Canadian Thanksgiving at WDW?

[sheboz]

Thanksgiving is October 13th. We are considering going to Disney during that time to enjoy the Halloween festivities. How are the crowd levels during this time? How was the weather? Would you recommend visiting during this time?

 

[Lisa Anne Colling]

We have done this time of year several times. The weather has always been pretty nice. One year it was unbelievably hot, humid and wet with a hurricane in the gulf. Normally beautiful though and pretty dry.
While the last few times we have noticed the crowds have increased, in comparison to March Break (which we did this year), they don't even come close! I will take October any day.
We did find that the restaurants seemed busier in the fall then March Break. Ride lines were good, but fast passes seemed to go quicker in the fall.
Airfare prices are usually better too depending on the day you are flying!
Good luck with your planning!

 

[sheboz]

Thank you Lisa!

 

[jenny-pooh]

My DS I went Thanksgiving week in October 2011. We loved it! We didn't feel like we had to wait for the rides at all. We loved MNSSHP. Seeing the Headless Horseman ride by was so cool. The decorations are amazing and seeing all the villains is great. Towards the end of the party there was barely anyone there. We went on POC totally alone! It was awesome- We walked right on and all the other boats were empty.

It was also the Food and Wine Festival which was great for sampling the food-It was a bit crowded at Epcot during the weekend though.

We ate at Le Cellier on Thanksgiving day. Our server said 'Happy Thanksgiving' but that is all. I heard Liberty Tree Tavern would be better for Thanksgiving.

Aside from our first day when it poured hard the weather was great! Nice and warm-not too hot like it was for us in May 2008.

We also went to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal which was very scary and definitely for an older crowd but we liked it.

I loved that time of year and going at Thanksgiving was one less day I had to take off of work.

 

[sheboz]

Thank you Jenny!

 

[LauraJean]

We were there in 2009 during Thanksgiving. Fab weather and not crazy crowds. Going back in Oct. this year but don't get there until the 17th this time.

 

[sheboz]

I am picking vacation time today based on seniority today. I hope I can get time in October. Wish me luck!

 

[alohamom]

Good luck Sheboz! We have been 2 times on the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend and we LOVE it! It can be very hot but what we do is just MNNSHP and then the water parks. One year we were the Incredibles and the next year we dressed up as the band KISS. The candy alone makes you feel like a kid again-so awesome!

 

[two*little*birds]

Well you can tell by our signature that we love this time of year - plus our kids get 2 weeks of school for fall break (modified school calendar).

It can be hot and humid, but we don't mind it compared to September.

MNSSHP is amazing, we have been twice before and are planning again for this year!

Crowds have been increasing every year, so it's not what I would consider low season anymore (it used to be). Ride wait times are pretty good.

We love going to Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner on the Canadian Thanksgiving. That way we still get our turkey dinner with all the fixings.

 

[hockey mom]

We are going Oct. 5th to 12th. We love that time of year. We are doing Ltt on our last day to celebrate Thanksgiving.

 

[alc571]

We did thanksgiving week last year and it was great. Lines were awesome. Weather was fantastic - should be better for you this year as the beginning of our week was on the hot side but it was Oct 7. The only park we noticed being really busy was Epcot for Food & Wine. The rides and shops weren't overly busy, but trying to navigate between them was!

 

[jenny-pooh]

Good luck, Sheboz! Let us know if it works out for you!

 

[Celidh]

We were there last year for part of that weekend. I coincided with Columbus Day for the US. We only had friday in the parks so can't say for sure how busy it was that weekend but I would think it would increase crowds somewhat.

They fall on the same weekend this year too.

I can say that it was just as hot the end of September in 2012 as it was the year before at the end of August 2011. I was hoping for a bit of respite from the heat but no such luck.

I don't think there is truly a time when Disney is not busy. I have only been the two times mentioned above and to be honest, as much as it would be magical and beautiful to be there at Christmas, there is no way I could handle the crowds during their busy season.

 

[sheboz]

Well I was able to get the last week of October which goes into November. I'm hoping we can go the Halloween Party and see the Osbourne lights all in one trip! I will have to look over all the stats at touringplans to figure out a good plan.

So instead of a 5 day park pass, should I get a 4 day with a ticket to the Halloween party? According to other threads you can enter the park at 4:00 on the day of your party with your band. Considering I have children I think we should relax in the morning and plan to be at the park for 4.

Have you been to the Halloween party? What advice would you have for a first time party goer? SOOO excited!!!!

 

[alc571]

Well I was able to get the last week of October which goes into November. I'm hoping we can go the Halloween Party and see the Osbourne lights all in one trip! I will have to look over all the stats at touringplans to figure out a good plan.

So instead of a 5 day park pass, should I get a 4 day with a ticket to the Halloween party? According to other threads you can enter the park at 4:00 on the day of your party with your band. Considering I have children I think we should relax in the morning and plan to be at the park for 4.

Have you been to the Halloween party? What advice would you have for a first time party goer? SOOO excited!!!!

That's what we did. We got 5-day passes and then the party tickets. We had a day at the parks each day, and we just spent the morning of the party relaxing and swimming. We entered the park at 4pm and had dinner while we waited for the party to start.

As far as recommendations, I would head to Tomorrowland shortly before the party starts. We were at the store there (can't remember the name) right at 7 when the merchandise came out and picked up tshirts. And then we started trick or treating right away. We worked our way counterclockwise through the park. Make sure you take advantage of the very short lines for the rides too! We walked on most days!

Another tip I have is to visit MK on the day of a party you're not attending. The crowds are really low those days. We never waited more than 20 minutes for any ride, even walked on Jungle Cruise.

 

[3pletprincesses]

We went that week in 2010 and loved it. we got to enjoy MK Halloween party on October 31 and took advantage of the Food and Wine festival. Nothing better then snacking around the world. I would skip Epcot on the weekend. The weather was very nice we even hit a little over 100 one day. Def the best time of the year IMO.

 

[jenny-pooh]

I think the best advice for MNSSHP is simply the advice you would follow for any disney adventure. Find out what characters are sure to be making appearances and where they will be located. If you want to see a specific character (i.e. The Seven Dwarves) make sure you get there early. I waited for Maleficenct for quite a while and still almost didn't get to see her because the parade was about to start. There were people trying to cut in line and quite a few people missed out and were not happy.

Also stake out your parade spot early. It is so much more fun when you are right in the action. So many villains came to see my son. It was great! During the parade he was eating a lollipop from his trick or treating stash. A pirate came up to him and said 'you know what that will do to your teeth?' and smiled a cavity ridden smile

I heard to bring your own candy bag for trick-or-treating but the bags they provided were fine for us. I would also recommend wearing a costume oe special shirt if possible. The costumes others had on were amazing. We didn't wear a costume but my son had his face painted and almost all the characters and CMs made a comment. Have a great time!

 

[sheboz]

Thank you for your tips. I appreciate your advise.

 

[alohamom]

Sheboz-just a thought-I know that the closer to halloween the MNSSHP you want to go to is, the more likely it is to sell out. So if you are looking to get tix you may want to do it asap as you are now travelling later in October. Having said that, you may not even want to do the MNSSHP at all, I think alot of the decorations are up anyway, you would really only miss the Trick or treating and the special halloween parade plus a few other small things. I know one reason we really like the "parties" (MNSSHP and MVMCP) is the lower crowds and shorter wait times If you buy 4 day tix the price for 5 days isnt that much more and I would be tempted to do 5 full days. The MNSSHP is not cheap by any means so just a few things to consider....

 

[goofyintoronto]

Sheboz-just a thought-I know that the closer to halloween the MNSSHP you want to go to is, the more likely it is to sell out. So if you are looking to get tix you may want to do it asap as you are now travelling later in October. Having said that, you may not even want to do the MNSSHP at all, I think alot of the decorations are up anyway, you would really only miss the Trick or treating and the special halloween parade plus a few other small things. I know one reason we really like the "parties" (MNSSHP and MVMCP) is the lower crowds and shorter wait times If you buy 4 day tix the price for 5 days isnt that much more and I would be tempted to do 5 full days. The MNSSHP is not cheap by any means so just a few things to consider....

Although if the OP has never been to MNSSHP, I would strongly suggest s/he got. Its soooooo much fun. I've been once and cant wait to go again, this year!