Early October

[cwbronco]

First off I do apologize if this information is posted anywhere and I missed it. This is very spur of the moment as we decided last night we wanted to take a trip early October. I am thinking 10/3-10/8. Any ideas on what can we expect in terms of crowds?

 

[dieumeye]

October is usually a very popular (busy) time of year to visit Disneyland. I’d expect crowds.

Beyond that, it’s hard to say how crowded the park will be or feel since the new AP program will have started by that time, and maybe the new Genie, Genie+, and paid Lightening Lanes offerings may have just started by that time. All that will have some unknown effect on the crowds at the parks.

 

[MAJPLO]

People say October is busy but in my experience it’s nothing compared to spring break, summertime, or Christmas. We’ve gone often at the beginning of October and it’s always been manageable.

 

[TeamBlack]

Out of nowhere, my wife says" let's go to Disneyland in October " (4th and 5th).
we haven't been since 2016, uhg.
I'm having to catch up really fast!
As of right now
1. All dining is through app order?
2. No Fantasmic or fireworks and desert parties?
3. Maybe the Genie thing by then?
4. When you buy your park ticket, it comes with a reservation for a certain park?

Thank guys and feel free to add the things I missed or other extras we can add to our park experience.

 

[poptart90]

Out of nowhere, my wife says" let's go to Disneyland in October " (4th and 5th).
we haven't been since 2016, uhg.
I'm having to catch up really fast!
As of right now
1. All dining is through app order?
2. No Fantasmic or fireworks and desert parties?
3. Maybe the Genie thing by then?
4. When you buy your park ticket, it comes with a reservation for a certain park?

Thank guys and feel free to add the things I missed or other extras we can add to our park experience.

Out of Nowhere is the best!

Before answering what I know, have you downloaded the Disneyland App? It's a great place to start because you can explore so much from your couch! Check ride times, experiment with the ticket ordering process (and reservation process), view which places offering mobile food ordering or reservations (they have different icons on the map), view all the menus, check the calendars for events, and more. My DH and I regularly update each other on the ride times from out-of-state while bingeing our fave TV show...pathetic, I know.

1. Dining is mobile ordering or sit-down depending on the location. The App will show you which is which.
2. Not sure on the fireworks - hopefully someone else will weigh in.
3. Likely. Seems like the "go time" will either coincide with WDW 50th (Oct 1st) or before that time.
4. First you purchase a ticket, THEN make a reservation. It's really easy to see how this works on the App.

Hope that helps!

 

[lvdis]

First off I do apologize if this information is posted anywhere and I missed it. This is very spur of the moment as we decided last night we wanted to take a trip early October. I am thinking 10/3-10/8. Any ideas on what can we expect in terms of crowds?

Out of nowhere, my wife says" let's go to Disneyland in October " (4th and 5th)

How was your October trip? I'm thinking about going similar dates this year (first week of October). I wanted mid September for potentially lighter crowds but found out last night that won't work for some.

 

[sophy1996]

How was your October trip? I'm thinking about going similar dates this year (first week of October). I wanted mid September for potentially lighter crowds but found out last night that won't work for some.

Not the OP, but we were there the same time and thought it felt really crowded. We were glad to be finished and leaving on the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend. Didn’t even try to squeeze in a visit to the parks that morning.

 

[ktlm]

Not the OP, but we were there the same time and thought it felt really crowded. We were glad to be finished and leaving on the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend. Didn’t even try to squeeze in a visit to the parks that morning.

We were there the same week you were. We were in the parks October 6-10. It was awful. We usually go during the summer crowds in June or July and I can't recall a 5 day trip where it ever consistently felt that crowded in the parks. Thursday Oct. 7 was the one day on our trip that the parks did not feel absolutely and completely packed. Sunday wasn't as bad as Weds, Fri and Sat., but we had to leave early afternoon to catch a flight so we didn't get the benefit of that day. Oogie Boogie Bash was fantastic though and did not feel crowded. However, I will say that our problems and stress and crowd impact was greatly contributed to by the lack of any kind of maxpass/fast pass and the ridiculous boarding group situation, and the park reservation/lack of park hopping until 1:00 p.m. was a big problem. We said we would never go back until some type of fast pass was back in place. We would give it one more chance that time of year with Lightning Lane in place and the boarding group process gone. DH would be on the fence with the park reservation system and hopping still in place- but I could talk him into it.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I have been visiting routinely since the parks reopened and October was one of the most crowded months, even mores than November and December. October was absolutely slammed, weekend, weekday, didn't matter.