First week of November questions

[Whistlebee]

We are planning on being there Nov. 2-6 with 4 day hoppers going into the parks Monday evening, Tuesday, Wed, and Thur. All of these reports of crazy crowds has me really worried to the point that I'm considering cancelling. It will be me and my two girls (5&8) and my sister-in-law and her two girls (4&5). With just two adults and 2 strollers and 3 young kids plus the 8 year old I'm worried about the crowds. I've only ever gone when it is low crowds. We went this week last year and had very short lines. How insane will the crowds be for this week with the 60th. I'm hoping since it's after Halloween and before Christmas and the new Star Wars stuff it won't be too bad but it sounds like it has been crazy all of the time. I could never deal with capacity level crowds or anything near that. We are great at getting there for rope drop and getting a lot done in the mornings but with 4 little kids we are going to be S.L.O.W. Would it be better to wait till next year when the closures in ROA might lighten the crowds. I wish we could've stayed onsite but there are 6 of us. We are booked at the new Courtyard Marriott across the street. Advice?

 

[tlovesdis]

It should be one of the slower weeks, but may still be busy. Disney must think it is going to be slower since the m-th hours are only 10-9. All of the other weeks have longer hours. Nothing has been normal this year due to the 60th so you just never know, but my guess is it won't be anything near capacity crowds!

 

[Sherry E]

I wouldn't worry about it. Just go and have fun! This year has been busier overall, but that time frame isn't going to necessarily be any busier than any other time frame, and it is between Halloween Time and the official start of the Holidays, so that is helpful. I highly doubt it would reach capacity at that specific point.

It's a Small World Holiday (and possibly some other things too) will soft open on Friday, 11/6, from the looks of things, so you would be able to enjoy that before you left if you decided to go into Disneyland on that day for any reason (even though your planned last park day is Thursday).

 

[Tyggress]

I honestly think the first week of November will be the lowest crowds we'll see all this Fall. It may still be more crowded than usual for this time of year, due to the 60th, but it won't be anywhere near as busy/crazy as the second half of the month or December. As you said, it's in between the two holiday seasons (Halloween and Christmas), and before the SW stuff...I wouldn't cancel if I were you!

 

[chickapin parterre]

I would cancel and go 2016.....if you don't value adult rest areas while kids are self amused.....as in Tom Sawyer Island, Mark Twain and the train, oh, the so comfortable train, for tiny feet and those ever so sore adult feet. I remember boarding the train early afternoon and wasn't more than a few minutes when my five year old son fell asleep.

but being a rope drop fan, you know how to work the best time, so why not leave the park at noon, go rest, eat, nap, swim and come back at 6:00 to catch up on the rest of the day. your use of rope drop will save you from anxiety, kids will be tired by noon anyhow, so why not visit on a split shift and have the time of your life.

S.L.O.W.
Sleep for all in a nap fashion
Lunch in a healthy fashion
Oxygen for the adults and showers
Wade, how those kids love the pool

 

[Whistlebee]

Thank you everyone for your responses. I'm expecting it to be busy I just hope it will be manageable for us. I think we are going to go for it and take our chances. Thanks again!

 

[Whistlebee]

Well, I just checked the Disney Hotels out of curiosity and they are ALL sold out for our dates. What does that mean? Should I be worried?

 

[Whistlebee]

It looks like it is Wednesday night that is sold out. There are some rooms available on the other nights but the prices are high! If this is a bad sign please let me know. I don't think we've ever been when the rooms are starting to sell out as we've often got upgrades or our room preferences were easily honored.

 

[Sherry E]

Well, I just checked the Disney Hotels out of curiosity and they are ALL sold out for our dates. What does that mean? Should I be worried?

It looks like it is Wednesday night that is sold out. There are some rooms available on the other nights but the prices are high! If this is a bad sign please let me know. I don't think we've ever been when the rooms are starting to sell out as we've often got upgrades or our room preferences were easily honored.

I'm going to shoot it to you straight, as the saying goes: Honestly, I think you're freaking yourself out and worrying too much.

Again, this year is busier overall because of the 60th anniversary and other factors. Plus, we're already at mid-October, so it stands to reason that the hotels would be booked up for the first few days of November. The Disney hotels are super popular. I doubt the parks will be at capacity, but they won't be totally empty either.

Getting an upgrade or getting the room you preferred is not always contingent on whether or not the hotel is fully booked up, by the way. That may be one of the factors, but it's not the only factor. Sometimes it just has to do with the time of day that you check in, or what kind of mood the CM is in, etc. Sometimes it may have to do with the number of days you are staying or the number of people in your group. In other words, just because you get an upgrade or you get your room preference doesn't necessarily mean that the hotel is not booked up.

In any case, just go in expecting crowds of some sort. If you expect it then it won't be a shock if that's what you encounter, but if you encounter something less ominous than what you envisioned it will be a delightful surprise.

This year has been out of whack in many ways, and we can only look to past years as a guideline to a certain degree. We don't know how insane or not insane it will be for the rest of the year because this year is kind of a special circumstance.

 

[Indiana Scott]

We are going at the same time because I researched the dates to death. The hotels being sold out are not any kind of indication because that's a common occurrence even during the slowest of times.
It will be quite slow the entire week so go and enjoy yourself!

 

[Whistlebee]

Ha ha... Thank you, Sherry E, I kind of needed a nice little slap in the face ! Your advice is appreciated!!!