How long does Thanksgiving affect crowds?

[JessL]

I am planning a trip to DLR with my kids in November this year. We're coming from Australia, so it's an expensive trip and I have a list of 'requirements':

• I want to avoid any particularly busy times as far as possible
• I want to be there when all the Christmas decorations are up (apparently they are completed around November 13). December is considerably more expensive in airfares, so that isn't an option
• We will be there for 7 nights and want to include one full weekend to take advantage of the longer opening hours, but not when we first arrive (we'll be too jet-lagged to enjoy it properly). We won't be doing anything else this trip - it's purely a trip to Disneyland and we will spend every day in the parks.

I have read that I should avoid Veteran's Day on November 11, the half-marathon on November 10-13 and Thanksgiving week November 21-29. That doesn't leave many weekends!

I am considering November 14 - November 21, but I'm worried that if the whole of Thanksgiving week is supposed to be busy, that it might actually start ramping up the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Any advice you can give me would be very welcome!

Jess

 

[SMD]

I know LAUSD has started taking the whole week before Thanksgiving off. And some districts have a Fall break around that time. You could split the week and start before the race when the decorations are mostly up and then end after they're up. Why not run in one of the Avengers races?

 

[chickapin parterre]

1st look at a US calendar for 2015 and calendar for 2016. Thanksgiving is not a numerical date but a "Thursday"

As a result of Thanksgiving being early in 2016 there are now five Sundays after Thanksgiving before Christmas Sunday. And the last week of Dec is the "Super Holiday of the Century" both weekends holding the major seasonal holidays.Tons of time off, tons of people during the last week

If your research show for 2016 the Nov 13 is the first complete day of decor, that does not leave many days before thanksgiving and folks blocked. So there will be a crush of folks up to Thanksgiving week.

But here is the bright spot, folks in the US tend to not celebrate Christmas till after Thanksgiving, a mantra "I don't celebrate till after thanksgiving." In 2016 that celebrations starts early and even earlier in 2017 and even earlier in 2018. So all the crush we had prior to 2016 now disappears, because extra days, extra weeks, folks are now spread out to celebrate.......hence the mythical week "empty week after Thanksgivng" surfaces for the next three years. And they are empty because on many Disney sites folks will be sharing that the week after Thanksgiving is crushing, ( using past experiences )so folks make the decision to avoid Nov and only celebrate in Dec.

So, there may actually be some pressure relieved off Thanksgiving because of the extra days, super week holiday at the end of Dec......and the park is under major refurb with missing train and folks may just not show up all, saving money for star wars.

But Jess, the best handle on your visit......Disneyland is now busy, there is no empty....you have to change your touring style. Early at the gate,....back to lodging from 2-5...close down the park. With those naps, food intake, showers, hydration, just sitting in the silence of the room creates rest and fuel for the evening. With those hours away from prime time crush, the park will never seem busy.