you enjoy checking out food and beverages from different countries all over the world, this will be alot of fun! They will also have live bands playing nightly.
Plan wisely and be flexible, and you will have a great time. October is one of THE best times to experience the parks!
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