Thanksgiving 2011

[CeleneR]

We- me, my husband and 3 kids- are going to WDW for the 2nd time ever in just a few weeks! Thanksgiving week, Sat before til Sat after. Our 1st visit was over 3 years ago, in April (our spring break, but not Easter) 2008. Are Thanksgiving crowds comparable to April breaks? It was crowded when we were there but by getting up early and planning it was very manageable and we had a blast. This time we feel more experienced but are by no means pros yet! Any input would be appreciated.

 

[cyndiloveswalt]

We will also be there for Thanksgiving, it will be our 3rd time (2008 and 2010). We actually have not been at Spring Break time, but Thanksgiving crowds aren't too bad. You definitely need to get fast passes for the real popular rides (esp. Soarin and Toy Story), rope drop is a good idea, but we never dealt with horrible crowds. We LOVE it this time of year, the Cheristmas decorations are amazing! The weather is questionable, in 2008 it was chilly a lot of the time, although the kids did get to swim once. Last year it was beautiful and we only needed sweatshirts 1 night (hoping for that again). Have a great time, I know we can't wait!

 

[CeleneR]

Thank you! Nice to hear the crowds aren't awful. Also looking forward to it not being really hot- we're from upstate NY- don't handle serious heat very well! Can't wait

 

[softballmom3]

We will be there exact same days also . I, too, hope it's not bad but will have a plan regardless. Have fun!

 

[Metro West]

 

[CeleneR]

Thank you!!

 

[Suger Mag]

We are also going 11/20-11/26, but are going to do most of our park visiting towards the earlier part of the week.

 

[magnetic693]

Hi...my family and i will be there during thanksgiving and I am a bit worried about crowd levels as well.

But as my kids like to be up at the crack of dawn (which is tiring under normal circumstances), I am hoping this will be a plus to get to the parks sooner.

M

 

[Suger Mag]

I was there July 4... never again... super hot hot hot and super crowded .. MK at capacity is a little intimidating.

 

[lizanb]

I went to WDW last year for Thanksgiving. We flew in Thanksgiving day and stayed 10 nights. I've also gone on Easter and found the crowds on the actual holiday to be outrageous. We went to AK and turned right back around and returned to the hotel. I find that a lot of the area residents come to the parks on holidays. However, Black Friday and the first weekend I could definitely see a decline in visitors. By Sunday, the parks were empty and we did walk on to most of the big rides, with the exception of Toy Story Mania for the rest of the week. I hope you've all have made dining reservations for Thanksgiving Day already, a lot of places had different menus for the holiday. We stayed at Kindani Village and had dinner at Jiko. I would definitely go back again for Thanksgiving, but we stay the following week which is awesome. We also were able to do the Christmas Party and the Candelight Procession. Both wonderful experiences.

 

[CeleneR]

I'd love to go stay the week after but I'm a teacher and my oldest is in middle school, so neither of us can take a week off. We are limited to school holidays, unfortunately. I'm sure it'll be fun even if it's busy!
And yes, have reservations at both Coral Reef and Boma, trying to decide which to keep.

 

[lizanb]

I think if you get to the parks early and collect tons of Fast Passes you'll be golden! Ohhh...Boma and Coral Reef! I'd be having a hard time deciding as well! I'm not going back until October and that's for a Disney Cruise. I'd love to do Disney for a few day before but it's just soo expensive when you go to the parks for a day or two. Ugh!
I hope you all have a wonderful time this month! Spending the holidays in Disney is the best!

 

[petals]

I was reading tonight that they have some event on at ESPN the weekend after thanksgiving 24-28 or something of the sort but they're off on the 26th? Are crowds going to be huge for that?!

Bleh!
I don't really care about crowd levels at this stage I just want to get to Mickey's house! 19 days!!!