Disney World at Thanksgiving

[itchin2go]

The night before Thanksgiving it was around 40 degrees. People had no coats and flip flops, we had 2 sweatshirts and thermal underwear, gloves and knit hats and we were cold. When did you get there?

Per this, the high was 60 and the low was 52. I don't know how accurate it is, but it's what I could find. (Assuming I'm looking at the right day - totally not sure. Looking up historical weather data should be easy, but I don't find it so.)

http://www.wunderground.com/history...reqdb.zip=32801&reqdb.magic=1&reqdb.wmo=99999

Was it 2014 when you traveled? Maybe we're talking about 2 different years.

We were there from 11/22 to 11/29, so the Saturday before Thanksgiving to the Friday after.

On that Wednesday, we went to Epcot during the day, and dined at California Grill that night - so we weren't out at the parks at night.

Regardless, I don't even remember it being that cold (not that it's terribly cold to me), but I LIKE the cold temps so I kept waiting for them to happen.

For the week, it shows the high being 86 and the low being 43.

http://www.wunderground.com/history...reqdb.zip=32801&reqdb.magic=1&reqdb.wmo=99999

I remember 100% of 86 degrees, and not a bit of 43! I think it's because I hate the higher temps and I focus on those more. Maybe (and this is sad if it's true), I block out the things that please me and only remember the things that disappointed me? I hope not.

Bottom line - no hats and gloves for us. Just a jacket!

 

[pmama]

We go the week before Thanksgiving and stay through Tuesday before Thanksgiving. It does get very crowded the closer to Thanksgiving you get but if you hit rope drop, use FP+, and take it in stride, you will have a fabulous time! It's our favorite time of year to go! We don't get very cold, just take a jacket for evenings.

 

[disneygolfer1985]

We went last year for thanksgiving and I will attest the weather was miserable. I don't know how cold it got but I remember it being cold and rainy. Now being from Texas, I think we went to AK either Tuesday or Wednesday before thanksgiving and I know it was around 50 with a consistent rain, which a damp cold feels way worse especially around all the lakes, but that's my opinion. Sadly, we have been there over thanksgiving twice and have always had horrible weather. Now I will suggest to go to AK on thanksgiving and avoid the MK. It will be packed, but AK will be pretty empty in comparison.

 

[ruthies12]

I would really re-think your park choices. MK for 2 days makes sense but I'm not sure why you think there is more at AK for a little one than at HS? HS has Disney jr puppet show, frozen sing-a-long, muppets, the giant playground. If I were you and this is going to be your only trip at this time of year, I would prioritize seeing Osborne Lights over seeing animals that are there year round. Since it seems the Christmas stuff is your main draw you should definitely consider seeing the Osborne Lights at hs. Also since you said you wouldn't be doing a full day anyway, I don't think it really matters how much there is to do. My recommendation would be to fP+ frozen sing a long, tsm, and dis jr in the afternoon after making a late start to the day then staying for the lights which turn on around 6.

I also have two suggestions for Christmas stuff, especially on the day of thanksgiving if mk is crazy and you need to leave, take the monorail around and see the gingerbread displays, especially at grand Floridian. Another suggestion I have is after your mickeys BBQ at the Fort, see about taking a carriage ride or a wagon ride around the campground and see all the Christmas displays the campers put up. We will be checking in that evening at the Fort, can't wait!

 

[DekrRini]

A couple years ago I went over Thanksgiving. I was there for 11 days and I don't remember how much before Thanksgiving I got there or how long I was there afterward. What I do remember is that the closer it was to Thanksgiving Day, the more crowded it got. The Sunday after the crowds dropped considerably. I went to Tusker House for my Thanksgiving dinner and I found AK to be relatively less crowded than the other parks. The weather I had while I was there was great. Not too hot and not too cold. Although I do admit that I don't feel the cold nearly as much as the heat.

The Osborne Lights are fabulous. If you're not going over the Christmas season again, I'd definitely choose DHS over AK this time around. As someone said earlier, the animals are always there.

Whatever you choose, have a great time!

 

[Dismom820]

We go the week before Thanksgiving and stay through Tuesday before Thanksgiving. It does get very crowded the closer to Thanksgiving you get but if you hit rope drop, use FP+, and take it in stride, you will have a fabulous time! It's our favorite time of year to go! We don't get very cold, just take a jacket for evenings.

thanks! we definitely prefer rope drop times due to my little one being more of a morning person and we know to really get it when we get there! we don't poke around! hahaha I'm looking forward to the cooler weather, we've only visited disney during summer time and it was always super miserable!

 

[Dismom820]

We went last year for thanksgiving and I will attest the weather was miserable. I don't know how cold it got but I remember it being cold and rainy. Now being from Texas, I think we went to AK either Tuesday or Wednesday before thanksgiving and I know it was around 50 with a consistent rain, which a damp cold feels way worse especially around all the lakes, but that's my opinion. Sadly, we have been there over thanksgiving twice and have always had horrible weather. Now I will suggest to go to AK on thanksgiving and avoid the MK. It will be packed, but AK will be pretty empty in comparison.

our only problem is we have reservations for backyard mickey at 6 on thanksgiving so we wanted to stay at a park until around 3 or so and get some down time before we had to make our dinner. and we knew AK closes early and didn't want to feel like we wouldn't get to do as much…our main things we want to do there is the lion king show and the nemo show and anything else we can get into. my daughter loves the animals so we wanted to get as much time in with them as possible and of course the train rides.

 

[Dismom820]

I would really re-think your park choices. MK for 2 days makes sense but I'm not sure why you think there is more at AK for a little one than at HS? HS has Disney jr puppet show, frozen sing-a-long, muppets, the giant playground. If I were you and this is going to be your only trip at this time of year, I would prioritize seeing Osborne Lights over seeing animals that are there year round. Since it seems the Christmas stuff is your main draw you should definitely consider seeing the Osborne Lights at hs. Also since you said you wouldn't be doing a full day anyway, I don't think it really matters how much there is to do. My recommendation would be to fP+ frozen sing a long, tsm, and dis jr in the afternoon after making a late start to the day then staying for the lights which turn on around 6.

I also have two suggestions for Christmas stuff, especially on the day of thanksgiving if mk is crazy and you need to leave, take the monorail around and see the gingerbread displays, especially at grand Floridian. Another suggestion I have is after your mickeys BBQ at the Fort, see about taking a carriage ride or a wagon ride around the campground and see all the Christmas displays the campers put up. We will be checking in that evening at the Fort, can't wait!

we considered HS but we also know my daughter isn't into frozen and disney jr that much. she LOVES animals and we really wanted to take her to the lion king and finding nemo shows that AK offers…also the little Pocahontas thing they do. she'll be almost 2 and a half when we go and her heart is with the animals, i know for her, she would enjoy AK more than HS, so that was our choice behind that park. also, we have dinner reservations at backyard mickey for thanksgiving and had originally planned to leave MK around 3 or so to have a bit of downtime before our meal.
we do plan on taking some time after our dinner to stroll around the campsites, we used to camp there everytime we went down but we got rid of our camper and now we're staying at Pop century this time. but we want to definitely check out the campgrounds while we're there and maybe catch a movie with chip and dale like old times!

 

[Dismom820]

A couple years ago I went over Thanksgiving. I was there for 11 days and I don't remember how much before Thanksgiving I got there or how long I was there afterward. What I do remember is that the closer it was to Thanksgiving Day, the more crowded it got. The Sunday after the crowds dropped considerably. I went to Tusker House for my Thanksgiving dinner and I found AK to be relatively less crowded than the other parks. The weather I had while I was there was great. Not too hot and not too cold. Although I do admit that I don't feel the cold nearly as much as the heat.

The Osborne Lights are fabulous. If you're not going over the Christmas season again, I'd definitely choose DHS over AK this time around. As someone said earlier, the animals are always there.

Whatever you choose, have a great time!

the main reason we chose AK is because my little one LOVES animals and would rather be with them…plus the lion king and finding Nemo shows are top on our list to take her to. and although HS has the stuff geared towards the kids, she's not crazy over frozen like most kids her age and she doesnt watch most of the disney jr shows…she really only watches mickey mouse clubhouse and isn't into sophia or jake or doc soooo in my opinion, AK is the better choice. we do enjoy lights and christmas decor but we are really more excited about the decor at MK over anything…since we love MK so much, we're excited to see that.

 

[DekrRini]

And what your little one wants and enjoys is definitely most important.

 

[Dismom820]

And what your little one wants and enjoys is definitely most important.

indeed, since the trip is more for her than us! although, we'll enjoy it as much as she will!

 

[goofy4tink]

I've arrived on Thanksgiving Day, the Sunday of T-day weekend, and at some point the week following. The day of Thanksgiving was a nightmare. It was warm...but the parks were crazy crowded. We hit Epcot on Friday since we were at BWVs....I have never, ever seen that many people in WS...it was shoulder to shoulder. Just nuts. Saturday was almost as bad. As long as you know it will be crowded, you should be okay. With a 2 y/o, you are going to be focusing on those things that she will like, not the thrill rides so much, I imagine. So use FP+ wisely. You should make out fine.
The weather is very hit or miss. I've been when it's been in the low 80's, I've been when it's in the 40's!!! And believe me, 45 in Orlando is a whole lot different than 45 in Mass....not sure why, but it just feels colder!!! It's usually the nights that the temps get really low...so bring some mittens, scarves, hats, sweatshirts...that kind of thing, so you can layer, especially at night.

As already noted, there is no 'overnight' change. It's very gradual. I remember one year, we stayed at POR, in early November. All was as usual when we went to bed, when we woke up, to leave, there was a huge Christmas tree in the lobby, as well as other Christmas stuff!!! So, it happens gradually.....more and more resorts get spiffied up for the holidays as time goes by. The parks are the same. Especially MK....MVMCPs start fairly early...so the park needs to be in holiday regalia for those.

 

[sharadoc]

We went last year for thanksgiving and I will attest the weather was miserable. I don't know how cold it got but I remember it being cold and rainy. Now being from Texas, I think we went to AK either Tuesday or Wednesday before thanksgiving and I know it was around 50 with a consistent rain, which a damp cold feels way worse especially around all the lakes, but that's my opinion. Sadly, we have been there over thanksgiving twice and have always had horrible weather. Now I will suggest to go to AK on thanksgiving and avoid the MK. It will be packed, but AK will be pretty empty in comparison.

Yes, I think it was raining that day, which helped the crowds even more. I think 50, rainy and dark makes it feel even colder, especially when you're in Florida and want heat.

 

[danjoan14]

We went for our first Thanksgiving trip last year (2014). Stayed from the Wednesday before to the Monday after. We had no problems with the park crowds. Spent Thanksgiving day at HS. The park was not that crowded. The weather was in the 80's. DS and I wore shorts and t-shirts. It did get a little cool at night. Jeans and a sweatshirt worked fine. I had my Thanksgiving Day dinner at PT. The turkey dinner was expensive, but worth it. DS had to lose one day of school. He usually ends up with perfect attendance. We gave him the option of losing it for a trip to DW at Thanksgiving. He had no problem passing up the perfect attendance for the Magic! We even left HS in the evening and hopped over to the MK for the rest of the night. The crowd at night wasn't bad at all. It was great viewing all of the Christmas decorations. The Osborne Lights at HS are worth the trip! We had a great time.

 

[hskaggs11]

we've always wanted to see the christmas lights in person and the famous "transformation" from thanksgiving to christmas.

In 2013, we went in late October, and they were installing all the Osbourne lights. They weren't turned on, but you could see Streets of America covered in green wires, and all of the big metal frames were up. There were fall/Halloween decorations up in MK, but no other holiday décor.

Last year, we went the full week before Thanksgiving, and there was full-on Christmas decorations everywhere. MK was all decked out with garland arches all down main street, wreaths and Christmas trees in a lot of places. The Jungle Cruise was transformed into the "Jingle Cruise" with lots of Christmas décor, renaming of the boats to reindeer names, and some Christmas jokes in the scripting. Epcot had a giant Christmas tree with ornaments in from of the Duffy store, and also had Christmas topiaries in the Future World area that were lit up and pretty. AK and HS had huge Christmas trees up in the front of the parks. In the resorts we visited, there were Christmas deocor, and in the Yacht Club, they had a huge Christmas village display.

MK had a nightly "lighting of the castle" that was frozen-themed where Elsa projected her "powers" onto the castle, and then it was lit up with lights to resemble being covered in icicles. That was pretty magical!!

I honestly don't think there is any "transformation" that occurs overnight on Thanksgiving to Christmas décor, at least not now. I'm pretty sure they had their full-on Christmas when we went last year.

 

[PrincessShea]

As others have said you are not going to see a transformation; the decorations are already up. I went to WDW last year over Thanksgiving and it was crowded. I had fun, but I've been a million times and know what to do. That being said if I had the ability to go the week before or after Thanksgiving, I would have. There really aren't any special Thanksgiving things, save for a few special meals, and again, you can see the Christmas decorations at other times. Avoid DTD at all costs.

 

[disneygolfer1985]

Yes, I think it was raining that day, which helped the crowds even more. I think 50, rainy and dark makes it feel even colder, especially when you're in Florida and want heat.

Ya the damp cold was miserable. I must say the parks were rather empty on Wednesday. Hoping for better weather this year over Christmas!

 

[Dismom820]

We went for our first Thanksgiving trip last year (2014). Stayed from the Wednesday before to the Monday after. We had no problems with the park crowds. Spent Thanksgiving day at HS. The park was not that crowded. The weather was in the 80's. DS and I wore shorts and t-shirts. It did get a little cool at night. Jeans and a sweatshirt worked fine. I had my Thanksgiving Day dinner at PT. The turkey dinner was expensive, but worth it. DS had to lose one day of school. He usually ends up with perfect attendance. We gave him the option of losing it for a trip to DW at Thanksgiving. He had no problem passing up the perfect attendance for the Magic! We even left HS in the evening and hopped over to the MK for the rest of the night. The crowd at night wasn't bad at all. It was great viewing all of the Christmas decorations. The Osborne Lights at HS are worth the trip! We had a great time.

thats about how our trip will be…we're arriving on the day before thanksgiving and leaving sunday…so glad to hear the crowds weren't too unbearable! we've gone the week before school starts before and the crowds were insane! the lines were always at least 30-45 minute waits…this will probably be our last time going at thanksgiving, we mainly just wanted to see the christmas decor and it was the perfect time of year to get down there since we didn't have to miss any work…but our future trips will be during the months of february or march…we just wanted this experience this year!

 

[Dismom820]

In 2013, we went in late October, and they were installing all the Osbourne lights. They weren't turned on, but you could see Streets of America covered in green wires, and all of the big metal frames were up. There were fall/Halloween decorations up in MK, but no other holiday décor.

Last year, we went the full week before Thanksgiving, and there was full-on Christmas decorations everywhere. MK was all decked out with garland arches all down main street, wreaths and Christmas trees in a lot of places. The Jungle Cruise was transformed into the "Jingle Cruise" with lots of Christmas décor, renaming of the boats to reindeer names, and some Christmas jokes in the scripting. Epcot had a giant Christmas tree with ornaments in from of the Duffy store, and also had Christmas topiaries in the Future World area that were lit up and pretty. AK and HS had huge Christmas trees up in the front of the parks. In the resorts we visited, there were Christmas deocor, and in the Yacht Club, they had a huge Christmas village display.

MK had a nightly "lighting of the castle" that was frozen-themed where Elsa projected her "powers" onto the castle, and then it was lit up with lights to resemble being covered in icicles. That was pretty magical!!

I honestly don't think there is any "transformation" that occurs overnight on Thanksgiving to Christmas décor, at least not now. I'm pretty sure they had their full-on Christmas when we went last year.

yea, when we heard of the transformation thing it was several years ago…like 10+ years ago, so things could have changed quite a bit since then. either way, we're looking forward to seeing the decorations while we visit!

 

[Dismom820]

As others have said you are not going to see a transformation; the decorations are already up. I went to WDW last year over Thanksgiving and it was crowded. I had fun, but I've been a million times and know what to do. That being said if I had the ability to go the week before or after Thanksgiving, I would have. There really aren't any special Thanksgiving things, save for a few special meals, and again, you can see the Christmas decorations at other times. Avoid DTD at all costs.

avoid DTD? is it really that bad during thanksgiving? we definitely wanted to spend an evening there while we were down there…do you think they run their own "black friday" deals and thats why? we just really wanted to stop by goofys candy shop and few of our other favorites while we were down there!