Starting to panic - Thanksgiving Week trip

[Mickeybell]

Ok, I am beginning to panic a bit. We have decided to go to Disneyland the week of Thanksgiving, Monday through Friday 11/25 - 11/29. We have never been during such a busy time and I am starting to freak out a bit.

A little bit of back ground on why we are choosing this time frame. My husband just successfully went through open heart surgery and is taking off of work until the beginning of the year. He loves Disneyland at Christmas time and after everything he and the family has been through, he wants to go for a family vacation at Disney during this magical time of year. We have 2 sons, one is a senior in high school and the other is in 7th grade, so missing too much school will be really hard on them. So I was thinking Thanksgiving would be a good week because the kids will only miss 2 days and it will be Christmas time at the parks. And it will be enough time passed, since the surgery, for my husband to be able to enjoy his time at the park.

But back to my panic.... it will be Thanksgiving week! And from everything I am reading it is going to be SUPER crazy.

I have been to Disney at Christmas time before but it has always been the first week of December. We have also been during spring break and fall break (Halloween time). We have been in late July and late August. So will it be super crazy compared to those times? I feel like we have been when it is busy but I just looked at something that said the crowd calendar would be a 10/10. I don't think we have ever been when it has been that crazy crowded.

I am planning to do the Maxpass. I will do my best to drag my teenage boys out of bed for park opening, lol! Any other suggestions? Am I crazy for trying a Thanksgiving trip? Will it be too crazy for my husband who will probably need to take this trip slow? I am just second guessing myself and want some opinions of those that have done this time of year. Thanks!

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Don’t panic!

It’s true that the first part of that week is usually pretty crazy with crowds, but crowds have been so weird the last few months that it’s really hard to say if that will be true this year. Also, Thursday and Friday are usually not terrible crowds (again, that might not hold true, but it’s a hopeful point).

Even if there are big crowds, you have several days, so you can go slow and enjoy a lot of the atmosphere even if it’s busy. And with Maxpass, you’ll be able to hit a lot of rides no matter what. If your husband needs a break, you can book FPs for your teens on his and your tickets in addition to theirs, and they can run around hitting all the big rides while you enjoy some caroling in the Grand lobby or just grab a bench and people-watch. Mobile order also makes crowded parks a lot easier.

I hope your husband’s recovery goes well, and I hope your family has a magical time at the parks!

 

[Mickeybell]

Thank you, your post made me feel a bit better! Good idea about letting the kids double up on the maxpass rides if we need to take a break/slow down. And also using the Mobile ordering, we have not done that before.

 

[hyperminimalism]

I say don't panic either. Disneyland has implemented a lot of resources for guests to make their day a bit easier. Plus, you have 4 days there and that is plenty of time to do everything you all will want to do. In fact, I think that's the sweet spot number of days (though we tend to go 5 just to cram in everything else we've done a couple more times).

Definitely invest in MaxPass, as mentioned in the previous post. This will allow you to grab FPs without having to run through the park, which is a blessing in and of itself. It will also get you on a lot more rides than if you did the paper FastPasses as it can pick up dropped riders who cancel theirs, etc. Even just doing only this will give you a leg up on the day. If you can make it to the park as early as possible and utilize a Magic Morning day or something that will get you in the park before rope drop, you could easily land 3-4 rides within that hour time frame before the general public can enter.

Another tip about the food thing is to think about adjusting your meal times. Instead of eating during the busy breakfast/morning rush, eat before you come to the parks and maybe grab snacks in between breakfast and lunch time. If you can push lunch further or even eat it sooner (lunch tends to start around 11ish), eat after around 1:30 p.m. when people aren't swarming the restaurants to get in their second meal of the day. Same with dinner time. Make it earlier or later depending on how long you plan on staying each day. Definitely look into Mobile Ordering as well. People still wait in line for their food and I can guarantee you the food you order through the app will save you at least 5-10+ minutes of standing in line. That or just make several reservations for table service restaurants and the hassle of getting in somewhere will be taken care of. That plus mobile ordering will save you lots of time.

And definitely take frequent breaks. Is your husband okay to walk around the parks a lot or do you think you might need to rent a wheel chair for him? I'd take that into consideration as it might be a lot on his body depending on how far out he is from the surgery. Consult with his doctor if you're not sure or haven't already and make backup plans for that possibility. Honestly, any potentials for complications would be best avoided by just getting yourself the necessary tools right off the bat rather than waiting until it becomes a problem.

In any case, going in knowing it will be crowded and doing what you can with the resources at your fingertips will help tremendously. I hope you all have tons and tons of fun!

 

[tsumgirl]

As someone who used to go commando, but has had to slow down for health reasons, I would suggest having an alternative touring plan for your husband to escape the crowds. I'm not sure if he fully realizes how tired he may get now vs. his pre-surgery self.

The suggestions from @Skyegirl1999 are great! I always grab the entertainment schedule from a guest service kiosk if it's not available at the gate. It's a bit easier to reference than the app. That way, whenever he needs to slow down, it'll be easy to find shows, carolers, or other performers you want to see during that time. There's always the Enchanted Tiki Room, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, taking a ride on POTC or IASW, or just enjoying the scenery.

I would also suggest researching some off-site ECV rental companies and their pricing, just as a backup plan in case he finds he can't last as long as he would like the first couple of days. It's so much easier to research this before your trip and have it just in case, so your whole family is able to enjoy the trip without worry. If you do end up going this route, he doesn't need to use it the whole time. I usually just use it to move from land to land or for park hopping, and then park it while I explore. If you rent one, he could just opt to use it in the evenings when he's more physically tired and leave it in your hotel room during the day.

As long as you have MaxPass, mobile ordering and a backup plan, I wouldn't worry too much about the crowds. After all your family has been through this year, the trip will be worth it no matter what.

 

[ab21au]

or .... delay and make the arrival day the weekend of thanksgiving. It may not be possible for you. We arrived that time a few years ago (before MaxPasses) and the crowds were light.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I think based on what I've read from past trip reports that the park doesn't actually get super busy until later in the day on Thursday. I'm pretty sure the preceding days weren't that bad and that Thanksgiving morning was actually on the lighter side in the park. The Saturday/Sunday will be crazier, but you'll be gone by then.

Nothing to worry about it. You have 5 days, you'll get to do everything that you want to do and your husband will have lots of time to rest in between stuff. If it is especially busy, use the opening time for the big rides and the mid day for more rest type of stuff. If you buy MaxPass for a couple day, I just can't imagine the trip being too stressful.

If you want to eat at DL for Thanksgiving, you need to make those reservations as soon as it opens on the website. Everything will sell out that first day. There are people on here that eat there every year and they can give you tips if you are looking for a table service meal for that day.

 

[Delilah1310]

I've been there those days before Thanksgiving and I was expecting it to be ridiculous, but it actually was very manageable.
In our experience, the rides were best on our agenda first thing in the morning. Get there at RD if you can, as as early as possible ... it will make so much of a difference. We did nothing but rides every morning.
Then afternoon, we just would plan on the parade, a show, shopping or just wandering Downtown Disney. We could pick up a FP to two for the night, but it was mostly just chill time after lunch. We still got everything done and felt like we had a great trip despite the crowds.

Hope you have a wonderful time and your husband has an easy recovery.

 

[clb79]

My wife is a school teacher so we can only go during the "crowded/busy" times when everyone else is off and going too. We would rather be there when it is busy that not be able to go at all. We went over Thanksgiving once (this was years ago) and it was one of our favorite trips. Thanksgiving Day was one of the best days we have ever had in the parks with getting a lot of rides and activities in. No real way to make a comparison from then to this year crowd wise, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as we had anticipated or planned for.

I think that is the key for us, we just expect it to be busy/crowded no matter what the crowd calendars/projections say and then we aren't ever disappointed. We have also learned to slow things down and enjoy it no matter what like Skyegirl said (if the crowds end up being lighter its a bonus). Even if the parks are at capacity we never have had an issue with that many days getting everything in that we want to do (including our favorites multiple times) and that was before MaxPass, Mobile Ordering, etc. were available.

We also found that it is worth it to us to buy an extra day on our tickets that allows us to go to the parks the night we arrive after checking into the hotel and get a few rides in plus a nighttime parade, fireworks, Fantasmic, etc. checked off our list. That has helped us with slowing things down on our full days and also helps us gauge what the crowds are going to be like for the rest of the trip.

 

[BrandonH]

I find it helpful to write down the things I absolutely have to do (new attractions, old favorites) and another column of things I'd like to do if there is time (stuff that is fun but that I've done before and would not be disappointed if I missed). I like to do about 70% of the attractions, and I can pretty easily do that in three days with no hopping. Look at some of the touring plans out there, and tweak them for what you want to do, and you'll realize that there's no need to worry about the crowds too much.

 

[Mickeybell]

I really want to thank everyone in this thread! You have made me feel so much better. I usually am super excited for a Disney trip but this time I was feeling more anxiety than excitement. We will definitely be taking it slow, which will be a change for us. I also really like the idea of looking into a ECV rental if he needs it. Even if he just needs it part of the time to just take a little bit of the walking out of the equation.

We are also thinking of doing more table service meals rather then quick counter meals. We used to always be go, go, go... and don't want to slow down and take to much time to eat. But this time we will be able to slow down and enjoy things like this more. We also want to try things that we don't normally do like the WOC dessert thing.

Thanks again!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... We used to always be go, go, go... and don't want to slow down and take to much time to eat. But this time we will be able to slow down and enjoy things like this more. We also want to try things that we don't normally do like the WOC dessert thing.
Thanks again!

Don't be afraid to slow down, take your time, smell the roses, and enjoy the magic! It can feel weird at first, especially when you're used to taking the parks by storm, but it can be wonderful once you start to notice all the details and take the time to meet CMs and soak in the magic. We did a trip once where I wasn't allowed to ride anything (did a lot of bench sitting and bag watching that trip!), and it turned out to be a really great trip thanks to the kindness of CMs and the rich atmosphere of the parks!