October or November-when is the best time to go?

[tallulahm]

My family and I are trying to decide whether to go to Disney World in October or December. We know that we want to visit the Food and Wine Festival so if we went in November it would be at the very beginning. We have previously been during May and it was fantastic.
Does it get a lot darker a lot earlier in November? Will the Christmas decorations be up in the first couple of weeks of November? Are we likely to get free dining going later? Have any of you folks been during October or November? Can you offer any thoughts?

 

[glidden]

hello we have not gone in Oct but we have been in Nov the nice part was all the Christmas decorations and the small crowds. I like it better than most other times of the year. but due to school for our daughter we now go in late march or late December very busy. the holiday decorations are so wonderful but i have been told by others that the Halloween time is fun also.

 

[JillC LI]

We went the 3rd week in October last year and it was fabulous. It wasn't terribly crowded, the weather was beautiful (mostly high 70s). We enjoyed the F&F Festival as well as MNSSHP. Unless you specifically want to see Xmas decorations, I'd highly recommend October.

 

[MissingDisney]

Christmas decorations go up around the 10th of November from all that I've seen, give or take a few days. There is a site on allears.net that shows exact dates the decorations went up at each park last year. It depends on what you want to see. We went this past Oct. and it was amazing. The MNSSHP was not-to-be-missed. Worth every penny. The harvest decorations on Main Street were beautiful but I'm sure Christmas is beautiful as well. I've heard it's not in full swing until mid-November though. You can check sunset times on wunderground.com on the history tab for exact times.

 

[disneygirl1]

My family and I are trying to decide whether to go to Disney World in October or December. We know that we want to visit the Food and Wine Festival so if we went in November it would be at the very beginning. We have previously been during May and it was fantastic.
Does it get a lot darker a lot earlier in November? Will the Christmas decorations be up in the first couple of weeks of November? Are we likely to get free dining going later? Have any of you folks been during October or November? Can you offer any thoughts?

Hey there!!! October is a beautiful month to go! We went in Oct 2007 and the weather was great and the crowds are low. Even going over Columbus Day weekend, we hardly noticed an increase in guests. The F & W festival is such a great time and be sure to check out MNSSHP at MK. It is a must do for us!!!

As for November, I have never been, but have heard great things about going this month as well... Last year, the christmas decorations went up 11/10.

We are heading down in Dec to enjoy the holiday happenings. Good luck picking!

 

[Glasgow]

We went at the end of Nov 08 and the weather was nice during the day but definitely chilly at night (dare I say cold? A rarity in FL). Crowds were moderate and seeing the Xmas decorations for the first time was a nice treat. I think you'll probably find that both Oct and Nov are fairly comparable except for the decorations.

 

[spacebaby]

I imagine the true answer depends on exactly what you want out of the holiday and how long you are going for. I've been in October, November & December in the past and there wasn't much of a difference between the 3 - if anything all you can say is the later you go, the cooler it becomes but personally I prefer the cooler months and just love WDW at Xmas time so now stick to December.

If you time your trip just right you could catch the last MNSSHP and the first MVMCP as if I recall correctly from last year there was less than a 2 week gap between them both although they don't have all the Xmas gear up by the 1st Xmas party, definitely no tree last year.

If it was me, I'd probably opt for late December just to see the world dressed for Christmas - that's when I'll be there this year :xmas:

Enjoy

 

[disneynut4u]

We have been 3 times in October. The first time was the second week of October in 2000. It was PERFECT. We walked right up to almost every single ride. The weather was awesome - just a little cool in the mornings, and a little cool at night, especially when we were waiting around the lagoon for Illuminations at EPCOT.

The next time was 2002. We timed it (not on purpose) during a major golf tournament. Every park was packed the entire week. I believe it was the 2nd or 3rd week of October.

In 2004, we again went in October. The crowds were not as bad as we had in 2002, but more than in 2000. Weather was awesome during all October trips. I would love to try November. The 1st & 2nd week of December was awesome, as well. Decorations & celebrations were wonderful.

 

[a2grafix]

We went the 3rd week in October last year and it was fabulous. It wasn't terribly crowded, the weather was beautiful (mostly high 70s). We enjoyed the F&F Festival as well as MNSSHP. Unless you specifically want to see Xmas decorations, I'd highly recommend October.

Yes, what JillC said ^^^^

I vacationed at WDW, Universal and SeaWorld the third week in October in 2007 and it was exactly as she said, with the exception that there was a mix of rain and upper 80s with high humidity, for at least half my trip.

I also visited central Orlando, just recently, Dec. 11-16, and couldn't have picked a perfect time to go. Light crowds, very great weather (upper 70s through mid-80s) and a sprinkle or two of rain on my first and last days.

But as you read through these posts, everyone has their own plans and ideas. Some, I have read, have taken in the Holloween experience in late October and stayed like 10 days and saw the transformation from Halloween to Christmas.

Best of luck in your decision.

 

[LisaB08]

Regular October/November WDW Visitor

My husband and I have been visiting WDW since 1997 usually over Halloween. We typically stay about 9 days. I think there are pro's and con's with every season. We love the fall decorations, the weather is usually low to mid 80's (we like to hit the pool) and very rarely even need a light jacket for evenings. The crowds are manageable and we really didn't have to wait long in any lines except for the big ticket rides (Soarin, Toy Story Mania and etc.) It was in the 90's this past Halloween. We have also been in WDW beginning of November (when they put up the Christmas decorations) and first week in December to attend MVMCP. It's very lovely at Christmas as well. It's all about what your expectations are for your vacation. You can't go wrong with either month....

 

[heartodisney]

My wife and I were there one Halloween, and the next day Christmas decorations were up..it was very nice and very surprising. We were not prepared for this! We did not belong to this forum for info, so you are ahead of the curve. Crowds were ok, until the weekend. We plane next trip for the week after Thanksgiving. Good luck and have a great trip.