Hi all! Looking for recommendations and would love to hear from those who have gone to the World in either of these time frames-middle of September for maybe 8-9 nights or end of October for same amount of time. I know hurricanes can be a risk for either time, and September will most likely still be very very hot which won’t bother me. Is there a difference in park closing times? Any info is much appreciated-thanks!
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From a crowd point of view, I’d do mid September. Have done September a couple or 3 times. Usually have a brush with a hurricane but that helps keep the crowds down and memories up.
I think I may have never done October. I have heard there are crowds. Some sort of Epcot event, I think. 
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September will be way less crowded. It’s still hot af in October and heat + crowds = no thank you.
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I currently have a reservation for mid September. It then realized late October could work, too. Lesser crowds definitely sound better! 
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If you can do late October that hits the very beginning of November as well, you can see MK decorated for Halloween and Christmas.
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So, I’m penciled in for mid September and have made all necessary reservations excluding dining of course. This would be my first ever solo trip and for a little over a week! A few other questions…
- MNSSHP-worth it? I’m leaning towards a “yes”!
- Will Genie+ be necessary? I’m leaning towards hopefully “no” with plans to purchase at least an ILL for GOTG and maybe Tron depending on crowds.
- I’ve never been to Disney Springs!! If I spend a half-3/4 of a day there, what are some not to miss places to check out?
- Recommendations from those who have done solo trips on things to see/do that you can’t or don’t have time for when there with family?
I’m sure I’ll have more, but these are the main questions right now. Thanks!
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This is my favorite time
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If you only care about crowds then I think that September is definitely low crowds. The closer to the beginning that you can get.
But we love the end of October. If you avoid Columbus Day then I think you avoid most of the huge “fall break” crowds. The weather cools off some if you go closer to the end of the month. I refuse to set a toe in Florida before the middle of October in terms of weather.
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the heat and whatnot could be similar in september and october. a hurricane canceled a september trip for me, so i always have some pause considering it again.
and i’ve enjoyed mnsshp but i understand the special events are expensive. for a solo trip, i’d do it again.
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It’s a large outdoor shopping mall. You haven’t been missing anything. A few hours is all I need there.
I will get a candy apple from the Candy Cauldron when I’m there and will eat but if it’s a trip where I’m doing parks, I don’t even go to Disney Springs.
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I agree it’s like an outdoor mall, so I go for the unique places. For stores, I stop at World of Disney, Disney’s Days of Christmas (the Disney holiday store), Tren-D, and maybe the Lego store. It’s always fun to see the giant Lego sculptures. I like Earl of Sandwich for a QS place, but this time I also want to stop by Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar.(themed after the Indiana Jones franchise). People rave about the cookies from Gideon’s, but I want to also see its very interesting decor.
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I am considering a DIsney Springs Day for some of these places and then heading to Epcot for an evening. 
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I have went in September the last 4 years. My favourite time of year. Going again this year. Overlapping with first week of October. (15 day trip)
…knock on wood, we have avoided the hurricanes.
September can still be very hot and rainy.
G+ not a necessity usually. Although I tend to still get for DHS & MK. For Epcot, I have done ILL for GOTG instead of G+ just because I enjoy riding it so much.
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I have enjoyed MNSSHP both before having kids and now going with my kids. So it is a “yes” for me.
Less necessary than October, but still nice to avoid long waits for headliners, especially in MK and HS.
I’ve been twice, but usually skip. It’s fine. I wouldn’t waste valuable vacation time at Disney Springs unless there was something I really wanted to experience (for me, one time it was the prior Cirque show and the other time it was a meal at Boathouse).
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- Yes! The parade and fireworks are spectacular!
- I think it’s always useful at HS and MK, but I’m also very line averse.
- Homecomin is NOT operated. Definitely at least stop in for a drink at the bar a thigh high chicken biscuit. Stop by Hangar Bar to look at all the cool stuff and grab a drink. The Marketplace Co-op has some unique stuff that you don’t see in the parks.
- I’m almost always solo. I say just go where the wind takes you.
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Today is it 60 day dining reservation day. For my nine night stay, I found only one Garden Grill time slot available in the middle of the afternoon. I’m not planning on CRT, but that was very scarce as well. In fact, it seemed a lot of dining options were already taken up or had little availability. I have always taken trips in July or August and have seen more dining options then. Is mid September really going to be that crowded? Hmmm…
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I’m thinking they may just be taking a REALLY long time to release available slots. We will be there the 2nd week of September and I was thinking about doing a Garden Grill breakfast. I couldn’t find any open slots and was really surprised, and started poking around. It looks as though there are spots up through Sept 6, and then nothing. Feels more like “we haven’t loaded [breakfast] data past Sept 6 for that restaurant” than anything else, but that’s pure speculation.
I set up a reservation finder on the touringplans website but it said “distant date, will begin searching on X date”
So even though it’s within my 60 days, even TP thinks it’s too far away, i guess! 
I’m planning to check back every few days…
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I was looking for the same - breakfast at Garden Grill. I only saw one available slot for Garden Grill and it was a random 3:00ish time slot. I am really hoping they just have not released those breakfasts yet!
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I will be there September 11-19 and then at UOR the 20-22
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