Help with 2004 Thanksgiving Trip

[Little Mermaid1715]

Hello Everyone,
I am new to the board and need some help! I posted on the Tip board but have gotten no replies, so I thought I would try here.
I need any advice for our trip Thanksgiving week 2004. We are leaving the Friday before and Staying 8 nights until the Saturday after. Any help or tips on weather, crowds, things not to miss would be so appreciated. We are stayting at the Caribbean Beach and it is 5 adults and 2 children.

Thanks!!!

 

[jordgubben]

Thanksgiving has been discussed pretty widely lately. If the search feature is up you should try that.

From what I've gathered, the parks can be kind of crowded on that Friday and weekend after Thankgiving but that they diminish starting that next week.

I think the weather is generally in the high 60s and low 70s but you might want to see if anyone else posts with something more concrete.

8 days is a nice amount of time to spend. You should be able to do quite a bit. I'm a planner so I make a chart of all the days we are down there and start figuring out what we would like to do when.

 

[Momof2boys]

We are going the week of Thanksgiving also. We will be there the Sat. before and leaving the day after Thanksgiving. I have never been this time of year, but here is what I have been told. The crowds are very managable the first of the week. They start to get heavy on Wed. and are very heavy Thanksgivng thru the weekend. I would try and get a lot of park time in during the beginning of the week, especially at MK. I have heard that MK is terrible Thanksgiving day. We plan to go just for EE and stay a few hours so we can see the Christmas decorations then we will park hop to Epcot. I would make your PS for Thanksgivng Day as soon as possible. I made a PS for Whispering Canyon Cafe at WL. I have heard they have a great Thanksgiving buffet. The weather is on average in the 70's this time of year, but can be alot warmer or colder. I would just check the extended weather forcast a few days before you go.

 

[zman]

We went back in 1998…the Friday before Thanksgiving to the day after Thanksgiving. We found the parks very manageable, even the day before Thanskgiving, though you could tell the crowds were growing. On Thanksgiving Day we did EE at MK and left at 11:00 AM. The crowds were swelling…quickly! We then went to Downtown Disney for lunch, went to the resort, CBR, for a swim and some rest. For the evening, we went to MGM, had dinner at MaMa Melrose and then did the Osbourne Festival of Lights. MGM was light, in my opinion.

Highly consider doing E-Ticket Night if one is offered. You won't regret it.

The temps for the week were mid-to-upper 80’s. I believe this was a bit unusual for this time of year.

Enjoy!

Paul

 

[tink2]

We've been twice during this week and are going again this year. I'll share our experiences.
crowds- very managable until Thursday. Wednesday is a little more crowded, but still managable. We tried to get all the big musts done Mon-Wed. Thursday is a zoo at MK. We do EE there and get the rides we really want done, see the Christmas decorations, eat a character lunch, then watch the afternoon and nighttime parade. We travel with my family and my mom likes to be at MK on Thanksgiving Day - sentimental I guess. Friday is crowded at MK too, but we do other parks that day and have been OK.

weather- It has been beautiful both trips- only a couple of very light and very short showers. Temperatures were warm in the day and a little cool in the mornings and evenings. We wore shorts every day of both trips. We took a light jacket for the children.

Food- most places serve the traditional turkey day meal- turkey, dressing, etc. We avoid dinner- we like to eat a big lunch anyway so we can go light on breakfast and dinner. Most people like to eat Thanksgiving dinner- so I would make my PS asap. We are waiting for the 90 day mark to eat at Crystal Palace- traveling with four kids ranging in age of 4-10, wanted something fun and relaxing for them. I think the most popular restaurant this day is Liberty Tree Tavern in MK- but I'm not sure if the PS day is 90 or was 120. If it was 120- I bet it's full.

We love this time of year. You get to see the parks before and after christmas decorations. We do the parks Mon-Fri, I have heard to avoid both the weekend before and after.

I'll answer any questions for your next year trip after ours this Thanksgiving!