November 2019 at Walt Disney World
By Dave Shute
WHAT IS NOVEMBER LIKE AT DISNEY WORLD?
Mid-November has some of the best times of the year to visit Disney World, with cooler weather, low crowds, low prices, and fun special events.
Other parts of the month are not so good. Jersey Week, beginning 11/2 in 2019, sees moderate crowds and higher prices at the deluxes. Thanksgiving week, beginning 11/23 in 2019, with high crowds and higher prices than the rest of the month, should be avoided.
Note also that picking the right park to visit each day is critical at this time of the year. See this, and use the comment form below to ask me about your specific dates!
NOVEMBER 2019 CROWDS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
On a crowd scale of 1-11, the first week of November (beginning 11/2) sees crowds levels of 5/moderate-, the second week 4/low+, the third week 3 /low, and Thanksgiving week 8/high-.
See this for more on 2019 crowds at Disney World.
NOVEMBER 2019 TICKET PRICES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
November 2019 Disney World ticket prices are higher to average early in the month, lower to average in the middle of the month, and then higher again when eligible use dates include Thanksgiving week.
See the image–where green is good, and lots of green particularly good, and red is bad, and lots of red is particularly bad.
For more, see my Disney World 2019 ticket price calendar.
NOVEMBER 2019 RESORT HOTEL PRICES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
Prices begin the month 5-10% higher than the lowest of the year at the values, 10-18% higher at the moderates and and 20-25% higher than lowest of the year at the deluxes.
- Prices then pop up over the Veterans Day weekend to 20-30% higher than the lowest of the year
- On 10/11 they go back down to beginning of the month levels at the values and moderates, and at the deluxes go to 5-15% higher than the lowest of the year
- On 11/23, values prices go to 30-35% higher than the lowest of the year and moderate prices to 20-25% higher than the lowest of the year
- On 11/26, deluxe prices go to 20-25% higher than the lowest of the year
- On 11/30, all prices drop. At the values they go to 5-10% higher than the lowest of the year, at the moderates 10-18% higher, and at the deluxes 5-15% higher
See this for more on 2019 resort hotel prices at Walt Disney World.
NOVEMBER 2019 DEALS AND DISCOUNTS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
Deals for the general public are available for November 2019. Find them here.
NOVEMBER 2019 WEATHER AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
Early November weather can be about as good as Orlando gets. Over the course of the month, lower and much more variable temperatures emerge. Days can be perfect or quite cool.
Click the image, or go to Weather and When to Go to Disney World, for more.
DISNEY WORLD SPECIAL EVENTS IN NOVEMBER 2019
The 2019 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party kicks off on November 8 and has many dates during the rest of the month–except for Thanksgiving week.
The 2019 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival continues until November 23.
Disney World’s Christmas program will begin November 8 at Magic Kingdom and at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Epcot’s Festival of the Holidays will complete the program when it kicks off November 29.
NOVEMBER 2019 OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
Park operating hours can vary by the day, and sometimes change without notice. It is rare for hours to be shorter than Disney has publicized, but Disney may lengthen them in response to unanticipated crowds.
The best way to keep up with operating hours is to check Disney’s official calendars, usually available about six months in advance. Major hours updates–often with later closes–can happen a month before.
These calendars can be found by clicking this link.
WEEK BY WEEK COMMENTS FOR NOVEMBER 2019 AT WALT DISNEY WORLD BY ARRIVAL DATE
The week rankings that follow are from my 2019 weeks to visit, ranked in order, updated in April 2019, and are designed for first-time visitors who do not know whether or not they will return.
10/26/2019 Low to moderate resort prices. Low+ crowds. Crowd ranking=4. Week ranking=5. Recommended week. Use the Extra Extra Magic Hours Itinerary (published 6/24; dining remains the same as the previously recommended itinerary) but change the plans (and To-Do Lists) for the two Sundays based on the material on this page.
11/2/2019 Jersey Week. Moderate resort prices. Moderate- crowds, better earlier in the week, worse later. Crowd ranking=5. Week ranking=12. Use the Higher Crowd Itinerary to manage the crowd risks of Galaxy’s Edge
11/9/2019 Low to moderate resort prices. Low+ crowds. Crowd ranking=4. Week ranking=4. Recommended week. Use the Higher Crowd Itinerary to manage the crowd risks of Galaxy’s Edge
11/16/2019 Low to moderate resort prices. Low crowds, worse at the end of the week, better early in the week. Crowd ranking=3. Week ranking=3. Recommended week. Use the Higher Crowd Itinerary to manage the crowd risks of Galaxy’s Edge
11/23/2019 Thanksgiving week. Moderate+ resort prices. High- crowds, worst Wednesday through Saturday . Crowd ranking=8. Week ranking=27. Use the Higher Crowd Itinerary but swap First Sunday and Thursday.
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40 comments
Been stalking for Nov info. Thx! Going to parks Nov 10-15 with young adult children (1st trip!) and 3 year old. 9 in group. Usually start & end MK but maybe not best?? Xmas party 1 night. No hoppers. Would really appreciate any advice on which park each day. Love all this info!!
Hi Janine! The calendar for then is not yet out, so view these thoughts as preliminary–and check back in three weeks or so
11/10 avoid HS, and MK may be a problem
11/11 avoid AK
11/12 avoid Epcot
11/13 avoid MK
11/14 avoid Epcot
11/15 avoid MK and Epcot (in the evening)
Thank you for the post! Per your comment about asking about specific dates….
We are arriving 12 November and staying through17 November. We were thinking:
13 Nov (Wed) – Animal Kingdom
14 Nov (Thurs) – Magic Kingdom (Christmas Party)
15 Nov (Friday) – ?
16 Nov (Saturday)- ?
I can’t decide which parks(Epcot and Hollywood Studios) are better on Friday/Saturday. Between Galaxy’s Edge & food and Wine I feel like they could both be bad on those days…
Epcot will be crowded in World Showcase either day, Drew, but ride lines won’t be much affected. I would avoid HS on weekends until it is proven to be OK–my thought is that it will be OK, but why not wait for facts. So that would suggest HS on Friday and Epcot on Saturday
We are a family of 4, kids are 7 & 5. Favorite park is Epcot. One park per day tickets. Which park would you pick each day for 11/2-11/8 (travel days on either side)? We were thinking 3 Epcot days, 2 MK, and 1 each of the other parks….
Hi! Disney’s calendar for then is not out yet, but here are my draft thoughts–check back with me in a couple of weeks and I’ll be able to confirm or change.
Your dates Epcot will be best Monday and Wednesday. MK will be OK most days, worst Saturday, Weds and maybe Friday. HS is hard to predict right now but for sure avoid 11/3 and 11/8. Ak will be worst Saturday and Monday, best Sunday, fine the other dates
Your suggestion fit my itinerary to a tee!
I’m traveling Saturday and arriving late.
Sun-EMH at HS then head to Magic Kingdom no later than 12p. (BOG dinner and end night with Happily Ever After or what ever night show is there)
Mon-Fri EMH on hold for planning based on wdw calendar changes.
Mon- Epcot (Eat and Drink Around the World Day)
Tues- HS (ending with Fantasmic)
Wed- Animal Kingdom
Thur- AM reservation @ CRT. Then after a few rides at MK- heading over to HS. (Ending with Star Wars Spectacular)
Fri- Disney Springs for lunch and freebie night based on what we wanted to see again.
Sat- Character Dining at our hotel for breakfast and fly back home.
Hey Jeanine! Wednesday will be much better at HS than either Tuesday or Thursday–both those days, MK closes early, so the other three parks will be particularly busy. On Weds, in contrast, MK is both open late (the only such day among all the weekdays that week) and has PM EMH, so it will be quite the crowd draw. The easiest fix would be to flip Wednesday and Tuesday
Thank you Dave!!!
Hi Dave!
We arrive Friday 11/23 and depart Friday 11/29. Plan to spend Wednesday 11/27 off site, and thinking Epcot on Thanksgiving Day. What are your thoughts on best parks (or parks to avoid) for those dates? Thanks in advance!
Hi Tena, traditionally folks have gone to either Epcot or MK on major holidays, and in later 2019 with Star Wars HS might be added to the list. AK is the best choice on Thanksgiving Day.
Here’s some draft thoughts about the rest of your dates. When Disney’s calendar comes out in a few weeks I should be able to sharpen them up
11/23 is Saturday, so I am starting with 11/122
11/22 avoid Epcot and MK
11/23 avoid everything…
11/24 avoid HS
11/25 avoid AK
11/26 avoid Epcot
11/27-you are off site
11/28 avoid all but AK
11/29 avoid MK
Thanks for this. We are in Disney 11/14 – 11/18. Traveling with 4 kids under 5 so we are thing MK on 11/15 and 11/16 and AK on 11/17. Looks like MK has Extra morning magic hour in 11/15 and is open til 9 on the 16th. If we steer clear from HS, I assume crowd levels will be ok? Our group of kids will have no interest in Star Wars. Thanks!
Steve, even ignoring Star Wars, crowds ebb and flow based on MK’s hours. 11/16 will be wildly busy at MK, as it follows two days of early closes and has an early close 11/17. If you are willing to skip the fireworks–which kids that young may not be able to stay up for anyway–you would be much better off doing MK 11/15 and 11/17, and AK 11/16.
Hi, Dave. Such great advice on your site–thanks! We’re going to be at Disney for a short adults only trip from Nov. 2-5. Not knowing what they’ll do about extending hours and EMH after 11/2 is making planning hard. I keep telling myself that we’ll know well before our FP day and trying not to think about it too hard yet, but somehow I don’t really like that answer, LOL. Here’s what we’re thinking so far. We’re staying on site and want full days (or the equivalent) at MK and EP. We don’t have hoppers but are open to the idea of adding them if it works better.
11/2-Arrival, AK mid-afternoon to close
11/3-MK
11/4-Epcot
11/5-Park until noon. Planning on HS (not GE) but depending on crowds and park hours might skip HS entirely this trip and do MK or AK today.
Is there anything you’d do differently? At least we have the benefit of being there between the Halloween and Christmas parties, so there won’t be early MK closes on our dates. Thanks so much!
Hi Rachel, this looks pretty sound to me. I’m not wild on AK 11/2, as it has EMH that morning, but frankly don’t think any other park will be materially better. It is a Saturday after all…
Thanks so much, Dave! Yeah, it didn’t seem like any park was really a good choice on 11/2. At least between it being the last day of EEMH, Food and Wine, and the day after a party there are incentives for people to head to all 3 of the other parks, too!
Concur, Rachel!
Hi Dave! Can you give me your thoughts on which parks are best for 11/17-11/22? We are tentatively thinking:
Sunday 11/17 – MK
Monday 11/18-AK
Tuesday 11/19- Epcot or HS and Christmas Party
Wed 11/20 – HS
Thurs 11/21- Epcot
Friday 11/22 – MK (2nd choice for Christmas party – do you think it will be terribly busy?)
Thanks!
Hi Cassie! Monday AK has EMH, so it might be a bit crowded. Tuesday will be crowded at both Epcot and HS. You might consider doing Epcot Monday and AK Tuesday. Epcot will be crowded Thursday because of its EMH and MK’s early close. You might want to do MK on Thursday and Epcot on Friday. Of your party options, Tuesday should be better.
Hi Dave, I don’t see December yet, but am planning ahead…any idea if you were going to MK the week between Christmas and New Year (27-3) which day would be best? I know it is the WORST week to go at all, but we will be in Florida with a lot of family and there is talk of hitting MK one day and I’d like to pick the least crowded of crowded, if at all possible! Thoughts on the 30th?? Thanks!
Barbara, there is no material those dates that I can predict now. If when the final calendar comes out some days do not have morning EMH, those will be better, although if a. you are morning EMH eligible, and b. EMH starts at 7a, then doing EMH will be the best way to do MK.
Excited for the December 2019 Basic Itinerary to come out. Do you expect it soon?
Hi Kristy! First, I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you. Day job demands…
Second, I got the Basic Itinerary out yesterday–it’s here.
Hi Dave!
We are currently booked for Nov 10-17, but with the free dining dropping for Nov 17-24 we have considered moving dates to save money. Would you switch and have dining for free? As far as crowds go, can you give me your opinion on those weeks?
Hi Jacqueline, I see crowds as comparable the two weeks. Free dining may or may not save you money–it depends on whether you had already planned to buy hoppers, whether you have to upgrade your room, etc., and of course availability. It may even be (it varies by resort and party size and ages) that the discount offer is better for you.
My advice would be to work with someone like Kelly to get her to see a. if anything is available in free dining for your proposed dates, b. if there’s a better deal for either those or your current dates, and c. in either case, if you actually save money.
We will be there 11.9-11.16. We’ve pretty much nailed down our schedule but I have a couple questions:
We are going to MK on 11.10 and for the MVMCP on 11.12. Are there any rides you recommend not getting a FastPass for on 11.10 and saving for 11.12?
We have some flexibility on 11.14 and 11.15 but one of those days must be AK. What day out of the 14th or 15th do you recommend AK?
I’m debating making the other day a 3rd MK option. My thought was since MK closes early on the 14th, we should maybe go there that day in hopes of a lighter crowd. Of course with the new HS stuff, our 6 and 3 year old may very well prefer to go back there twice vs. MK for a 3rd day.
Hi Kelly, re FP+, there’s a couple of rides that have longer waits at MVMCP–Seven Dwarfs and Peter Pan. So those should be particular targets for your FP+.
I don’t see much difference between the 14th and 15th for AK.
During the party season, MK is almost always best on a party day, and much, much worse on a non-party day.
2019 Jersey Week Nov 2-10 coincides with
Swan + Dolphin’s Food & Wine Classic 10th Anni on Nov 8-9.
fwiw
Yup, Bill.
Hello! We are going for the first time Nov 8-12. What would be your suggested parks to avoid on those particular days?
Hi Heather!
11/8 avoid HS
11/9 there are no good choices. Epcot might be best
11/10 avoid HS and MK
11/11 avoid HS and AK
11/12 avoid HS and MK
November 29 to 27 and we can’t change dates since we are coming from all over and that is the only time it works.
Hi Carmen, did you have a question?
We are visiting Nov 12-18, which by all accounts is one of the slowest weeks of the year according to your calendar rankings and other crowd calendars, however, I am concerned that may not be the case. Free dining begins on the 17th I believe and WDW customer service said that the start date is based upon lower than normal crowds. If that was an accurate statement, why wouldn’t it start immediately after the previous holiday 3-day weekend? I’m also concerned that all but one of the All Star resorts are currently showing no availability on rooms. Are we wrong in our thinking that our vacation days will be slower than normal? Thank you for your insights! Much appreciate your time.
Hey Matt, the basic point is that the Disney-owned hotels are not crowd calendars. They run at about 85-90% occupancy year round, filled up by a variety of strategies ranging from differential seasonal (and daily prices) to various promotions. The ebb and flow of folks in the parks is shaped more by occupancy in the off-site hotels, as the Disney hotels are always almost full, on the lowest or highest crowd days.
Hi Dave! First time visiting WDW, booked Nov 2-8 for a honeymoon vacation. Any suggestions on which park to visit in order? or which ones to avoid? thank you 🙂
Hi Dave
Visiting 14 thru 23rd. Thinking about purchasing 4 day hopper after 12 tickets. Any thoughts on which parks I could combine in a day. also which day best for Christmas party after 7pm.
Thanks
Hey Janice, please first tell me your goals. In general, hopping in what will already be short days ends up wasting a lot of time better spent in the parks… If you don’t feel like you know enough to have well-defined goals, then read this first!
While there is not a huge difference among party nights, your best bet is likely Tuesday the 19th
I was at WDW in November in 2019 and had the best time ever. Is there any possibility of purchasing a DVD of the Party and Parade, etc.?
Hi Roe, not that I know of…
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