Mid November at Disney

[Wallflower]

Hello everybody, I am trying to plan a trip later this year and avoid the crowds. I have been to Disney many times of the year, but haven't tried November yet, and thought we might enjoy some cooler weather. I know Thanksgiving is supposed to be one of the worst times for crowds, but does anybody have any idea what to expect the week before Thanksgiving week (Nov 14-17) ? Supposedly it's a down time according to the calenders (if such a thing really exists anymore... I once went during the first week of December because it said it was a down time and it was more crowded than ever) Maybe I should stop trying to plan around things like this, because like people have said, it's like predicting the weather... Also, I've read the food and wine festival goes through to November 14th. Does that mean Monday the 14th is the last day, or is Sunday the 13th the last day?

 

[Madeleinesmommy]

We are also going at the same time and I would love to know about this too!

 

[lahobbs4]

The last 3 years we have gone the week before Thanksgiving! It has gotten increasingly busier every year, I hate to say. Usually free dining has been offered at this time and that has made it difficult to get reservations we want, and probably also has something to do with the amount of people at the resorts. But that's just one person's opinion!

But we love it because it's already decorated for Christmas! The weather that week is more unpredictable than anything, though!

 

[hiroMYhero]

Also, I've read the food and wine festival goes through to November 14th. Does that mean Monday the 14th is the last day,

Yes, Monday is the last day to enjoy F&W.

We've also gone in mid-November and the large Christmas trees were up in the parks with the exception of MK. Depending on the Christmas Parade taping schedule, the tree may or may not be up in MK.

 

[aprilp]

My family has also gone the week before thanksgiving. We liked it. One year it was in the high 60s and lower 70s (it was cool enough in the evenings and early mornings that we had to bring a light jacket into the parks), however last year it was in the 80s and super hot. You never know what you are going to get weather-wise. I had a friend who went the weekend prior to thanksgiving and the first part of the week of thanksgiving and she didn't think it was that bad (crowd-wise). The parks are all decorated but if you like to take the monorail to the resorts and look at the decorations, be forewarned that sometimes they wait a little longer to put them up. One year the trees in the GF were already up but the next year they were not. We were disappointed (looking at my timeline, the trips were only a few days apart so they must have been putting up the trees and such the day we left or something). But anyway, we love going that time of year because the crowds are definitely less. Our favorite time to go used to be the first week of December but we love free dining and they dont offer it then anymore.

 

[Wallflower]

Thanks for the all the replies. I guess it's just too hard to know what it will be like. One of my concerns is finding seating at the casual Cantina in the pavillion at Epcot. It is a favorite spot for me and my mom. Some of our best memories are just sitting by the water watching the ducks while we eat there, enjoying the view of the world. When you have to wait for people to finish and there are people running to tables because there is nowhere to sit, and people waiting for you to finish eating so they can sit down...it really takes the enjoyment away a lot. In this particular part of the Epcot there is nowhere at all to even sit down outside of the pavillion, not a wall or anything for a long ways.

My family has also gone the week before thanksgiving. We liked it. One year it was in the high 60s and lower 70s (it was cool enough in the evenings and early mornings that we had to bring a light jacket into the parks), however last year it was in the 80s and super hot. You never know what you are going to get weather-wise. I had a friend who went the weekend prior to thanksgiving and the first part of the week of thanksgiving and she didn't think it was that bad (crowd-wise). The parks are all decorated but if you like to take the monorail to the resorts and look at the decorations, be forewarned that sometimes they wait a little longer to put them up. One year the trees in the GF were already up but the next year they were not. We were disappointed (looking at my timeline, the trips were only a few days apart so they must have been putting up the trees and such the day we left or something). But anyway, we love going that time of year because the crowds are definitely less. Our favorite time to go used to be the first week of December but we love free dining and they dont offer it then anymore.

The resorts not being decorated is a big concern for me. I picked my fav resort Wilderness Lodge at this particular time, despite the construction, because I liked the tree in the lobby. I've read in years past it went up early November, but when I look up the dates it went up the last few years it's been much later. Last year it appears to have gone up on the 22nd. I'm rethinking everything now.

 

[aprilp]

Thanks for the all the replies. I guess it's just too hard to know what it will be like. One of my concerns is finding seating at the casual Cantina in the pavillion at Epcot. It is a favorite spot for me and my mom. Some of our best memories are just sitting by the water watching the ducks while we eat there, enjoying the view of the world. When you have to wait for people to finish and there are people running to tables because there is nowhere to sit, and people waiting for you to finish eating so they can sit down...it really takes the enjoyment away a lot. In this particular part of the Epcot there is nowhere at all to even sit down outside of the pavillion, not a wall or anything for a long ways.




The resorts not being decorated is a big concern for me. I picked my fav resort Wilderness Lodge at this particular time, despite the construction, because I liked the tree in the lobby. I've read in years past it went up early November, but when I look up the dates it went up the last few years it's been much later. Last year it appears to have gone up on the 22nd. I'm rethinking everything now.

Well for what it is worth, though the crowds have increased over the years, we still found it to be a slow time. Our wait times were low and we didn't even need to use some of our fastpasses. But I will say that the high temps were a disappointment for me. I like it when it is in the low 70s, as it was the prior time we had gone.

Slightly off-topic...someone mentioned the big tree in MK. I thought this was kind of odd...usually they wait until after the Christmas parade (first weekend or so in December) to put it up, but for some reason in 2015 they already had to tree up when we were there in November. I was surprised but happy about that. I do miss the decorations going over Main Street though (they had to get rid of them because the new parade floats were too high or something). I also really miss the Lights of Winter walkway in Epcot and those weird spiky sceptre/tree looking cluster of clear lights in the flower bed that were just prior to that. And of course the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights. I'm a christmas freak so dont mind me.

 

[mom2rtk]

Slightly off-topic...someone mentioned the big tree in MK. I thought this was kind of odd...usually they wait until after the Christmas parade (first weekend or so in December) to put it up, but for some reason in 2015 they already had to tree up when we were there in November. I was surprised but happy about that.

That's because they did the parade taping much earlier in the season last year.

 

[aprilp]

That's because they did the parade taping much earlier in the season last year.

Ah, ok that makes sense. I had wondered about that. Thanks!