Is November a good time to go to Disney World? What holiday offerings start this month? Is Thanksgiving crowded?
Guide2WDW is here with the answers to all this and more in this edition of This Month at Disney World. We’ll cover everything that’s going on at Disney World this month, including crowd levels, ticket prices, deals, and more!
Find out if you should visit Disney World in November, what special events are going on, and tips that you’ll be thankful for once you get to Orlando.
Is November a good month to visit Disney World?
November is right behind October as my favorite month to visit. The weather is fantastic, and the Disney World feels even more magical as the holiday decorations go up around the parks. This month features two EPCOT Festivals, two holiday parties, seasonal decor everywhere across property.
By going to Disney in November, you basically get the experience of visiting in December, while typically having less crowds and lower prices. Crowds are typically low-to-moderate for most of the month, making a November visit downright pleasant.
However, there’s one week that is way more crowded than the others: Thanksgiving. Averaging out the last four years, the week of Thanksgiving has been the third most crowded week of the year at Disney World.
Crowds should also moderately bump up during the runDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon, which takes place November 2-5 this year.
What’s happening at Disney World in November 2023?
The Start of the Holidays at Disney World
November is the kickoff of the holiday season at Walt Disney World. That means you’ll see Christmas decorations going up at all four parks, the resorts, Disney Springs, and Blizzard Beach. The parks will also offer seasonal eats and treats.
Below is a rundown of everything going on this month, but you can see an in-depth breakdown of the festivities with our Disney World Holiday Season Ultimate Guide.
Magic Kingdom in November
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party: Halloween is going away a little later than normal. While it doesn’t happen every year, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party does have one night in November 2023: November 1.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party: Magic Kingdom’s premiere holiday party starts this month, featuring the Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks, and unlimited cocoa and cookies for party guests. You can find out everything going on this year at the party in our Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Guide.
- Party Dates: November 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 26, 28, 30
Frozen Holiday Surprise: Starting November 7, Magic Kingdom’s iconic castle will light up with a Frozen-themed projection show. See Anna, Elsa, Olaf, and the Snowgies in this brand new show each night. This will run both during the holiday party and on regular nights.
Jingle Cruise begins: The punny seasonal overlay of Jungle Cruise will set sail starting sometime this month.
EPCOT in November
EPCOT Food & Wine Festival concludes November 18: Our favorite EPCOT festival comes to an end this month. If you’re visiting WDW this November, try the international culinary offerings while you still can. You can find out everything that’s going on this year in our EPCOT Food & Wine Festival guide.
Eat to the Beat Concerts November Schedule: During the Food & Wine Festival, EPCOT hosts free concerts in the America Gardens Theatre. Here’s the full Eat to the Beat lineup for this month:
- October 31-November 2 – Rexine
- November 3-4 – We The Kings (NEW)
- November 5-6 – Sheila E.
- November 7-9 – Epic Live
- November 10-11 – Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
- November 12-13 – 38 Special
Recent additions: EPCOT just added several attractions and characters, which may be new to you if you’re visiting this month. To recap, here’s a list of EPCOT’s most recent additions:
- Journey of Water – Inspired by Moana
- Soarin Over California is back for a limited time
- Moana Meet and Greet
- Figment Meet and Greet
- Asha from Wish Meet and Greet
- New Spaceship Earth Light Show: As part of the 100th anniversary celebration, Spaceship Earth features a new light show set to “When You Wish Upon a Star.”
EPCOT Festival of the Holidays begins November 24: November will feature a rare 5 day gap where there is no EPCOT Festival. However, fans of seasonal food booths don’t have to fret for too long. The EPCOT Festival of the Holidays begins on November 24, featuring Holiday Kitchens, international storytellers, and a Santa meet and greet.
Seasonal Overlays: EPCOT features two of the best holiday overlays at Disney World. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Living with the Land will both feature a festive seasonal twist this year.
Hollywood Studios in November
Jollywood Nights debuts at WDW: Disney World has a brand new holiday party at Hollywood Studios! Disney Jollywood Nights promises a holiday twist on the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. Featuring a variety show hosted by Kermit and Miss Piggy, an otherworldly soiree at Tower of Terror, and a Nightmare Before Christmas Singalong, this party should provide a bit more grown-up fun compared to the Magic Kingdom party. You can find out what to expect at this new party in our Jollywood Nights Guide.
- Jollywood Nights November Dates: November 11, 18, 20, 27, 29
Animal Kingdom in November
Extended Evening Hours come to Animal Kingdom for the first time. Guests at Deluxe Resorts can take advantage of the Extended Evening Hours perk on November 8 and November 22.
Around Disney World in November
- Blizzard Beach reopens on November 6.
- Disney Springs starts the Christmas Tree Trail and the Santa Meet and Greet.
- Holiday decorations go up at the resorts, including Gingerbread displays at Animal Kingdom Lodge, Beach Club Resort, BoardWalk Resort, Contemporary Resort, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, and the Yacht Club Resort.
Tips for visiting Disney World in November
Here are a few of our favorite Disney World tips for visiting this month.
- Tip of the Month: Two places to get a great turkey dinner in Magic Kingdom. Liberty Tree Tavern is one of our favorite table service restaurants at Magic Kingdom. If you want a Thanksgiving-style meal, it’s the place to go. However, you may not realize that you can also order from Liberty Tree’s menu at Diamond Horseshoe. If you can’t get a table at Liberty Tree, try going to Diamond Horseshoe and ordering from the Liberty Tree menu there.
- Know the Virtual Queue openings for the Holiday Parties: If you want to ride Tron at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party or Rise of the Resistance at Disney Jollywood Nights, you’ll have to join the Virtual Queue. It opens at 6 PM for Tron and 8 PM for Rise of the Resistance.
Crowds at Disney World in November 2023
As we showed in The Best Months to Visit Disney World, November overall is a moderate month for crowds. In 2022, it was tied for the 5th best month in terms of wait times. However, there’s one week that’s much more crowded than the rest.
Crowds spike during Thanksgiving. Yes, Disney World is open on Thanksgiving. It used to be that Thanksgiving was a great time to visit Disney World. Not so much anymore. In 2021, Thanksgiving week was the most crowded week of the year, beating out Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Since 2019, it ranks as the third most crowded week of the year. Thanksgiving is November 23rd this year, so if you’re visiting that week, expect a side of heavy crowds with your turkey.
The first week and last week are the least crowded. Last year, the first and last weeks of November ranked in the top 10 for least crowded weeks at Disney World. This even included a spike from the runDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon the first weekend of the month. Personally, I’d pick the week after Thanksgiving to visit if you’re not interested in the runDisney race.
Wait Times by Day of the Week in November
When we plan out our vacation, we try to visit each park on days when each park will be the least crowded. For example, Mondays are typically the most crowded day at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, so we try to plan on doing Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom those days. However, last November, Monday was the busiest day at all four parks.
Here were the most and least crowded days at Disney World in November last year:
November 2022 – Average Wait Time
| Day of the Week | Magic Kingdom | EPCOT | Hollywood Studios | Animal Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 42 Minutes (Longest) | 47 Minutes (Longest) | 60 Minutes (Longest) | 49 Minutes (Longest) |
| Tuesday | 29 Minutes (Shortest) | 35 Minutes | 54 Minutes | 47 Minutes |
| Wednesday | 37 Minutes | 32 Minutes | 49 Minutes (Shortest) | 34 Minutes (Shortest) |
| Thursday | 30 Minutes | 36 Minutes | 51 Minutes | 39 Minutes |
| Friday | 32 Minutes | 41 Minutes | 55 Minutes | 44 Minutes |
| Saturday | 36 Minutes | 36 Minutes | 52 Minutes | 43 Minutes |
| Sunday | 34 Minutes | 30 Minutes (Shortest) | 50 Minutes | 38 Minutes |
Wait times via Thrill-Data
You can read more about the best and worst days to visit each park in our When to Visit Disney World Guide:
- The Best Days to Visit Magic Kingdom
- The Best Days to Visit EPCOT
- The Best Days to Visit Hollywood Studios
- The Best Days to Visit Animal Kingdom
Extended Evening Hours Schedule
Extended Evening Hours lets guests at Deluxe Resorts stay in the park 2 hours after regular closing. Here’s the November 2023 schedule.
| November 2, 2023 | EPCOT (9pm to 11pm) |
| November 6, 2023 | EPCOT (9pm to 11pm) |
| November 8, 2023 | Disney’s Animal Kingdom (7pm to 9pm) |
| November 13, 2023 | EPCOT (9pm to 11pm) |
| November 15, 2023 | EPCOT (9pm to 11pm) |
| November 20, 2023 | EPCOT (9pm to 11pm) |
| November 22, 2023 | Disney’s Animal Kingdom (7pm to 9pm) |
| November 27, 2023 | EPCOT (9:30pm to 11:30pm) |
| November 30, 2023 | EPCOT (9:30pm to 11:30pm) |
What’s the best week to visit in November?
If you want the lowest crowds, visit Disney World during the first week or the last week of November. These are both features as some of my picks for the best weeks to visit Disney World this year.
Disney World Ticket Prices This Month
Disney World tickets have variable pricing based on the first day you go into the parks. One of our favorite money saving tips is to choose your starting date carefully. If you have some flexibility in your vacation schedule, picking the cheapest day to start going into the parks can save you a lot of money.
Here’s the per-day price of a standard 4-day ticket in November, based on the starting date.
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $138+ | $138+ | $138+ | $138+ | |||
| $138+ | $138+ | $139+ | $139+ | $139+ | $139+ | $139+ |
| $138+ | $140+ | $142+ | $146+ | $148+ | $152+ | $153+ |
| $155+ | $155+ | $153+ | $151+ | $149+ | $147+ | $146+ |
| $145+ | $142+ | $144+ | $145+ | $145+ |
Disney World Deals – November 2023
Disney Water Park Seasonal Pass – Visit the Disney World water parks now through May 24, 2024 for $79 per pass.
Disney is also running a Disney Dining Promo Card promotion, which started October 27. You can get up to $200 per room per night depending on where you stay. You can find out all the details on Disney World’s Dining Promo Card promotion.
Disney World is also running a few room-only promotions at their resorts for Annual Passholders and other guests.
- Annual Passholders: Save Up to 35% on Rooms at WDW Resorts
- All Guests: Save Up to 25% on Rooms at Select Disney World Resorts October through December (October 2 – December 25)
- Disney+ Subscribers: Save Up to 35% on Rooms at Select Disney Resort Hotels This Holiday Season
US Military Discounts – Active or retired military members can get great deals on hotels and tickets that can be used by themselves or their families.
November Ride Refurbishments and Closures
Magic Kingdom
- Splash Mountain: Permanently Closed. Will reopen as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in late 2024.
Water Park Schedule
Recently Disney has not been running both water parks at the same time. And November marks the shift from Typhoon Lagoon season to Blizzard Beach season.
Here’s Disney World’s water park schedule for this month:
- Typhoon Lagoon closes for the season November 5
- Blizzard Beach opens for the season November 6
We want to hear from you!
Let us know in the comments below: Do you have any questions or advice for visiting Disney World in November?
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