WDW at Thanksgiving

[wall*e2008]

I just found this site, and it looks great.

As you can see from my name I love Wall-E.

We have been to WDW many times but never at Thanksgiving. We are going this year and know to expect it to be crowded.

I am looking for any tips on how to minimize the effect of the crowds and still enjoy the world.

 

[LadyZolt]

Welcome to the Dis, Wall*e!

Are you staying on site? If so, I recommend making use of the early and late Extra Magic Hours (EMH) because only onsite guests can use them, so you can get a lot done during those times. As you said, it'll be crowded, so make a list of your "must do" things, then your "want to do, but could miss" things, then your "would be nice, but could skip it" things. You should be able to do your "must do" list if you're realistic and don't put everything on it -- LOL! And then you can try to do other stuff if the opportunities present themselves.

Because of the crowds, I recommend getting park hopper tickets so that you could hit both the morning and the evening EMH parks.

I assume you've already made your table service reservations -- if not, call now (407-WDW-DINE) and try to get some. For counter service, think about choosing "off" times when there won't be as many people, like eating lunch or dinner either early or later than the normal times.

Please post back with more questions or specifics about your stay and we'll try to help more. I'm sure you're going to have a wonderful trip to Disney!

-Dorothy (LadyZolt)

 

[wall*e2008]

We are staying onsite. I have our done ADRs too.

Thank you for the pointers.

 

[bigbabyblues]

No tips for you, but we'll be there for our first Thanksgiving trip too!

 

[TerrytownGrl]

Welcome, Wall*E,

We'll be at WDW for the first time this Thanksgiving as well.

I'm not overly worried about the crowds. From what I've read here on the boards and from the UG's crowd calendar, I don't expect the crowds to be too bad.

Good luck with your planning!

 

[wall*e2008]

I love the trip counters. How do I add one to my account?

 

[disnut8]

We've gone every Thanksgiving except one for the past eight years. We stay off site, obviously don't use any extra magic hours, get to the parks a little before noon and find that while the "big" attractions are a bit of a bother to attempt, we have a great time.

The Christmas things will begin the day after Thanksgiving which is why I love being there. I ignore all the commercialism of the holiday season until I'm at Disney World and things go from Thanksgiving to Christmas literally overnight.

If you don't have your dining reservations for Thanksgiving night, you will want to do that ASAP. And remember that holiday pricing for buffets and character meals will be in effect.

 

[TerrytownGrl]

I love the trip counters. How do I add one to my account?

If you "point and click" at the ticker in my signature, it will link you to the website where I made the ticker. It's pretty easy to do.

 

[unionville]

We didn't feel like it was really crowded until the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. You can tell a difference as people begin checking in at the resorts. Thanksgiving Day at the Magic Kingdom was crazy. We arrived at 8 am and left by 10 and spent the rest of the day at Animal Kingdom. The Friday crowds were manageable by utilizing fast passes and taking an afternoon break. The secret for us is that we were there the entire week so we tried to do all of the "must do" attractions by Thanksgiving day. It is really an awesome time of year to go. Seeing the Christmas decorations added to the holiday. Be prepared for weather that could change from day to day. We wore coats and mittens one day and were swimming the next. You just never know what to expect. I wish we were going again this Thanksgiving.

 

[wall*e2008]

If you "point and click" at the ticker in my signature, it will link you to the website where I made the ticker. It's pretty easy to do.

I will do that. Thank you for the help. Now to get me one. Choosing will be hard.



It is sounding like it will not be as crowded as I thought (think wall to wall people), which is making me happy!!!

I love Christmas. We have the Candlelight processional dinner package. DH took care of that and he got us Le Cellier! I was impressed!