Thanksgiving- to go or not to go?

[libgirl1]

Hi again. We are contemplating an upcoming trip during Thanksgiving. Just how busy are the parks during that time frame? Are the points higher b/c it is a holiday timeframe, but with moderate crowds OR is it truly packed? I have been in September when crowds are low...and I have been in July when the streets are packed. Where does Thanksgiving fall?

 

[DVCconvert]

I'd say they fall about 60-70% of "july".
With the Christmas decorations and MVMCP in swing and the Christmas parade taping...it's a busy DVC period too. Sept is a real 'sweet spot' for lower attendance.

 

[Joolish1313]

We've been in the World 3x for Thanksgiving. IT. IS. PACKED. We made ressies for the Liberty Tree for turkey day lunch & that was all we could do in MK. I would make plans that ket to out of the way places or tried to rotate around where the crowds will be.

 

[libgirl1]

Thanks for your replies. Based on the crowds and how limited you were for lunch, would you go again or no?

 

[libgirl1]

Joolish- where in MA are you?

 

[Rob S.]

Don't go. I have a friend that has been going down for Thanksgiving every week for the last 10 years, mostly because of school schedules. His kids have now graduated from college and he has vowed NEVER ever to go again during that week. He would send me text messages with the wait times - 80 minute wait for Space Mountain at 2AM.

 

[libgirl1]

80 mins at 2am...that is crazy.

Any ideas on MLK weekend in January? How are the crowds then?

 

[DMKEDM]

We go every year for T-giving, and frequently in Jan.

Crowds in the parks are MUCH lower in Jan (at least after you get past the NY holiday)...marathon weekend can be a bit crowded (and I'm told MLK Day week can be, too)...but generally it's a "low crowd" time.

T-giving is crowded...it's the time of year when we most value being DVC...we usually get to the park around-about when it opens (DS and I "fight" (gently) about this...I see no difference between waiting in line for a park to open as compared to waiting in line for a ride in the park...he likes rope drop...so one day we do it his way; the next mine--I like to try to time arrival for 5-15 minutes after the park opens)...usually the parks and waits are fine til around 11 or so--after that, they get steadily busier as the day wears on...by mid-afternoon they're more crowded than we like.

So, we do our rides in the first couple of hours--frequently return for an ADR (we particularly like the Epcot restaurants), but whether we ride anything is hit or miss, depending on wait times...

We don't tend to do late hours because I'm not a late night person...I'm much more an early morning person...and DS is in school so T-giving week is his "R&R" time...he sleeps a lot--on a beach or by a pool or on a park bench!

Anyway...we LOVE T-giving at Disney--but definitely not for the rides...it's too crowded for our tastes for riding rides. But we love the decorations, the atmosphere, the restaurants, the just hanging out in parks or pool side or in Downtown Disney or on the Boardwalk or wherever our fancies take us...

Enjoy it whenever you go!

 

[cvjw]

We went a couple of years ago, and it was the most people we had ever seen at Disney - there was a long line to ride the TTA! We did enjoy our visit however - we spent lots of time at our resorts, and did some of the lesser attractions at the parks. We would go during Thanksgiving again - but with the knowledge that we would not accomplish many attractions during the week.

 

[Starr W.]

We've been to WDW for the last 5 Thanksgiving. Now we fly home on Black Friday, so we are not there over the weekend. Now we did do MK this Friday(had a late flight).

We use TGM or Touring Plans on picking out which park/day and show up at rope drop. Hey I rode EE 3x on Thanksgiving day. Do not go to MK at anytime on Thanksgiving day!

It is not as busy as New Year's week or Easter, but it is busier than the other times we go(1st weekend of May or MLK weekend).

If it was that bad on our 1st trip back in 2006, we wouldn't have bought DVC 2 weeks later!

We're skipping it this year as we are going skiing for New Year's and going in early November this year(kids get a long weekend).

Only thing is the weather can be iffy, I've packed everything from long underwear(2006) to shorts.

 

[disfountainofyouth]

We've been several times at Thanksgiving time. Crowds not bad until
Wednesday afternoon on. We're going again this year Saturday thru Thursday then offsite to my brother's place.

 

[jekjones1558]

If you are considering Thanksgiving 2011 then I think you will need to be flexible about your resort and/or dates because it is a popular time to go.

 

[tkillini99]

We were there for Thanksgiving week in 2009 and it was crowded but I would still go back at that time. The Christmas decorations are up, so that is wonderful, and the parks weren't too bad until Thursday and Friday, which were our last 2 days, so we had already done a lot of park time earlier in the week. We usually go in late May or early June, and early in the week the crowds were about the same as that. Thursday and Friday were busier though...

 

[mdsd8700]

Just reading along for all the info. We are planning a short 3 day trip over the Thanksgiving Weekend. Arriving late Thursday (Thanksgiving) and leaving Monday morning. It is the only major Holiday we haven't done yet (except the 4th). We are also going in June, so the November trip is simply for the decorations and atmosphere of Disney at Christmas time. I was expecting it to be packed and this thread confirms that. However we are RD people and think it will work out fine. Although not my thread, thanks to all who posted, it is good information.

 

[OhioDVC]

We did a stay over Thanksgiving three years ago and only went to the parks every other day. Yes it was crowd, but manageable unless you plan on seeing and doing everything in the park in one day

 

[disneydenisel]

We have been to WDW four times during Thanksgiving and love it . For our first three visits, it was not crowded until the Wednesday afternoon before Thanksgiving. However, in 2010, it was packed when we arrived on the Saturday before Thanksgiving!

The decorations are great, the mood is festive, the kids LOVE WDW at Thanksgiving time. Yes, the wait is long for attractions. Use a FP when available. We had totally awesome weather in 2010, a rare treat. I would go again and again at Thanksgiving if we only had enough points to go every year. Airfare from the West Coast is a killer, too.

 

[mphillips76]

We went there last year on Black Friday and stayed until the middle of the following week. We didn't think the crowds were too bad at all! We got to do everything that we wanted and never waited in any crazy lines.

 

[MinnieGi]

We've been four T-day weeks and have our reservations in place for 2011 too!!! We love it at that time of year, the weather is great for park touring and we have always had several days to swim and sometimes even one to go to a water park!!

Yes, it is crowded, but we get everything done that we want with little to not wait. We go at rd and use FP.