Pros and Cons of a Disney World Fall Visit
As we enter August, we cannot help but glance at the calendar and lament (or celebrate) the upcoming end of summer.
Technically, summer won’t end until September 22nd, but most people think of the start of the school year as its finishing point.
So, we’re not that far away, which means you’re likely thinking about a Disney visit next season.
Here are the pros and cons of Disney fall visits.
Pro: Disney Parks Are Less Crowded
I’ll start with a confession. October has evolved into my favorite time to visit Walt Disney World. Specifically, I prefer the final days of October.
When I book a trip this way, I can watch the decorations switch from Halloween to Christmas, which delights my family each year.
You may not feel the same excitement over that thought. Still, you’ll love a fall visit, especially a late September one, for a different reason.
Disney doesn’t have an offseason nowadays. However, Walt Disney World does have a less crowded season.
Park officials deem most of January and September as the slow periods. These are the times when attraction wait times are the shortest.
So, you’ll experience more while standing in line less during a fall visit, especially an early fall one.
Con: The Weather Remains Hot
Depending on where you live, this stat might shock you. The Central Florida area’s average temperature range in October is 64 to 80 degrees.
High temperatures can and often do reach 90 degrees in mid-October! You may live in a place where that doesn’t happen in July!
Those of you planning to escape the cold weather may not adjust well to the reversal of fortune. You’ll go from freezing to sweating!
Pro: Food & Wine Is Still Available
The EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival surpasses all other Disney festivals in terms of name recognition. This is the one that EVERYBODY knows!
For the first time in three years, Disney isn’t making any pandemic-forced concessions with the event. The real deal is finally back!
You may recall that Disney held a modified version in 2020 that combined Food & Wine with some elements of the Flower & Garden Festival.
Last year, Disney again hosted a lesser Food & Wine event, albeit a substantially better one than 2020.
Thankfully, those times are over. Disney has already opened this year’s Food & Wine to rapturous reviews.
Even better, the event will last through November 19th. So, you can visit it throughout the fall!
Con: Theme Park Operating Hours Shrink
Alas, Disney must make some different concessions in the fall. Since attendance declines in September, Disney doesn’t want to host empty parks.
You can imagine how expensive every hour of theme park operation is. Staffing alone comes with exorbitant costs.
So, Disney understandably reduces operating hours. Realistically, you’ll barely notice, though.
Since the lines shrink so much, you can get as much done in six hours on a fall day as you could in nine hours in July.
Pro: Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party
Here’s an excellent reason to visit Walt Disney World during the fall. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party returns this year!
Disney hasn’t hosted this event since 2019. Last year, Magic Kingdom hosted a Disney After Hours presentation in its stead. That was fine, but this is better.
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) starts in a matter of days. It’ll begin on August 12th and last through Halloween Night.
You’ll have plenty of time to attend, no matter when you visit this fall. In doing so, you’ll get to dance to the Boo to You Parade and eat Halloween candy!
Also, several Magic Kingdom attractions offer overlays for this event. Rides like Space Mountain will provide different experiences…but only during MNSSHP!
Some rides may add live actors to spruce up the festivities as well. Pirates of the Caribbean provides so much extra fun when cast members act like pirates!
Con: Paid Events Aren’t for Everyone
Prices vary for the various MNSSHP dates. You’ll find that Disney offers better deals when you visit earlier in the fall.
The current pricing model rewards guests for arriving in September rather than waiting until October.
Still, the cheapest tickets cost $109 for adults, and the price goes up significantly from there.
If you’re attending in late October like me, you’ll pay $179 per ticket! That’s more than the cost of the most expensive Disney ticket.
Not everyone wants to spend that much on an after-hours event.
I think the event provides unforgettable value for the price of a good concert ticket. If you disagree, that’s perfectly valid, though.
Pro: Halloween Decorations Everywhere
Disney takes Halloween seriously. The decorations will go up before the fall begins, and they’ll stay up until November 1st.
On that date, Disney will start its conversion to Christmas season. Before then, Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie will seem ubiquitous at the parks.
Many other Disney characters will appear, often in scary but comfortably comical settings. Disney doesn’t want to scare you so much as entertain you.
If you’re looking for actual terror, you’re in the wrong place. In fact…
Con: Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Is More Adult
The Halloween decorations on display at Walt Disney World lean into the theme of the after-hours event. They’re not so scary!
In fact, you’ll find them kawaii more than anything else. Disney takes its beloved cartoon characters and places them in spooky settings.
There is another horror event in town that may suit your desires, though. That’s Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando Resort.
You can actually visit that after-hours event as well if you don’t mind splitting parks.
However, I realize that most of you are Disney loyalists. If you’re also horror fanatics who have passionate opinions about Child’s Play movies, you’ll find Disney…tame.
I doubt that you’ll care, but we should be honest that Disney caters more to families than HHN fanatics whose Funko Pop! collections are murder podcast-level unsettling.
Overall, I think that fall is THE best time to visit Walt Disney World. If you try it this year, I strongly suspect you’ll agree.
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Feature Photo: Image: Kent Phillips, photographer/Disney