The Disney Monitor

October 2001

On our last trip to Orlando and Disney, the last week of October, this is what we experienced.

1. Disney crowds were down but not as much as we expected. If I had to compare it to previous Octobers I would say it compared to a normal October about 3 years ago. Lines to the attractions were down and the waits were tolerable. In some cases there were no lines at all.
2. Security was high. There was a small army of security guards and ALL bags were checked and examined before you entered the park.
3. Disney staff has been cut back. Some attractions were closed on certain days during the weeks. There were fewer "characters" to find throughout the parks. The parades were shorter and the light parade at Magic Kingdom was only on one night. I think they are shifting personnel to cover the attractions and cutting back due to the lower attendance.
4. Park hours were shorter. Most parks opened later than normal but this could be just on certain days also.
5. Traffic in Kissimmee and surrounding areas was way down and driving was actually enjoyable.
6. Sea World was busier than most times I've been there recently. This was due in large part to the fact that fire fighters, police and military service personnel get in free to Bush theme parks through the end of the year. A very nice gesture on the part of Bush Entertainment.
7. Although we ourselves didn't go to Universal we did hear that you can expect similar changes there also.

My recommendations?

If you've been planning to go to Disney for a long time but didn't like the sound of long lines and crowds then this is the time to go. You will never get to see and do more things at Disney and the other parks than right now. Once things pick back up, and they will, you can say good bye to this opportunity. This is an especially good time for those families who want to go for more than one week. You can contact the parks and get the schedule of what attractions are open on what days and plan your vacation so you can do more than you could in the past 5 years. My suggestion - Don't wait. If you can go before the end of the year, great!! My gut tells me that things will pick back up after that.