November at Walt Disney World marks a big transition as the theme parks transform for the holiday season with festivals starting and ending, two ticketed evening parties taking place, plus ride closures and openings.
Keep reading for all the changes coming to Disney World in November, including a seasonal ride overlay to a classic Magic Kingdom attraction. At Mickey Visit, we bring you all the latest Disney news, including recent party news and ride closures.
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1. New Zootopia Show Opens at Animal Kingdom
The new Zootopia: Better Zoogether! opens at Animal Kingdom on November 7. This will also change the Lightning Lane selections at Animal Kingdom as Zootopia: Better Zoogether! is added to the available selections.
2. Remy's Ratatouille Adventure Changes to 2D
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Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will be closing from November 10-13 and will reopen on November 14 to transform the attraction from a 3D experience to a 2D experience. Anticipate higher than usual demand for Remy's this month as guests will line up to see the new changes to the popular attraction.
3. Jingle Cruise Returns to Magic Kingdom
The Jingle Cruise returns to Magic Kingdom for the holiday season starting November 3. The Jingle Cruise is a holiday version of the classic Jungle Cruise attraction at Magic Kingdom.
During this seasonal overlay, the ride receives holiday decorations, the boats are given new holiday names, and the skippers tell new jokes with a holiday twist. This is a very popular attraction at Disney World during the holiday season.
4. Disney World Holiday Decorations Go Up
The Walt Disney World holiday season officially kicks off on November 14, but you can expect holiday decorations to go up in the theme parks, resort hotels, and Disney Springs before that.
Since Jingle Cruise is returning on November 3, that gives us a good guess at how early we can see some holiday decorations appear.
5. Expect High Crowds for Jersey Week & Thanksgiving
Expect crowd levels to pick up during November, especially with “Jersey Week” (the week many New Jersey schools have off), the first week of the month, and Thanksgiving week.
Thanksgiving week in particular is rated as Massive Crowds on our Walt Disney World crowd calendar.
6. Hollywood & Vine Switches Seasonal Overlays
On November 6, Hollywood & Vine switches over to Holiday Dine with holiday decorations and characters in their seasonal outfits. The last day to experience the Halloween version of this experience, Halloween Dine, is November 5.
7. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party takes place on the following dates at Magic Kingdom on November 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 25, 26, 28, and 30.
The ticketed event at Magic Kingdom includes the popular Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas Parade, Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show, character dance parties, and seasonal overlays of attractions.
8. Jollywood Nights Starts at Hollywood Studios
Jollywood Nights, the ticketed holiday event at Hollywood Studios, takes place on November 8, 15, 17, 22, 24, and 29.
Hollywood Studios will also see the return of Sunset Seasons Greetings with the nightly holiday projections transforming the Hollywood Tower Hotel into a Muppets gingerbread masterpiece, a Toy Story toy hotel, a corner of Arendelle, and a Dickensian village from “Mickey’s Christmas Carol.”
9. Park Operating Hours Change
Magic Kingdom will close early at 6 PM on the dates that Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is taking place. As for Hollywood Studios, the park will close at 7 PM when Jollywood Nights are taking place.
Guests without a party ticket to these events will have to leave when the events begin.
10. Holiday Entertainment Comes to Animal Kingdom
The Merry Menagerie at Discovery Island, featuring puppets of penguins, reindeer, foxes, and polar bears, will return as part of the holidays at Animal Kingdom starting November 14.
The “Tree of Life Awakenings Holiday Edition” will also return to the Tree of Life with a series of wintry tales and holiday-inspired musical scores.
11. EPCOT Festival Ends
The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival will have its final day on November 22. The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival features a variety of international foods and wine selections and is very popular with guests.
You can expect high crowd levels on the weekends this festival is taking place.
12. Mickey's PhilharMagic Reopens with New Seating
Mickey’s PhilharMagic will be temporarily closed beginning November 1 for routine refurbishment and is “expected to reopen later in the month.” As part of the closure, the theater seats will be replaced.
Currently, the Disney World calendar shows the attraction reopening on November 23, which is right before the busy Thanksgiving week. You can read more about the highest crowd level days in our Disney World crowd calendar.
13. International Festival of the Holidays Starts
The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays starts on November 28 and features holiday traditions from around the world, the popular Candlelight Processional, a gorgeous seasonal overlay on Living with the Land, and festival marketplace booths. This is a very popular festival and arguably one of the best at EPCOT!
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I've seen changes come and go, and like many seasoned Disney park goers, I've become familiar with the resulting emotional rollercoaster. It can be sad when the company decides to overhaul or even remove a beloved attraction. On the other hand, there are times when it's easy to embrace a much-needed update. Here are ten Disney attractions that have transformed substantially since opening day, for better or worse.
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