In November, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Disney World. But does that mean you’ll also see those crazy Christmas crowds?
That all depends on when you go.
I’m here to help you make the best plan possible, using years of crowd data and decades of personal experience to break down exactly when you should visit, the best and worst days to go to each park, and what to expect for Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and the notorious Jersey Week.
Here’s the thing: the data actually shows a reason to be optimistic for two of those crowd-shifting events. Let me show you why November 2025 might be better than you think.
Update 11-01-2025: This November Disney World guide has been updated with new crowd data, the latest news, and 2025-specific recommendations.
Video: The Best (And Worst) Days at Disney World This November
Why November is One of the Best Months at Disney World
November is one of my personal favorite months to visit Disney World. And it’s not just because I’m biased (my birthday is in November). I genuinely love the kickoff of the holiday season at the parks – there’s something magical about seeing those first Christmas decorations go up while avoiding the intense holiday crowds that arrive in December.
This ultimate planning guide will cover:
- All November news, events, and closures impacting crowds
- Week-by-week crowd predictions based on six years of data
- The best and worst days to visit each park
- How to strategize around extended evening hours and holiday parties
Let’s start with what’s happening across the resort.
November 2025 at Disney World: News, Events, and Closures
Holiday Season Officially Begins
Time to put away the pumpkins and bust out the tinsel. While the holiday season doesn’t officially begin until November 14th, you’ll start seeing Christmas and holiday decorations going up as early as November 2nd at all four parks, Disney Springs, and the resorts.
I love those gingerbread house displays, though there’s no gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian this year because of the lobby refurbishment.
Magic Kingdom Updates
Big Thunder Mountain and Buzz Lightyear remain closed until 2026 for major refurbishments. Plan your ride strategy accordingly if these are must-dos for your family.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party kicks off November 7th and runs for 13 nights this month. During these special ticketed events, party guests can:
- See the exclusive Christmas fireworks and parade
- Enjoy unlimited hot cocoa and cookies
- Experience extra magical holiday cheer
The party begins at 7pm and goes until midnight, but party guests can start entering Magic Kingdom at 4pm. If you don’t have a party ticket, the park closes at 6pm.
Because of that early closure, the holiday parties have a huge impact on crowds and should be a major part of your planning strategy.
Epcot Changes and Festivals
Spaceship Earth just reopened in late October from a two-month refurbishment, so you can once again take that journey through communication history.
But this is a big month for the rat ride. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will be closed November 10th-13th, and when it reopens on November 14th, it will feature enhanced digital projections and ditch the 3D glasses.
More like Rata-2D, am I right?
Losing 3D might make Remy feel a little less dynamic in certain moments, but 2D projections should be brighter, clearer, and cause less motion sickness. Seems like a good trade-off to me, but let me know what you think in the comments.
Three Versions of Epcot in One Month
November is the rare month where you can experience three different versions of Epcot:
The EPCOT Food and Wine Festival continues until November 22nd. The Eat to the Beat lineup features some big headliners like Boyz II Men, Jordan Sparks, and The Beach Boys.
Then there’s a brief stint of “Diet Epcot” with no added festival during Thanksgiving week.
Festival of the Holidays kicks off on Black Friday, November 28th. This means you can start saying “God Jul” with Barn Santa in Norway, see the other holiday storytellers, experience Living with the Land’s Glimmering Greenhouses, and catch one of my favorite holiday traditions, the Candlelight Processional. This month’s narrators are Constance Wu and Jordan Fisher.
Hollywood Studios: Jollywood Nights Returns
Disney’s more grown-up holiday party, Disney Jollywood Nights, returns November 8th and runs for six nights this month. The party lasts longer this year, running from 7:30pm to 12:30am, and party guests can start entering the park at 5pm.
Similar to Magic Kingdom’s holiday party, the park closes early for non-party guests, but not until 7pm.
Animal Kingdom: Zootopia Debuts
We have a new attraction opening that we can all enjoy together! Zootopia: Better Zoogether is a new 4D show inside the Tree of Life theater, featuring:
- In-theater effects like new smells
- All-new animation sequences produced by Walt Disney Animation
- A new Clawhauser animatronic ready to party at the Gazelle concert
And as we say around here, everything’s better with animatronics.
The show opens November 7th, along with a Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps meet and greet near the Tree of Life.
Animal Kingdom Closures
Kali River Rapids is closed for its seasonal refurbishment (because who wants to get soaked in November anyway?).
Though it’s not closed yet, we have a countdown to extinction – literally. What remains of Dinoland USA will continue operating until February 1st, 2026. You should enjoy your final rides on Dinosaur or grab your final Restaurantosaurus cheeseburger while you still can.
Extended Evening Hours Impact
Unique for November planning this year, Animal Kingdom features Extended Evening Hours – the perk for deluxe resort guests that lets them stay in the park for two hours after official closing.
Extended evening hours take place at Epcot every Monday in November from 9pm to 11pm.
- Monday, November 3rd (9pm-11pm)
- Monday, November 10th (9pm-11pm)
- Monday November 17th (9pm-11pm)
- Monday, November 24th (9pm-11pm)
But because of the holiday parties at Magic Kingdom, Disney shifted extended evening hours to Animal Kingdom on:
- Wednesday, November 5th (6pm-8pm)
- Wednesday, November 12th (6pm-8pm)
- Friday, November 21st (6pm-8pm)
- Wednesday, November 26th (6pm-8pm)
Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios will not have extended evening hours this month.
Extended Evening Hours will have a huge impact on crowds, so keep reading to find out how to strategize around it.
Week-by-Week November 2025 Crowd Forecast
My predictions are based on the last six years of crowd data from Thrill-Data.com, my personal experience, and what Disney is predicting with their demand-based pricing.
Week 1 (November 1-8): Jersey Week Strikes (But There’s Hope)
The first week of November typically has had light crowds since 2019, ranking in the top 15 for lowest wait times every year except once. This year features the lowest ticket pricing of the month.
So it should be a slam dunk for low wait times, right?
Wrong.
This year, the first week features a notorious event: Jersey Week. There’s a teachers’ conference in New Jersey, meaning a school holiday for families in the state. Jersey Week is a little earlier than normal this year, aligning with the first full week of November.
Conventional Disney wisdom says that the entire state of New Jersey visits Disney World this week, and the data definitely shows a bump in crowds. That one year when the first week of November wasn’t in the top lowest wait times? 2021, when Jersey Week landed in the first week.
But there’s a silver lining for 2025.
Many years in the past, Jersey Week has also aligned with Veterans Day, and the combination really makes crowds spike. For example, last year Veterans Day was the Monday right after Jersey Week, causing a significant increase.
Thankfully, there’s a day buffer this year between Jersey Week and Veterans Day (which lands the following Tuesday).
Prediction: Pretty high crowds during the first week, especially with the start of holiday parties, Zootopia debuting, and Boyz II Men at Epcot. All should cause an increase from locals and content creators. Sorry about that.
Week 2 (November 9-15): Veterans Day Week (Better Than Expected)
Veterans Day falls on November 11th (Tuesday), landing in the second week of November. Crowds are typically moderate to high on Veterans Day week, but usually only in the high range when it lines up with Jersey Week – which it doesn’t in 2025.
Looking back at last year, there was actually a significant dip in wait times from Jersey Week to Veterans Day week, most likely due to people visiting during the long weekend and leaving on or after Veterans Day.
Prediction: This week won’t get you the lowest crowds of the month, especially on that Monday and Tuesday, but once Veterans Day passes, the rest of the week should ease up quite a bit.
[IMAGE: American flags on Main Street USA for Veterans Day]
Week 3 (November 16-22) The Money Week
This is my pick for the best week to visit. The week before Thanksgiving has been consistently light over the last few years and featured the fifth lowest wait times last year. I have no reason to think it won’t be similar this year.
There may be a small spike in crowds at Epcot on the weekend, as that’s the end of the Food and Wine Festival, and some locals might try to get one last pickle milkshake.
Prediction: Light to moderate crowds all week. This is your best bet for November.
Week 4 (November 23-30) Thanksgiving Week (Getting Better!)
Thanksgiving Week has become infamous for being insanely crowded at Disney World. Back in the day, it was the hidden gem holiday with low crowds. But then everyone caught on, and by 2021 it was actually the busiest week of the year, beating out Christmas.
This week also features the highest ticket pricing of the month this year, but I think that’s more about the holiday than actual crowds.
Here’s the good news: it’s getting better.
Thanksgiving week ranked 1st and 5th for longest wait times in 2021 and 2022, but then 12th in 2023 (still busy) and 19th in 2024 (verging into moderate territory).
It might be one of those things where word has gotten out about busy Thanksgiving crowds, and now people are starting to avoid it more.
Prediction: I’d be shocked if the trend continues and this week goes to moderate-to-light territory, but I don’t think you’ll see the biggest crowds of the year. Expect moderate to high crowds through Friday, but once Saturday hits, crowds will dip down for the rest of the month.
Best and Worst Days at Each Park in November
I’ll pick the best three days of the week and the most crowded three days at each park. Here’s your park-by-park strategy guide.
Epcot: Middle of the Week Wins
AVOID:
- Mondays – Extended evening hours cause a huge spike in wait times year-round as deluxe resort guests choose this park more during regular hours
- Fridays and Saturdays – There’s a festival every weekend this month, especially the last weekend of Food and Wine and first weekend of Festival of the Holidays
- November 2nd-3rd (Sunday/Monday) – Boyz II Men crowds
- November 9th-10th (Sunday/Monday) – Jordan Sparks crowds
If you can take advantage of extended evening hours as a deluxe resort guest, by all means do so. I’d just park hop there in the evening if possible.
BEST DAYS:
- Tuesdays
- Wednesdays
- Thursdays
Stick to the middle of the week at Epcot for the best experience.
Hollywood Studios: Party Effect Helps Saturdays
AVOID:
- Mondays
- Tuesdays
- Fridays
These have been consistently among the highest wait times in November for Hollywood Studios over the past three years.
BEST DAYS:
- Wednesdays
- Thursdays
- Saturdays
Wait times for November Saturdays have been improving since the debut of Jollywood Nights because of the party effect. Guests without party tickets avoid the park on party days because it closes early at 7pm.
Jollywood Nights takes place on 6 nights this month, with 4 on Saturdays. The other two party dates are Mondays, November 17th and 24th, which might make those Mondays not quite as bad.
Animal Kingdom: Watch for Extended Evening Hours
AVOID:
- Three Wednesdays (November 5th, 12th, 26th) – Extended evening hours
- Friday, November 21st – Extended evening hours
- Saturdays
- Mondays
Wednesday is usually a great day to visit, but not for most of the month due to extended evening hours causing heavier crowds.
BEST DAYS:
- Tuesdays
- Thursdays
- Wednesday, November 19th (no extended evening hours this week)
Magic Kingdom: Party Days Are Your Friends
Pay attention to the party schedule because it has a huge impact on crowds. As a basic rule of thumb: during regular hours, lines go up on non-party days and lines go down on party days.
BEST DAYS (Party Days):
- Tuesdays
- Fridays
- Sundays (even when there’s no party, because it’s typically a travel day)
The trade-off is that the park closes at 6pm on party days, but you can accomplish so much with those lower crowds.
AVOID:
- Mondays – Had the longest wait times in November each of the last three years
- Saturdays – Weekend crowds plus non-party day
- Wednesdays – Non-party day (though not as bad as other months since there’s no extended evening hours)
Make November Your Best Disney Month Yet
November offers an incredible sweet spot for Disney World visits – holiday decorations are up, special events are happening, but the massive holiday crowds haven’t fully arrived yet. By following this crowd calendar and park strategy, you can experience the magic while avoiding the worst of the crowds.
Quick recap of top tips:
- Target the week before Thanksgiving for the best crowds
- Visit Epcot mid-week (Tuesday-Thursday)
- Take advantage of party days at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios
- Avoid extended evening hours days unless you’re a deluxe resort guest
- Jersey Week will be busy, but not as bad as when it combines with Veterans Day
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