I love Disney World in October.  The heat is beginning to diminish, crowds are generally low, prices are good and the Magic Kingdom is all decked out for Halloween.  The Food and Wine Festival is in full-swing at Epcot and there are lots of opportunities for Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween Party.  October is another month that allows you to visit the parks at a leisurely pace while still getting to enjoy a great deal of Disney magic!

Crowd Levels & Special Events

October crowd levels continue to be comfortably low, with a bit of an increase during Columbus Day weekend from October 10-13.  In general, with Food and Wine continuing this month in Epcot, expect higher weekend crowds in that park, especially in the World Showcase, throughout October.  As with September, if you are interested in dining in Epcot during Food and Wine Festival weekends, be sure to book your dining reservations as far in advance as possible.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) continues to be held on select nights in October through Halloween in the Magic Kingdom.  On the nights the party is happening, the Magic Kingdom will close at 7:00 p.m. to guests who do not have a ticket for the event.  If you do have a ticket to the party you are able to enter the Magic Kingdom with that ticket beginning at 4:00 p.m. on the day of the party.  The Halloween Party is from 7 p.m. until midnight and most Magic Kingdom attractions are open along with special character meet and greets, the Boo to You Halloween parade and a special Hallowishes fireworks display.  For more information about the party click here.  This post will be updated as soon as 2014 dates are released.

The other event which takes place in October is the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-mile run which is expected to be held on Saturday, October 4th.  In general this event will not cause overall park attendance to increase very much, however, Hollywood Studios will close at 6:00 p.m. the evening of the run.  For more information about this fun runDisney event visit the official event page.

Click on calendar to enlarge image.

Weather

Weather in October is definitely beginning to cool down from the summer months with an average daily high of 84° and lows around 66° .  Rain amounts are also lower in October than during the summer months and we are on the tail end of the hurricane season.  I do still tend to recommend travel insurance during October, since the east coast has seen some pretty strange October storms recently and travel plans can be easily derailed.  October is still usually plenty warm enough to enjoy the beautiful pools at the Disney resorts and warm midday temperatures mean that I still encourage a relaxing afternoon resort break and swim.

Resort Pricing

Disney Resort pricing is based on multiple “seasons” throughout the year ranging from Value 1 (which is the least expensive) to Holiday (which is the most expensive).  In between the two are Value 2, Fall Season, Regular Season, Summer Season, and Peak Season.  Thrown into the mix are various holiday, weekend and special event rates which range from Regular Season to Holiday Season Pricing.

• Most of October falls within Fall Season 2 pricing ($$)
• Columbus Day Weekend sees higher pricing, similar to Regular Season ($$$$)

Closures & Refurbishments

There are no attraction refurbishments to note at this time in September.