Could use some help with a Disneyland trip in November

[o0quirkygirl0o]

My family is going to California to visit Disneyland, and SoCal, from November 4th to 11th-ish. The day of the fourth is pretty well taken up with travel, but every other day is pretty flexible. So, now we are left with a few questions:

How many days do we want/need in Disneyland?
Nobody has been in the past 20 years so we are pretty much Disneyland newbies. We have all been to Disney World fairly recently. We were thinking about doing 3 or 4 park days, but really have no idea.

Which days do we want to spend in the parks?
From what I understand weekends tend to be busier, but they also are the only time some shows will be running? I want to put in some dining reservations but have no clue which days would be best to set as park days.

Do you think there is a chance Small World will be back up before we leave?
I know the Christmas season doesn't officially kick off until after we leave, but these were the dates that worked for our family. Is there a chance that Small World will be back up? I know it has opened before the season kicks off in the past.

Thanks so much for any and all help!

 

[aroseinwintr]

We will also be in DL November 7 to the 11th!
DH and I have park hoppers for 4 days.
We have found that you need a minimum of 3 days.
1 day for DL (with a little park hopping but mostly in DL)
1 day for DCA (again with a little park hopping)
and finally 1 day to do the things we love the most in both parks before we have to go home.
I went ahead and got the park hoppers for 4 days because we arrive early on Saturday and it was only $50 more to add a day to both.
As for days in the parks week days will be quieter than the weekend but stay open later and have fireworks.
So i guess it depends on what you want to do.
If you want to ride the rides I recommend going during the week.
If you want to go for the fireworks and longer hours hit the weekend and try to book dining reservations as soon as 60 days out hits. If you can get your dining stuff on the weekend it does not matter so much how busy the park is you have a reservation.
All the other shows like Aladdin, WOC, Bugs life ect. they are all done daily.
I am sure I am missing something but this gives you some answers... I hope good ones. I promise if they are not good someone will correct me.

 

[Geemo]

I like a min of 4 days and prefer 5. Hoppers are nice but not really necessary if you have 5 days.
My first choice of days is Sunday through Wednesday/Thursday. We go for four or five days straight.
Last day ends in the park around 4:30pm when we have to leave for flight home.
Second choice is Tuesday/Wednesday through Saturday at 4:30pm
This gives us one night that Fantasmic and Fireworks are scheduled.

One day on a weekend is more than enough for me. It can get very crowded.
You might find the Mon and Tue before Veterans Day to be busier due to it being a holiday.

Geemo

 

[tarheelalum]

I think you should do 4 days and at least half of those days should fall on the weekend. Its a little more crowded but the park will be open a lot longer on the weekend and you get to watch all of the shows/fireworks. If I were in your shoes I would go Thursday the 5th through Sunday the 8th.

 

[kappyfamily]

We do 4 day without park hoppers. 2 days for DL and 2 for CA. We never buy park hoppers. Remember you can add them at anytime, then if you don't need them you don't waste the money. Have fun!

 

[Sherry E]

IF It's a Small World Holiday sticks to tradition, it will soft open on the weekend before Veterans Day, so somewhere in the range of 11/6 or 11/7. However, this year is a bit different because of the Diamond Anniversary and various other events, so I don't know if the holiday season elements will stick to the usual patterns. For example, ordinarily the Christmas Fantasy Parade would soft launch on that same pre-Veterans Day weekend. This year, the audition requirements for the parade performers stated that the performers were to be available to work beginning 11/13/15. So the Christmas Parade may not follow tradition and soft open/soft launch this time around. We won't know until we get to that weekend, I suppose.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I think three full days would be plenty.

 

[MommyLove]

I definitely think 5 days is a minimum. We've been plenty of times and each time we go, we go for 7 - 9 days in the parks. We like to be able to do some things multiple times and we also like to catch everything each trip if we can.

Good luck with Small World! Good input from Sherry.

 

[o0quirkygirl0o]

Thanks for all the insights and information, guys! I think we are going to go with 4 days (two weekdays and two weekend days) to see everything. My parents might just do 2 days because too many days in the parks really wears them out. They can take the extra 2 days to rest up and relax (or maybe play a round of golf).

Sherry, thanks for the information on Small World. We'll keep our fingers crossed but not get our hopes up too high. It would be a real treat if it opens, but not a trip ruin-er if it doesn't. At least we'll have some of the great 60th anniversary additions to make up for the lack of Small World if that's the way the cookie crumbles.

I do wonder if they will be running the fireworks every night because of the anniversary, or if they are going to just run them on the weekends. I should probably look at their September/October practices and extrapolate from there. (Even if the Halloween party does complicate things a bit.)

Again, thanks so much for the help! I've got my fingers crossed that all my silly stressing and planning means that the rest of my family has a smooth and fun vacation!

 

[petals]

I went to Disneyland for the first time last November and it took us 3 days to see all of what we wanted to see in Disneyland and 2 to see California Adventure

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks for all the insights and information, guys! I think we are going to go with 4 days (two weekdays and two weekend days) to see everything. My parents might just do 2 days because too many days in the parks really wears them out. They can take the extra 2 days to rest up and relax (or maybe play a round of golf).

Sherry, thanks for the information on Small World. We'll keep our fingers crossed but not get our hopes up too high. It would be a real treat if it opens, but not a trip ruin-er if it doesn't. At least we'll have some of the great 60th anniversary additions to make up for the lack of Small World if that's the way the cookie crumbles.

I do wonder if they will be running the fireworks every night because of the anniversary, or if they are going to just run them on the weekends. I should probably look at their September/October practices and extrapolate from there. (Even if the Halloween party does complicate things a bit.)

Again, thanks so much for the help! I've got my fingers crossed that all my silly stressing and planning means that the rest of my family has a smooth and fun vacation!

You're very welcome! I hope you're able to catch It's a Small World Holiday while you're there. You'll see a lot of holiday décor and merchandise -- maybe even some seasonal treats -- during your trip.

The Disneyland Forever fireworks, as of now, are scheduled to run all through September and October (with the exception of 9/10), on any non-Halloween party nights (including weeknights). On Halloween party nights, Halloween Screams fireworks will be presented.

Disneyland has not run nightly fireworks in the "off" season (which includes September and October) since 2009, so I guess they got some sort of allowance or approval to do it this year. Typically, fireworks run nightly during the holiday season (which is peak season), so I would have to imagine that the fireworks will continue on a nightly schedule after Halloween Time ends on 11/1. I suppose there could be a couple of weeknights of down time in between 11/1 and 11/13 (which is when the holiday season begins), maybe for maintenance or whatever, but otherwise I would expect the nightly fireworks to continue through the end of the year, weather permitting (wind can often be an issue). In 2016 I think that the fireworks will transition back into a normal schedule in the off season. That's my guess.