Disneyland - Thanksgiving week?

[aijj]

we are thinking about a family trip to DLR this year with our 2 kiddos (ages 4 and 5)..though figuring out best time to go is a challenge given our current situation. We are in the midst of getting our house ready for sale and moving into temp housing for the summer until our new house is ready (end of the summer). Also our oldest will be starting kindergarten this year (late August), plus my DH teaches at a university so anything during the school year is out. We are in TX so not local...if we go we would spend at least 3 days there (likely 4).

last year we took our first family trip to Disneyland, and we had an absolutely magical time. i think we went the first week of May..the weather was perfect..we were at the parks from rope drop to closing. We stayed at the HoJo's which was fun for the kids(they loved the waterpark). It was warm enough to have fun in the water but not too hot. Cannot wait to go again. This year we are in a much better place financially so we could totally splurge to stay on site to get the extra amenities/EMH.

i thought about going in the early June (looks like Orbitz has some 20% deals for DLH).. but don't think we can swing it with all we have going on re: selling our house, and moving, etc. Later in the summer (July, August) is not really an option, as I don't think we could deal with the heat AND the crowds, plus the premium hotel prices to boot.

So bc we are limited by school schedule...we were thinking of going during Thanksgiving break (will have the whole week off, thankfully!). Would it be insanely crowded? And would we have to pay through the nose to stay onsite? Or would it be better right before Christmas (after semester is over)? We would wait till spring break 2016, but sadly, my DH's spring break is not the same as my son's, so that's a no-go. If we don't go this year the next time we could go would be early summer 2016.

Appreciate the suggestions, and sorry for the rambling! Kids are so excited to go back, we just need to figure out when.

 

[taffy]

Usually the week before xmas is a great time with lower crowds.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

I have heard it can get really crowded here is a question.
Can you go and check in the sat before thanksgiving? Are you flying?
Have sun, mon, tue, wed in park ? Home before the huge crowds hit (thanksgiving day and weekend?)
It is just an idea.
Another idea is the week before Christmas but both times will be crowded. I think week before Christmas will be more crowded then thanksgiving time.

 

[Geemo]

Since your times are restrictive, my vote is for the week of Thanksgiving.
Having the whole week, I would focus on the parks and rides early in the week.
If you do find the allowance to stay on-site the EE perk is going to be your new best friend.

November can be okay for water play, pack the swimsuit. When we go in January my grandkids always play in the pool. SoCal January weather can be like the PNW summer.

You may find that you'll also find a way to make a trip early summer 2016.

Good luck on the new house and ALL the moves.

Geemo

 

[DharmaLou]

We have gone twice right before Thanksgiving, including Thanksgiving Day. I found the crowds to be manageable as long as you use your EMH/MM, fast passes and plan your day accordingly. The later afternoons and evenings get crowded. Thanksgiving Day 2012 we went to DCA at rope drop (no early entry) and rode all the paradise pier rides many times in a row and it was a ghost town. Of course many people flocked to Cars Land instead, but if you plan the right way you'll be just fine.

 

[aijj]

thanks all for the replies! yep, we will be flying there for sure. So we could totally check in on Saturday 11/21 for spending Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (22nd-25th) at the parks, and leaving Thursday (thanksgiving day). Would be nice then to spend the weekend of thanksgiving just chilling at home before having to go back to work/school.

That's good to hear that having EMH will make a difference re: the crowds...totally willing to get up early for that to knock out a ton of the rides.

We really want to try staying at the DLH... looked up the rates for 11/21-11/26 and they are about $460 ish a night which sounds reasonable for what it is (seems about the same as summer rate?). Wonder if it's good to book now, or wait? Im assuming there are typically no discounts/deals for this time of year?

that is good to hear that there may be a chance it will be warm enough to go swimming! that would be awesome even to just get 1 day that is that warm (but if not no big deal).that's another reason to stay onsite..if it actually gets into the 70s/80s and starts getting crowded it would be nice to just be able to chill in the pool

thanks again, everyone! am getting so excited about this! i have never gone to Disneyland during the holidays since i was a child myself!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

I would book now and can always change. Also check getawaytoday to see if they have any better rates too. I hope you have fun. We are going the week after.

 

[Imdboss]

We went during thanksgiving week in 2013. We usually go in Oct but my mom and I decided we wanted to see the Xmas decorations (bucket list thing). So we booked the trip and then I started researching crowds and I totally started freaking out! Don't do that, lol!!!! I was reading that crowd levels from previous years hit max capacity so I was worried but at least prepared. We were there all week with a 5 day park hopper and honestly the crowds were never that bad. In fact Thanksgiving Day seemed pretty mellow to all of us. We aren't rope drop people, usually arrive around 10ish then head back to the room late afternoon for a nap then back to DL until closing. We were able to most of what we wanted and several rides multiple times. As far as the weather, you just never know, our first day was upper 90s, once the sun goes down it does get chilly though. Happy planning!

 

[boscoj]

We've also gone during Thanksgiving week & felt the crowds were very manageable. As for the hotel, keep checking Orbitz cause last year the Disney property hotels were 20% off during that week.....