Prepare me for Thanksgiving crowds.....

[susy]

Okay, our first Thanksgivign trip is 34 days away!!!

While I am excited, I'm a little anxious. We will be checking into the WL on Wed and checking out on the Monday. My mom and her DH are checking in Thursday and my inlaws on Sat (all staying at WL). We have our itinerary in place and our PS's. We plan on using the boat to MK and our van to the other parks. We are avoiding MK Thur-Sat, but will be there for EE on Sun and doing MVMCP that night (DS's b-day). We are having breakfast in our room, are VERY early birds and plan on breaks daily. We will pack for all kinds of weather. What am I forgetting?

We have been for all three day weekend holidays and found it very manageable (mostly by being the first in the gate and leaving right after lunch). Where will we get stumped? Please let me know what to expect and any good strategies we need to employ!

 

[princess angel]

well susy....sounds to me like you should be giving advice, not asking for it!!! you have got a very good plan there.

this wil be our 3rd Thanksgiving at WDW, and you're right, stay out of MK on Thurs, Fri & Sat. we go to MK on Thanksgiving morning, just for breakfast at the castle (tradition!) but right after breakfast, we make a bee line for the exit, the crowds are piling in by that time!
You will have a nice time at Epcot, never seems very crowded, so a good choice! MGM, well, ee day is saturday, so Sunday might be a good day to try, but you'll be at M, so I'd try Friday at MGM, but get there early, I remember lst year, we thoguth MGM would be empty, it was friday I think (no ee last year) boy we were wrong, the lines for the entrance were insane, we turned around and walked back to the YC.
i think the day after ee you should be a little better off though.

AKL...I dont know really, since akl opens early, adn closes erly, many people leave the park by 2pm, if you get there in the afternoon, you should be able to get al ot in. i have done this several times! maybe after MGM, or is that too much in one day, not really time for a break.


have a wonderful time!!! maybe i'll bump into you!!!

Laura

 

[susy]

Laura,

Great minds think alike!!!!

Our plans are: Wed- arrive in the morning, check in. Boat to MK -just to feel like "we're here!"

Thanksgiving- Epcot -dinner at Chef Mickey

Fri- MGM -lunch at Sci-Fi! break- dinner at Teppanyaki

Sat- AK- dinner at Artist point

Sun- EE at MK- DS's birthday lunch at Crystal Palace-break and MVMCP that night.
Okay, this is too cute: Ds picked out the Pooh characters (holiday) shirt for us all to wear on Sunday, even the grandparents. They say, "Celebrating Marcus' birthday at Walt Disney World Nov 26- Dec1, 2003"

I will be wearing my lime green Mickey head and I'm planning on writing "susy" on it.

I've really done my homework, but I'm still worried about just being "overwhelmed" by the amount of people.

Have fun and maybe I'll see you there!

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Me three! We are really veterans of WDW but NEVER on a holiday ! But we really want to enjoy AKL and have seasonal passes so we don't feel like we have to spend long in the parks. We will be at AK T'giving morning. We may venture to MK Wed when we arrive also. I have warned the family that we may not get to do much, but we will be back soon (and were recently there)! They agree that spending time at AKL is a priority. Make sure to enjoy WL when you can! Great resort!

 

[princess angel]

susy, I'll look for you at MVMCP on Sunday nite, we'll be there too!
lime green mickey head....? what is that ?
I might be able to find you by your pooh shirts!!!

Laura

 

[PieInYourEye]

In an effort to prepare for dealing with crowds, please do the following.

• Go to your nearest high school... the more overcrowded the better.
  Listen for the bell to ring between classes.
  Then, attempt to get to the locker in the middle of the hall and to the other side of campus and back again.
  To highten the challenge, wear a backpack and talk on your cell phone the entire time.

That should help prepare you.

Seriously, you'll do fine as long as you know it'll be crowded and don't try the commando-style vacation. Relax - Enjoy!

 

[susy]

Lime green Mickey heads are the paint color samples (Disney brand) you can get at Home Depot!!! There are a few green shades. We got "Sonic boom".

We definitely won't be doing anything commando-ish.
This is our first trip on our AP's, so we have a few more trips planned. I still cannot beleive we will be there soon... between now and then I have two exams, three papers, and one more presentation... finals when I get back. Anyone else going to MVMCP on Nov 30th???

 

[princess angel]

ahh, paint color samples, what a good idea for your lime green...

I'll see you in a month!! woohoo, today begins my 30 day countdown!!

Laura

 

[bigsky]

Ok..now I'm really confused! ( not hard to do )

We're going to be there too along with a million people for Thanksgiving. But we'll only be there three FULL days since on Sunday we're going on our cruise. I keep thinking I have it figured out until I read further...

We arrive Wed. evening. Going to spend time at Boardwalk or DTD.

Thursday- Epcot

Fri- AK and afternoon MK..

Sat..MGM

We've been to MK many times at Disneyland since we used to live down there. So don't feel we have to be there long.

I had us going to AK on Fri and MGM on Sat cuz of EE. Should we do the opposite? Would it be less or more crowded on EE? I'm thinking of getting there "early" and get the most popular rides out of the way before the crowds really set in.

Any experts out there I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks!
Laura
We're going to be there before you know it!!

 

[princess angel]

yup, before ya know it! If you want to do MGM on EE, make sure to get there early! at opening, ee day os very crowded, ofcourse if you get there at opening, you should be able to get most of the major attractions you want done. a good plan you have,
the crowds will be heavy by late morning...
same w/AKL, get there at opening for ee on Sat, OR, go to MK in the morning on Friday and get to AKL late in the afternoon, unless you think you need a lot of time at AKL. as I said in a previous post, the crowds dwindle at AKL in the afternoon, because since it closes early, everyone gets there first thing in the morning, and leaves a few hours before closing...

have fun, and see ya real soon!

Laura

yipppee! 30 days til WDW!!!!!!
I miss Chip n' Dale!!!

 

[susy]

We decided to not do EE at MGM and AK. Just figured it would be more crowded. We don't stay long at the parks, though. We usually take off after lunch. We go back in the evening if we have a PS for dinner. See you all there

 

[Goofmeister]

Just a few cents. We went to Disney last year and arrived on Thanksgiving. Had dinner at Chef Mickey's and then decided to see how crowded the MK was for Spectromagic. Guess What? There was no one there. The place was empty. In fact we visited the MK on Friday and Sunday and found it to be worse on Sunday. Maybe everyone was afraid of the crowds so no one came??? It got a whole lot worse the following week. But it really depends on the time of day, and which park is EMH. Have fun. Wish it was me.

 

[princess angel]

Goofmeister, lol, I dont doubt it... people think they can arrive at a park at 8:00 am and stay til 11:00pm...yeah, if we were robots!! I am a very active person, a runner.. and 5 hours in a park makes me want a nap.... nevermind 12 or more hours...fun? I dont think so!!!

see you all in a month!!!!!! yeahhhh!!!

29 days til WDW!!!!

Laura

 

[susy]

Did you know that most people I know (from FL) look at me like I just came form the moon if I mention a nap at Disney?

It's because most people here go for the day or overnight and they can't waste one moment! Well, it's just not a vacation until I am relaxing by the pool with a drink. Even when we stay at the All Stars, we still go back to our resort for a break. Especially during a crazy time like Thanksgiving, I would suggest to all that YOU NEED your down time in your room!Trying to do it all, will just frustrate you and not make for a nice time...

 

[mkymouse4ever]

Feeling really lonely after reading this thread. Cause I'm a nurse and its my turn to work thanksgiving. BUT we are heading down Friday at 6am !! So we should be checking into the Poly about 10am. We were also trying to figure out how crowded is it going to be? We plan to, activate our passes just shop main street, ride the monorail then, have a "high tea" at the GF for 3pm, after that hope to get to be in room and un -pack and unwind. Also going to the MVMCP on sunday! We really missed december last year when we went in october for the 1st time, so I'm really excited!

MKY

 

[bigsky]

Gosh, I'm just getting so excited!

I'm going to do EE for all the parks except MK. I think it's best to do EE for AK cuz I hear the animals are out and about first thing. I want them to be in top condition for us to enjoy.

We'll get there first thing in the am and stay until we need a break. WE're at the Dolphin, so will be easy to leave Epcot in afternoon, rest, swim and go back. Same with MGM.

I have to remember this, as I"m one to go and go and go. I know I can't get it all in, so why try. Just have to go back.

So whatever we do, I'm sure we'll all have a great time! This is our first time to WDW, so will be even more special. And our kids first cruise. So I"m just thrilled to be going.

Are any of you doing anything special for Thanksgiving for dinner? I don't think we are. If we were, we should have had ps by now.

Laura

 

[susy]

I am 30 days out, too! thsi is my first post on my brand new computer. I got a flat screen, this time. This is sooooo nice!!!

 

[bigsky]

Well congrats Suzy on the new computer. Yes, we have 30 days and counting!

Just can't wait to be there. It's getting so close, that I"m getting nervous about having it all done before I go. I don't want to forget anything.

I've bookmarked all the suggestions that I like. Now it's time to get it all in a notebook. Along with our itinerary and all that fun stuff.

Then we're off to the Wonder for a WONDERful cruise!

See ya at WDW!!

Laura