Non park ideas for Thanksgiving Weekend

[alexandra uk]

We arrive in Orlando on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and I don't want to hit any of the parks until the Monday (I HATE CROWDS )
Has anyone got any ideas on what we could do on the Saturday and Sunday ?
I was thinking of booking Discovery cove, but I would rather have this to look forward to later on in the vacation.
How is crowded Blizzard Beach over this weekend ?

Thanks in advance

 

[padisneylover]

I'm anxious to see what response this gets since I am arriving the same day as well and was trying to decide what to do on Sat.
From reading the boards here it seems that Sunday may not be a bad day at the parks and wonder what people feel about this and what is the best park for this day.
For Sat. I was thinking of a tour perhaps, mini golf resort hopping or fishing any thoughts on this would also be appreciated.

 

[llane]

We flew in friday last year. We weren't planning on going to mk on saturday because of fear of crowds. We didn't want to disappoint our little ones and went anyway. Crowds weren't bad until after lunch. We left and went back to vwl. Arrived at Epcot at 4:00 for cp dinner package. No problems with crowds at Epcot.
Sunday was EE at MK so we went again, absolutely no crowds.
After lunch it picked up and we went back to rest for mvmcp that night. I was pleased and impressed with all we did.

 

[MulanMom]

In the past, when we went at that time of year, we actually did MK on Thanksgiving Day and had dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern! We used a Saturday to visit relatives in nearby Tampa.

For an upcoming trip, we booked an off-site, kid-friendly resort for two nights expecting to enjoy the resort rather than go into the parks.

HTH!

 

[momof2OH]

We are also arriving that Fri and are curious to know what others think. Some of the things posted are ideas we've been discussing. Just waiting to see when the MVMCP dates are for.

alexandra uk & padisneylover maybe will see you both there~

 

[Grumpy92]

Have you thought about taking one of the tours. Backstage magic, Disney Architecture, Epcot Gardens or for the holidays the Yultide tour. They can be alot of fun and you get to see things you wouldnt normally.

Disneyquest, Resort touring and Downtown Disney would be another suggestion. Then top it off with a dinner show like the luau.

 

[alexandra uk]

I was thinking of visiting Busch Gardens too. I wonder if it would be busy there on Thanksgiving weekend

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

We were all over the world on Thanksgiving Day and Friday when we went to WDW in 1999 for the Millennium Celebration. We arrived the Sat. before and stayed thru the Sat. after.

Thurs.
First we went to AK, from about 9 til noon. It rained so we went to Downtown Disney, saw a movie from 2-4, walked in some of the shops and looked around Planet Hollywood (didn't eat there). By 6 we were in MK- finally got to ride Space Mountain. MK was very busy at this hour until the end of the fireworks. The park was open late (until 11) and the attractions in Adventureland were virtually void of guests after 9. We had no wait for Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise or Splash Mountain, of course it was nearly 10pm when we got over to Splsh Mt.

Fri.
Started the day in EPCOT (the first time in the daylight) and went around Future World, after riding Test Track (our 3rd attempt to ride). From about 1:30 thru closing we were at D-MGM Studios.

Didn't think it was overly crowded other than Thurs. eve at MK.
Sat. afternoon we went to Kennedy Space Center. We only had time for the bus tour, that takes 3 hours; never got to see the movies or see anything in the main visitor's center.

 

[Terk-1]

I arrived the day after Thanksgiving last year, so I can relate to your question. The parks were pretty crowded on Friday and Saturday, but started to thin out on Sunday. Since I went solo, I had some more flexibility with my schedule. Took my time checking out the resort and unpacking. I then headed for EPCOT, since it is more spread out and can handle crowds better. Try splitting a day between 2 parks. I found myself doing this quite a bit on my last trip and it was nice to break things up. Why not do Animal Kingdom in the morning, take a break in the afternoon, then head over to MGM later in the day. The one thing to watch for is park hours and show times. I found that MGM had 2 shows for Fantasmic on that Friday & Saturday and went back to one the rest of the week. Also, the parks are open later that weekend. Another thing to watch for is fireworks and parades at the Magic Kingdom. Spectro was only shown on the weekends, so you may want to keep that in mind. MVMCP was going on several times that week, but amazingly enough, the MK still shot off Fantasy in the Sky each day as well. But don't plan on that happening. It may or may not. For a great view of the fireworks, especially MVMCP one's, here's a suggestion. Head for the Polynesian for a great meal at O'Hana's. Then wander down to the beach and gab a seat on a lounge chair or on one of the hammocks. The Electrical Water Parade passes by daily at 9pm at the Polynesian, and MVMCP fireworks usually are shot off around 9:15pm. Last year they had a couple of problems and the fireworks were delayed until 11pm. Watching these from the beach at the Polynesian was incredible, since these fireworks are shot off around the Magic Kingdom at the same time.

Here's some other suggestions:

1. Take time and check out your resort. Swim & relax at the pool.

2. Plan some meals at some of the other resorts. Maybe a character meal or if going with no kids, a nice grown-up meal.

3. Wander around the deluxe resorts and check out the Christmas decorations. These are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen!! Make sure to take time checking out some of the gingerbread designs. Last year there was a giant carousel at the Beach Club and the Boardwalks was an actual boardwalk. Complete with a rollercoaster and lake with people fishing. What I did was took some time one day and checked out the Polynesian's, Grand Floridian's & Wilderness Lodge's decorations (there was very, very little at the Contemporary). Another time was wandering around the Beach & Yacht Club and the Boardwalk. Oh, and don't forget the Animal Kingdom Lodge! Their gingerbread display was incredible!!!

4. Wander around Downtown Disney Marketplace (daytime is better than nighttime -- less crowded).

5. Head over to the waterparks for awhile.

6. Try DisneyQuest.

Hope these help! Let me know if you have any other questions regarding this time of year at WDW.

 

[Dancind]

Also, if you are booking Discovery Cove for later in that trip, I read that you can show your confirmation at Sea World for free entry. The DC price includes entry into Sea World for a week afterwards, and apparently they allow that to start before your day at DC. Diana