Anyone with a Trip Report for the Sunday after Thanksgiving? (Nov 25, 2018)

[PuckCowboy]

Hey everyone! New member and first time poster here. My wife an I are planning a trip for Disneyland this coming holiday season around the tail end of the Thanksgiving Day weekend.

Was anyone in the park the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend about a month or so ago? (Nov 25th.) TouringPlans shows it was a 1 and 2 out of 10 for both parks even though they predicted heavier crowds. Just wondering if that Sunday, Monday and Tuesday this year will be a tad lighter again compared to the week of Thanksgiving or if everyday in Nov and Dec is going to be insane due to Star Wars.

Any and all advice is truly appreciated.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Jaina]

Not on Sunday, but I was there the Monday after Thanksgiving this year, and following Monday (first Monday in Dec) the year before, and the Monday through Thursday the year before that (2016). I found that we got a lot more done the Monday after Thanksgiving vs the first Monday in December. I have trip reports in my signature for all 3 trips. However, they were both busy, and MaxPass was very very useful. I don't know if there is any way to predict this year's load with Star Wars land opening though. I would expect it to be busier, probably than that same time the last 2-3 years, but I would think still more doable than later in the holiday season, especially with just two adults and using MaxPass. If you follow all the good tips about getting there before park opening, and maybe go through some of Disneyland Daily's (facebook or her blog) plans for busier days, it will be so fun!

 

[PuckCowboy]

Not on Sunday, but I was there the Monday after Thanksgiving this year, and following Monday (first Monday in Dec) the year before, and the Monday through Thursday the year before that (2016). I found that we got a lot more done the Monday after Thanksgiving vs the first Monday in December. I have trip reports in my signature for all 3 trips. However, they were both busy, and MaxPass was very very useful. I don't know if there is any way to predict this year's load with Star Wars land opening though. I would expect it to be busier, probably than that same time the last 2-3 years, but I would think still more doable than later in the holiday season, especially with just two adults and using MaxPass. If you follow all the good tips about getting there before park opening, and maybe go through some of Disneyland Daily's (facebook or her blog) plans for busier days, it will be so fun!

Thank you Sara (aka Jaina!) I truly appreciate all of the advice and tips. My wife and I did our Disneymoon in Disney World the week after Thanksgiving this year (not very crowded at all), and we did Disneyland in the Summer of 2017 during D23. We used a bunch of online resources, including DisneyTouristBlog, to help us get through everything in all the parks as smooth as butter. For our Disneyland trip in 2017, we did all the major rides and nighttime fireworks / world of color shows in both parks in one day!

Obviously we don't expect to be able to do that this next trip, but this time we have 3 days for both parks, so we want it to be slightly more relaxed than running around like last time. I also would love to see the Candlelight Processional this year which means we may be looking at the following weekend to try and catch it on Sunday December 8th. Is it worth trying to get into the standing room only section to see that, or is it not worth the time or crowds?

Thank you again for all of your help!

 

[Jaina]

I looked into all the Candlelight Processional stuff because originally we were going to be there the Saturday of that this time. There are some good threads on here if you search for Candlelight Processional, or there are a few online resources from people who talk about how it's a little easier to find a place to stand for the second show if you're in the right place when the first one ends. It makes Main St a bit of a nightmare to move through, but if you plan carefully to avoid that area around when it's happening, people say it's totally do-able. Everyone that sees it says it's amazing, but it wasn't going to be worth park time for us with just one day in the park. I was glad we ended up needing to go the week before instead.

 

[PuckCowboy]

I looked into all the Candlelight Processional stuff because originally we were going to be there the Saturday of that this time. There are some good threads on here if you search for Candlelight Processional, or there are a few online resources from people who talk about how it's a little easier to find a place to stand for the second show if you're in the right place when the first one ends. It makes Main St a bit of a nightmare to move through, but if you plan carefully to avoid that area around when it's happening, people say it's totally do-able. Everyone that sees it says it's amazing, but it wasn't going to be worth park time for us with just one day in the park. I was glad we ended up needing to go the week before instead.

I've been doing some research on it today, and it does seem like it's do-able without having to wait all day, but it's all about timing and where to go. I will have to see if the wife is interested at all since that weekend / week (especially that Sunday) might be even busier than the than Thanksgiving Sunday and the first week after that holiday.

Thanks again for all of your recommendations!

 

[Jaina]

I've been doing some research on it today, and it does seem like it's do-able without having to wait all day, but it's all about timing and where to go. I will have to see if the wife is interested at all since that weekend / week (especially that Sunday) might be even busier than the than Thanksgiving Sunday and the first week after that holiday.

Thanks again for all of your recommendations!

I hope whatever you pick, you have an amazing time! I would try to make a reservation for both time periods, and hopefully once Star Wars land opens you can start gauging how things are going to go before you decide for sure when you're going.

 

[PuckCowboy]

Great idea! I'll just book my rooms first, and then buy my tickets / package once I figure things out. We will be using the time as well to visit family, so I'm still leaning towards Thanksgiving weekend as it would be nice to spend that holiday with them as well.