The Week of Thanksgiving

[mjbarr01]

I will preface this by saying this will be my first time back to MK since 1987. This will be the second time within 5 years myself and my wife and 2 children will be in Florida. I have an advantage that my brother lives in the suburbs of Orlando and we do not have to pay for a hotel stay which means we can spend more money visiting various things. The last time we were down my son was 4yrs. old and my daughter was 9 mos. old. We did Sea World only and the beaches. My brother doesn't get up north much due to rising costs of travel so we figured we would come down for Thanksgiving this year. We are also driving down. This limits our time available to see WDW. We have planned one day this time for the Magic Kingdom. The kids are at a good age (7 and 4). I realize we will not see everything...I do have some experience at MK and realize its vast size. I would like to have the kids and my wife (who has never been) have a memorable time so when we come down again we can expand our visit.

Can anyone help as far as what rides/attractions would be the best to see with a 7 and 4 yr. old. that can be fit into one day?

What would be the best restaurants/meal sites to hit for lunch and dinner without having to make reservations 6 mo. in advance?

In reading the tips that rookies make, it suggested strollers for children up to age 8? The strollers they rent would they accomodate a 7 yr. old that is 4'8" and a 4 yr. old that is about 4' tall. Do they have wagons?

I also saw that you can bring in small coolers. My question is since 9/11 is this still allowed?

I would also be happy to take any other advice to make this a very memorable vacation day.

Thank you in advance for your posts.

 

[Grumpy92]

Ok where to start.
One day at the MK: Be flexible, have everyone pick their top three attractions and work on them upon arrival. If they have a FP use this option. You can leisurely do anything else afteward. The whole weekend will be extremely busy, but I would avoid Thanks day specifically. I am assuming you will be spending Thanks. day at your brothers house which is probably for the best.
If you can go on Sunday that is the best day to go. The lines will be shorter, if not then Saturday. There is a possibility that the parking lot may fill up in the morning and then they wont let further offsite guest in until later in the day. So if you plan to spend the day plan to be there at around 8am. If you wait until later in the morning you will be dealing with longer lines and will see less. You will have waisted half the day by the time you drive there, then get parked, ride the tram and then get on a monorail/boat. Figure an hour alone for parking & transport to the park. You will also need to be there in the morning if you want to get any FP as they will run out later in the day.

Attractions: I go counterclockwise, Pirates, Alladin, Country Bears, Haunted Mansion, Peter Pan, Dumbo, ISW, Pooh, Carosel, Raceway & Buzz Lightyear.

Meals: I am afraid for this weekend I cannot suggest that you go without a PS. Your wait will be extremely long. Saying that you might want to think about a restaurant at one of the resorts. For Dinner a PS is a must. But lunch is a different story at the resorts.

MK: LTT or if you want a character meal Crystal Palace. Counter service I would go to Pecos.

Resort: Kona's at the Poly is excellent and you get away from the hustle & bustle of the park. You can easily do a walk up for lunch. Concourse St is another. IF you want a fun meal then Whispering Canyon. At all three of these restaurants you can probably do a walk up, but you will have between a 5-25 minute wait. So go early your wait will decrease, check the lunch hours for which ever you choose.
Menus: www.wdwig.com/menu/menus.htm

Strollers: Having recently been with a 4yr old to MK. I wished we had rented a stroller bringing our own was a big mistake. The strollers are fairly large and you can get a double. They are similar to the the dolphin ones you probably saw at sea world. Your youngest one should have no problem, but your oldest may be too big. Check http://wdwig.com/strol_faq.htm.

Coolers: First do you really want to drag a cooler thru the park on a busy day. A small one Inside a backpack ok. Yes you can always put it in a locker at the train station. But that can be an inconvenience to constantly return if you want a drink. I would suggest, freezing a few bottles of water the night before. You can then put them in a little flexible lunch box which can fit in a bag or backpack maybe with a few snacks. You will be searched at the gate upon your arrival, which is another line you will have to wait in, but you shouldnt have any problems with the above.

Security Searches: If you can bring as little as possible do it. I walk in with my wallet, keys & hat and avoid that security line because most of the parks have a special entrance for those who arent carrying bags. I will be in my first line long before you finish walking down Main St. I understand those of you with small children who have to lug bags of stuff with you. My sympathys go out to you.

On the upside many of the xmas decorations will be up. So that is another reason you might want to hit the resorts. CP starts Sat so that might me another show you might want to do. It truly is the best show at WDW. If you decide to do that then do the dinner pkg.

Wish I could bring you an easier plan for the weekend.

 

[kirstyfly]

Just wondering as we are for our first trip to the USA and will be going to WDW.

Friends of ours are booking for us and deciding on dates so what date week is thanks giving.

Thanks.

 

[snuggles]

Welcome to the Dis MJBarr!

Be sure to go to Buzz Lightyear early. I'd ride if the line isn't too long then maybe get a fastpass for later in the day. It's sure to be a big hit with your kids. (ok, confession time. I love it too! )
Tomorrowland Transit Authority is another good ride. It's not a thrill ride by any means but it does take you through Space Mountain so that you can see a bit of it. I'm not a thrill ride person so this is as close to SM that I'll ever get.
I'm sure they would enjoy Peter Pan too. My 16 and 21 yr old never want to miss that.
Splash Mountain is our favorite ride at the MK. Always a don't miss ride.
If your youngest is up to it, Haunted Mansion is another great ride. I've found it depends on the child....
The Jungle Cruise is great. Especially if you get a good captain that really plays up the script.
There are so many things to do.. just remember to take your time and enjoy the magic.
Heres a link to the Dis Dining Database where you can search for places to eat. Hope these help. Also remember to visit our Restaurant Board for more info.

 

[Debbart]

Kirstyfly. Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, November 27th. Sunday November 23 thru Tuesday November 25 shouldn't be too bad (crowds) but from the 26 thru 27th or 28th may be brisk!

 

[kalidk]

I will be there also for Thanksgiving....
I agree with the others as far as planning your day.
I have one thing to add, I read somewhere that you cannot bring a wagon or anything you need to pull.. I don't know how true that is.
Have Fun

 

[AJKMOM]

I have been told by Disney that the busiest time at Thanksgiving is the Saturday BEFORE until the Saturday after. That is what they consider their Thanksgiving week every year, depending on what date it falls.
I have also heard that the Magic Kingdom gets so crowded on the actual Thanksgiving Day that it has been closed to new visitors. When we travel then, we like to arrive the Sunday after and have the parks almost to ourselves. Advantage being the holiday decorations go up then, too.

 

[diathoney]

We have been at Disney twice on Thanksgiving. My advice is to avoid MK on Thanksgiving day. IF you get in the park, the crowds are so bad, it's miserable!

We were at WDW on Labor Day. We went to AK, the crowds were not bad at all. We used a FP for the safari, but DH & DD rode Kali River Rapids twice (in the afternoon) with no wait. Primeval Whirl was a 10 mintue wait at 2PM. I heard from another couple the MK was packed Labor Day.