Disney this Thanksgiving (yikes!) - plans and questions!

[allgoodgifts]

Hello!

I’ve been lurking for a while, but now that the plans are in motion I thought I’d post. Here's the short (?) summary:

My family (two adults, three kids ages 1, 4, and 7), my sister’s family (two adults, twin boys age 2), and my dad (70+) are going to Disney over Thanksgiving. We’re arriving the day before Thanksgiving, and leaving a week later. The main purpose was to find someplace “different” for Thanksgiving this year – sadly, we lost my mom to cancer in March, and the rest of us wanted to be together, but in surroundings less likely to bring back painful memories.

After much angst and debate, I’ve rented a vacation home for all of us in the Formosa Gardens area. We looked at Shades of Green (booked up), the Poly (too expensive), the AKL (still somewhat more than I wanted to pay, even with the SoG overflow discount), and the CBR. I debated with myself for a long time on the merits of staying on- vs. off-site. It finally came down to cost (Thanksgiving lodging is understandably expensive at Disney) and comfort. With three kids 2 and under, plus a senior, it just seemed like everyone would be more comfortable, and kid management would be easier, in a five-bedroom vacation home with its own pool. The total cost was about $800 less than staying at the CBR. And as an added perk, we can cook a proper Thanksgiving dinner.

So my first request is for some reassurance: we’ve made the right choice, haven’t we? We won’t regret it? My thought is that next time we go, we’ll go at a better time of year, with more time to plan, and can likely get the SoG or possibly more reasonable rates at the Poly or AKL. Plus the kids will be older.

Follow-up question: Anyone know of someplace to pre-order a fresh turkey for Thanksgiving? I figure I won’t have time to thaw a frozen one.

Finally, what do you think of the Very Merry Christmas Party? Is it worth the expense? How are the crowds? I’m leaning toward not doing it… I worry it will run too late even for the older kids... but it might be a nice touch to the vacation. Thoughts?

More questions to come about touring plans (yes, we plan to break in the middle of the day), dining, and so forth, but any advice is appreciated! I haven't been to Disney in almost 20 years. A lot has changed, and I'm busy reading up and planning.

 

[MickeyMomOfThree]

Well I think you picked a perfect time of year to go (see below, we love a Disney Thanksgiving!) We'll be there the same time.
Our first family stay was at SoG, it was very nice but didn't have the whole Disney feel, except the Mickey pool. Our next stay was offsite, we had fun there too. Since we have mostly been onsite and probably won't go offsite again, but that is our preference, and if you haven't stayed onsite you won't be missing anything, and any people prefer offsite anyway. So I'd go, have fun where y ouare staying and not worry about it. You'll be in Disney!!!

I can't help yo uwith the turkey, but I am sure others can and any of the grocery stors will have all you need.

As for the MVMCP, we did it once. I won't say never again, but it is hard to justify the cost for us. If you have extra money it is nice, but if you are on more of a budget, it is not a necessity IMO. If yo udo go, prepare to dress warmly! We are Western NYers, formerally Northern NYers and we were freezing the night we went. We all had heavy sweats on but still needed to buy gloves and hats for everyone. Not saying it will be that cold, but it can be.

Have a great trip, and sorry about your mom. Hope you are all able to enjoy the holidays making memories for your family.

 

[Metro West]

 

[PrincessTiffany]

Can't really comment on the off-site accomodations, we only stay on-site. We are a large family and we always get two connecting rooms at All-Star Movies or Pop Century.

The biggest thing you need to prepare for is the very large crowds. Thanksgiving is one of the most crowded weekds of the year and you will need to get to the parks early, have a good touring plan and utilize Fastpass. If you plan on doing any sit down/character table service meals, you need to make Advance Dining Reservations ASAP, as most places will not be taking walk up reservations.

We always do Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party if we are at WDW that time of year. It's just magical to see the snow on Main Street and the special parade and fireworks. We just always take a very late, long nap before the party and our kids usually last until midnight. When they were very little, they just fell asleep in the stroller.

 

[Disn3y]

 

[mickeystoontown]

Welcome to the Disboards! I haven't been to Disney over Thanksgiving for many years now. I do remember that it was a magical time of the year to visit (but crowded).

Years ago, we stayed offsite and were perfectly happy. Until (insert dun dun dun music) we stayed onsite. We love all of the benefits of staying onsite.

As far as ordering a turkey, I'm not really sure. If I were you, I'd look at the official Kissimee, Florida website. They have a list of all the local restaurants. I bet you could call one of them and ask if they will be taking turkey orders. I know that a lot of our local restaurants do this at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We took my 76 year old mother with us to Disney this past May. If you want to read how she handled "the world", just click on my "Who Knew Choking...." trip report link below.

 

[allgoodgifts]

Thanks, everyone! Yes, it is going to be crowded. I have my unofficial guide in hand, and I'm already busy with the spreadsheets working on tweaking the touring plans. All the kids get up early (my kids get up at 6:30am most days, and my sister's kids are even earlier risers), so a 9am rope-drop seems almost late for us. The basic plan is to arrive early, hit the major attractions, FASTPASS like there's no tomorrow, and then head back to the house for a mid-day nap. Later in the day we'll return for the less-critical attractions.

I'm a bit of an obsessive when it comes to planning. Fortunately, my extended family seems to be willing to go along with me, so we'll see how it goes. In the end, I'm not expecting to see or do everything on this trip. We'll be back, I'm sure.

 

[ThreeKMom]

Hi, first I'll say sorry about your Mom, I lost my Mom to cancer two years ago this november.

Next I've been in your shoes, My MIL passed away in 1996 and My FIL decided to take all 13 of us to Disney for Thanksgiving since Mom always had everyone to her house for dinner. This was the first time we went at this time of year and we fell in love with the holidays at Disney!

We now plan our trips for the weekend after Thanksgiving. I think you will find that the crowds thin out alot after Sunday. You have a good amount of time in the parks after the actual holiday - I would plan to do the bulk of my touring from the Monday after Thanksgiving untill you have to go home and anything that you do before would be a bonus!

I'm sure you will make special memories even if this trip is bittersweet at first - I know ours was.

 

[KAA1972]

Try Garden Grocer for your turkey. You can google them. They are a grocery service that delivers and they may be able to deliver a turkey.

 

[KAA1972]

Oh, if you have a car then I would just find the nearest Publix grocery store and pre-order a turkey from them. If you don't have Publix in your area then let me just convince you that they are FABULOUS!!!

 

[ThreeKMom]

Are you really planning to cook a Thanksgiving Dinner on vacation?

I think I would look into finding a grocery store that will do the cooking for you - that way you can just warm everything up! Or better yet find a local restaurant and go there.

I guess I'm spoiled - I don't cook on vacation!

 

[allgoodgifts]

Thanks, everyone! Yes, I'm really planning to cook a turkey on vacation. Turkey is just about my favorite food, and I really like the whole Thanksgiving "thing" - the smells, the food, the football, the food... =) I *might* decide to order dinner pre-cooked, but I don't think it will be the same. Now, I don't intend to spend a lot of time cooking during the rest of the trip - it will be leftovers, take-out, and restaurants for the most part. That's the other good thing about turkey - lots of leftovers.

We're only staying until Wednesday, so I'll only have Monday and Tuesday after the crowds die down. We'll make the most of those days, though. And I think with some planning and the right attitude, we'll manage the crowds ok.

It will be bittersweet, but you are right, I'm looking forward to it, and the obsessive planning is actually helping me keep my mind off the sadder reasons for the trip.

 

[ThreeKMom]

Maybe you could order a precooked turkey and just make all the sides yourself? I know what you mean about all the smells for Thanksgiving. One of my best memories of my Mom is waking up early on Thanksgiving morning to the smell of sausage stuffing being prepared! She would start cooking around 7am and just keep going all day!