Tell me about thanksgiving in the park!

[disneynerd420]

Hey folks! I have not been on the boards in ages! So hello to any old friends and the same goes for new ones! I was hoping all you fellow disneyland experts could tell me about spending Thanksgiving weekend in Disneyland and what the overall experience is like. What kind of special events are there? How insanely busy is it? Anything you can tell me about your past trips would be helpful. Thanks a bunch guys!

- James​

 

[dealia]

Good evening. I took my family in 2009. The Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving was very nice. It got busy Wednesday. The Christmas decor is up and the Osborne family lights were going on. Thanksgiving day was CRAZY Busy. MK had morning magic hours so we skipped that park. We went to DHWS. It was very busy also. We ate at Chef Mickey's. I do not recall doing any specific activities for Thanksgiving.

 

[DharmaLou]

Good evening. I took my family in 2009. The Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving was very nice. It got busy Wednesday. The Christmas decor is up and the Osborne family lights were going on. Thanksgiving day was CRAZY Busy. MK had morning magic hours so we skipped that park. We went to DHWS. It was very busy also. We ate at Chef Mickey's. I do not recall doing any specific activities for Thanksgiving.

I think OP means at DLR not WDW.

 

[Sherry E]

Hey folks! I have not been on the boards in ages! So hello to any old friends and the same goes for new ones! I was hoping all you fellow disneyland experts could tell me about spending Thanksgiving weekend in Disneyland and what the overall experience is like. What kind of special events are there? How insanely busy is it? Anything you can tell me about your past trips would be helpful. Thanks a bunch guys!

- James​

Well, hellllllooooooooo, James! It's good to see you back here - my goodness, you have been gone for a while, haven't you? I hope all is well.

I have not done a Thanksgiving weekend trip to DLR in many years, but based on everything I read in other people's posts about more recent trips, it seems like it will be really crowded for the whole weekend, with a slight tapering off on Sunday afternoon.

I don't know if Disneyland Hotel still offers its special Thanksgiving dinner buffet - there used to be one. It's expensive, but people have said it was great and worth the money.

Otherwise, all of the special events are the same things that will be going on all through the holiday season - the snow on Main Street, the Winter Castle lighting at night, IASW Holiday, Haunted Mansion Holiday, the Reindeer Round-Up, the Believe in Holiday Magic fireworks, the Christmas Fantasy Parade, etc., etc. The full array of decorations will be up, and Santa should be at his photo spots in the 3 hotels and in the parks.

And...the really awesome thing is that this year, the new lands in California Adventure - Cars Land and Buena Vista Street - are supposed to be fully decorated too. Since you have been missing from the board for a while, I don't know if you've had a chance to see Cars Land yet but if not, you will probably love it! It's great - and so full of details and sight gags, etc. The Cars Land decorations are supposed to be themed to that land. Now that the billion dollar makeover of that park is complete, it feels much more whole.

 

[disneynerd420]

Hey Sherry! Yeah I had been absent for a while as Disney trips took a brief back burner state in my life, but I tried to make it out as often as possible. Have not been since cars land opened though, (last time I went was leap day for the 24 hour event) and I am very excited about seeing it! Hoping that Thanksgiving will not be too out of control, but I am up to the challenge!

 

[dealia]

I think OP means at DLR not WDW.

Oops Sorry. Not paying close attention.

 

[majermom]

My family is heading to Disneyland for the Thanksgiving weekend as well. I'm disappointed to hear that Magic Kingdom is going to be super busy Thanksgiving day. I was hoping that would be the least busy day of the weekend. But as you mentioned I'm up for it! We were there Christmas 2010 and that was out of control busy. I don't think it could possibly be that bad for Thanksgiving weekend. We'll see. Soooo looking forward to it. I caught a BAD case of Pink Eye the last visit and although I forced myself to have a great time inspite of my bad eye, that memory will always be with me. This time... NO SICKNESS!!!!!!

 

[disneegrl4eva]

I don't know if Disneyland Hotel still offers its special Thanksgiving dinner buffet - there used to be one. It's expensive, but people have said it was great and worth the money.

funny you should mention that Sherry...I just got a post on my FB about the food being served for Thanksgiving this year and the dinner buffet is definitely on there..I for one can tell you it is awesome and totally worth the $$$$$...here's the link I got on it:

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...neyland-resort/?CMP=SOC-DLRUSENFY12Q2FBDM0474

 

[DreamingofDaWorld]

We are also going to be there for Thanksgiving week (arriving the day before and leaving the following Tuesday). Everything I had read, said the parks would be crazy busy Mon-Wed, with Thanksgiving & Black Friday not being too bad. Pretty sure Season Passes are blocked on Thurs & Fri. Hope you have a wonderful trip.

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

We are also going to be there for Thanksgiving week (arriving the day before and leaving the following Tuesday). Everything I had read, said the parks would be crazy busy Mon-Wed, with Thanksgiving & Black Friday not being too bad. Pretty sure Season Passes are blocked on Thurs & Fri. Hope you have a wonderful trip.

This is the same impression I have got. I expect it will still be busy Thursday through Sunday but not standing room only. We also arrive on Tuesday and plan on using MM and then taking is easy that afternoon.

 

[Mary09]

I went on Thanksgiving day in '95. Indy was new. The park was the most crowded I'd ever seen it. But it was almost 20 years ago.

 

[Sherry E]

funny you should mention that Sherry...I just got a post on my FB about the food being served for Thanksgiving this year and the dinner buffet is definitely on there..I for one can tell you it is awesome and totally worth the $$$$$...here's the link I got on it:

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...neyland-resort/?CMP=SOC-DLRUSENFY12Q2FBDM0474

Lynn -

I posted a whole separate thread about that a couple of days ago, and I also posted about it on the Christmas/Holiday season Superthread shortly after the blog went up on the Parks Blog page. I even revised my Information post in the Superthread to include a Holiday Dining category with the Thanksgiving dining link! I'm all over it!


By the way - I'm not sure why anyone would think that Disneyland Resort would not be really crowded all through the holiday weekend. People are off work and school the day after Thanksgiving, and it leads right into a weekend. Logically, it will be very crowded! I don't think the attendance numbers match up to post-Christmas/pre-New Year's crowds, but holidays & holiday weekends - especially major ones like Thanksgiving - will be really crowded!

I did a Thanksgiving weekend at DLR (starting on Black Friday) about a decade ago and it was crazy busy - despite the fact that it was pouring rain off and on! I can tell you that the entire holiday season has not gotten any less busy in the last decade (it has only gotten more popular), and the overall attendance for the parks has not gotten any less or lower this year.

This is why so many people say that they go to DLR in the week immediately following Thanksgiving weekend - not in the days following Thanksgiving day, but the week starting on Monday after the weekend ends. That is when the crowds clear out!

 

[DisneyMomma81]

We visited DLR the past two Thanksgivings ~ same days Thu-Sat.

2009 was fantastic, low crowds - the days leading up to Turkey Day were crowded I was told.

Last year was much busier ~ I figure it's because that's the 1st year all of CA was able to purchase APs on the monthly payment plan - so those far away yet still in CA got APs, and took advantage of the holiday weekend.

 

[disneydreamerbelle]

Sorry to high-jack, but it got me thinking is the full week before thanksgiving better or the full week after?

 

[Sherry E]

Sorry to high-jack, but it got me thinking is the full week before thanksgiving better or the full week after?

In my opinion, after - people go back to work and school in between Thanksgiving break and Christmas break, which is why there is usually such a drop in crowds at the end of November into the first week or so of December.

 

[disneynerd420]

Thank you all for your information and for the link to the blog entry with the thanksgiving dinner options!

I thoroughly appreciate the insight.