Is Thanksgiving week really THAT BAD crowd wise?

[chinablessings]

Our Thanksgiving plans fell through and we considered a spontaneous trip to DL. I found an available hotel room, airline tickets are really decent but a crowd calendar I viewed said...NO WAY! I'm hoping someone who has been to DL the week of Thanksgiving can give me a good review.

 

[DisGirl1700]

I'm going to be there that week too! The crowd forecast is scaring me as well. Hopefully someone who's been there last year will chime in! I'm unable to change my dates due to my child's school schedule. Hoping for the best!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

We go every year for that week. Manage your expectations. There will be crowds, but if you start the day early, have at least a loose plan of what are the most important few things to do each day, and use fastpass/Maxpass you will be ok, especially if you can be patient and flexible. Thanksgiving week tends to feel more crowded to me than random summer dates, not as bad as the week between Christmas and New Year's, and sometimes not even as bad as the spring break weeks surrounding Easter on years when Easter is in March or very early April.

 

[katyringo]

I’m always in the a crowded Disneyland is better then a no Disneyland...

With maxpass and some planning it will be a good time!

 

[tink89]

I agree with @katyringo

It will be busy but I rather be at Disneyland with crowds than be at home.
We went during xmas last year and will be going again. I do think that xmas week is a bit moe hectic than thanksgiving and we dd just fine. We used MP, EMH and did everything in a relaxed pace.

Just plan and expect crowds and you will be fine.

 

[Malcon10t]

We are there each year. It is crowded, but fun. Like a PP said, manage your expectations and you will be fine!

 

[crystal1313]

We have gone at the beginning of the week and it has never been more crowded than what I was expecting. I think if you plan and have the mindset ahead of time for crowds, you can still have a wonderful trip!

 

[Ninja4]

We will be there the beginning of that week (sun afternoon-wed) and I'm trying really hard to manage my expectations. We plan on being there at rope drop each day to maximize the mornings and also stay till close to use that time (my kids are 10 and 13, they can handle the later hours)
This might mean we need a nap during the day but I'm worried it'll be too crowded to get a nap and see/do everything they want.
We will also be using max pass.
The kids are at least not as interested in meeting all the characters so that will be some time saved as I remember meeting princesses taking hours during our last visit.
Any other tips on how to best utilize our time?

 

[Erin M]

If you can't fit in naps, but want to sit out a bit of the super busy afternoons, take time for a sit down meal. You are still in the park enjoying the atmosphere, but relaxing. We find that a really nice meal helps us have a better attitude when we head back out. This is something we hadn't really adopted until we had a kid, and I wish we'd done it all along. And I really mean take time, spend a good hour sitting, eating, talking about your next game plan. Other things we do when it's too busy to get out there and walk around include Animation Academy, Turtle Talk with Crush, a train ride around the whole park, maybe two loops so you can see everything on both sides. All of these allow you sit down but still experience things and hopefully in less of a crowd push.

Also stack you max passes for night time, there have been a few discussions about how to do this recently. I've only done it once so I am not an expert, but if you stack them at night, even if it's busy you have a plan and places to be. We did this best in DCA.

It'll be great!

 

[chickapin parterre]

Our Thanksgiving plans fell through and we considered a spontaneous trip to DL. I found an available hotel room, airline tickets are really decent but a crowd calendar I viewed said...NO WAY! I'm hoping someone who has been to DL the week of Thanksgiving can give me a good review.

So what researched information is the Crowd Calendar you viewed using to establish that Thanksgiving 2018 is a No Way! visit? It has been 11 years since we have had a Thanksgiving like the one being offered in 2018......and Amazon had less than 20,000 employees in 2007 ( I didn't even know it existed in 2007 until folks where along side me at Goodwill bookshelves with hand held devices, competing with my brain of experience on book values) and in 2016, 180,000 folks work for amazon.....and for a price, everyone can hold a hand held device at Disneyland...for seven days longer in the month of November celebrating Christmas 2018!!!

 

[ghtx]

We will be there Thanksgiving week this year, but just Monday-Wednesday, so I'm hoping it will be manageable. We are staying on-site so will use the early entry (7am! but just 10am for us coming from the east coast).

 

[StarlitNight05]

We will be there Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday. I know there is a possibility of it being very packed, but we will go in with appropriate expectations, utilize early mornings, and Maxpass. With a good plan and mindset you'll be all set to go for a wonderful time!

 

[beachdreamr1229]

It's not as bad as the week of Christmas and it's generally cooler outside than spring break, so to me, it's one of the best times to go. As a teacher with 3 kids in school, we don't get the choice of going in off-times. Thanksgiving week is relatively pleasant. Just get there at rope drop, take a break during the peak (1-4PM), and manage your expectations. It's all about loose plans, prioritizing, and going in with a positive attitude. We have gone the last 3 Thanksgivings. This is our first year in a while not doing it, but we'll be back again for Thanksgiving next year because we enjoy it so much.

 

[Tedwash]

Just face it. It will be crowded. No way around it.

Crowds have been noticeably larger this year . It rained here 2 weeks ago and the park was still packed. (30 mins just for a churro!!!)

I'm willing to bet the holiday season thru New Years will be super crowded.

 

[WonkaKid]

FWIW, I've gone to DL on the last two or three Thanksgivings. Crowds have been relatively light on each visit. Two things, however:
1. I got there at rope drop and left by around 4:00. Evenings may well get crazy.
2. I believe that every day of the Thanksgiving week was EMH and those with such privileges were allowed into the park at 7:00.

Now: as to how busy the park was on the days before or after Thanksgiving, I can't say. But my experience on Thanksgiving day has been great (on the two or three times I've been there on the day).

Hope this helps!

 

[FCDub]

So what researched information is the Crowd Calendar you viewed using to establish that Thanksgiving 2018 is a No Way! visit? It has been 11 years since we have had a Thanksgiving like the one being offered in 2018......and Amazon had less than 20,000 employees in 2007 ( I didn't even know it existed in 2007 until folks where along side me at Goodwill bookshelves with hand held devices, competing with my brain of experience on book values) and in 2016, 180,000 folks work for amazon.....and for a price, everyone can hold a hand held device at Disneyland...for seven days longer in the month of November celebrating Christmas 2018!!!

HUH?

 

[Nevada Jen]

Use max pass, park hoppers and early mornings. Especially on thursday. And by early mornings, I mean get to security 45 minutes before opening, if not an hour. That is the key. If you mosey up to security at 10 am, you are going to hit 1 pm and realize you have only made it on 3 rides and are nothing but frustrated. We did thanksgiving a couple of years ago and it was actually completely fine. We did do a sit down meal each day at about 2 (that we booked in advance) and tried to book show packages to help a bit with the crowd issues. It's perfectly fun.

 

[Malcon10t]

FWIW, I've gone to DL on the last two or three Thanksgivings. Crowds have been relatively light on each visit. Two things, however:
1. I got there at rope drop and left by around 4:00. Evenings may well get crazy.
2. I believe that every day of the Thanksgiving week was EMH and those with such privileges were allowed into the park at 7:00.

Now: as to how busy the park was on the days before or after Thanksgiving, I can't say. But my experience on Thanksgiving day has been great (on the two or three times I've been there on the day).

Hope this helps!

You leave just in time, because the crowds really pick up in the evening. Black Friday is usually fairly crowded. Crowded enough I have opted for a VIP tour some years. Usually, it is more teens than adults. But a day at crowded Disneyland is better than not being at DL!

 

[chickapin parterre]

HUH?

The last time we had a Thanksgiving like the one we will have in 2018 was in 2007.....there is no history of how crowded 2018 will be and all planning can be thrown out the window!!!

The times have a changed since 2007....when I first encountered a profit-less business in 2007 named Amazon that lowered the profits of my day to day commercial pursuit of buying books at Goodwill and reselling them became a level field of knowledge had arrived when all that was needed to determine the value of a book was....... a hand held device to determine value.

Today, at Disneyland, any visit, is a great opportunity when all you need is a hand held device to schedule your attraction entrance and time in between to tour the holiday decor....all day long....and not even know it is crowded....unless you like waiting for Disneyland holiday sugar treats and encounter the good will of folks waiting with you for a parade!!!

 

[Malcon10t]

The last time we had a Thanksgiving like the one we will have in 2018 was in 2007.....there is no history of how crowded 2018 will be and all planning can be thrown out the window!!!

I'm still confused by your post. I think we can compare what may occur in 2018 to what happened in 2017 and 2016. Why are you comparing it to 2007?