End of September Questions

CharleneTheDM

Mouseketeer
Joined
Feb 5, 2018
Hi all!

I know it's still early, but would you be able to provide some insight or link me to the right resources/threads?

I'm going from September 25-30, unfortunately not attending the Oogie Boogie Bash, but excited to see all the Halloween decor in its full glory--it'll be my first time!

1. Historically, what would the crowds look like? I chose this date because I figured locals are back to school? The only time I could take off of work was mid-week, so i'll only potentially be able to go to the parks Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun. I should stick with Thursday as a park day for sure---which other day on the weekends do you guys find to be "slightly less" crowded? I know SWGE's opening would make things quite unpredictable, but I just wanted to ask!

2. Will all the seasonal overlay for Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain be up and running already?

3. Are there rides that are usually under refurbishment around this time?

4. Do WOC and Fantasmic run daily? Or just on the weekends?

5. And slightly on a tangent, since this is my first time in Cali for Halloween season, I'm also thinking of going to Universal's Halloween Horror Nights and Knott's Scary Farm.
Have any of you had any experience and/or tips? I've asked over on this thread: Halloween Season (Southern California Theme Parks). Would love to read about it!

Thanks in advance! :)
 
1. HalloweenTime is very popular, so there will be crowds. I would nominally guess that Friday mornings (people are working and going to school) or Saturday (SoCal and SoCal Select APs are blocked) are going to be your best bet, but don't expect the parks to be quiet. Friday evening and Sundays (only SoCal Select is blocked) are probably the busiest. The main drawback to Thursday is that being a weekday, it's possible that the parks will be on short(ish) hours with reduced entertainment.

2. Assuming both are offered this year, yes, they should be up and running by then. Normally, both will debut with the start of HalloweenTime, which is slated to start on September 6. HMH has already been announced, but they've been kind of quiet about SM:GG (at least in terms of the official announcements).

3. Refurbishments happen all the time, so something will probably be down while you're there. Nothing that I can think of has a "regularly" scheduled closure in late-September (e.g., like Haunted Mansion does in late August to have the overlay installed).

4. WoC is usually presented nightly (except probably not on nights when the Halloween Party is scheduled because it won't be dark before the park closes to the general public). F! is usually only presented on weekends (Fri, Sat, and Sun).
 
Thank you, @figment_jii for the elaborate answers!
I didn't even consider that September is technically off-season, despite it being Halloween season!
Maybe I need to bear the crowds and go weekends instead for maximum time and fun :O

I typically do 1 park per day, but now I'm thinking of getting Park Hoppers. Decisions, decisions!
 
1. Historically, what would the crowds look like?
I would expect those days to be some of the best to visit for lower crowds during Halloween season.
2. Will all the seasonal overlay for Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain be up and running already?
Yes, they should be up. Normally, they are up a couple weeks before that.
5. And slightly on a tangent, since this is my first time in Cali for Halloween season, I'm also thinking of going to Universal's Halloween Horror Nights and Knott's Scary Farm.
I haven't been to either of those because I don't like gross horror stuff, but I have visited Universal during the day portion of one of their Horror nights. The lines going in to the Horror nights were extremely long. From my hotel, I could see the lines get longer and longer. I heard the lines to go through any of the mazes were over an hour wait. Because of that, if they offer any type of expensive front of the line pass, I'd suggest getting it.
 



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