So Let's Talk November...

[SDSorority]

Hi all! I have never been in November before, so I need some tips. We're going the week before Thanksgiving week. According to the various crowd calendars I have consulted, this should be a low-ish week to go crowd wise (hopefully). Here are my questions:

1- Mid-November weather. During the day, is it jacket-worthy?? What about in the evening? Afternoon rain storms- still a thing in November??

2- This is our first trip EVER without hoppers. Yikes. Any tips for non-hopper park touring for when it's moderately crowded??

3- We are arriving the very last day of Food and Wine. When Food and Wine is over, does Epcot immediately turn into Christmas?? When does the Christmas music start in Future World? (I'm secretly hoping to miss the music switch- I love the normal FW park music!!)

4- I'm assuming that MK will be decorated for Christmas because of MVMCP... will all of the parks and resorts be decorated by this time as well?

5- Anything else I should know about November?? We are staying at OKW, and will have a car. No dining plan, 5 day non-hoppers.

 

[Bete]

November is a funny weather month; you should be prepared for warm and colder weather. A lot of times it's jacket worthy in the early morning and then in the evening.

We haven't park hopped in a very long time. We go for all the early magic hours at the parks.

Towards the end of November the Christmas decorations are getting stronger each and every day.

 

[Micca]

I think it's a good time to go. There might be some chilly moments early & late, but very likely shorts weather...maybe even water park weather. Crowd-wise it will be busy, but do-able. Not sure about the Christmas decor. Putting up the decorations at WDW is a HUGE project considering the immense amount of territory to cover. You will likely get some Christmas if not the full effect.

 

[tinkerbella16]

We love November, for the great weather. Crowds used to be very low but they have been increasing each year. We have been spoiled with awesome weather during our Nov trips.. Cool in the morning and it warms up as the day goes on.. no humidity, high 70's to low 80's in the afternoons and perfect at night for a jacket or long sleeves. Last year we only had rain once on our last full day, in the late afternoon and night on the 17th. After we left to go home I had read how cold it got... like unusually cold! So I would just pack something for every kind of weather.

We noticed the tree wasn't up on the 12th when we arrived at Epcot, but it was up on the 16th.. we had a pre-park opening adr and took pictures of the xmas tree, it is one of my favorites!

 

[busymommy2pink]

We are going for the first time in November this year too! We will be there 10-19, and chose that time because of the low crowd calandar prediction.

We are for sure checking out the Osbourne lights at DHS, it will be the only thing we do over there, as we don't love the park, but are excited about that! We will be going to Cape May Cafe for dinner and then popping over!

I am bringing shorts for myself, but a few long sleeve shirts and will have a hoodie (we are leaving from canada and it WILL be cold here). My daughters I am mostly summer stuff, but some leggings just in case and they'll have hoodies as well. My husband will pack jeans, he gets cold all the time, even in florida in August lol.

We are doing MVMCP to get some seasonal joy in! I can't wait!! Our kids have no idea.

I heard last year Florida had record cold in November, but I'm hoping for the best! And I would rather be cold in Disney than up here in Canada during regular life

Have fun!!!!

 

[thr33boys]

We went the same week in 2012 and will be doing it again this year. The days were beautiful shorts weather but the evenings were cool. You needed a hoodie or a jacket to stay warm. We had very little rain during our trip. Of course, non of this is to say things will be the same this year. Check the forecast a couple of days before you leave and pack accordingly.

The parks were decorated for Christmas by the time we arrived and the hotel was decorated mid-way through our trip.

This will be our first time having hoppers but generally, we follow easywdw park recommendations and stick to one park per day.

Lastly, not sure if you noticed or not, but HS will close at 4pm on the 17th.

 

[midnightlouise]

November can be touch and go weather-wise. in 2011 it was long sleeves during the day and jackets at night, but in 2013 it was shorts, t-shirts, and maybe a sweatshirt at night. So be prepared for anything. Every year we've gone in the fall it's rained several times while we were there, so we typically pack the ponchos to be safe.

This is the first time since I was a kid that we will have hoppers, so prior to this year, our plan was pick the park with EMH and plan everything else accordingly.

You should start seeing all of the decorations begin to go up around the first MVMCP, and the parks should be pretty festive by the time you go (which is the same time we're going!), but everything at the resorts won't be completely up til closer to Thanksgiving. It's a work in progress lol. The Grand Floridian should have the Gingerbread House up (at least they have historically had it up by the 2nd week of Nov. or so) and that's definitely cool to see. Also, even though the tree should be up, EPCOT seems to be a bit slower getting the full-on Christmas vibe because Holidays Around the World doesn't gear up til after Thanksgiving.

 

[enchantedny]

In 2013 we went November 15-22. We usually go in August but I was on maternity leave and could not pass up the opportunity to go during the school year. It rained the first day we were there until about 4:00. When it rained it was cool but most of the time it was nice. We were able to wear shorts and swim in the afternoons. All of the parks, except Epcot, were fully decorated at the beginning of the week. On the 19th we woke up to our resort (CBR) decorated. We were able to see the gingerbread house at the GF. By the time we left Epcot was beginning to decorate but still did not have any holiday activities. We also did not have park hoppers for the first time on that trip and it worked out fine. The parks are not open as late as in the summer or during the holidays. The crowds were very small. November is a great time to visit - enjoy!

 

[meljean]

We went this same time last year. We had warm weather the first 3 days then froze the next 2, then it warmed up again. Lots of Christmas decor out including trees and music. We really liked that time but wished the weather wasn't so drastic. No rain though