wdw - thanksgiving week

[intertile]

Any advice as to the weather, parks?

Is it terribly crowded with schools being out?
Anyone that has visited during this time, please give me your feedback.

Thanks

 

[bridgemanva]

We go for Thanksgiving week quite often; The beginning of the week it's not very crowded by Wednesday the crowds are more like spring break. Weatherwise it depends on the year -- we always layer for the evening it can have a chill; but we've enjoyed the pool area some years it's warm enough to swim others it's not; however that's subject to your internal thermostat when we have family from up north with us they'll swim when We wouldn;t consider it.
The best thing is the Christmas transformation that occurs Thursday to Friday, we just love the experience to kick off the holiday season.

 

[2giddy4wdw]

I know that Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving are extremely busy compared to that Sunday. Starting Sunday, the crowds drop right off. We usually arrive on Friday, this year we are going to arrive on Saturday...but I don't think that we are going to do a park. Just relax at our resort and maybe start our shopping at DTD. We really enjoy visiting the week after, with all the decorations and MVMCP. It's so relaxing, the wait times are maybe 10 minutes for the rides!!! Can't wait for November 25!!!

 

[Plau]

Thanksgiving Week is a favorite of ours. Unfortunately, our kid's sport's schedules no longer allow us the time around Thanksgiving to go anymore. The weather is still nice during the daytime and we have always been able to spend a day at a Water Park as well as afternoon swim/sun at the pool. You do have to plan your parks wisely utilizing the early magic hour or avoiding that park when you want to sleep in. I would also recommend getting Priority seating for dinners. Watch the Disney sites for when Thanksgiving Dining Reservations are being taken. Book Early because they fill up quickly. We have had Special Thanksgiving Dinners at The California Grill and Artist Pointe and both were great and not outrageously expensive. Aside from the transformation of the Hotels during that week, you will also be able to experience the Candlelight Processional if you stay at least through Friday. We have taken advantage of the Candlelight Dinner Packages and enjoyed Dinner plus special seating for the Candlelight Processional w/out waiting in the long line. The cost of the dinner package varies by the restaurant but all include an appetizer, entree, and dessert for less than you would normally pay without the package. And the Candlelight Processional is Beautiful. A great way to kick off the Holiday Season.

 

[disneybride96]

I have been wanting to see the WDW Holiday decorations for years, but since I work in retail, it is difficult for me to go. We had the opportunity to go the day after Thanksgiving last year and I will never do that again. We took the nephews to the magic kingdom, and by noon you could hardly move. I like giddy's advice of waiting until the following Sunday or Monday to do the parks.

 

[mtdsnylvr]

Any suggestions for what to do on Fri./ Sat. if avoiding the parks? We will be there for the week and will get our parks fill in before Friday if crowds are an issue. Also, can anyone tell me more about the Candlelight Processional and package for it? Sounds great! Thanks.

 

[Paticake]

We'll be arriving the Sat. after Thanksgiving. We are planning on doing Chef Mickey's for an early dinner then checking out the decorations at the Monorail resorts. Maybe you could plan a character breakfast and pool time. My one big suggestion is to stay clear of MK that Saturday.

 

[bradyjensen]

We went for our first trip to WDW last Thanksgiving Week. We arrived on the Saturday before and left the Saturday after. Since it was my first trip, I can't compare it to other times of year, but we have been at DL on Thanksgiving, and this was somewhat lighter. We did a commando raid on Magic Kingdome Thursday morning, getting the major attractions in Frontierland, Adventurland, and Liberty Square under our belts in less than 2 hours, then headed to Epcot for the rest of the day. I think that helped us miss the worst of the crowds.

We did Studios on Friday and with some aggressive Fast Passing, did Rock'n'Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror about six times each, then coasted through shows the rest of the day. Then Animal Kingdom on Saturday morning and early afternoon, and home.

None of the parks other than MK seemed crowded, or at least unmanageably so, and being there for the Christmas decorations and events is always wonderful. I think the days leading up to Thanksgiving were great - generally small crowds, minimal waits. It was warm and not humid after the first day or so -- really, an ideal time to be there in my opinion.

 

[wintergreen]

We love going at Thanksgiving! We have been twice before, and will be going again this year. It can be crowded, but if you use the usual time management tools--arrive early, etc.--it is very manageable. We have found the weather to be pretty good at that time of year, and the Christmas decorations are wonderful. As another poster said, make your Thanksgiving dining reservations as soon as you hit the 180 day mark. Visit www.allearsnet.com for examples of Thanksgiving menus from last year.

 

[J and R's mom]

Any suggestions for what to do on Fri./ Sat. if avoiding the parks? We will be there for the week and will get our parks fill in before Friday if crowds are an issue. Also, can anyone tell me more about the Candlelight Processional and package for it? Sounds great! Thanks.

Click here for a link to more information about the Candlelight Processional. You might also want to follow the other links on her website for more pricesless information and pictures on all things at WDW...even dining menus.

 

[bradyjensen]

I didn't mention that, but we did the dinner package on the Friday after Thanksgiving for the first night of the Candlelight Processional. Rita Moreno was the narrator, and it's really a very special experience. Even my squirmy 8 and 11 year old nieces enjoyed it (or at least most of it).

The Processional is included in park admission, but the theater fills up really quickly. I think they seat people with the dinner package first, so there's some advantage. If you were planning on a dinner at one of the Epcot table service restaurants anyway, do it as part of the dinner package to get the edge on seating for the processional. Most of the restaurants offer the package; we ate at Chefs de Paris. It's a bit strange, but there's no relationship between the time of your dinner reservation and which Processional you have. We had dinner at like 5:40 PM and then the 8:45 PM (or maybe 8:15, can't remember exactly) Processional.