Disney World at Thanksgiving

[eyehartdisney]

oh man, this is making me nervous hahah i know just being in disney is going to be great and we're looking forward to seeing the christmas lights, but I'm so nervous about the crowds. next time we plan to go during february or march but this year, the only time we could work it out was at thanksgiving.

I was in AK on thanksgiving last year, and it wasn't busy at all. We got mid afternoon reservations for tusker house the night before. And, I know you said you weren't doing HS, but... I'm begging you to go over and see the osborne lights. They are absolutely to die for.

 

[asbyrneva]

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!

We go every thanksgiving. Its totally doable (even MK on thanksgiving day if you do rope drop). Remember Rope drop usually ends up being an hour earlier than normal - even if it hasn't been posted yet they have traditionally opened an hour earlier.

We've had very warm times and last year it was very cool - especially at 6 am waiting for a bus for a 7 am EMH

You'll have a great time!

 

[Dismom820]

I was in AK on thanksgiving last year, and it wasn't busy at all. We got mid afternoon reservations for tusker house the night before. And, I know you said you weren't doing HS, but... I'm begging you to go over and see the osborne lights. They are absolutely to die for.

ive heard good thing about the osborne lights, but my little one just isnt into anything HS would have to offer...we are pretty set on going to MK thanksgiving becuase it the only park we can open and skip out in enough time to make our dinner reservations at mickeys backyard bbq. we opted out on hopper passes this year and we have decided to spend 2 days in MK and one in AK.

 

[Dismom820]

We go every thanksgiving. Its totally doable (even MK on thanksgiving day if you do rope drop). Remember Rope drop usually ends up being an hour earlier than normal - even if it hasn't been posted yet they have traditionally opened an hour earlier.

We've had very warm times and last year it was very cool - especially at 6 am waiting for a bus for a 7 am EMH

You'll have a great time!

I'm SO glad to hear that MK is doable on thanksgiving! thats really what we had planned to do since we have dinner reservations at mickeys backyard bbq that evening and wanted to skip out of MK around 3 or so. thank you for filling me in on the early rope drop, we plan to be there at rope drop that morning to get as much done as possible. I'm kinda hoping for cooler weather when we go, we've always gone during the summer and have been totally miserable, so i'm hoping it'll be on the cooler side!

 

[asbyrneva]

Since you arent park hoping afterwards, plan your fast passes for after 10. If Rope Drop at 8 and then 2 good hours before crowds get heavier. Do your fast passes and then bug out at 3 (or maybe 2 if you cry uncle!) . We also schedule a table service lunch so we can take a breather from the crowds. yes its an hour out of touring but especially when DS was preschool it helped keep things even keeled and was a good break to go back to the throngs after we were refreshed and not cranky.

Edit: last year rope drop was at 8 and EMH was at 7 am! So if you can make it most folks wont get there that early even with EMH you get 3 hours before the crowds actually even start. Plenty of time!

Maybe we will see you there!

 

[GC&S]

I didn't realize you weren't going to HS. I really can't imagine missing the Osborne lights. They are amazing. You can't even begin to imagine how awesome they are - the lights, the music and the snow. Nothing compares to it. Hopefully you will be able to go at another time to see them.

DTD seemed to be crowded every time we went. Maybe because they were doing construction. It wasn't bad on Thanksgiving day(I think everyone was at MK) but Friday made me positively twitchy.

The weather got really windy at night (which made it pretty cold IMO). I'm guessing with your dd you won't be out at midnight like we were but the gift shops were selling out of their stretchy gloves pretty quickly.

 

[austinsmommie]

We have gone the last 2 years for Thanksgiving. The crowds are not terrible. It always seems like MK is the busiest. We have gone to DTD both years on Thanksgiving Day and the only crazy part was the bus stop. The weather can be cold, bring gloves and a hat. We are from NH, it's just a different cold in Fl. If you can fit HS in for the Osborne Lights they are awesome! We spend at least 2 nights visiting them. As far as Mickey's BBQ, watch the weather. We went once in Feb. It was cold and we did not enjoy it. We left early. The kids were cold and not enjoy it at all. The food was cold. The BBQ is costly so if they are in a cold snap I would cancel it. BBQ in the cold is miserable.

 

[Dismom820]

Since you arent park hoping afterwards, plan your fast passes for after 10. If Rope Drop at 8 and then 2 good hours before crowds get heavier. Do your fast passes and then bug out at 3 (or maybe 2 if you cry uncle!) . We also schedule a table service lunch so we can take a breather from the crowds. yes its an hour out of touring but especially when DS was preschool it helped keep things even keeled and was a good break to go back to the throngs after we were refreshed and not cranky.

Edit: last year rope drop was at 8 and EMH was at 7 am! So if you can make it most folks wont get there that early even with EMH you get 3 hours before the crowds actually even start. Plenty of time!

Maybe we will see you there!

we definitely plan on not using our fast passes until we have to! last year we wasted them, we got there at rope drop and had our fast passes booked for first thing in the morning and ended up not needing to really use any of them! so this year, we dont plan on using them until after 10! and we will more than likely dip our around 2 hahaha i know it gets crowded by then anyways. im hoping they'll do extra magic hours on thanksgiving! that would be great to get there and get started at 7! we might just see you there! hahaha have fun!

 

[puffkin]

We were there last year and thought it was a great week to go! Honestly if flights weren't so expensive during that time of year, then we would go every year. We did do MK on Thanksgiving morning and it was terrible but that was the only day we had horrible crowds anywhere the entire week. We went back at 8am rope drop Black Friday, and it was AMAZING. I have honestly never seen the park so empty and we visit a LOT. Other than Thanksgiving Day at MK, it being a tad cool to swim for half the week, and a freak monsoon the Tuesday of our trip (7+ inches of rain and we were forced to shelter in Dinosaur for a nearby tornado) it was a pretty awesome week to go.

 

[Dismom820]

We have gone the last 2 years for Thanksgiving. The crowds are not terrible. It always seems like MK is the busiest. We have gone to DTD both years on Thanksgiving Day and the only crazy part was the bus stop. The weather can be cold, bring gloves and a hat. We are from NH, it's just a different cold in Fl. If you can fit HS in for the Osborne Lights they are awesome! We spend at least 2 nights visiting them. As far as Mickey's BBQ, watch the weather. We went once in Feb. It was cold and we did not enjoy it. We left early. The kids were cold and not enjoy it at all. The food was cold. The BBQ is costly so if they are in a cold snap I would cancel it. BBQ in the cold is miserable.

i didnt even think about the weather and the bbq...although apparently on thanksgiving its a more traditional thanksgiving meal rather than bbq, but hopefully the weather wont be too awful bad...the whole deal is outdoors? we are from NC, so we are used to the weird southern winters hahah im hoping it wont be much different than back home, just less "dry"

 

[Dismom820]

I didn't realize you weren't going to HS. I really can't imagine missing the Osborne lights. They are amazing. You can't even begin to imagine how awesome they are - the lights, the music and the snow. Nothing compares to it. Hopefully you will be able to go at another time to see them.

DTD seemed to be crowded every time we went. Maybe because they were doing construction. It wasn't bad on Thanksgiving day(I think everyone was at MK) but Friday made me positively twitchy.

The weather got really windy at night (which made it pretty cold IMO). I'm guessing with your dd you won't be out at midnight like we were but the gift shops were selling out of their stretchy gloves pretty quickly.

we dont have much of an interest for HS this time around because my little one isnt into much there and shes still not going to be able to ride most of their rides. maybe another year we might catch the osborne lights, but we're hoping to start taking our disney trips in february or march after this trip...we didnt get park hoppers and i dont really want to waste my day pass to see the lights, even if they are spectacular hahah my little one LOVES rides, animals and some of the shows so we are trying to get her onto as much as possible.

 

[Dismom820]

We were there last year and thought it was a great week to go! Honestly if flights weren't so expensive during that time of year, then we would go every year. We did do MK on Thanksgiving morning and it was terrible but that was the only day we had horrible crowds anywhere the entire week. We went back at 8am rope drop Black Friday, and it was AMAZING. I have honestly never seen the park so empty and we visit a LOT. Other than Thanksgiving Day at MK, it being a tad cool to swim for half the week, and a freak monsoon the Tuesday of our trip (7+ inches of rain and we were forced to shelter in Dinosaur for a nearby tornado) it was a pretty awesome week to go.

i'm glad to hear you had a great time! I'm hoping it wont be too crazy for us! we do plan on spending 2 days in MK and black Friday will be our second day, so hopefully it'll be a ghost town for us too! we plan to bring bathing suits, but aren't really making a huge deal about swimming, we worry mostly about the coldness at night!

 

[Harters2WDW]

We loved going at Thanksgiving. We spent Thanksgiving day in Hollywood Studios and did Osborne Lights that night in DHS. We were at All-Star Movies and they did a full Thanksgiving meal in the food court. My husband got it and said it wasn't bad. I would go again that time of year in a heartbeat!

Weather was insane. Literally one day we went from down jackets, to light jackets to nothing and back the other way. And one day we wore shorts from the morning until the evening. We were able to do MVMCP on that Sunday night. I really enjoyed it and there were crowds, but manageable. BUT if you can go another time, it might be worth it!

 

[KarmaCat]

Crowds right before Thanksgiving are not bad at all... but Thanksgiving Day at MK is INSANE. If you do rope-drop and FP+, you can get a decent number of things done until the crowds are unbearable, which for us is around 11 a.m. At that point, the thick sea of humanity and impossible lines render the entire park "no longer fun" for my family! It's really the heaviest crowd I have ever seen at a Disney park.

But we LOVE the holiday decorations at WDW. If the crowds get too heavy at MK for you on Thanksgiving, hop on the monorail or ride the boat from MK and resort-hop to see the amazing decorations at the deluxe resorts. The life-sized gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian is fantastic! It could be a fun and less hectic way to spend your time until your meal reservation once the crowds get overwhelming.

 

[famy27]

We did Thanksgiving a few years ago, and we spent Thanksgiving Day at AK. We actually ate our Thanksgiving dinner at Flame Tree BBQ, and the weather was perfect and we just had a nice, relaxing meal under the palm trees. Probably our best Thanksgiving memory. We are going again this year, and we will 100% go to AK on T-Day. You could not pay me to set foot in MK. The crowds would stress me out way too much. I have a three-year-old, so I know where you are coming from. Mine does love all four parks, and I know she will love the Osborne Lights, so we will definitely be doing that at some point during our trip. But I agree that if you only have a few days, HS is the park to skip when you have a toddler.

We've lucked out with weather for our two late November/early December trips. January...not so much. Fingers crossed for good weather this year!

 

[austinsmommie]

i didnt even think about the weather and the bbq...although apparently on thanksgiving its a more traditional thanksgiving meal rather than bbq, but hopefully the weather wont be too awful bad...the whole deal is outdoors? we are from NC, so we are used to the weird southern winters hahah im hoping it wont be much different than back home, just less "dry"

I didn't know they had a Thanksgiving type meal, that sound better than the regular menu considering the price. Yes the whole thing is outside there is roof covering the area. Hopefully the weather will be good for you. The less "dry" is why I think it feels colder than the same temp in NH.

 

[rlovew]

The overnight transformation at Thanksgiving is at Epcot- Epcot has little in Christmas decor through Thanksgiving and then the day after Thanksgiving all of Epcot is ready for Christmas. With the food and wine festival lasting well into November they can't begin Christmas until later than the other parks. If you were go to Epcot Thanksgiving Day and then also on Friday you would see a transformation. All of the other parks are fully decorated for Christmas by mid-November (except for the MK Christmas tree that goes into place after the parade taping in Dec).

The only time (it was about 10 years ago) we have been to the MK at Christmas time we got there at rope drop(8 am) and were able to ride Pirates before we had to leave for our breakfast reservations at 10am at Kona Cafe. I have never been in such a long line for Pirates. Even at rope drop almost all the lines were immediately over 30 minutes long many over an hour within 15 minutes of rope drop. I would suggest trying AK that day or plan on doing things that don't normally have lines (I saw the Peoplemover with a 30 minute line that day). So it is a good day for Hall of Presidents, Country Bear Jamboree, Tiki Birds, Small World, Carrousel, the Steam Train, and other such things- except where you have FP - plan to spend a minimum of 30-60 minutes in each line.

 

[karenc8898]

Has anyone gone during the Thanksgiving holiday? We are very excited to see the famous Christmas transformation, this is something we've always wanted to see in person! But, I have heard that Thanksgiving is one of the most busy times of the year! Have i gotten myself in a pickle? I will have a 2 year old going with me, she's usually a easy going kid and loved her Disney experience last year, but it wasn't a high volume time when we went. I just need some tips or a heads up! hahah

We went for Thanksgiving last year, will be there this year - and loved it so much, we will probably make it our Thanksgiving tradition. Went the Thursday before and Thanksgiving was our last day. We were in MK on Thanksgiving Day, and it was crowded - but we were also expecting it, and if you just know it's going to be crowded and plan on that, it doesn't have to ruin anything. I'm a believer in adjusting your expectations to accommodate the crowds, rather than letting them bother you! It wasn't our only day in MK, so we focused on rides that aren't the popular ones for that day. We also went on the DVC tour to get three extra FP per person, and saved them for TDay.
We worked the FP well, and never waited more than 10 or 15 minutes for a ride. We did get trapped between Adventureland and Frontierland at one point during a parade, but it was over quickly As others said, weather was crazy last year. We were swimming on Monday and the next day HS streets were flooded, and the next day it was cold.

 

[Dismom820]

We loved going at Thanksgiving. We spent Thanksgiving day in Hollywood Studios and did Osborne Lights that night in DHS. We were at All-Star Movies and they did a full Thanksgiving meal in the food court. My husband got it and said it wasn't bad. I would go again that time of year in a heartbeat!

Weather was insane. Literally one day we went from down jackets, to light jackets to nothing and back the other way. And one day we wore shorts from the morning until the evening. We were able to do MVMCP on that Sunday night. I really enjoyed it and there were crowds, but manageable. BUT if you can go another time, it might be worth it!

oh goodness, now i have no clue what to pack for clothes! hahaha we'll just have to pack a bit of everything!

 

[Dismom820]

Crowds right before Thanksgiving are not bad at all... but Thanksgiving Day at MK is INSANE. If you do rope-drop and FP+, you can get a decent number of things done until the crowds are unbearable, which for us is around 11 a.m. At that point, the thick sea of humanity and impossible lines render the entire park "no longer fun" for my family! It's really the heaviest crowd I have ever seen at a Disney park.

But we LOVE the holiday decorations at WDW. If the crowds get too heavy at MK for you on Thanksgiving, hop on the monorail or ride the boat from MK and resort-hop to see the amazing decorations at the deluxe resorts. The life-sized gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian is fantastic! It could be a fun and less hectic way to spend your time until your meal reservation once the crowds get overwhelming.

thanks for the tip! we were planning on staying until about 2 or 3 but if its gets unbearable at 11...we might not make that! hhahaha i didnt think about resort hopping, i'll definitely have to keep that in mind if we have a ton of time to waste before our dinner reservations!