Does anyone have any first week of Nov advice? What can we expect?

[Daly]

Hi everyone, this is my first DIS thread.

My family is now planning our 2nd trip to WDW. Back in 2008 we took our two young children at the end of September. The weather was often sweltering hot for us (we're Canadians who have been living in the New England for 10 years), but the crowds were very low, which we loved. We had a baby and a preschooler who wouldn't have lasted more than 10 minutes in a line.

Trying to avoid some of the heat, and being ok with taking our kids out of school, we opted for the first week of November this year (Nov. 1-9th to be exact). We also chose this week based on my DIS 'lurking' this spring. I was trying to learn more about this 'free dining' thing that had been a bounceback offer iduring our 2008 trip. Thanks to the DIS we were able to book FD at CBR in a preferred room on the first day it was offerred. This was our kids first choice for a resort based on pictures of the pool and everyone did a happy dance around the kitchen.

I'm a little unsure of what to expect that week. Between FD and scoring some great ADRs, there is no way I am switching our week. I have since learned however, that during our stay it is the last week of Food and Wine, Jersey week, and the half marathon.

Are there any tips on what we can expect of crowd levels and weather from those who have more experience at this time of year? I've tried reading trip reports from previous November trips, but more specifics on these two aspects would be greatly approeciated to fine tune our plans a bit. As you can probably tell, now that I'm out of the DIS closet, I am openly embracing the joy of planning in the only place where people won't think I'm crazy because of it.

 

[20yBWDW]

We went the first week of November two years ago, and are going back for the same week this year (also staying at CBR). The last time, I started to worry leading up to the trip because of the whole Jersey Week/Food & Wine potential for crowds, but we were fine. We followed the crowd calendars, tried to get to the parks as early as possible, and planned on shows, meals, or breaks back at our resort during the afternoons. The only times we felt that the crowds were too much were on the Saturday of our trip, and the one time when we were late getting started and got to the bus stop at 9:30. My DH has a low tolerance for crowds, and he felt it was the perfect time to go.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

I was there the first full week of November of 2012 and found the weather to be perfect. A little cool in the mornings and evenings, but I was still able to comfortably wear shorts and a t-shirt every day in the parks. I did take a hoodie, which came in handy in the World Showcase once the sun went down.

Crowds were mild most of the week, but we did see a decent bump that Thursday and Friday once the Jersey crowds started to penetrate the parks. Even then, I found the crowds manageable, if not light. With the exception of one Splash Mountain line that was considerably longer than its posted wait time of 30 minutes, I don't think we waited longer than 20 minutes for everything. If you make rope drop and knock out the headliners in the first couple hours of the day, you shouldn't have any major issues.

 

[kwelch10377]

You might see it a little more crowded toward the end of the week with it being the last weekend of Food and Wine and the Food And Wine Half Marathon is Sat the 8th.