Week After Thanksgiving Thoughts??

[curemyreed]

For Disney to not have offered free dining during that time the number of reservations must have been substantial already. Just because they didn't offer it doesn't mean it won't be crowded. The promotion was mean to bring in crowds during a less crowded time. They didn't have the need to offer it this year because the demand was already there.

The last time we went (2 years ago) the crowd calendar called the weekend after Thanksgiving a 7 and 6 respectively and it wasn't even close! More like a 9 and 8, maybe. It was wall-to-wall people. Weekdays said crowds would diminish to a 3 or 4. Never happened. Only time it even got close to that slow was the Thursday after Thanksgiving. The weekend then got busy again.

I was responding to your earlier post that "free dining has completely ruined what used to be walk on rides", so wanted to point out there is no free dining that week.

easyswdw's crowd calendar has all 4's until the first weekend of December which is a 7 Saturday and a 6 Sunday. Touringplans has an even more positive prediction with 1-3's that week followed by a 6 Saturday and a 2 Sunday. We always do the recommended park and find the crowd prediction numbers to be reliable. Sorry you got hit with WORSE crowds than predicted. That stinks.

 

[Laketravis]

The last three years we've gone the week after Thanksgiving and it's gotten noticeably busier.

We'll be arriving tomorrow night for 16 nights, caught the last day of FD on the 23rd so we will have FD for two weeks - Thanksgiving week and the first week of December.

Looking forward to seeing the contrast between both weeks in regards to crowd levels.

 

[guppy1013]

We went this week in 2007?08? And last year. First time we waiting for NOTHING. this past year it was busier but still majority of rides were walk on. Btmr and space mtn were 50 min or so. Weather was gorgeous. 80s. Nights were chilly but amazing all around. Would highly recommend. (Pop Warner was both times I think and we never noticed.)

 

[pooch]

We will be there that week this year (for our first Dec. trip to WDW) and actually this year, there is no free dining that week!

It begins 11/30. We have it. It was offered as a pin code.

 

[Lorelei528]

It begins 11/30. We have it. It was offered as a pin code.

I think that only goes through Wed though, right? and then the next period starts on Dec. 15th...

That's what I read anyway...

 

[pooch]

I think that only goes through Wed though, right? and then the next period starts on Dec. 15th...

That's what I read anyway...

I have it for the whole week

 

[bksomody]

The last three years we've gone the week after Thanksgiving and it's gotten noticeably busier.

We'll be arriving tomorrow night for 16 nights, caught the last day of FD on the 23rd so we will have FD for two weeks - Thanksgiving week and the first week of December.

Looking forward to seeing the contrast between both weeks in regards to crowd levels.

Please report back on the crowd differences between the two weeks. I'm thinking about a trip in Thanksgiving but not sure if before or after is better.

 

[Magpie]

For Disney to not have offered free dining during that time the number of reservations must have been substantial already. Just because they didn't offer it doesn't mean it won't be crowded. The promotion was mean to bring in crowds during a less crowded time. They didn't have the need to offer it this year because the demand was already there.

Disney has never (in the last several years we've been going) offered Free Dining during the Pop Warner week. Which is almost always the first full week of December.

Pop Warner does not add significantly to the crowds in the parks, because the kids (especially during the early part of the week and during the daytime) are busy with their competitions. But it does fill up resort rooms quite nicely.

Despite low crowds in the parks, Disney doesn't need to offer free dining during that period.

And, fwiw, we didn't find it at all busy last year or the year before. We followed Josh's recommendations for avoiding crowds, and thought the parks were relatively quiet, especially in the early morning and late evening. Our May trip was a LOT more crowded! Sorry to hear you had a different experience.

Edit: I should correct that - Disney doesn't offer free dining during that period, except for a very limited number of pin codes emailed to a few lucky souls.

 

[pooch]

Disney has never (in the last several years we've been going) offered Free Dining during the Pop Warner week. Which is almost always the first full week of December.

Pop Warner does not add significantly to the crowds in the parks, because the kids (especially during the early part of the week and during the daytime) are busy with their competitions. But it does fill up resort rooms quite nicely.

Despite low crowds in the parks, Disney doesn't need to offer free dining during that period.

And, fwiw, we didn't find it at all busy last year or the year before. We followed Josh's recommendations for avoiding crowds, and thought the parks were relatively quiet, especially in the early morning and late evening. Our May trip was a LOT more crowded! Sorry to hear you had a different experience.

Edit: I should correct that - Disney doesn't offer free dining during that period, except for a very limited number of pin codes emailed to a few lucky souls.

And, apparently the VERY lucky who get a call from Guest Services with a personal invitation to dine free!!!

Also I believe Pop Warner is the 2nd week in Dec. this year, beginning 12/7

 

[DavidNYC]

I was responding to your earlier post that "free dining has completely ruined what used to be walk on rides", so wanted to point out there is no free dining that week.

easyswdw's crowd calendar has all 4's until the first weekend of December which is a 7 Saturday and a 6 Sunday. Touringplans has an even more positive prediction with 1-3's that week followed by a 6 Saturday and a 2 Sunday. We always do the recommended park and find the crowd prediction numbers to be reliable. Sorry you got hit with WORSE crowds than predicted. That stinks.

Also - while POP Warner takes up a significant amount of rooms, it doesn't highly affect crowds in the parks for most of the time as they have other events. It is a great time to go. Even though busier in the past, VERY manageable plus all the X-mas decorations. Weather can be iffy - been to water parks one year and winter coats the next. (And had one trip where I actually could have done both - over 50 degree swing over 3 days!)