Disney World at Thanksgiving...

[ThinkTink75]

Hi all... I have posted about 6 or 7 times as my boyfriend and I toyed with different times of the year to go to WDW... we went to celebrate my college graduation January of this year and wanted to make plans for later in the year, next year. Since I have a teaching job now- we are pretty much locked into busy times. We started with the idea of the week after July 4th... ping-ponged to Easter Week... thought about Christmas.... but now we both seem content with the idea of going for Thanksgiving....
It works out for both of us in that over the last couple years our families have changed their "traditions" and I get a 5 day weekend for Thanksgiving. So we were looking at flying in Tuesday of Thanksgiving week next year and flying out the Sunday after (gives us aboiut 5 full days). But before we go getting to excited or saving for our down payment I have a few questions for the WDW veterans on the boards here.... Please help if you can!

1. What is the weather like? Is it still rainy like August-September? Has the humidity broken?

2. What are the crowds like? My travel books rate them as being somewhere between Christmas/Easter and summertime.... which gives me the idea that its big crowds like summer but not as gigantic as the super packed holiday weeks? Is that accurate? Is it more or less crowded on Thanksgiving day?

3. Is it true that when you go to the park the day after Thanksgiving the Christmas decorations have magically appeared overnight? Are all the holiday attractions ready then (like the Christmas parade)?

4. Would you reccommend this time of year over the above mentioned (Christmas/Easter/Summer)?

Any info you have would be realllllllllly helpful to me!!
Thanks in advance!
Peace, love, and mousears!

 

[720L]

1. No its not rainy. No humidity. We wore tshirts and pants during the day, sweatshirts at night. I have heard it can get really cold at night.
2 It's busy but not unmanageable. Use fastpass, and get to the parks early.
3. I think the decorations are already up now, so no they dont magically appear overnight. When you see how elaborate they are you'll know why.
4. I would recommend this time over summer, because summer is so hot, and Easter, because I think its busier than thanksgiving.

5 full days in the parks sounds perfect!!

 

[Caitsmama]

This is our 4th time going for TG. We LOVE this time of year there.. it is warm (but not hot) and cool during the night (sweatshirt), it is warm enough to swim (for us anyway!!) but not exhausting heat like the summer.. most times it is about 70-75 during the day.

We have found that the week leading up TIL TG day is not crowded.. we try to hit all the parks then.. From TG day thru the weekend following TG is kinda packed, but i don't see it as unmanageable, just plan well. And like the above poster said, be at the park early.

Decorations are slowly going up, so i don't think they magically appear overnight.. but none the less, it is BEAUTIFUL. Plus you get special things going on for the holidays - like the osborn lights (a must see!) and the candlelight processional, etc.

As i mentioned, this is our 4 yr going, (3rd consecutive) and we are already booked for next year..... this is all we are use to, and we LOVE it. I really think it is a great time of yr to go!
Good luck!

 

[Heather]

This will be our second Thanksgiving trip. A few years ago the weather was GORGEOUS -- couldn't have been better. Sunny & warm, but not hot -- could use the pools, etc. This year looks to be cooler, but it's still better than summer-hot!! If your choices are summer or Thanksgiving, turkey day is BY FAR the better choice!

I will say that the crowds on Thanksgiving day are VERY high. Usually the week leading up isn't bad. Wednesday is kind of crowded, but manageable, and Friday is the same. Then it dies down by Sunday.

I've been reading other posts on the boards which say that all the resorts are already decorated by now. Much of the holiday stuff is either already going on or will start the day after Thanksgiving. I'll post when I return and let you know what we saw, how the crowds were, etc. We leave today!!!

 

[JESW]

Here's another thought...

Does your teaching job have the week of Easter off - or do you get a spring break in April? I am in the Northeast and we get spring break mid-april. Some years it is around Easter. When it is NOT around Easter, it is a pretty good week to go. The crowds are not small since it is spring break for a lot of the Nothteast, but they are smaller than around Easter when other states (and colleges) seem to be on break.

Our family also goes the end of august. While it is quite hot and humid, the crowds are smaller. Maybe you can go before you start back to school??

Jill

 

[ThinkTink75]

So my trip will pretty much be at the height of Thanksgiving crowds, then? lol! We are looking at Wednesday-Sunday of Thanksgiving week next year... we will probably fly in Tuesday night and go to whichever park has EMH for that day, then do the best we can as far as crowds for Weds-Sat, maybe have breakfast Sunday and see Magic Kingdom one last time and then fly home for Sunday night.

Any tips on beating the crowds and staying sane? Oh and I am interested to know from people who have gone many times- what are by your observations the least and worst crowded? I found this online and Thanksgiving isn't on here and I would like to know where you think it would fit:

MOST CROWDED TIME OF THE YEAR
Christmas through New Year's

EXTREMELY CROWDED
Easter Week (Before and After)

REALLY CROWDED
Fourth of July Week

CROWDED
Spring Break (first week of March until mid April)
Memorial Day Weekend
Summer Break (second week of June until second week of August)
President's Day until the end of February

A GOOD TIME TO GO
End of April
Second Week of February
Labor Day Weekend
First two weeks of December

THE NEXT BEST TIME TO VISIT
First Week of February
Beginning of October until Thanksgiving
Week before Christmas

BEST TIME TO VISIT
January
September


Now, I love the idea of the 70-75 weather so that does seem a bit better for me than summer, since we are young and recent college grads so we don't want to deal with the rainist month of the year in Florida! Plus our first trip was in January and we had some pretty seasonably warm weather then which was 70s-80s. My grandma says Fall is the best season for Florida weather.

Thanks for the suggestion about Easter but we actually get an Easter break, not a Spring Break and since we are in NY if we use all of our snowdays the prior winter they take days away from Spring Break so I don't want to get caught booking a vacay and then having to choose between canceling or getting written up! lol! If only we had went to WDW during college- who cares about one week of classes! Plus I have heard there are immense crowds during Easter.

In any case, any more input is much appreciated AND I would really like to get a good idea of the crowds or any other tips or advice!!!

 

[disnut8]

We alternate Thanksgiving with family and then with Mickey.

Weather - No humidity but temperatures can vary from year to year. This year, we'll be taking shorts, jeans, and lots of layers for the evenings.

Crowds - Tuesday and Wednesday shouldn't be bad. The crowds hit on Thanksgiving and will decrease on Sunday. I haven't seen any park close for capacity, though (I avoid Magic Kingdom on Thursday).

Decorations - While the decorations are going up now (Osborne Lights are running), the special events like the holiday Illuminations, Candlelight Processional, parades, etc. start the day after Thanksgiving. We're not seeing Illuminations on Thursday because it's not the special one.

Time of Year - we don't find the summer all that bad but then again, we're just seven hours north so usually have the same weather. Christmas/New Years is kind of crazy. I really like Thanksgiving because it gets me into the Christmas spirit. It's just amazing how Disney does it the day after Thanksgiving. On Thursday, it's not Christmas to me. On Friday, it is.

One word of advice, though. Decide on a place to have your Thanksgiving dinner and call 180 days before then for your reservation. I've seen so many people walking around like zombies because they can't get in anywhere.

 

[Kay1]

I don't know if I agree about the weather. We're going next Tuesday and Wednesday and we're looking at highs in the low 60's and lows around 50. That's not a big deal unless you planned to swim. Should warm up by the weekend, though.

 

[Drcell01]

For the second year we are spending Thanksgiving at WDW. We found that the weather is perfect, the crowds are not bad except for Thanksgiving Day, and it is a good time to experience WDW decorated for the holidays! I can't think of any place I would rather be than at Walt Disney World with my family for the Thanksgiving holiday.

 

[ThinkTink75]

If it is unseasonably cold we would only be looking at the norm for us- since we are new yorkers and have been wearing warm coats all month already. In general from what I have heard it is sunny cool weather in florida which is a break enough for us since we get a lot of clouds in November. Since the weather is bearable for us we would rather look at fall weather then the humidity of summer (it gets pretty wicked here and would probably prefer an escape in that case).
Is it totally undoable to see the processional and holiday illuminations friday and or saturday after thanksgiving because they are just starting? We came in the begining of Jan last year so we got to see Osbourne- but they had ended already. They are both at Epcot, right? Any tips?

 

[disnut8]

You can do both the Processional and the Holiday Illuminations on Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving. Both are at Epcot. The Processional will be at the theatre in America. It's easier to go to the early show (I believe it's at 5:00). Illuminations will go off at 9:30 and close the park (unless it's evening EMH). For more Christmas cheer, do one on Friday night and the other Saturday night. Although, IMHO, ending your trip with the Holiday Illuminations cannot be beat.

 

[ThinkTink75]

We have seen the regular Illuminations and know the basic deal- get there early, find a spot, and stick to it! (This took a lot of cotton candy for my boyfriend)- I am guessing we need to do this once we see people hovering, we did it an hour for a good spot in January so we are probably looking at a good chuck of hang out time- as for the processional- is there any tips for that? I don't know much about it- just that everyone says it is a must see. How early should we get there- where is the best place to camp? We are definately going to go next Thanksgiving...

And another question someone posted that I should make dinner reservations a full 180 days in advance but we are going to be using tax returns and my summer paycheck to pay for our vacay so may not be booking until about 115 days in advance- is this not enough time? I know it seems very technical and silly but I really want to have a good time and we cant afford the DDP if we don't wait....

Let me know what you all think!!

 

[beansmom]

this is my 2nd T-giving trip--my sis went in the summer once and said she could feel the heat fryin her butt up under her dress. Not for me! I've been in March...the weather was nice both times...sunny and cool for the most part...a little rain.

I like this time over March because of the decorations, the festivities and the atmosphere. It's my favorite time. The only other time I would prefer would be Halloween...maybe next year.


6 DAYS TIL I HIT THE MOUSE OF MOUSE!!

 

[disnut8]

ThinkTink75 -

Unless we had an exceptional experience two years ago, our party of five sat at the Liberty Inn and waiting until the stand by line for the Candlelight Processional (on the right as you look at the theatre) started moving. We got pretty good seats at the 5:00 showing.

For Illuminations - we have to see it every trip. Well, I have to see it every trip. We usually see it from Germany and only claim our spot about 1/2 hour before.

I suggested making your dinner reservation 180 days out. I called later that 180 days (because we didn't really know if we were going) and when I gave the Cast Member the date I wanted, she just laughed. I would call at your 180 days and get something. You can always cancel it with no penalty at all.

 

[ThinkTink75]

Can I make dinner arrangements without a reservation (like before I book my vacay)??

Like I mentioned early the best we can do is maybe a downpayment with tax returns to get the full 180 days in advance...

If it is really the best move I can always charge one of my credit cards for the several weeks until the end of school when I get my summer checks (I get all my paychecks for the summer at the end of June since I am a teacher).

Also, Disnut, you said you and your crew sat outside Liberty Inn waiting for the Processional standby line Thanskgiving weekend- how long did you have to wait in order to get a good place for the 5:00 showing?

 

[pixiedancer]

its kind of cold this week with temps in the 60s and 70s. it was really busy saturday and sunday and i believe yesterday too (dining was really busy monday) its expected to get busier closer to thanksgiving.

 

[disnut8]

ThinkTink75 -

You don't need to have all your final arrangements made to book your dinner 180 days out. Anyone can book at that time. You don't have to have anything booked at a resort. At the time I made my reservation, we weren't sure we were going either. You will be asked what resort you'll be staying at and just reply that you aren't sure yet. I was pretty sure we'd be staying offsite and that wasn't a problem either. You don't have to have a credit card available to make a dinner reservation. Basically, it's free and you can cancel at any time without any penalty. I just cancelled our Thanksgiving plans for dinner and it cost me nothing. I do have to mention that I just called for a lunch at Sci Fi for this Saturday around 1:00 and got a seating for 1:20. It's the Thanksgiving night reservation that's the difficult one.

For Candlelight, we probably sat at the Liberty Inn for about twenty minutes. The line started moving at 4:45, we joined the end of it and were in our seats by 4:50.

 

[ThinkTink75]

Thanksgiving definitely seems bearable as far as crowds go AND the weather seems very perfect! I am so excited and we aren't going until NEXT thanksgiving! lol!

I am glad that we can get priority seating before we book... we will probably choose all 5 nights of sit down meals and book them all 180 days out! lol! The wait doesn't seem so bad!

In January when we went we did Sci-Fi Dine at MGM and then Osborne Spectacle of Lights. Any other good restaurants to try as far as MGM for that goes? What about Epcot? What is the preferred Thanksgiving reserve?

I want it to be really special (I am sure you can tell by the sheer amount of time in advance we are planning)! Any other Thanksgiving tips?

 

[ThinkTink75]

I havent gotten any replies on my last couple questions... not to be a nudge here but I figured Id just bump my thread to see if there were any takers....

What is the best choice for a Thanksgiving dinner reservation??

Also, any other good Thanksgiving restaurants or tips in general??

Thanks,
Happy Sunday!

 

[MEK]

Think Tink-

Read the other post about Thanksgiving. I just got back and the dates you are describing were the busiest. It was REALLY busy the Weds before Thanksgiving with wait times at 120 minutes in MGM. I did not even go into the parks on Thanksgiving, and the Friday after, because I knew the crowds would be just as bad, if not worse. We had alternative things scheduled for those days. We had dinner with friends in Daytona.

Saturday and Sunday crowds were manageable. Monday after Thanksgiving was the best day - no crowds. If you really want to see the parks and get a lot done, this is not a good time. IF you are set on Thanksgiving, then consider taking Monday and Tuesday after T'giving off from work and visiting a few days when the crowds are light.

As far as eating - really like Le Cellier and Chefs De France - nice places for a couple.

Enjoy