End of Oct/beg Nov v. end Nov/beg Dec

[JillianS1128]

So, there's a chance I have to (yet again- yay unpredictable job) move back my solo trip, currently scheduled for Sep 1-9.

I'm looking at the crowd calendars and reading posts, but could use some advice from the super-pros!

solo trip, prob still a week long, I'm Canadian but live in a hot/humid city, not super fussed about hitting the parties (MNSSHP or VMCP) or not, have never been to WDW at all.

Options!:

1. Sep 22-30 (would prob be great, though i'm tentatively planning a Euro trip for the first 2 weeks of October, so that would be the most complicated)
2. Oct 28-Nov 8 (seems a bit busier- would do a week/8 days somewhere in there)
3. Nov 25-Dec 9 (again, 7-8 days in there somewhere, assuming as far after Thanksgiving as poss would be wise?)

Thoughts? Dates to avoid which aren't obvious? Sorry if this isn't the right place to post this! Feel free to move, of course!

 

[disneydreamer1980]

We always go the 2 weeks after Thanksgiving, arriving the Saturday after, which looks to be one of your possibilities.We love it. All of the holiday decorations and offerings are in full swing, weather is perfect and crowds are manageable. Love this time. Also, the holiday food booths at Epcot are like a mini F&W which is awesome. The TG crowds start dying down the Sunday after, and steadily dwindle for the rest of our 2 weeks there. Take advantage of the low crowds on party days to visit MK, it’ll be unusually uncrowded.

 

[JillianS1128]

We always go the 2 weeks after Thanksgiving, arriving the Saturday after, which looks to be one of your possibilities.We love it. All of the holiday decorations and offerings are in full swing, weather is perfect and crowds are manageable. Love this time. Also, the holiday food booths at Epcot are like a mini F&W which is awesome. The TG crowds start dying down the Sunday after, and steadily dwindle for the rest of our 2 weeks there. Take advantage of the low crowds on party days to visit MK, it’ll be unusually uncrowded.

thanks for your thoughts! I do think that's my preference time wise (long enough after my euro trip for the bank account to recover , and gets me out of just when the weather starts turning a bit here....), but wasn't sure what post-TG did, as in, do people typically stay for a week or more after actual TG Day, or....)

ETA, I guess it'd be:

Nov 24-Dec 2 OR
Dec 1-9

TP has the second week looking a bit less crowded, maybe..

 

[nkereina]

Where are you staying? For #3, I think Pop Warner falls in there so if you're planning to stay value or moderate, you may want to consider that.

#2 would be the busiest time most likely, but IMO you have a slight chance for warmer weather. We've been the week before Thanksgiving and had temps in the 60s which ruled out the pool for us. Late October/early Nov should still be early enough to rely on it being warm. I would expect a slight uptick in crowds the closer you get to the 8th as you're entering a holiday weekend there (Veterans Day in the US, and several school breaks in the Northeast AKA Jersey Week).

 

[JillianS1128]

Where are you staying? For #3, I think Pop Warner falls in there so if you're planning to stay value or moderate, you may want to consider that.

#2 would be the busiest time most likely, but IMO you have a slight chance for warmer weather. We've been the week before Thanksgiving and had temps in the 60s which ruled out the pool for us. Late October/early Nov should still be early enough to rely on it being warm. I would expect a slight uptick in crowds the closer you get to the 8th as you're entering a holiday weekend there (Veterans Day in the US, and several school breaks in the Northeast AKA Jersey Week).

yeah, prob either a mod, SwanDolphin, or a DS hotel...noticing this will be a bit trickier than my current trip

not too worried about weather . I'm from Canada (and not super fussed about pool time anyways).

 

[JillianS1128]

ok....so VERY tricky! crazy most WDW hotels (even WL) all sold out for both those weeks. All for Pop Warner??

 

[mickeymom629]

ok....so VERY tricky! crazy most WDW hotels (even WL) all sold out for both those weeks. All for Pop Warner??

I just searched and you are right. IMO, anyway, I would recommend #2 and you can actually still find some Magical Holiday discounts when you search. Last year we went around that time and we saw Halloween and Holiday decor, it was before the time change so it didn't get dark too early and the weather was very nice. There were lots of "parties", so we had to avoid those nights when planning and it was somewhat crowded but we had a good plan and it was a great trip!

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I’d go with dec 1-9, that week is usually not that crowded. We’ll be there from 11/30-12/13, at the Poly.

 

[JillianS1128]

I’d go with dec 1-9, that week is usually not that crowded. We’ll be there from 11/30-12/13, at the Poly.

I think that's my pref as well (just to spread out my trips a bit more), though hotels are better priced for the Nov 25-Dec 2 situation. Oh well, since there are no mods, and really no deluxes either for both weeks, it'll be Swan/Dolphin (which is my "onsite" pref anyways) or DSprings.

week 2 (1-9) means DS, as even Swan/Dolphin are pricey for a solo (or sold out) that week. Or I just book a DS hotel now to get my FP+ in, and watch for something else to open up.

 

[Farro]

We went 10/25-11/3 last year. Crowds, of course, but completely manageable. I said in another thread we never felt stressed. 11/1 at MK was particularly empty. Saw both Halloween and Christmas decorations.

We did have a freak cold snap though. A number of days wearing pants and needing sweaters in the morning and at night. Some of the nights were just plain cold. Not a lot of swimming that trip. But other Octobers we have gone have been beautiful.

 

[nkereina]

not too worried about weather . I'm from Canada (and not super fussed about pool time anyways).

Well I'm from Buffalo and even to us, it was downright COLD walking through the parks and riding outdoor rides in the 40s and 50s. We wore jackets and gloves. It was overcast and the high of 58 wasn't reached until about 3pm, which meant for some cold rope drop mornings and evenings. I don't think this is typical for November, but we experienced temps on the cooler side both times we traveled in mid-November so we won't do it anymore.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I had temps in the 70s and 80s in my last trip in late Nov/early December