??? Thanksgiving Travel - Plan B ???

[Wes]

After reading over the responses to my original post on Thanksgiving travel to/from WDW (Thanks to all who replied.), we do NOT want to compete at all with the Thanksgiving air travel hordes. But we do want to be at WDW for Thanksgiving.

So we are thinking that if we fly home the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, then we should be safe. (Are we correct in this thinking?)

The big question seems to be when to fly to WDW. We are looking to stay from 8-10 nights. How is the travel the weekend before Thanksgiving? How is the travel on the Thursday before Thanksgiving (i.e. one week to the day before Thanksgiving Day)?

 

[castmbr]

Not sure about travel a week before T-day, but it seems to me it is awful busy the few days before T-day (I could be wrong). Here is what we did in 2000. We caught an a.m. flight out of Milwaukee. The airport was virtually deserted! Into Orlando, the airport was busy but not overwhelming when we got there about Noon. We were staying in the FW Cabins, so in order to avoid the hordes for T-day dinner we preordered from Boston Market and picked up a lovely feast and ate in the cabin. We stuck around FW that day, took a walk, etc. and had a beautiful stress free day. We came home the second Sunday, thereby staying 10 nights. After the T-day weekend, the crowds thinned quite a bit. We had a wonderful time!This was a very good idea IMHO!

 

[pooh2001]

We are going Nov 14 (WED) - Nov 24 (SAT).
The WED before the Wed of Thanksgiving should have less people at the airport.
The Staurday home .... we'll my flight is full. So we plan to leave for MCO at 1:30 PM for a
3:30 PM Delta flight to LGA.

I have heard the SUNDAY of Thanksgiving can look like travels fro Christmas Eve - lots and lots of them - possible flight delays.

Sound like your plan "B' may avoid most traffic at the airport.
Your Thursday before the Thurs of Thanksgiving and and the Tuesday after sounds great.
The Monday after Thanksgiving weekend will let you walk right on to rides without lines!

happy flying

 

[Bstanley]

Extrapolating from the crowds in the parks I would guess that by the Tuesday after Thanksgiving the airport will NOT be crowded/flights will not be crowded.

We've visited WDW the week after Thanksgiving a number of times (we drive though) and that Sunday the parks are quite busy. Interestingly enough that Monday the parks are still busier than you would expect (I guess a lot of people don't go home until that Monday).

By Tuesday though the parks are as empty as they ever get (IMHO) so I'm guessing the airport/flights would be that way also.

Have Fun!
-bruce

 

[caitycaity]

although i have never flown from/to orlando during thanksgiving, the monday after thanksgiving has always been quite crowded for me flying from new england to washington d.c. you may have better luck waiting an extra day.