"Jersey Week" and W&D

[CisforCookie991]

Good morning! My friend is thinking about taking her kids for their first WDW trip during what I've seen affectionately referred to on these boards as "Jersey week," and it just occurred to me this morning that it's W&D weekend. I know that crowds tend to be higher during race weekends, but how bad is it? They're having a hard time planning any other time to go with school and work schedules. I have zero frame of reference because I've only been to WDW in late August when the weather is awful but the crowd level is fantastic. Thanks!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

It's not crowds per se, as in "more total people," they just end up weirdly dispersed. So you'll run into things like "a party of 40 arriving at Boma five minutes before you get there" and things like that. The biggest hassle is transportation. If they carefully choose which parks to visit on which days based on the race schedule, that will help them avoid most of the headache.

 

[CisforCookie991]

Thanks! I found the 2021 schedule and map online. Does that info more or less stay the same ever year?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

5K on the 4th
10K on the 5th
Half on the 6th

Basically, stay off the roads on the 6th. If you're at a resort that's walkable to a park, go to that park. If you're on the monorail or the Skyliner, take the monorail or the Skyliner. Avoid buses or driving anywhere, at least until the evening.

 

[CisforCookie991]

She was wondering whether she should stay on-site or off. You just answered that. Thanks again!

 

[HangWithMerida]

I have run W&D when it overlapped with Jersey week. The crowds at Epcot were the worst crowds I have ever encountered in all of my 10+ trips to WDW. 45 min lines for food booths. Don’t even bother with rides unless you love lines or are on top of the genie+ kind of crowds. I was not doing much park time as I was mainly there for race weekend, so the only park I went to was Epcot so I can’t really comment on what was happening at the other parks. But that one day at Epcot was supposed to be a fairly full park day and I left after just a couple of hours because it was too much. We have run W&D before and it wasn’t like that, but it is possible that Jersey week and race weekend barely missed that year.

 

[1lilspark]

From personal experience just pack your patience

if you are staying at the crescent lake resorts there may be impacts if you are trying to ropedrop studios Saturday & Sunday or Epcot Sunday

Sunday in general be prepared for detours in the morning

 

[sunshine girl]

Which week (or specific days?) is Jersey Week 2022? The week before the Wine & Dine race weekend (starting Mon 10/31), or the week after (starting Mon 11/7)?

 

[1lilspark]

Which week (or specific days?) is Jersey Week 2022? The week before the Wine & Dine race weekend (starting Mon 10/31), or the week after (starting Mon 11/7)?

It depends if Election Day is the 1st or 8th

 

[sandam1]

It depends if Election Day is the 1st or 8th

Election Day is always the first Tuesday after the first Monday so for 2022, it is 11/8

 

[sunshine girl]

It depends if Election Day is the 1st or 8th

Election day is the 8th ... so which week would Jersey Week be? (I am clueless about Jersey Week, I haven't really noticed it despite having done Wine & Dine weekend multiple times!)

 

[1lilspark]

Election day is the 8th ... so which week would Jersey Week be? (I am clueless about Jersey Week, I haven't really noticed it despite having done Wine & Dine weekend multiple times!)

The weekend of W&D is the weekend on the front side of JW (JW is Election Day week )

 

[CisforCookie991]

The weekend of W&D is the weekend on the front side of JW (JW is Election Day week )

Yup they were planning on arriving Thursday, Nov. 3, staying through Election Day.

 

[sandam1]

The weekend of W&D is the weekend on the front side of JW (JW is Election Day week )

Thanks for the head's up on this! I was looking at arriving for W&D on Friday morning and then doing my park time for a couple of days post-race, but I might change the plan and come in early instead.

Does anyone know if Universal gets the Jersey Week crowds like Disney? (Since that is where we are going to staying/touring)

 

[RunMagicalMiles]

This whole Jersey week makes so much sense! I'm in Maryland but we also get off for Election Day. School staff has Professional Development on Monday so that's why I booked my trip. I assume many other states will also have Election Day off as well.

 

[CisforCookie991]

Deleting this - right after my friend told me why Jersey week is off this year, we looked it up and... her district may be different from the rest of Jersey or someone may have messed up the calendar. But this whole discussion has now forced her to look into it and verify the right dates!

 

[sandam1]

After posting on the Universal passholder Facebook page, someone was able to "confirm" that Jersey Week is November 10-11 for 2022. I don't know how accurate their information is, but they did seem pretty certain about the dates.

 

[ZM73]

I hadn't heard of Jersey Week, but I do now and things are strarting to make sense. The New Jersey teachers' union has its annual conference on November 10th and 11th, the Thursday and Friday after W&D, and all the state's public schools are closed. Last year the Wine and Dine fell on the conference weekend and I thought it was pretty crowded at the parks. Hopefully this year's weekend will be less crowded since it doesn't fall on that weekend. : )

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Convention is confirmed 11/10 and 11, election day 11/8. So, 7th to the 11th is Jersey week.

The teacher's union announced the date really late this year, and some school districts had posted proposed 22-23 calendars assuming it would be the weekend before. I'm guessing they'll update now that the convention dates are firm.

It's all wonky because, with election day being as late as possible, convention is the second weekend of Nov when it is usually the first.

That's all coming from a mom who has been watching closely for months because the late convention means we get to overlap Jersey week with a triplet birthday!!!