November travel question

[MontyMontyMOnty]

Hi!

We are longtime AP fans, and plan on getting our APs when we visit Disney this september. We just found out that I am pregnant (baby #1 will be a year old next week!). The AP's are still the best deal for us--we will squeek a trip in next september.

We are thinking, though, of taking one more trip in 2003, in November. What are crods like in November--it would be early int he month, not around Thanksgiving!

Any advice would be appreciated!

Samantha

 

[jkovick]

We have went in November and enjoyed low crowds---except at MGM during the "Super Soap Weekend". Avoid MGM that weekend if at all possible (unless of course you are a big soap opera fan). We loved the Food & Wine Festival. I think Nov. is a great time to go!

 

[Micca]

I think November is a great time to go. The temps start to come down, and the crowds are generally minimal. The only better time would be after Thanksgiving up to a few days before Christmas.

 

[pointandshoot]

We went the week before Vets Day and Soap Week. The crowd was light early in the week and picked up a bit as Jersey Week wore on. Still, very nice and the temps are warm.

Chuck

 

[lexiluke]

We have our trip planned the 11th thru 18th. Most of our stay will be after the Veteran's Day, Soap Week, and Jersey crowds have gone, but also before the Thanksgiving crowds start to pick up. We've never gone in Nov. before, but I'm hoping our logic works!

 

[jessgood1]

Well, I have no idea about Disney in November, but we're going the 12-19. It's been about 17 years since I've been there!

I do know about kids though Congratulations! I have 3, ranging from 20-22 months apart. I love having them close together in age!

 

[Sue & Co.]

Hi, we are going in November too and everything I've heard or read is that crowds are fairly low at this time of year and that the temp. is warm but not too hot. The only downside is shorter hours and the risk that some rides will be down for maintenance. Still you can't have everything.

Sue

 

[nowellsl]

We went last november around the 13th I think. It was great on the weekdays - very low crowds. The weekend was fairly busy but still not too bad. We had one full day of rain but it wasn't cold - a lot of people were swimming. It's a nice time to go.

 

[SueSue]

We'll be there in early Nov. also. Never been this time of year - always in mid-July. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to cooler weather and lower crowds! I have to admit, though, that I've been a bit sad this week - I'm usually packing and making a run to Target for last-minute supplies now! Just goes to show you, no matter what conditions, Disney is worth it!

 

[Heather]

We have gone three times in November, starting in 1999 (when our youngest was an infant -- she was actually a lot easier as an infant than as an early walker!), also in 2000 and 2001. In 99, we went from 10/30 to 11/5, and went about a week later each year. Without a doubt, early to mid November is a great time to go, unless you hit Veteran's Day or Thanksgiving (or, apparently, Jersey Week, which we never really knew about and if we hit it, it didn't seem to make an attendance impact). The only downside is that some of the shows and fireworks only occur once during your stay. But the weather is great -- for us, we've usually had low 80's, give or take, during the day, with one or two chillier days and nights. Take a jacket, for sure! But also bring your swimming suits.

The best thing we found with our kids was to get up early (we were in the same time zone, so it wasn't an issue -- they were up & ready to go at 6!) and be there when the parks open. We actually found Early Entry to be really helpful, with the kids so ready. Then we would leave the parks after about 3 hours and go have lunch, have a swim and a nap, and go back around 4 or 5 for another 3 or 4 hours. It worked great with the kids' schedules and we got a surprising number of attractions in without feeling like we were being commandos. In fact, this past November was the first since we've lived here that we didn't go to WDW and the whole family was depressed all month! So much so that we think we'll go twice this year to make up for it

Congrats on the new baby coming and have a great time!

 

[crazy4themouse]

My DS & I are going November 8th through the 15th. I just read about Soap Week and just found out that it is the weekend of the 8th. Just my luck - I am not a soap fan at all. So, I was wondering if the whole park is busy that weekend and we should stay at our hotel or visit UO, or is MGM the only park really packed?
Thanks.

 

[MontyMontyMOnty]

Wow, thanks so much for all of your responses! I think we will book for November as soon as AP rates are out! We usually go in late January, but that will be too late for me to travel (first baby showed up on the early side!)

Thanks so much, y'all!

Samantha

 

[DemoBri1]

Lexiluke and Jess,

Mid-November timeframe is great, at least the time we were there in 98. Temps were in the low to mid-80s, although we were told that was warm for that time of year, and crowds were fairly minimal. We started into the parks around 11 or noon, and were able to finish up on all the big rides by 5 or 6. That was eating a quick lunch as well. Mind you at that time RnRC and TT were not up and running yet.

We had very little rain, in fact I think only the one day that we were at US did it rain.

Brian

 

[PigletsPal]

We've gone a few times in Nov. this year we will be doing the FTP-first time I wil be there for 7 days. Its always been a great month to go. Not only is its Soap Weekend @ MGM, its also the Food and Wine Fest.@ Epcot when I will be there. So I also hopping the crowds will be down during the week for us.

 

[Heather]

Crazy4themouse: MGM will be pretty packed on Super Soap Weekend BUT we have heard from several people that the line rides aren't really that bad in the areas of MGM that are not near the Soap stuff. The one time we were there during that, we just avoided MGM that day -- the rest of the parks were just fine.

Also, with the Epcot Food & Wine festival, it doesn't really add to the crowds at Epcot in Future World, just makes the sidewalks in the World Showcase more crowded, especially in the evenings (although didn't really seem to make lines longer for the few attractions in WS). We actually really liked it, because there was lots of yummy food to sample.

 

[Pryncess'mom]

Congrats on the new addition!

Jersey week will be the week of Nov. 1-8. Maybe through the 11 or 12. The nj teachers get off for a statewide convention, and many families use that time to visit Mickey! (Many of us teachers too!) On our last trip we ran into 5 families that were from our hometown in NJ, and we did not know they were going to be there! Still, it is a time I would avoid if I could.

Good luck

 

[Jeanny]

We went Thanksgiving weekend 2002 and the crowds really weren't that bad!! Believe it or not, the only place I heard/saw crying children was at Magic Kingdom... lines weren't really that long considering the weekend. The parks were open late each night. On Sunday, the day we were leaving, we were at MK right before the parade started, and I couldn't believe the difference in the crowd, nearly non-existant.

The weather was nice and warm, of course we left Providence in a snowstorm. There was only really one night we should have worn long pants, temps were down to high 40's, but being in Florida, we were detemined to wear shorts. We did bring sweatshirts to wear at night. Most of the time, day temps were in the high 70's.

A few years ago, I was at MGM during Super Soap weekend, not knowing it was Super Soap (pre DisBoards) Man was that crowded!! Never again.

Jeanny

 

[CdnDisneyFan]

I went for a week in November for my birthday last year, the week of the 16-23rd, and crowds weren't bad at all.

Have a lot of fun!!

Jules