Crowds the day before Thanksgiving...

[jenniferrose]

A friend of mine asked this. I assume it is crazy but I figured I would ask the experts...

Anyone been to the happiest place on earth the day before Thanksgiving? I imagine it's insanely busy but just wanted to check...We are headed to LA for the Thanksgiving day with family but might make it a mini-vacation and go to the park the day before. Thanks!

 

[kylie71]

I'll be there in the afternoon that day! I don't think it'll be that bad... but I could be wrong!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

This may be of interest ~

Thanks a Million!

The crowds this past Thanksgiving week were huge, but not on the days you would expect them to be. We've been documenting for you the meteoric rise in the numbers of Annual Passholders the past few years, and it seems almost quaint that we once breathlessly announced that Anaheim had passed the 500,000 mark. That number hit 800,000 coming out of the summer season, and as of late November the number of Annual Passholders has now nudged over 925,000.

With the busiest Annual Pass buying weeks of the year still ahead around Christmas and New Years, TDA planners now fully expect the numbers of Annual Passholders to break the million mark just as the calendar flips over to 2010. That huge number is good news for the sharp pencil boys tallying up TDA's ticket receipts, but it's bad news for anyone trying to find a place to park, get a Fastpass for Indiana Jones, or buy a Dole Whip once they get into the park.

The Thanksgiving week illustrated perfectly how the huge numbers of Annual Passholders have turned half a century of theme park operations on its ear. From Sunday through Wednesday before Thanksgiving, none of the cheaper Annual Passes which make up the bulk of the 925,000 figure were blocked out. Those days were pegged for huge daily Disneyland attendance numbers of 60,000 and above, with AP's making up 35,000 or more of those daily visitors.

For instance, the day before Thanksgiving had an attendance estimate of 61,000 and by the end of the day around 64,000 had shown up. Of that huge number, nearly 40,000 were Annual Passholders, all arriving in their own personal cars and stretching the Resort infrastructure to the breaking point. The park itself was slammed with crowds in the days leading up to Thanksgiving; walkways ground to a standstill, trashcans overflowed, lines were long for everything from E Tickets to bathroom stalls, and the tempers of both the customers and the Cast Members flared at the slightest provocation.

But then Thanksgiving arrived, with all but the Premium Annual Passes were blocked out, and the daily attendance figures plummeted. Even the day after Thanksgiving, which has traditionally been one of the busiest days of the year for decades at Disneyland, barely saw 47,000 people through the gates. By Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, the attendance at Disneyland had slumped to 38,000, ranking as one of the slowest Saturdays of the entire year.

*Taken from here ~ http://miceage.micechat.com/allutz/al120109a.htm taken from this http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2365983

 

[kylie71]

Greeeeeeeat!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Greeeeeeeat!

A little research goes a long way here

 

[kylie71]

Well, being from Northern Nevada, I'm not an annual pass holder, so I forgot that they would be blocked from the holiday itself.
Just stupidity on my part, or nativity!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Well, being from Northern Nevada, I'm not an annual pass holder, so I forgot that they would be blocked from the holiday itself.
Just stupidity on my part, or nativity!

No worries ~ I'm from N UT *but I have been an AP holder *not currently* any way you can adjust your dates?? Looks like you're new here - hang around, you'll learn a lot!

ETA ~ you say you'll be there for the afternoon *so is that the start/1st day of your visit? If so I wouldn't worry too much, just know that your other days will be much better *hopefully*

 

[Tommy_B]

It is busy, but not summer insanely busy. A lot of AP's do go, but being AP's don't necessarily ride all the rides.