I agree that the crowds should be quite manageable. We'll be down that time ourselves! This is our third time doing the last full week before t-giving. Last year, we didn't do US/IOA but did Disney. We started the day after t-giving. We had to tour smart on that Sat but the Sunday was very manageable and it returned to lighter crowds easily by Monday. That was Disney, but I'd expect that US/IOA crowds to follow suit.
The shorter hours actually make touring easier for us. The crowds are lighter so we can get more done. Plus, since we have young children, we don't want to keep them up super late. By the parks closing earlier, we're forced to leave earlier and that forces everyone to get enough sleep! Also the weather makes it easier to tour.
This next trip will be our 5th with-kids trip to US/IOA and only one child is over 54". And that child isn't a big thrill-ride kid. His little sister - who *might* make it to 48" with sneakers this trip - is the one who gets him to try rides. Rider swap is very easy at US/IOA and they'll do it for anyone who doesn't want to ride. (I had issues with Disney last year. I asked for rider swap and they made my youngest get measured. Since he barely made the 40", they wouldn't let us use rider swap! It was either force my 3 year old on a ride that was too intense for him of have one of us skip it. So, we had to take turns skipping things. This happened three different times! Their website currently says their policy is otherwise, but it made us have to miss out on some things. I've NEVER had any issues with rider swap at US/IOA)
