November Hours! What is Disney Thinking!

[ThistleMae]

for those of you who have looked at November hours, is anyone else shocked by the fact that Wishes is not scheduled AT ALL for the entire week of Thanksgiving? And what about extra Magic Hours? I'm a bit frustrated about the whole schedule. Thanksgiving week is going to be mobbed and everyone will be at MK the Saturday before Thanksgiving Trying to make sure they see wishes! I can foresee a bit of a nightmare that night. What are other folks experiencing after viewing the schedule and hours?

 

[5DisneyNuts]

I don't think you are looking at the right thing. Wishes is being shown every night at 10pm that week (and they will probably add another parade - 9pm and 11pm). EMHs are also being offered.
Check out the easywdw crowd calendar.

 

[Robo]

Hmmmmmm.

 

[siskaren]

I don't think you are looking at the right thing. Wishes is being shown every night at 10pm that week (and they will probably add another parade - 9pm and 11pm). EMHs are also being offered.
Check out the easywdw crowd calendar.

Well actually, Josh uses the travel agents calendar, which is currently not showing Wishes or MSEP for the week of Thanksgiving. He is however assuming that they will run that week, and is going by past experience to indicate when. Read the second paragraph in this post:

http://www.easywdw.com/site-news/preliminary-november-2015-walt-disney-world-crowd-calendar/

 

[joannamet]

Sounds like a good night to see Fantasmic.

 

[tabistar]

The schedule will change (possibly more than once) before that week gets here.

Also FYI, we planned on 9am openings at MK last Thanksgiving week (had pre-rope drop ADR scheduled) and they changed it to 8am as it got closer.

 

[jinsally]

The schedule will change (possibly more than once) before that week gets here.

Also FYI, we planned on 9am openings at MK last Thanksgiving week (had pre-rope drop ADR scheduled) and they changed it to 8am as it got closer.

So that does happen! I was planning the exact same thing... pre-rope drop ADR.... I guess I'll just have to shoot for lunch ADR instead and plan on going at rope drop! Thanks for sharing that information!

 

[Jadyreen1282]

When we went last August they changed emh at MK from Sunday to Saturday. I had the after hours wind down that night at Epcot. Kind of irritated me.

 

[bookgirl]

They're thinking

1. "It doesn't matter what we post in May because it'll change at least twice before November"

2. "Are we going to have holiday fireworks, probably, do we know what we'll call them, not really, so let's just leave it blank after all it's only May"

Which sucks since planning starts in May for November, but the hours (except for party nights) are approximate and there will be some kind of fireworks so plan the best you can and hope it doesn't change too much.

 

[picprincess]

The schedule will change (possibly more than once) before that week gets here.

Also FYI, we planned on 9am openings at MK last Thanksgiving week (had pre-rope drop ADR scheduled) and they changed it to 8am as it got closer.

The same thing happened to us. We decided to keep the 8:05 reservations at Crystal Palace and they let us in about 10-15 minutes before rope drop. We were still able to get some good Main Street photos before breakfast and we had some good touring before the bulk of the crowds arrived. If it had been our only MK day I don't think I would have done it though. Here's my blog about that day if you're interested! MK November 2014

 

[disney world dreamer]

the park hours for the week of thanksgiving are not even on the disney world website as of yet.

btw if you'll notice in my signature how many times i've been in november.
all of those times were the week of thanksgiving and it was not too busy durign that time.
if it was my family would have picked a different time to go.
heck my parents are going this year that week and they are retired and could go any time they want but they are sticking to that week because they don't find it to be too busy.

 

[MinnieMSue]

I noticed on a calendar no wishes or MSEP that week too but decided they will probably have it and I am guessing two MSEP's much of that time. I decided to plan my trip on the assumption of them happening.

 

[CAS239]

You're looking too far in advance. Wait for it to get closer before you make any final plans. It's still 6 months out, way too far for them to have hours, emhs, and scheduled events finalized

 

[mummabear]

You're looking too far in advance. Wait for it to get closer before you make any final plans. It's still 6 months out, way too far for them to have hours, emhs, and scheduled events finalized

And yet close enough that ADRs are open and restaurants are booking out

 

[CAS239]

And yet close enough that ADRs are open and restaurants are booking out

Yes, which is ridiculous that far in advance. But won't change the fact that the hours are never set that far in advance. I'd stay away from trying to book before park opening and you're fine. Book before park opening to try to beat the rope drop people, that's a risk you'd have to take that hours might change.

 

[disney world dreamer]

And yet close enough that ADRs are open and restaurants are booking out

actually thats not true at all.
the ADR calendar is only open through november 5th so even if today is your 180+10 you cannot book an ADR past the 15th.

the park hours calendar is only open through the 15th at this point and thanksgiving week is unot until the following week.

it all makes sense.

but i do also have to add that 6 months out is not "too early" as another poster stated. 6 months is just right but you actually have to wait for the park calendar/ADR calendar to open up for the dates you are going before you freak out.

 

[ThistleMae]

Well....it would be nice to have the scheduled park hours before reaching your 180+10 for dinning. You can't really guess which parks will have extra magic hours which days, so making reservations will also be guess work. You may have a reservation that is too late for a regular park close but had you known what night there was extra magic hours you could make a later reservation and still get to that park to enjoy more of the night. It just seems kind of disorganized....especially since there are so many of here that plan a year ahead. I've picked all my restaurants....have tried to pick the times I'd like to get....with back ups of course....but once those hours come out I could be going from one side of the universe to another to try and get an evening at a park that has extra magic hours! If I had known, I would be booking accordingly. Am I the only one agonizing over this?

 

[Jen731]

ThistleMae, I'm with you. Our trip is November 29-December 4... So I have the travel agent calendar for November but not December. I want to plan my ADR's to avoid the busiest parks for the day but I am definitely afraid I will be cutting it close between the calendar being released and my 180 day mark. Plus, I actually enjoy the planning process, so I like to sit and fantasize through all our days there and the waiting is no fun.

 

[TagsMissy]

I am looking at the TA hours calendar and it does say Wishes - None

 

[asbyrneva]

kenny the pirate just posted Dec hours on his site (love the pirate!) He also kept the 2014 hours so you can get an idea of what it may look like. If you go back to last year they are usually pretty close. For November if you don't use the exact date but look at things like tuesday before thanksgiving or Sunday after thanksgiving you will get an idea of what will change and then prep around that.

We have been doing thanksgiving week since 2009 and we have a pretty good feel for morning EMH and evening EMH. Pretty similar year to year.

If you are a planner then you have a leg up on all those folks that don't research. We have gone around easter and were surprised on the bus on our way back to the resort, listening to folks tell us that they got to rope drop and there must have been a private event because everything was already open. When I asked when they got there they said 9. I didn't have the heart to tell them MK opened at 8 that week and EMH was 7!!! The times guide even said 8 am for easter week that year! They didn't even bother to read what disney handed them when they got there.

Their loss is a planners gain and if you are on these boards you have so many resources to anticipate what November and December will likely look like and you can plan around it.

Dont agonize or fret use this time before the booking window opens and research your days from last year!

For what its worth dont plan any MK "pre-park adr" thanksgiving week(or easter week or christmas week) they historically open up the park at 8 or earlier since those are the busiest times of the year. (there probably is a day that is a 9am opening but that may go depending on crowd levels)