Oct or Nov? Help for WDW Newby!!

[JeepAK]

Hope I am posting this in the correct area.

This will be our first (and probably only - DL is sooo much closer to Alaska!) trip to WDW. Trying to decide between Oct 16 - 25 or Nov 13-22.

We thought we had it figured out for October, but then heard it could be pretty busy with school fall breaks that month? I didn't even know there was such a thing! Schools up here only have spring break. I know November will be low crowds, but we were hoping to go to one of the water parks also.

Planning on staying in one of the in park resorts.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Lorie

 

[mfulk]

We went mid October and the last week of November in 2012. We generally go at the end of April/beginning of May and were there the first two weeks of May that year. October was much hotter than I was expecting, it felt similar to our May trips. The only difference temperature wise was that the sun set much earlier and so it cooled off more in the evening. We spent every afternoon at the water park. Crowds felt similar to us in October as they did in May.

Our end of November trip seemed much less crowded. I think at that time of year the weather is rather unpredictable. We ended up with sunny weather in the mid 60s-lows 70s. We did go to the resort pool and went one day to the water park. There were very few people at Blizzard Beach and we really enjoyed it. It was only towards the end of the day that we started to feel a bit cool.

We are taking my sister and her 3 kids to Disney for their first trip (and quite possibly only trip as they are moving permanently to Africa in January) and we decided the week before Thanksgiving would be the best chance at lower crowds and enjoyable weather for them.

 

[Micca]

Welcome to the Dis Lorie October can still be pretty warm, but coming from Alaska, that may have some appeal for your family The Halloween events are cool if you're into that kind of thing.

November weather is better, you'd want to stay away from the week with Thanksgiving in it (and the weekends book-ending the holiday). The Christmas décor is really cool and is usually up by the third week.

Sounds like a big trip for you...but pretty sure it won't be your last if you love Disney

 

[DisneyHardin]

We went the first week of Oct the last 3 years and crowds were very manageable, but 2 of those 3 years were still summertime hot. We are going the first week of Nov this year in hopes of slightly cooler temps.

 

[pwdebbie]

I would say if you want to see Fall / Halloween decor, go with October. But if you want to get into the Christmas mood, then go in November. Weather can vary greatly in November. We had some unseasonably cold days (came home with two Disney sweatshirts as our souvenirs that year) but then we also had some lovely warm days. I would think that water parks might be possible most days. Why not check out some Trip Reports from this past November and see what people had to say about their weather?

We were there the first two weeks Oct. 2007 and felt it was too hot. We went the first two weeks of Nov. 2010 and with the exception of our four cold and rainy days, the weather was what we hoped for. And we did love seeing the Christmas decorations. November is my choice if we ever have another trip (not likely at this time).

 

[minniegirl19]

hands down the november trip! if you can i would adjust the dates if you can so you get the end of the food and wine festival but there is nothing more magical then Disney World at christmas time and if its a once in a life time trip it will make the trip even more special. Either decision i highly suggest doing the christmas party in november or the halloween party in october! no matter what you'll have a great trip!

 

[schoen]

I was there for 15 nights last november. The crowds were just great, low and managable.

The weather was nice and warm most days. It was cloudy almost the whole time I was there, which felt weird. I wore short or capris and tank tops many days. There was one day that I wore jeans and a sweatshirt. I wore a sweatshirt on most nights. I swam a few times, but certainly not every day.

Hope this is helpful!

 

[JeepAK]

Thanks for all the great replies! I'll have to go over all this with DH. We've been to DL at both Halloween and Christmas and we love all the decorations. Christmas is absolutely beautiful!

 

[ZoZo]

October can be hot, hot, hot. It's important to be aware of that, especially since you're not used to heat and humidity in Alaska. (I live in Washington State myself, and don't tolerate heat and humidity very well!) . October can also be very rainy; in fact one of my October trips was in 2005 for Hurricane Wilma! But you get good stuff, too, like Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and the Food and Wine Festival, and decent crowd levels.

After five October trips, we switched to February and loved it. It's similar to November both crowd-wise and weather-wise. So even though I can't specifically recommend November from personal experience, that's the month I'd pick!

 

[dixiegirl]

Lorie - first of all - WELCOME to the DIS!!!!

I have been to WDW during both timeframes you mentioned - although Oct is my specialty! Nov can have a cool snap - but still a beautiful time of year to go.

If you are looking at Oct (your dates coincide with my dates by the way) , I can give you tons of info. Oct is still very warm - we have encountered up to the low 90s more than a handful of times and mostly in the 80s. If you are looking to swim, it's a great time of year.

If you lean toward Oct and have more specific questions, feel free to PM me and I would be happy to help you out.

Either way, hope you have a great trip!!!!!

 

[JeepAK]

Thanks for the suggestion if checking trip reports, I'll take a look at the November ones this evening.

November may be a better month for us. As much as I would love a nice hot vacation, I need to take into account my son switches from his winter coat to just a hoody once the temps rise to 20 degrees

Thanks again for all the help! Once we finalize our dates, next is deciding on which resort! This fall cannot come soon enough!!

 

[minniegirl19]

zozo i was there during hurricane wilma too! haha but OP i would definitely do november like i said before and the weather will be nicer. Disneyland can't compare to what all the different parks have to offer during the holidays either so your in for an amazing treat We can all help with the resort too if you need opinions!

 

[practicallyperfect77]

If ya time it right you might be able to go to MNSSHH and MVMCP. Although I don't think the resort decorations will be up in early Nov. I went right after thanksgiving in 2013 and loved resort hopping to see all the pretty trees. The weather was wonderful as well. I think the day I left the high was 82 or so. I have read that the weather isn't that predictable tho. It can be cool and rainy one day and sunny and awesome the next. Happy planning!

 

[wareagle57]

I think you'll be ok going to a water park in November. I strongly considered it last time I was there in December but ultimately decided I didn't have enough time.

If you go a week sooner in November, you could do both the X-mas and Halloween parties.

 

[JeepAK]

We finally decided on November. Thanks to all the helpful posts! We already have all our reservations and were able to book FD. Time for the countdown to begin!!

 

[pwdebbie]

We finally decided on November. Thanks to all the helpful posts! We already have all our reservations and were able to book FD. Time for the countdown to begin!!

Yay! You will have a great trip!

 

[agavegirl1]

Hi Lorie and welcome. So glad you could get free dining for your trip. I am going in October this year. My last trip in 2010 was in mid November before Thanksgiving and there was very little rain but the evenings and mornings were cooler than I prefer. The days were comfortable. I changed to October this time to try to be a little warmer. Just a note to say, you will have a great time. You may need to pack long pants and light jackets for evenings.