Crowds in August vs November

[WDWFan2018]

I am planning a trip for 2019 and I'm trying to decide when we should go. I'm looking at the last week in August or the first week in November. Are kids back in school at the end of August in the US? Is this a good time to go or is it still stupid busy? Is November better?

 

[John park hopper]

Not all schools are back in session in Aug. Aug can still be hot and humid and it is the hight of hurricane season. Nov it will be cooler. schools will all be back in session, end of hurricane season. Check crowd calendars on line for holidays which will add to crowds.

 

[Hayley In Wonderland]

Nov is one of the best times imo, so long as you avoid the parks on thanksgiving, as that's when they are crazy busy!

 

[eliza61nyc]

lol, so my vote is August. We generally go the last week of August (this year it's 8/29-9/3). The few times we've gone in November it's been the first week, during "jersey" week.

Yes, it's AFrica, 2 inches from the sun hot but I live in the Northeast of the US. It's pretty hot here in the summer also.
My kids loved, loved, loved to swim. the three times we went in November the weather was too cool for us to swim. that was a bummer.

while not empty the parks are a little less crowded than full summer or holidays.
So my crowd calendar looks like this.
8/29 wdw 4 epcot 4
8/30 wdw 3 ak 3
8/31 wdw 1 MK 1
9/1 wdw 6 HS4
9/2 wdw 7 not sure what park.

not to bad

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I don't really like WDW in November. The parks and resorts are usually all decorated for Christmas way too early, and I find it off-putting to be in a Christmas-y environment when it's not even Thanksgiving yet. Also, I love the fall weather up north so I wouldn't want to trade a week of New England autumn for Florida's sort-of-still-summer.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I think you're going to find better prices and discounts in late August. While I know many in northern parts of the US don't have kids go back to school until after US Labor Day, a good chunk of the southern US is back in school at some point in August. My kids will be back in school on the 20th this year, our old district is going back on Aug 15th, and I have friends in GA and AL whose kids are going back even earlier.

Early November crowds aren't awful, but you may still feel a bit of a boost from people there for Halloween, some people feel Jersey week has an impact, and Epcot will see higher crowds due to F&W. If you're heat sensitive, you'd probably like the weather better in November.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I travel all times of the year...

Honestly: November went from maybe the nicest time to go to perhaps the worst in a decade.

I detest October-November crowds. Same with January and February.

August’s main concern is the weather...no way to control that...

But longer days and hours combined with a reduction in summer travel is noticeable to me.

 

[crxbrett]

Most of the schools in the US are back in by the last week of August. I went that week for the time ever last year and it was pretty nice. Crowds were super light to moderate (1-4) save for a couple of days at the MK (Labor Day weekend). I prefer late August since the weather is hot and it rains - yes, I am a freak.

I dodged a bullet when i moved my vacation up a week after Disney announced Splash was being refurbed. Otherwise I would have been there for the hurricane. But I still am glad I went in late Aug/early Sep. Going again this year.

I agree that Nov is way too early for xmas decorations. But late August they have Halloween crap up already, too! LOL I hate seeing pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns all over in August or even September! And xmas decorations and music up the week after Halloween is super lame. Halloween and Christmas should be 4-week long celebrations, not 9 weeks long!

I don't know about DW crowds in November, but at DL the first week of Nov right after Halloween is one of the best times to go. Of course we don't have a bunch of people from Jersey coming here that week, so I'm sure DW is a different beast that week.

 

[crxbrett]

Last year's crowd levels for the last week or so of Aug and 1st week or so of Nov at the resort according to TP:

6 - Aug 28 (Mon)
5 - Aug 29 (Tue)
4 - Aug 30 (Wed)
4 - Aug 31 (Thu)
3 - Sep 1 (Fri)
6 - Sep 2 (Sat)
7 - Sep 3 (Sun)
5.00 - Average for 4th week of Aug


7 - Oct 30 (Mon)
4 - Oct 31 (Tue)
3 - Nov 1 (Wed)
5 - Nov 2 (Thu)
5 - Nov 3 (Fri)
6 - Nov 4 (Sat)
6 - Nov 5 (Sun)
5.14 - Average for 1st week of Nov



Both weeks actually were really close in terms of crowd levels.

 

[LAKid53]

As others have posted, most schools in Florida are back in session by the end of August. But it will be hot and humid, with afternoon rain storms that only make it more humid. But if you don't mind mid to upper 90s temperatures with air so moist you can cut it with a knife, then go. But Halloween decorations may be up.

Me? I'd rather visit the 2nd or 3rd week in November. F&W is over, kids still in school, hopefully not Jersey week and little chance of one of those tropical cyclones ruining your trip. Plus, it's a tad cooler. First two weeks in December are nice, too.

 

[OneofThree]

Last year's crowd levels for the last week or so of Aug and 1st week or so of Nov at the resort according to TP:

6 - Aug 28 (Mon)
5 - Aug 29 (Tue)
4 - Aug 30 (Wed)
4 - Aug 31 (Thu)
3 - Sep 1 (Fri)
6 - Sep 2 (Sat)
7 - Sep 3 (Sun)
5.00 - Average for 4th week of Aug


7 - Oct 30 (Mon)
4 - Oct 31 (Tue)
3 - Nov 1 (Wed)
5 - Nov 2 (Thu)
5 - Nov 3 (Fri)
6 - Nov 4 (Sat)
6 - Nov 5 (Sun)
5.14 - Average for 1st week of Nov



Both weeks actually were really close in terms of crowd levels.

That's about what I would have said based on the "eye test". I will say that one thing to keep in mind is the direction this has been trending in, where all week in Oct., Nov., and Dec. are getting busier relative to the summer. As long as you can deal with the heat, the end of summer is probably the last remaining respite from the crowds on the entire calendar.

 

[thumper]

As an FYI - the Wine and Dine half marathon weekend is the first weekend of November. All of the races are held in the early morning before the parks even open (Fri Nov 2 - Sun Nov 4), but something to consider with the extra folks around during W&D, especially in EPCOT.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Not all schools are back in session in Aug. Aug can still be hot and humid and it is the hight of hurricane season. Nov it will be cooler. schools will all be back in session, end of hurricane season. Check crowd calendars on line for holidays which will add to crowds.

That may not help.

He mentioned November 2019 and that be a problem. Disney earlier this year mentioned Star Wars: Galaxies Edge would be open late of fall of 2019. Since they said late fall, they might talking about November. Star Wars: Galaxies Edge is going rise crowds in DHS to put it mildly. The other thing is the new Micky ride should be open by November of 2019 if things are going like projected.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

I've been going the week before Labor Day for about the past 8 years. Check in on the Sunday drive back late afternoon Friday. My thought process is kind of like this:

Sunday - Tuesday - "Wow, this is nice". Busy but comfortable
Wednesday - "Hey, it is a bit more crowded now" - But still comfortable.
Thursday - "Wait....are they giving out free day passes or something?" - Crowd becoming noticeably larger beginning in the afternoon.
Friday - (The start of the Labor Day Weekend) - "Run for the hills"

 

[EricsBiscuit]

I don't really like WDW in November. The parks and resorts are usually all decorated for Christmas way too early, and I find it off-putting to be in a Christmas-y environment when it's not even Thanksgiving yet. Also, I love the fall weather up north so I wouldn't want to trade a week of New England autumn for Florida's sort-of-still-summer.

We'll agree to disagree. I put my 16 foot tall Christmas tree up the weekend after Halloween and it stays up till St Patrick's Day.

November gets my voye

 

[WDWFan2018]

I travel all times of the year...

Honestly: November went from maybe the nicest time to go to perhaps the worst in a decade.

I detest October-November crowds. Same with January and February.

August’s main concern is the weather...no way to control that...

But longer days and hours combined with a reduction in summer travel is noticeable to me.

This is interesting. It's hard to go by the crowd calendars lately. We went in February 2017 and it was wonderful! We went at exactly the same time in February 2018 and it was waaayyyy busier. Crowd calendars say the first week in February is supposed to be a great time. The weather was perfect both times though.

That may not help.

He mentioned November 2019 and that be a problem. Disney earlier this year mentioned Star Wars: Galaxies Edge would be open late of fall of 2019. Since they said late fall, they might talking about November. Star Wars: Galaxies Edge is going rise crowds in DHS to put it mildly. The other thing is the new Micky ride should be open by November of 2019 if things are going like projected.

I do NOT want to be there if Galaxy's Edge is open. I'm assuming it won't be open by then but if it is, I will reschedule my trip. I have no desire to deal with the insane crowds that it will bring.

 

[Minnie1976]

I am planning a trip for 2019 and I'm trying to decide when we should go. I'm looking at the last week in August or the first week in November. Are kids back in school at the end of August in the US? Is this a good time to go or is it still stupid busy? Is November better?

August is a lot hotter than November! To really sweat or just sweat!

 

[Walt Disney1955]

We went the week after Thanksgiving last year. Basically we arrived in Orlando Thanksgiving weekend and me in my infinite wisdom assumed that this would be a slow time because with everyone going back to school and work on Monday it would be a slow week. Wrong. If anything it seems that Thanksgiving kicks off the Christmas season, which is always busy.

We are going late September/early October and while I know there is no "down time" at WDW if there is any time that is at least slightly lighter it would be this time as we've done it in 2009