Help me Plan for November

[thor369]

I am all over the place, trying to decide if November is good for us, the variable are heat, flight prices, hotel prices.

1. We are flexible in November, and can go based on which ever week is the cheapest, which week would you guys recommend?
2. Which Disney resort will be the most fun/ things to do for the kids?
3. resort with direct bus to the park (so we can take afternoon breaks)
4. more/good food options
5. fun pool/ splash pad/ heated pools
6. moderate vs. value?

Not sure what else I haven't taken into consideration

 

[Klayfish]

Most of the answers to those questions will be "depends". Those are all simply judgement calls. In November, the week of Thanksgiving is quite crowded, but the other weeks aren't that bad (from my understanding, we've only done Thanksgiving).

All the resorts, from what we've seen, have fun activities for kids. How much money do you want to spend? Direct bus to the parks will depend on what park and what resort you're talking about. Remember, there are 4 parks. For example, if you're staying at the Contemporary it'll be super easy to get to MK, but you'll need to take a bus to the other parks. You can walk from the Swolphin to Epcot or HS, but would need a bus for MK and AK, etc....

Same concept with food, value, etc...

I'd suggest deciding how much money you want to spend, what parks are most important to you and then you can start to narrow things down. I'm saying this with the presumption that you very much want to stay on property.

 

[OpieDoodle]

My favorite resort is Art of Animation in the Finding nemo rooms. Pool is great, splash pad, play grounds etc. Easily can bus to parks, I believe the gondalas are coming to there as well but I don't know a timeframe for that.

November is usually a great time to go to Disney, I would definitely avoid the week of Thanksgiving tho!

SWGE opens end of August so I do expect the park may be busier than normal so that could throw a wrench in everything. Its hard to say if November will follow suite and be a good time to go or if SWGE is still bringing in huge crowds

 

[_Kristi_]

The week of Thanksgiving gets crazy so anytime before or after that would be ideal. We were there Nov 13-19 and we had to layer for warmth. We fluctuated between shorts and t-shirts and jeans with sweaters. The weather was all over the map that week. You will get different feedback on resorts but to be honest, just pick one in your price range and don't overthink it. If you do a value or moderate then I would recommend using uber or lyft to get to the park. All of the buses make stops at different resorts so there really isn't one I can think of that goes back and forth between one resort and a park. If you are still having trouble narrowing down your options, I would recommend getting a free travel agent. Explaining your situation to one person is much easier than sifting through all of the information online

 

[sponica]

1. We are flexible in November, and can go based on which ever week is the cheapest, which week would you guys recommend?- Probably not Thanksgiving week. Maybe the week before?

2. Which Disney resort will be the most fun/ things to do for the kids? Depends on your kids. Seriously. Mine loved POFQ, but she was 20 months old. It's Disney, they're all fun in some way shape or form.
3. resort with direct bus to the park (so we can take afternoon breaks). They all have direct transportation. Some are bus only, some have monorails to some parks/busses to others. Some have boats/walking paths to some parks, but busses to others.
4. more/good food options. Depends what you're looking for.
5. fun pool/ splash pad/ heated pools. This is going to vary based on price point.
6. moderate vs. value? Again, depends what you want. I personally like moderates and can cost justify the price increase, but I won't discount a value if it's the right time of year.

Choosing where to book is usually a balancing equation between what you can afford to spend and what you're non negotiables are. In my ideal world I'm spending 7-10 nights at the polynesian....in my reality based world it's usually 5 nights at port orleans.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I am all over the place, trying to decide if November is good for us, the variable are heat, flight prices, hotel prices.

1. We are flexible in November, and can go based on which ever week is the cheapest, which week would you guys recommend?

2. Which Disney resort will be the most fun/ things to do for the kids?
3. resort with direct bus to the park (so we can take afternoon breaks)
4. more/good food options
5. fun pool/ splash pad/ heated pools
6. moderate vs. value?

Not sure what else I haven't taken into consideration

1. The first 2 weeks of November are probably less expensive than later in the month. Simple to check by putting in different dates at Disney's website. Dressing in layers is a good idea during the winter months. A zipper front hoodie or sweatshirt would probably be a good idea but check the historical records of temperatures at a weather website for the best response. Plane prices will depend on your market.

2. All the resorts will offer activities for children so choose based on your children's' interests.

3. Here's a link to a current (doesn't include gondola system) and interactive transportation map. Use it on property and to pick a resort that meets your criteria: https://magicguides.com/disney-world-transportation-map/

4. Depends on your likes as others have said.

5. All the WDW resorts have heated pools and all have a play area for children. Some have zero entrance pools; others, not.

6. No idea as we've not yet stayed at either a moderate or value. Would consider Saratoga Springs for an adult trip as it's close to Disney Springs but to date have no interest in the others.

 

[thor369]

I don't know what you guys consider expensive, but more power to all those who can pay $500+ and higher a night for some of these deluxe resorts at Disney, it's not even all inclusive and doesn't include the park tickets so I can't see myself paying that just for the hotel. I am more comfortable in the $250 range. I know when we go to an all-inclusive in Cancun, you can get a pretty good all inclusive there for that much money.

Just for kicks and giggles I priced out a 5 night at the Contemporary and its coming out to be $5500, I had a good laugh.

I am finding the swan and dolphin to be appealing at this time, for my November dates, its averaging around $270 a night. Thoughts on this resort?
We can't take lyft or uber, since we wont be carrying a car seat.

 

[sponica]

I don't know what you guys consider expensive, but more power to all those who can pay $500+ and higher a night for some of these deluxe resorts at Disney, it's not even all inclusive and doesn't include the park tickets so I can't see myself paying that just for the hotel. I am more comfortable in the $250 range. I know when we go to an all-inclusive in Cancun, you can get a pretty good all inclusive there for that much money.

Just for kicks and giggles I priced out a 5 night at the Contemporary and its coming out to be $5500, I had a good laugh.

I am finding the swan and dolphin to be appealing at this time, for my November dates, its averaging around $270 a night. Thoughts on this resort?
We can't take lyft or uber, since we wont be carrying a car seat.

The one downside to the swolphin is that there is no included airport transportation. I believe you might be able to book something with Mears though. Either requesting a cab with a car seat and bringing an inflatable booster for your 5 year old (right, your older one is 5?) or their shared airport shuttle.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I don't know what you guys consider expensive, but more power to all those who can pay $500+ and higher a night for some of these deluxe resorts at Disney, it's not even all inclusive and doesn't include the park tickets so I can't see myself paying that just for the hotel. I am more comfortable in the $250 range. I know when we go to an all-inclusive in Cancun, you can get a pretty good all inclusive there for that much money.

Just for kicks and giggles I priced out a 5 night at the Contemporary and its coming out to be $5500, I had a good laugh.

I am finding the swan and dolphin to be appealing at this time, for my November dates, its averaging around $270 a night. Thoughts on this resort?
We can't take lyft or uber, since we wont be carrying a car seat.

Back to where you started, huh?
The hotels are still within walking or boat distance to 2 parks (Epcot and HS) and you can use the WDW transport system for the rest of the parks, do not offer the Disney dining plan (not earth shattering to my way of thinking; just buy discounted Disney gift cards at BJ's or similar to pay for meals), and don't offer the free shuttle service from airport to hotel or MBs. You won't need the MBs as you'll get electronic cards for park entrance so I wouldn't spend the money on them ( prices start at approx. $16.00 p/p incl tax). The R/T cost of MCO to resort shuttle or private car will be less or about equal to one night's stay.
GL.

 

[MNDisneyMommy]

We've gone a couple times in November on early weeks (not Thanksgiving). Great weather - you can still swim, and while it might be a little hot it isn't too bad. Reasonable crowds, especially the trip where we were there the very week before Thanksgiving week. We're also big fans of early December weeks, although the weather gets a little more iffy then.

Sounds like you're sorting the hotel question (if the Swolphin price point is where you'd like to be, you might also check out the Disney Springs hotels). In the moderate range, we love POFQ, very compact and nice. Values, I'd take a preferred room at Pop. Our kids really get into the 'pool parties' they have at the resorts, music and games during the afternoon. Values won't have a waterslide, and my kids ride those nonstop, a moderate will have one. Remember with Disney hotels pools get better as you go up in price.

If you go during the early November timeframe, one tip would be to hit Magic Kingdom on the mornings of the Christmas Party days. Those crowds are SO low, it's fantastic. Our kids are too little to stay up to make the Christmas Party worth it, but we now deliberately plan MK days on party mornings because everything is easy.

Fun places to eat my kids (4&7 now) like - any of the character meals (as adults, we prefer Tusker House at AK and 1900 Park Fare at the GF), and anyplace with 'antics' (Whispering Canyon at WL, 50s Prime Time at HS, etc.).

 

[thor369]

We've gone a couple times in November on early weeks (not Thanksgiving). Great weather - you can still swim, and while it might be a little hot it isn't too bad. Reasonable crowds, especially the trip where we were there the very week before Thanksgiving week. We're also big fans of early December weeks, although the weather gets a little more iffy then.

Sounds like you're sorting the hotel question (if the Swolphin price point is where you'd like to be, you might also check out the Disney Springs hotels). In the moderate range, we love POFQ, very compact and nice. Values, I'd take a preferred room at Pop. Our kids really get into the 'pool parties' they have at the resorts, music and games during the afternoon. Values won't have a waterslide, and my kids ride those nonstop, a moderate will have one. Remember with Disney hotels pools get better as you go up in price.

If you go during the early November timeframe, one tip would be to hit Magic Kingdom on the mornings of the Christmas Party days. Those crowds are SO low, it's fantastic. Our kids are too little to stay up to make the Christmas Party worth it, but we now deliberately plan MK days on party mornings because everything is easy.

Fun places to eat my kids (4&7 now) like - any of the character meals (as adults, we prefer Tusker House at AK and 1900 Park Fare at the GF), and anyplace with 'antics' (Whispering Canyon at WL, 50s Prime Time at HS, etc.).

Thanks for the information. This will be the first year my five year old is going to school and looking at the school calendar and 15 days off in December. Now I am trying to figure out if we should plan our vacation around that. But I have a feeling that it’s going to be very expensive around the last week of December and early January.

This is a question for parents may not be related to Disney. What do you guys do when it’s winter break etc?

 

[MNDisneyMommy]

Yeah, early December (first couple weeks) is the time for us... not late. After New Years people do leave, but between Christmas and New Years its the busiest week all year. I'd not recommend it unless you specifically want to be there for Christmas and you dedicate time to figuring out how to prioritize with the crowds. A coworker last year arrived right before New Years and stayed 10 days - she had a great time, but they specifically just wanted to see NYE fireworks those first couple days and then they did their park touring on the lower crowd days after everyone left.

During winter break, the before/after school care program at my daughter's school runs day camps. Between that and grandparents, my school ager stays busy.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Thanks for the information. This will be the first year my five year old is going to school and looking at the school calendar and 15 days off in December. Now I am trying to figure out if we should plan our vacation around that. But I have a feeling that it’s going to be very expensive around the last week of December and early January.

This is a question for parents may not be related to Disney. What do you guys do when it’s winter break etc?

I'm on my second generation of raising children and sometimes we had less money than others but we've never not had fun. Even the year I divorced the ex and he wiped out the joint bank accts before leaving for his homeland (yeah I'm not that naive anymore..pfft) just after Thanksgiving. Nope haven't forgotten that particular stunt because wellll I'm an elephant

Visit local museums, view the holiday decorations throughout the city. Throw family and/or friend parties. Attend family and/or friends' parties. Bake cookies (the dough tends to be made between September- November, then frozen) . Play in the snow if available. Take in a play, ballet (Nutcracker is a seasonal favorite) visit local places of worship to hear Handel's Messiah performed or traditional holiday carols. Have arts and crafts day(s). Go ice skating in local parks.

Go north for a weekend of X skiing ( I don't do Alpine). Winter cabin camp upstate. Visit Colonial Williamsburg. Take a run up to Quebec and the Laurentians for city touring and outdoor hiking. A day to weekend trip visiting Philly which also has beautiful holiday decorations, great museums, and historical walking tours. One year we rented a beachfront house in CT and invited the rest of the family up for a Christmas dinner. It was great seeing the landscape in a new to us season. Visit Newport, RI: great eats and amazing house tours.

Another year we flew to Brussels, visited my bestie's hometown in Aachen for 2 days before Christmas, took a train to the 'burbs of Paris to spend Reveillon (Christmas Eve which in France is traditionally a more celebatory day than Christmas Day) with the ex's sister complete with a Midnight Mass and then found ourselves in Schauffhausen, Switzerland for a small town Fasching (winter carnival) party. By the end of 7 or 8 days we were on a plane out of Zurich to NYC.; memorable yet short vacation and not a school day missed.

The only time we spent in Disney over the December holidays was an adults only trip. We would have been happy to bring DGD with us but she wasn't available.
*Correction* Took DGD to WDW the Christmas before last.

I guess my point is ...life is what you make it and spending lots of money or missing obligations/responsibilities isn't needed or even necessary.

 

[sponica]

Thanks for the information. This will be the first year my five year old is going to school and looking at the school calendar and 15 days off in December. Now I am trying to figure out if we should plan our vacation around that. But I have a feeling that it’s going to be very expensive around the last week of December and early January.

This is a question for parents may not be related to Disney. What do you guys do when it’s winter break etc?

If you're trying to avoid crowds, DON'T go to Disney that time of year. Seriously don't. I went once in college and it still gives me nightmares. For context, I went to school in NYC for 7 years and would rather deal with Times Square on a holiday Saturday....

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you're trying to avoid crowds, DON'T go to Disney that time of year. Seriously don't. I went once in college and it still gives me nightmares. For context, I went to school in NYC for 7 years and would rather deal with Times Square on a holiday Saturday....

Agreed. The parks become wall to wall people without any walking space. Even the exits get really crowded so they open temporary exits when the park closes. There may be times during Christmas week when the MK or Epcot close to any new guests until some guests leave the parks. If this is the first time, don't plan on going this time. You won't be able to ride on the attractions without two or three hour waits. Even FP waits will be long.

 

[mjkacmom]

The first week of November is jersey week, expect crowds that weekend.