Planning Trip to Fl to see the Mouse...Need Advice..

Normark

Normark

Joined
Nov 7, 1999
Messages
6,651
Hey Guys..

Planning a trip to Florida to Disney in November....

Need the Ins and Outs..

Especially at this time of year..

How is the weather in November?
How Crowded is it ?

Should we avoid Thanksgiving weekend or Memorial day (Nov 11) ?

Any Suggestions ,comments or Advise would be Greatly appreciated..

Planning on staying in Kissimmee or Orlando, but plan on spending a few nights oceanfront..

Thanks

Eric
O/ST
 
Normark said:
Hey Guys..

Planning a trip to Florida to Disney in November....

Need the Ins and Outs..

Especially at this time of year..

How is the weather in November?
How Crowded is it ?

Should we avoid Thanksgiving weekend or Memorial day (Nov 11) ?

Any Suggestions ,comments or Advise would be Greatly appreciated..

Planning on staying in Kissimmee or Orlando, but plan on spending a few nights oceanfront..

Thanks

Eric
O/ST
Click to expand...

I seem to recall somebody telling me recently that the week or weekend after Thanksgiving was one of the times of lowest attendance. You might hit a library for one of those book guides. Lots of good tips. I’m going in May but have to admit my interest is pretty low. Been there and done that.

Try to take in a show. Last I knew you have to sign up for these ahead of time so research them. Its Disney so they're fun for kids as well.
 
I tried to save a few bucks by not staying at one of the Disney properties. That was a mistake. It would have been worth the extra cash to be on site.
 
Hey GUys..
Gbaker..

Yaa thats exactly what we were figuring....

Shann...

How so ??

Why would it have been better staying on site ??

We are planning on staying outside of the park,, probably holiday Inn or something..

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Normark,
Do yourself a favor and stay in the park. No traffic hassles. Easy access to everything Disney. Huge timesaver and the rates are not that bad.

The beaches are an hour and half in either direction so plan accordingly. Disney does have a property at the beach as well.
 
Check out the Comfort Suites hotel in Kissimmee. Free continental breakfast and free shuttle to the parks. Only about 3 miles from Disney main gate, on the main road with dozens of restaurants nearby. We have stayed there for 3 years, and will stay there again our next trip. Have fun, and wear comfortable shoes! Also, get the "Park Hopper" option with your tickets; you can then use the Disney transportation system to go from park to park. Bill.
 
Normark said:
Hey GUys..
Gbaker..

Yaa thats exactly what we were figuring....

Shann...

How so ??

Why would it have been better staying on site ??

We are planning on staying outside of the park,, probably holiday Inn or something..

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
Click to expand...

I should have been a little more specific, sorry. We got the 3 or 4 day pass, can't remember which, suffice it to say that Disney was the focus of our whole vacation, not just a one day trip. We stayed about 20 minutes from Disney. Traffic wasn't a really big deal and neither was parking, but it was kind of a pain. You also had to pay for parking (actually, we probably could have gotten away with not getting a rental car for the week if we had stayed at Disney). As I recall it was more expensive to stay at Disney, but not totally out of line.

The park I think opens early for people at Disney, you can ride the train right in. A big thing was that it would have been nice to be able to go back to the hotel to rest for a couple hours in the middle of the day. This is more important if your kids are younger. My son was about 10 at the time, so it wasn't a big deal. I was the one getting tired! At the end of the day, if you stay right until closing, it was a lot easier getting out on the shuttles taking you back to the Disney properties.

I think it would have been a more relaxing trip overall. If you are interested in going to other places like the beach and other amusement parks, it would not make sense.

Don't forget to use the Speedpass which lets you get a "reservation" time for the more popular rides; that works great.

Have fun.
 
Don't go! I have only heard horror stories. Hire a guy in a big Mickey Mouse costume to come to a birthday party, and take them to a local amusement park.
 
I live in melbourne which is about an hour from orlando.
You may check Downtown Disney for hotel rooms as well. There is shuttle service straight to the parks from them.
Where were you planning on staying oceanside.
East or West?

Daytona- Obviously popular, much more tourist oriented, Speedway is fun
Cocoa- Popular, good surfing, still touristy, in my opinion the beaches aren't as nice as the rocks that make surfing good make the beach a little more inconvenient- bring watersocks
You might check out melbourne if you are looking for lowkey, Titusville (Kennedy) is about 40 minutes above us, cocoa 20, great fishing not built up at all. I don't know what the hotels on the beach are charging but not touristy at all. If you head south on the beach a little there are no rocks, few people even at its busiest and still good waves for bodysurfing, surfing etc. if you come down this way let me know and i will give you a few ideas.
 
It's been nearly a decade since my only trip, but here's my bits.

1. Staying on property is definitely convenient. Have to check on prices yourself.

2. Any traditionally "Pack the family into a car and drive to grandma's" type holiday is a good time to go to Disney. I heard from my ex-gf's brother (a longtime Disney employee) that Thanksgiving was the least busy time of all.

3. Weather in Orlando in November will probably be relatively pleasant. I went in August, and they were having record highs.

4. Take a backpack with water bottles and snacks. You can fill the bottles at water fountains and avoid paying $3 a bottle in-park. Using the snacks to take the edge of your hunger might keep you from impulsively going into the first restaurant that you see and spending silly money.

5. When you are given the chance to take a separate line to be in the "front" car of a rollercoast, take it. I found them to be faster than the main lines.

6. Don't take little kids into Alien Encounter. Trust me.

7. When you have multiple "lanes" for entry to a ride, bear towards the left. People from the Americas tend to bear right all the time, and the left-most lines tend to be shorter.

8. If you're at the gate when the park opens, also bear left and go through the park clockwise. Same reason as above.

9. As long as you're at the gate at opening, jog to the back of the park and work your way towards the gate. The rearmost rides will be empty when you get there.

10. Wear a hat. Attach it to your shirt with a little clip thingie.

Have fun!
 
Wife is a confirmed, lifetime Disney fanatic. She grew up right next to Orange County, CA.:D

Not only has our family visited DisneyWorld at least once a year for 20 years, she even has Disney time-share.:eek:

It's been a crazy couple of decades. We've stayed in every premium property on DisneyWorld -- and they've all been fun. I agree that staying on property is a far better experience than staying off property. Kids particularly love the various monorail properties like the Polynesian Resort. Wife and I like the Wilderness Lodge, the Yacht Club, the Beach Club, and the Grand Floridian. The Animal Kingdom Lodge is also a blast.

Stay away from the hot summer...unless you love crowds and heat.

I've already seen some good advice in this Thread. Don't worry about Alien Encounter -- it's Stitch's Encounter now! Definitely wear a hat and bring water. All the popular rides have a set of automated booths that will give you an advance ticket to ride -- use them! Shows are definitely fun -- our kids loved the Polynesian Luau and the Hoop-de-Doo Review. Don't forget to hit Epcot -- kids AND grown-ups love it.

Lots of good restaurants on and near the World, too.

Heck, I might see you there! My wife (and kids, too) really do love Disney...
 
I haven' t been down to Florida Disney for quite a few years now. While staying at a hotel on site is a bit pricier, it is a major plus as far as convenience. There are man made mini beaches, swimming pools, a major eatery for early birds and nightowls, short shuttle rides to your favorite sites, and the ability to retreat back to your hotel when necessary. A backpack or shoulder bag of sorts containing liquids, energy foods, and some stuff for potential minor medical problems (stomach upset, headache, kneescrapes, insect bites, etc.) is a plus. But be careful of what you will choose to bring as far as knives and other gadgets. I've read that their security policy can be anywhere from lax to highly exagerrated. So try to refrain from bringing your high end gadgets! :) Have fun.

N.

www.dozierknives.com/forum
 
I went 2 or 3 yrs ago and took an Endura into Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Universal Studios, Gatorland. Had to leave it in the car for the Kennedy Space Center obviousley.

I did pack it in my bag and not wander in with it hanging from my belt though!

I even found a knife shop in one of the malls, nothing exciting just run of the mill stuff, but better than no knife shop!
 
Again these comments are based upon experiences of several years ago. Hopefully they still apply. Research them.

In addition to staying on the property if at all possible get a package deal. It lets you into some of the park early. Check this out because it allows you to hit at least one popular ride prior to the long rides forming.

If you're going to do a Disney breakfast sign up for the earliest one possible. You probably won't have to fight over that and the kids will hate you BUT we had the neat experience of being the only people walking down Main Street as we walked away from those waiting in line. We have pictures of us and the street sweepers. Heck I got more of a kick out of this than most rides.

Avoid the tea cups from hell.

Depending on your eating habits we found the lunches to be way more than needed. We would order kids meals for us and the kids and still end up with half a chicken, saved a little cash as well.
 
Ride the It's a Small World ride at least twice. You'll then never be able to get that damnable song out of your head.

I agree that staying on site is the way to go. We stayed at the Dolphin (just opposite the Swan), and it was easy to get anywhere "Disney" via rail car or bus or shuttle.

I second the backpack and water bottle idea. Makes life a lot easier and saves on the overpriced drinks.

Take your own poncho or breathable rain gear. In-park ponchos are stupidly expensive ($7 or so), and you get nothing but a glorified garbage bag. Think Hefty bag with a picture of Mickey. I took my REI Elements rain jacket and was comfortable if a shower passed over.

Sunscreen. When in Florida, always have sunscreen.
 
My wife works at a hotel gift shop near Disneyland and she said that it was one of the busiest times of the year.
 
Guyon said:
Take your own poncho or breathable rain gear. In-park ponchos are stupidly expensive ($7 or so), and you get nothing but a glorified garbage bag. Think Hefty bag with a picture of Mickey. I took my REI Elements rain jacket and was comfortable if a shower passed over.
Click to expand...

We bought ponchos one year and it began to rain. We broke out our yellow ponchos while everybody else rushed to buy the red Disney ponchos. Hundreds of red ponchos and us in yellow. Didn't have to worry about losing the kids.
 
Hey Guys...

Thanks for All the advice..

We are taking everything under consideration...

Still not sure what we are doing..

My brother in law went to Disney on the Cheap , however they had to do a time share seminar..

Not sure if we want to do that or not...

Thanks again..

Eric
O/ST
 
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