November Crowds? Will we encounter large groups?

[blue_eyes5212]

I am going November 4th-10th and don't know the dates that Pop Warner stuff or Jersey week will be going on. Actually I don't really know what these groups are but from reading these boards I know that they cause crowds to be heavier. Thanks!!

 

[ImaHomebody]

Jersey week is called that because all NJ Public schools are closed the 2nd Thurs and Fri in November for teachers convention. Many times schools close the entire week because election day is that week also. So you can get a good week in Disney with the kiddies only missing a day or two. It seems that at least half of the crowd is from NJ that week. The price is right and so are the crowds and weather, so a lot of families take advantage of that week. It is almost impossible to get a flight out of Newark/Liberty Airport to Orlando for that week unless you book in Jan or Feb. You can still get flight after that if you are willing to take bad times, make connections or pay double or triple what you would pay for the week before or after.

We have gone twice During Jersey week and it is a great time to go. Very low crowds and the weather is usually great.

 

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

question: so jersey week would be November 11th to 18th week? is that right?

so the whole week it IS busier? i noticed a reply saying that its not too crowded...

aack. LOL i am so confused (what else is new)

 

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

And what is Pop Warner week?!?!?!

 

[HugsForEeyore]

The infamous "Jersey Week" would be from Nov 5th to Nov 12th 2006, roughly. Basically, the crowds are somewhat bigger from Sun Nov 5th to Tuesday Nov 7th but not too bad. Then on Wednesday November 8th, things get busier. Then on Thursday November 9th, Friday the 10th, Saturday the 11th will be quite busy, but not the most horrible crowds ever seen. Sunday the 12th crowds will calm down some, then the following Monday will be average crowds for that time of year.

Also other kids in other parts of the country have some of those days off, as Election Day and Veteren's Day fall that week. There are plenty of people besides Jerseyans filling up the parks!

BUT - that being said, the crowds still aren't horrible - it isn't "Easter" crowds (though some here declare it as such!). I went during Jersey Week in 2004, and really found the crowds not bad at all. I think alot of people expect it to be dead that week and are annoyed to find it isn't. If you plan ahead, use Fastpass, or make popular restaurant dining reservations well in advance, things are fine. Already, it is hard to book Yacht and Beach Club for the weekend of Nov 10-12.

I believe Pop Warner (large cheerleading/football event) is during early December.

It always seems to be true that the week preceeding "Jersey Week" and the following week in November are less busy. Hope this helps!

 

[blue_eyes5212]

I really want to go when the crowds are not very busy since I've only been during the summer and crowds were pretty bad then.

 

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

thank you very much! I will have to do more research to find out when Pop Warner week is, as we have booked November 11th-18th for our trip, but may have to change it to december 2nd to dec 9th so if thats the pop warner week, maybe we will skip that week LOL we are deliberately trying to go lowest week as possible. dh and i went in 2001 the 1st week of december and we walked onto most attractions with 15 minute waits. we were hoping for that again! LOL no guarantees of course. we know that. but if we are flexible in our dates of travel, we may as well go a week that has nothing on! thanks for your help!

 

[handicap18]

Pop Warner is after Thanksgiving, first weekend in December. (At least it was in 2005). We went the Monday to Monday after Thanksgiving and crowds were fairly light. I did notice bigger crowds at night during Pop Warner weekend, but during the day wasn't bad. Plus we also got all of the x-mas lights after Thanksgiving. One of the guys from work went at the beginning of November and said he didn't find it to crowded.

 

[Kycha]

Pop Warner takes place the second week in December. The dates for 2005 were Dec 4 - 10. We were there during Pop Warner week 2004. There was only one night that the crowds were heavy. We were at MGM and the football players and cheerleaders were everywhere. The wait time for Rock n Roller Coaster was about 50 minutes. We had a great time though. The kids were great and their enthusiasm was infectious.

Honestly, unless you stay in a value resort, you probably would never know they were there. We stayed at Pop Century and the cheerleaders would practice their cheers about 2 hours a day(1hr in the morning and 1 hr in the evening).

This is a great week to go. Other than that one night at MGM, we walked onto most every ride with no wait time. If you are still worried, then I would suggest the next week in November. The parks are practically deserted.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[JennInTN]

As indicated in previous posts, Pop Warner week appears to be Dec 3-9 this year. I haven't visited at this time so can't comment.

I too visited during Jersey Week in 2004 and will say that yes, there are many, many guests from New Jersey...but that's only one state. I thought the crowds were perfect for us (traveling with at 4 year old at the time). Our first day at Epcot, we walked on Test Track mid-day. If you take advantage of Extra Magic Hour morning, you can knock out the biggies. We did all of Fantasyland plus character time in time for our 10:50 PS at Crystal Palace.
The weather was AMAZING. It's a great time to go, but I'm sold on the week after Thanksgiving.

Have fun planning. Which ever week you choose, you won't go wrong.

 

[runner26.2]

We went this past November during Jersey week, altho we are not from NJ. It was busy but we were at the parks when they opened and took advantage of fast passes and touring plans so we never waited more than 10 minutes for any ride.

The only park that was brutal was MGM on the Saturday which was the ABC Soapstars weekend. AVOID MGM on that weekend unless you are going for the soapstars thing. While the rides are not particularily bust there are so many people it is all but impossible to get from point A to point B. With 3 young children (9,6,3) with a stroller it was a nightmare.

We'd go again during Jersey week, but if you can go the week before or after I would ... that's what we plan to do.

 

[a*lil*bit*goofy]

wow u are all great with info! so it sounds like we will be fine regardless of whether we stick to the November 11th -18th, or have to change to the December 2nd to 9th or even the November 25th to December 2nd! (just 2 days of thanksgiving, and even then only 1 right? i assume the sunday is a day where most are travelling back home?)

Thank you thank you!