Pro's and Con's of visiting DLR in November?

[ima_mickeyfan]

Hi, we r supposed to go to DL in Sept. but due to my husband injuring his back at work we r thinking of moving it to Nov. I have never been there during that month and was wondering the pro's and con's.
What are the park hours, what decorations are up, when is the best time to go in november. is it rainy or warm?
thx

[fairestoneofall]

November is one of my favorite times to visit the DLR. If you go in the beginning of the month the holiday decor won't be completely up. You might see parts of decor going up though. The parks are usually relatively quiet during the beginning of the month. Mid November holiday decor arrives. By Thanksgiving, holiday time is in full swing! Crowds are heavy the week of Thanksgiving, but the week after it's pretty quiet.
Weather? You never know. I've been in shorts in November, or jeans and a sweatshirt. Usually we're in jeans and short sleeved shirts.

[MidwayManiac]

when is the best time to go in november.
thx

If by "best" you mean lightest crowds, probably Nov. 1 through 10. Halloween time has ended and Holiday season has yet to officially begin. May mean shorter hours but also relatively light crowds.

If by "best" you mean merriest you'll have to wait until Nov. 14 (I think that's the day) when Holiday season begins with decorations and the whole nine.

Nov. 11 is Veterans Day. I was there Nov. 11 last year and it was insanely crowded imo. Won't be back Nov. 11 this year. And I'm pretty sure nearly every SoCal school district gets a full week off for Thanksgiving so large crowds will be on hand. If I was you I'd avoid Thanksgiving week, if possible.

[curtsinore]

Hi, from Western Oregon!! Was there Thanksgiving week of 2007 and have a trip report about the weather and crowds posted here on Mouse Planet. During our 2007 visit I was able to wear shorts every hour of my visit as anything above 62 degrees was warm !! It was thick overcast every morning and so I wore light long sleeve pull overs that I actually threw away around noon as I didn't want to carry them around. So sun was shinning about 3-4 hours. Then at night it really cooled down with fog, everything metal condensing the moisture in the air onto its surface, making for wet handrails and dripping roofs. So I don't think you will find it cold, nor will find you a constant California Sun.
Crowds? My belief is that crowds are in relationship to how poorly you plan you park visits. I have visited during Utah breaks, spring break and 2 Wishbone breaks and never found the parks to be crowded. And if it is your first Christmas decor visit, it is worth the cool mornings and increased visitors to the park.

[mousterpiece]

The real con may be that, depending on when you go, rides will be closed for the holiday overlay, crowds may be heavier due to the holiday, and park hours may be inconsistent from day to day. Still, it's hard to beat seeing the holiday decor before the major crowds descend in mid- to late-December.

[Disney_Nut]

This year will be my 3rd time going in Nov(usually within the first two weeks). I was there on a Veteran's Day one year, and DL was open an extra 4 hours to accommodate the crowds that day, but the crowds didn't show up, so I had short wait times. But, I'm guessing that might have been a bit of luck. However, the crowds during the rest of the week were fairly low. I didn't have long wait times during the week days.

The weather was a mixture of cloudy and sunny, warm enough for me to wear shorts during the day, but I usually changed into jeans and my hoodie during the evening. As others have said, depending on when you're there, not all the decorations will be up until the official start of the holidays, which will be Nov. 14 this year. You can't beat DL during the Christmas holidays. :)

[dban3]

Our family usually looks to the 3rd week of November (the week before Thanksgiving week) as one of the best times of the whole year to go to the park. All the holiday decorations will be up and the technical equipment used for Christmas Day parade filming will have been removed. It tends to get in the way of picture taking. You absolutely must see the winter castle, it's a small world facade, and the Christmas Fantasy Parade (rumors have it being changed this year which is risky business because its a good one).

The weather is the X factor. I've been there when its been over 80 degrees in the day (in November) but when the sun begins to set that time of year, it tends to cool off very quickly and jackets and sweatshirts are the norm. One of the worst weather experiences I ever had was getting on Grizzly River about 5:00pm because there was no line. A geyser at the end of the ride shot up right under the raft and came down right on top of it drenching everyone. By the time we got off, the sun was just about ready to set. Very cold, very wet, and we had to rustle up some family volunteers to go back to the hotel to get dry clothes. Didn't take long to figure out why there was no line.