Disney at Thanksgiving...yes or no?

[shel112676]

Hi!
My family is considering going to WDW for Thanksgiving week (Sunday before to the Sunday after).
What are the crowds like at this time? I am used to going mid October because of the lower crowds.
Anything special happening there for the holiday? Will the Christmas decorations be up?

Any info/advice that you can give me will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!

 

[lindsmom]

Hi!
My family is considering going to WDW for Thanksgiving week (Sunday before to the Sunday after).
What are the crowds like at this time? I am used to going mid October because of the lower crowds.
Anything special happening there for the holiday? Will the Christmas decorations be up?

Any info/advice that you can give me will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!

I can't answer, unfortunately, because we haven't been there then BUT we were originally planning to go down this T-giving and when doing homework I found that it's the busiest week, like, EVER - going into T-giving and the weekend after (exactly when you'd be there). Apparently crowds begin to dwindle the monday or tuesday after T-giving (we were planning to arrive the day before T-giving and stay for 10 days).

Sound like xmas decorations are mostly up, and the lights are lit (osborne) right after T-giving. The sell some mvmcp tickets before T-giving, I believe.

Sorry it's not too helpful, but that's my two cents and I'm hoping a bump will help as I'd like to hear for next year.

 

[unionville]

We've only been one year for Thanksgiving, but we would not hesitate to do that again. The crowds seem to really pick up on Wednesday (the day before Thanksgiving). Yes, Christmas decorations are up. The Osbourne Lights will open one day during Thanksgiving week. We spent the Friday after Thanksgiving at Epcot due to large crowds at all the parks. The Christmas events at each land started that day. Thanksgiving day we were at the Magic Kingdom at rope drop. We left by 10 am as the crowds poured in! We spent the rest of Thanksgiving at Animal Kingdom. Remember that dining reservations for Thanksgiving day are a really big deal. Plan early! The weather varied from needed a hat, coat, and mittens to shorts and t-shirts the year we went. Just be prepared with your layers. Our son was able to swim a few times.

 

[pfp258]

We've been twice for Thanksgiving. (2006 and 2007) We actually flew in the Thursday night before Thanksgivng week and leave the Friday after Thanksgiving. My kids have the whole week of Thanksgiving off of school so they only missed the Friday before the break began. The Friday before Thanksgiving week is the best! We were able to do the whole park (MK)with very short wait times. (5 minutes Jungle Cruise, 15 minutes for Big Thunder and walk on to many rides) The crowds do pick up over the weekend and the EMH at Magic Kingdom on Sunday evening were very crowded!! We do like the Christmas decorations being up and seeing the Osbourne Family lights at HS. The weather was okay, not really too warm although we did have a day or two to swim.

 

[momofrrr]

We love to go at Thanksgiving! It is our traditional time to go. Sadly we had to switch this year due to our youngest daughters Nutcracker obligations. The first part of the week is doable but Wednesay on it gets a little crowded. If you take advantage of EMH and early park hours it is fine. As far as the weather, it is usually really nice. We wear shorts as a general rule and remember, all the pools are heated. Now, having said that we did get caught one year very unprepared for a cold snap and I do mean COLD! We just bought hoodies and kept on going! By the middle of the week the entire place is completely decorated for Christmas which is truly magical. We never really worried about Thanksgiving dinner. If we got a nice place we did, if we didn't that was OK also, after all, what is more American than a burger? Have a great trip!

 

[BrandyC1974]

We went the week of Thanksgiving in 2006 (Saturday before to Sunday after). The crowds were managable. There were Christmas decorations up everywhere. The only downside was the weather. It was COLD!! The early mornings and late evenings were really cold. Around 11am to about 5pm was ok, the other times were cold. We wore jackets (or brought them with us if we were going to be out late).

But, with all that, I would defiently go during the Thanksgiving week again. This year we went in June and it was HOT!!!! I will never do the summer again!!

 

[palavra]

I'm a teacher, so we can only go during school breaks. We are going for Thanksgiving this year and looking forward to the cooler weather. The crowds will be there, but we are used to summer crowds anyway. And, Thanksgiving has the added benefit of having the holiday decorations up.

 

[shel112676]

thanks so much for all of your input!

just out of curiosity...what kind of wait times are we talking about during this week?
I'm used to mid october, 15 minute wait for most rides..maybe more like 45 for space mountain or soarin'. Is it even comparable?

 

[Dallas_Lady]

... I found that it's the busiest week, like, EVER...

Christmas, Easter and and 4th of July are all busier than Thanksgiving. It will be busy, yes, but not "the busiest week ever." From what I understand, crowds will be comparable to summertime, but with MUCH nicer weather.

 

[HLDisney]

We were there for Thanksgiving in 2006, 2007 and 2008 so we love that week Now admittedly, I haven't tried any other time of the year lately (the last time I went before 2006 was in the 90's!) so I can't compare but I really didn't find any of the lines to be too long, other than the major rides (Soarin', Toy Story Mania, etc) but we just got Fastpasses for them.

We can't go this coming Thanksgiving so I'm toying with the idea of going Presidents' week next year and the crowds then REALLY worry me.

Helen

 

[tigerali]

We went in 2006 for our honeymoon during Thanksgiving week. We got there the Sun before and stayed through the Sunday after. The crowds were not bad until Wed, and even then they were not unbearable. Just be prepared for any kind of weather. We expected warmer weather and a sudden cold front came through (it actually snowed in parts of Orlando while we were there!) and we had to go and buy sweatshirts and jackets.

 

[cccdisney]

Thank you everyone who posted their experiences! We are also in the early stages of planning a trip over Thanksgiving 2010. We would arrive early on the Friday before Thanksgiving and leave the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I was a little concerned about the crowds, but you have set my mind at ease!
We went to DL during this time last year (and will again this year) and the crowds were quite manageable - at least before Thanksgiving.