Jersey Week November 2019 Crowd Levels

This is an important point. Some people judge crowds based on attraction wait times. Others judge more by how crowded the park feels when walking around. We fall into the latter group. If the walkways and stores and restaurants are packed, we just don't enjoy ourselves no matter what the attraction wait times are like or how easy it is to get FPs.
Exactly this. We had only three park days. Saturday and Sunday were very manageable. Monday in Epcot was insane. Even though I was able to move up FPs and get additional FPs, that afternoon was not fun at all. Between dodging the folks who used strollers as battering rams, getting stuck behind groups who insisted on walking 5 or 6 across and the overall sea of humanity that was the park that day, we were happy to go back to the resort to swim and end the trip on a high note.
 
My Dad turns 80 in November 2019 and wanted to take him and my mother down to Disney for his birthday week starting on Sunday, November 3rd which appears to be the start of Jersey Week on top of the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon that weekend.

I am getting mixed information on the crowd levels with some people saying the size of the crowds are overblown and others stating it is a nightmare. Touring Plans is showing November 2018 (November 2019 is not out yet) for that week ranging between a 1 and 4 on their scale. Meanwhile other sites are showing it as heavy crowds.

I can go the week before right before Halloween just to be on the safe side but it kind of misses something not being there on his birthday.

What are peoples experiences with "Jersey Week" and the race?

TIA

I don't know what crowd level they would give it but, personally, I know 9 people and their families who are down there this week. That's between friends and co-workers(I work for a school district in NJ. A relatively small school district at that)...
 
We were there this past Monday but we opted to go to MK because they were closing at 4:30 and it was great! We talked to some others while waiting for the ferry and they said they decided to come to MK after they saw the line waiting to get into the EPCOT parking lot. We had the same experience Saturday (the 3rd) but it was F&W, the marathon and the very beginning of Jersey Week. Very crowded but bearable. At one point we walked past the Figment ride and the line was out the door but we went on to Mexico and after we toured the Mexico exhibit and rode FEA the line was gone when we went back by. Sunday evening we went to AK and it was’t bad. We also had PPO ADRs for Garden Grill on Sunday morning. It’s managable if you know how to get around. We always avoid parks between 12:30 and 3:00.
 
My Dad turns 80 in November 2019 and wanted to take him and my mother down to Disney for his birthday week starting on Sunday, November 3rd which appears to be the start of Jersey Week on top of the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon that weekend.

I am getting mixed information on the crowd levels with some people saying the size of the crowds are overblown and others stating it is a nightmare. Touring Plans is showing November 2018 (November 2019 is not out yet) for that week ranging between a 1 and 4 on their scale. Meanwhile other sites are showing it as heavy crowds.

I can go the week before right before Halloween just to be on the safe side but it kind of misses something not being there on his birthday.

What are peoples experiences with "Jersey Week" and the race?

TIA
Is his birthday toward the end or the beginning of the week? I would start or end the trip with his birthday celebration an FYI perhaps make plans to either have his birthday meal at a resort or some place like Epcot. Just go later in the day and possibly stay away from WS. Definitely have a reservation if you want to go to WS.
 


This is an important point. Some people judge crowds based on attraction wait times. Others judge more by how crowded the park feels when walking around. We fall into the latter group. If the walkways and stores and restaurants are packed, we just don't enjoy ourselves no matter what the attraction wait times are like or how easy it is to get FPs.

Towards the cranky end of my vacations, I measure "crowded" by how many times I get whacked by strollers and oversized backpacks. Not very scientific but much more obvious when you're crabby.
 
This year has been busier than most but that said yesterday we RP AK and was first on FOP, did a bunch then hopped to MK from 12-7 and used 11 fast passes in MK (not counting the 1 we used for FOP at MK)
 
dodging the folks who used strollers as battering rams, getting stuck behind groups who insisted on walking 5 or 6 across and the overall sea of humanity that was the park that day

Yup, that pretty much sums up Epcot on Monday! Even though I was outside, it was a claustrophobic feeling because there was so little room to maneuver, and personal space was non-existent.

I feel bad that we didn't do WS this trip. I was really looking forward to exploring some of the pavilions because we didn't do much of Epcot last trip, either. But for my sanity, I parked myself in the Land for a few hours and only ventured out into the rest of FW near closing. I sincerely thank this board for the modify trick to get additional FP because that was really the only thing that made being there bearable for me that night.
 


Today we went to EPCOT. We left our hotel (Sheraton Vistana Resort) at 8:45am. At 9:06 I took a picture of all of the stage/filming gear that was in the leave a legacy courtyard...so it was quick to get in, park, and get thru bag check...honestly - my family was blown away by how quickly I made it thru bag check today! It looked like a sea of humanity but there were so many tables and they were super efficient!

We had the following FP: Test Track (9:35am), Figment (10:50), Space Ship Earth (2:40 - we got this while driving in today and I was able to pick our preferred time).

We walked straight to Soarin...I would say that we didn’t run but we walked with purpose...the posted wait was 35 minutes but we were out of the ride in less than that! By 9:50 we were back at mousegear shop after the ride, bathroom break and some pressed penny making! Both times we passed the character spot with a 30 minutes wait posted. When we first passed Pluto outside there were only 3 families in his line - but the second pass there were 12+ families easily.

We went to Test Track - single rider was 5 minutes but the stand by line was 50 I think. Fast pass line was moving really quickly though!

After Test Track - my son headed to Mission Space (10 min wait) and we went to the festival center. Toured the center - watched this awesome scarf/table runner making thing and then headed out of there at 11:00. Stopped at the food and wine kiosks near innoventions on the way to figment for some early lunch bites. Next up - arrived at figment around 11:25 - stand by was 15 min when we first arrived but was 35 min and snaking outside when we left. We used our FP and had little wait. (Later we saw it and the wait was back down to 10 minutes)

After figment, the family went to the DVC welcome center upstairs to chill out and have a soda and some AC and then headed towards World Showcase. I was worried because we had been taking our sweet time and I was worried we would face crowds in world showcase. We made our first purchase at 12:25...no line...we continued to work away around WS (we went to the right!) visiting kiosks, eating, taking photos, etc until 2:09 when we arrived at Mexico. We stopped at 9 or 10 kiosks and only in China and Germany did we wait behind more than 1 person to place our orders!! And that included France, Italy, Hawaii etc! It was AWESOME / possibly the best we have ever encountered and certainly the best in prime eating hours! I waited MUCH longer to use a bathroom near the refreshment port than anywhere we stopped for food!

There were still people around - lots of folks along railings and in shady spots eating their goodies - but in years past, we have stood in line at each stop. At around 2pm when we passed Norway the wait for Anna and Elsa was 20 minutes - didn’t check the ride.

At 2:10 we wandered into Mexico - we were there for about 35 minutes - the ride line looked long but it moves SOO fast.

2:45 we were back at the entrance to Space Ship earth watching the Christmas Show Taping of Jordan Fisher..used our FP for Space Ship earth and headed out when we were tired of watching the taping.

Overall - we didn’t try to fit in all of the attactions we could - but we didn’t encounter any crowding that would make it such that we couldn’t have done more.

Tonight was EMH Evening at Epcot -
So maybe the crowd was coming in later?
 
We left our hotel (Sheraton Vistana Resort) at 8:45am. At 9:06 I took a picture of all of the stage/filming gear that was in the leave a legacy courtyard.

It sounds like you really lucked out. On Monday, we arrived in line for the toll plaza at 8:45 and didn't actually reach the toll booth until 9:15. Then we were in line for a couple more minutes to park, then get the tram, and then another few minutes for security so it was probably at least 9:25 before we were in the courtyard.

I'm guessing MK was probably the busy park today since the first Christmas party was tonight. We weren't in a park today. We weren't even on property. So I can't comment on the crowds anywhere else. We're heading to AK tomorrow so we'll see how that is.
 
We were at MK today (first Christmas party day) and yesterday (non party day and one of only two nights this week showing HEA fireworks). For some reason today felt more crowded. I also had a harder time getting 4th, 5th, etc fast passes today than yesterday. Yesterday was crowded but we got SO much accomplished (thank you tap, grab, modify!) We definitely couldn’t apply the technique as well today. Possibly because there were no fast passes past 6pm so it was really limiting what was available? It’s been hot and SO HUMID (and we are used to humidity!) - November really can be a mixed bag of weather here I suppose. Very nervous about tomorrow at Epcot- it closes at 10pm, is a Friday and the last weekend of Food & Wine. I knew none of these things when I made our dinner reservations and pretty much locked us in park wise. We don’t plan to stay until close so hopefully we can avoid some of the madness of the WS.
 
Haven't read all the replies, but we went this same time last year for the Wine & Dine and I thought it was incredibly crowded, at least compared to previous trips in the last week of October and late April/early May. We'll skip this week in the future.
 
I wonder if the Monday crowds were BECAUSE MK was closing so early?

Guaranteed.

I was at DAK that night and it was weekend-level busy IMO, but I think the default for people who ‘we wanted to be at MK but they’re closing early’ somehow always seems to be Epcot.
 
After you use a fastpass, modify and move up the time of the next fastpass so you can use it quicker, instead of having to wait out the hour window in between.
Thanks. Only works based on availability of course but worth a shot.
 
Guaranteed.

I was at DAK that night and it was weekend-level busy IMO, but I think the default for people who ‘we wanted to be at MK but they’re closing early’ somehow always seems to be Epcot.

So - to me - that says Monday’s business was because of the CM party and that’s not always the same week every year....
 
I’m here this week and it’s hot and very crowded. Last trip was a 2017 in June with same heat and half the crowds. We won’t come this week again.
 

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