Experienced Disney World Thanksgiving advice needed

[kellyarms20]

I am a Disneyland vet and Disney World newbie, just booked our first ever visit to the World a week or so ago. My husband and I are taking our kids aged 17 & 11 to Disney World the week of Thanksgiving and have six day tickets, no park hoppers, 11/22 thru 11/27. We're staying on site at Saratoga Springs. I am super excited about staying on property because I've never been able to afford to do the same in California so I really want to take advantage of EMHs because I've never been able to before!

My first dilemma is, the more I read, the more EMH days seem like a bad idea because of crowds. But we're doing 2 days in each of the busiest parks, so won't we be able to cover everything big at Epcot and MK if we spend 2 days in each? We walk pretty fast.

On top of that, last night I tried on a whim and got a lunch reservation on Thanksgiving Day at BOG!

This is my second dilemma. I have a natural aversion to MK on Thanksgiving because I feel like the crowds will be out of control. We had originally planned on Epcot (which is also busy, but EMH) that day, but then I scored that BOG reservation... With that being said, I have survived many summer crowds and one Christmas crowd at Disneyland so I definitely know what crowded feels like.

Is the Thanksgiving crowd at MK a sardine fest? Are people packed in shoulder to shoulder? Has anyone here done Disneyland at Christmas and Thanksgiving at MK and is willing to share a comparison?

I feel like the Thanksgiving BOG reservation is too valuable not to use. Who knows when we'll be back, it's our first visit, the kids are growing way too fast and it's our last vacation while they're both still "kids," we have 2 days there anyway, etc. What would you do?

Thanks in advance, really having fun reading here! So nice to be among fellow Disney lovers!!

 

[Alesia]

Since you don't have hoppers, you should avoid EMH like the plague. The park with EMH will be significantly busier than the parks without. It really does make a huge difference.

Two days each at Epcot and MK aren't really that much. We typically spend 3 days at Epcot and 2.5 to 3 days at MK and still don't do everything.

My advice is to follow the recommended days from the crowd calendar at easywdw.com and make a good touring plan.

 

[poohs_hunny]

My advice would be that if you can swing the cost, get hoppers. That way you can go to MK on Thanksgiving for your BOG lunch and then hop to another park if it's crazy crowded. I've been at Disney World the past two Thanksgivings, but we went to AK both years since I figured it would be the least crowded of all the parks. It wasn't bad at all! Have fun!

 

[itchin2go]

I went Thanksgiving week last year. I agree with Alesia - look at the crowd calendar on easywdw and follow that advice.

I knew when I was planning our trip that I would not go anywhere near MK on Thanksgiving day. There are plenty of people who want to be there though.

I know BOG has its fans, but we ate lunch there and it was a very disappointing experience. The food was just ok.

Bright side: we had a great time during Thanksgiving week!

 

[disnut8]

I also avoid Magic Kingdom on Thanksgiving. If you switch that day to Epcot, there are a lot of different countries in which to eat and a nice lunch there would be more relaxing. We've done Thanksgiving lunches at the Rose and Crown (and thanked our server for her country kind of "inspiring" our Thanksgiving) and also at the Biergarten (the band does play at lunch). We've also just snacked our way around World Showcase. That might be a better fit for your family. Also, World Showcase is a nice place to just walk, see the films, do the American Adventure (that's a tear jerker for me and Thanksgiving would be a good day to feel all Americanish) and enjoy other countries. You could even get a bit of education into your kids by getting a world map before you go, having the kids find the different countries and see if they have a Thanksgiving tradition or something similar. Then, when you are there, you can have the kids take the map and go to the KidCot stations and get an autograph from the Cast Member there. You can do your FastPass stuff in the morning at Future World, get in a few more attractions there, and then spend the afternoon in World Showcase. Much more relaxing time.

 

[DisneyLove2015]

We go almost every Thanksgiving for a family reunion (missed last year) and for once, MK doesn't have morning EMH hours on Thanksgiving this year. We've had to do MK on Thanksgiving due to family pressing the issue in the past and it's not completely awful or un doable... You need a good plan but you should be able to accomplish plenty with a good plan. We've never had to skip a favorite on Thanksgiving day. We do rope drop to close usually and maximize our time. I believe Epcot has EMH on Thanksgiving this year, not sure how that would affect Epcot/MK crowds.
We've done lunch at BOG and we loved the food... Everyone has a different opinion! It's my favorite at MK now. I think it's worth it!

We did morning Emh hours at MK this summer and we found the morning hour to be really beneficial. We've never tried evening EMH.

 

[KarmaCat]

We had our Thanksgiving meal at MK two years ago, so here's my advice if you want to keep your BOG plans:

1) Be there EARLY. As in, BEFORE rope drop. While the eventual crowds were absolutely ridiculous, the early morning situation was not bad AT ALL. We managed to ride a ton of rides with very little wait (including many favorites) all within the first hour and a half, even though there was certainly a steady stream of guests entering the park.

2) Expect that by late morning (by 11:00), the crowds will finally reach the "thick sea of humanity" level, and wait times will be universally long. We took advantage of this time to do things like the People Mover, which are usually walk-on rides, and even then we actually had to wait in fairly long lines. WDW vets will understand how crowded this means the park was at this point... There is NEVER a line for the People Mover!!! The line started way past the bottom of the escalator.

3) After lunch, you may do well to consider cutting your park plans short if crowds are not your thing. FastPass+ may help you squeeze something else in before you leave, but an out-of-park afternoon activity will likely be more pleasant. Luckily, at WDW, there are TONS of options: play mini-golf at Winter Summerland or Fantasia Gardens! Take the boat over to the Poly or CR marina and rent a couple of those little Sea Raycer boats to drive around Bay Lake! Hop to the monorail resorts to admire the amazing holiday decorations (don't miss the life-sized gingerbread at GF)! Head over to the Beach Club for ice cream at Beaches & Cream and then wander around the Boardwalk! Go to Fort Wilderness and go horseback riding, or take a horse-drawn carriage ride either there at FW or at POR! Spend the afternoon lounging in your resort pool (weather permitting)! There is ALWAYS something to do beyond the parks at WDW... this is one way WDW differs significantly from DLR.

Thanksgiving week is a wonderful time to spend in WDW; you will love it!!! The holiday decorations and all the special touches make it truly magical. I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[ariane37]

I haven't been in the parks ON Thanksgiving day, but will be this year Closest we've come is flying in at night on T-day, but good friends go down every other year the week of Thanksgiving and do NOT do MK on the holiday. For the most part we're going by the recommended days on easywdw and we'll be in either AK or HS on Thanksgiving. So the only advice I can give is based on 2nd hand info. I've gotten from friends and on here, and my experience when we've gone during other busy times. Since it's your first visit and I'm sure you want to do as much as possible, I would really try using easywdw to plan your days. Eating at BOG is a great experience but there are SO many other places that are great experiences, too I think following recommended days might possibly lead to a more pleasant trip.
However if you do decide to do MK on Thanksgiving follow KarmaCat's suggestions, especially regarding getting there prior to RD. Even with the crowds expected those first couple hours will be your best. And have a back up plan if the crowds get too big; again as KarmaCat said, touring the resorts (Epcot ones and GF especially!) is a great way to spend time since the decorations will be up.
A pp brought up getting hoppers; if that is at all possible I would do it! Enjoy your trip and SSR

 

[disneygolfer1985]

I have been on thanksgiving and Christmas Day and usually avoid MK. Like a PP mentioned, we usually go to AK on those days and it is usually pretty empty in the morning. We usually go to a resort for dinner that evening or go to HS for the Osborne lights. We have been in MK for thanksgiving and it wasn't as bad as Christmas Day in the MK, but it can be done. I would recommend getting park hoppers as previous mentioned.

 

[KCB4]

Glad to get some advice here : We are going our 2nd trip to DW (First on Thanksgiving) and so nervous about the crowds (I have a 6 and 8 year old). I have looked at crowd calendars but one day we are going to have to go to MK when it is not the recommended park (which will be the day before Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving (dinner at BOG).. Do you all have advice on making a plan for rides and such?? Or does anyone have a sample I can tweak from??

 

[LoverDisney]

Great thread! We plan to be at the World during Thanksgiving too. I plan to avoid MK on that day and go to AK instead.

 

[asbyrneva]

We go Thanksgiving every year. One thing you should be aware of is current posted openings will probably change, they have at least for the last 5 years much closer to the week. We always go to MK on thanksgiving day because it has traditionally opened at 7 am EMH. That week last year MK changed to 8 am openings as well so lots of time to get things and get out before it becomes totally unbearable. We do have AP but that day instead of going to another park we leave about 2 -230 and hit the pool at the resort and a dinner at another resort. We also wait till friday to go to EPCOT since Christmas Around the world with story tellers and candlelight processional dont start till Friday after thanksgiving.
We'll See you there... we have the Plaza at noon!

 

[disneygolfer1985]

I will state that if you be ther after Black Friday to almost avoid Epcot on Black Friday as that is the first day for holidays around the world. One time it is alsmot impossible to walk around the world showcase. I will holidays around the world should not be missed!

 

[CynBeth]

This will be our second Thanksgiving Week trip. We did AK on the holiday itself and had dinner at TE. This time we are doing a split stay and will be at AKL the second half of the trip. We will be at AK the day before so we are thinking about just staying at the resort and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and dog show and maybe swimming if good weather or we might go to AK for a few hours before our dinner at Boma. We will be at EPCOT on Black Friday and already booked our CP package. Can't wait to see who the narrator ends up being. Luckily we will already have been to EP earlier in the trip so all we have to worry about is seeing the storytellers during the day before dinner at Chefs.

 

[floydfamily4]

First of all! Congrats on the BOG reservation I have been trying to get a Thanksgiving reservation since my kids are celebrating their birthday on Thanksgiving and it would be a treat. So with that said I would keep the ressie and get hoppers Good luck and maybe we'll run into you in the parks

 

[Disneymom1126]

We've gone during Thanksgiving twice and both times followed Josh's advice on easywdw for which park to visit which days. We also rope dropped MK (twice) and HS. We had 2 days at Epcot so did our tier 1 FP for Test Track one day and soaring the 2nd day. We were able to do everything we wanted to with no trouble. A few days the parks were pretty busy in the noon-4pm range and all of the night shows were pretty crowded, but not unbearable IMO

 

[bmalonef45]

We plan to be there on Thanksgiving this year and have been once before. We are planning on staying away from MK that day but may go back after DHS closes. We're down there to watch the College Basketball tournament at ESPN WW of sports complex. If you like college basketball and want something to do to avoid the big park crowds on Thanksgiving thats definitely an option. At least half of the teams in this years tourney were in the NCAA tourney last year. Of course we'll be rooting for our Shockers!

 

[kellyarms20]

Ack! I feel like such a jerk, I had no idea all of the responses this thread received! Thank you all so much for your kind advice.

I have discovered, thanks to the first couple of replies (and apparently the only replies I was aware of until tonight ), easywdw's crowd calendars. I am officially smitten with Josh of easywdw. He is the bees knees of explaining the how's and why's of crowd levels. My ADRs have been refurbed and I dropped BOG for Thanksgiving Day. We are doing Thanksgiving at AK, the safest choice.

Again, thank you all so much. Sorry for dropping off like I did.

 

[kellyarms20]

First of all! Congrats on the BOG reservation I have been trying to get a Thanksgiving reservation since my kids are celebrating their birthday on Thanksgiving and it would be a treat. So with that said I would keep the ressie and get hoppers Good luck and maybe we'll run into you in the parks

Ack! I feel like a jerk again for not seeing this before I dropped the reservation! I hope you get what you want for Thanksgiving birthday plans...I dropped it as soon as I decided against MK on Thanksgiving because I didnt want to hold onto what someone else might be hoping for! I totally wouldnt mind hoppers but my husband wants us to "plant ourselves" for the day in the parks we start in. Who knows how we'll feel after this trip? We might try for hoppers next time. I know in California we never use them, but it's just not our family's style to hop. We're probably selling ourselves short in that regard, especially in California where hopping is literally just a hop, skip, and a jump!

 

[ariane37]

We plan to be there on Thanksgiving this year and have been once before. We are planning on staying away from MK that day but may go back after DHS closes. We're down there to watch the College Basketball tournament at ESPN WW of sports complex. If you like college basketball and want something to do to avoid the big park crowds on Thanksgiving thats definitely an option. At least half of the teams in this years tourney were in the NCAA tourney last year. Of course we'll be rooting for our Shockers!

I'm just seeing this post now, do you happen to know if tickets for the games are on sale yet? We are considering taking our 2 DS's to this on Thanksgiving day rather than going to a park but I don't know much about it. Last time I checked the website said tix will go on sale late summer/ early Sept.