Please Help - Where to go on Thanksgiving Day and day after

[Leonsmom]

We are arriving to Orlando at 11am on Thanksgiving Day.
We will rent a car at the airport and head to POP.
On the way we want to stop and pick up some groceries and maybe go to a Disney Outlet store, will they be open on Thanksgiving Day?
For dinner we were planning to go off property to eat - but where?
The next day I was thinking of going to Sea World (while we still had the car) but I worry it might be too crowded. Anyone been there at this time?

 

[Jason71]

Sorry to crush your plans, but the outlet malls are closed on Thanksgiving (at least they have been historically). Downtown Disney will be open, for what it's worth.

As for groceries, Winn Dixie will be open until around 3:00 p.m. The horrible Goodings at Crossroads might be open. Not sure about Wal-Marts, think they might be closed. All Publix are definitely closed.

As for that Friday, yes, Sea World will be packed--but so will Disney, Universal, the outlet malls, the regular mall... If that is the only day you will have a car, probably worth fighting the crowds at SW that day rather than WDW.

 

[lorilori]

This past Thanksgiving we went to Epcot the day after Thanksgiving. It really wasn't too bad. Of course we got there for opening and it did get a lot busier as the day went on but we did the 'big' rides first and it was fine.

 

[Leonsmom]

Sorry to crush your plans, but the outlet malls are closed on Thanksgiving (at least they have been historically). Downtown Disney will be open, for what it's worth.

As for groceries, Winn Dixie will be open until around 3:00 p.m. The horrible Goodings at Crossroads might be open. Not sure about Wal-Marts, think they might be closed. All Publix are definitely closed.

As for that Friday, yes, Sea World will be packed--but so will Disney, Universal, the outlet malls, the regular mall... If that is the only day you will have a car, probably worth fighting the crowds at SW that day rather than WDW.

Ugh! I was afraid of that!
Here in NY most groceries are open and so are many stores on TG, the day after (Black Friday) I usually shop till I drop for all the bargains. Is it the same in Orlando?
What about water parks the day after TG? If the weather co-operates are they possibly less crowded?