Week of Thanksgiving??

[wahoo776]

Good Morning all!

I was able to book the week of Thanksgiving and actually turn it into a 10 day trip after husband decided that he needed to side track to US/IOA.

We will be at WDW from 22 November to 1 December.

Here is what I have planned, tenatively, so far:

22 November to 24 November US/IoA
25 November to 29 November WDW, with hopefully, Dinner at LTT for Thanksgiving, Breakfast at Crystal Palace, and possibly a trip to the Polynesia Luau(still trying to figure if the cost will be worth it, having lived in Hawaii and seen quite a few of these.)
30 November - MVMCP (hopefully)
1 December - Head for home.

Ok, Here are my questions:

How crowded are the parks at this time? I'm I going to be beating myself up for even attempting this?

I'm not able to buy my MVMCP tickets right now, I looked on one of the other websites and for last year they only had one date as being sold out, Is this true?

I would like to do the 5 pm Luau and then head over to the MVMCP? Too much for kids, 4,8,11. Those 2 things will be all we do for that day, besides relax and hopefully swim.

What am I looking at for weather?

Keep in mind that this started as a quick BUDGET trip to WDW less than 10 days ago and now has become all of this. Looks like the kids will be getting the pictures from WDW for Christmas

 

[ZerasPride]

We were at Disney over Thanksgiving week last year and I found it very doable. It was crowded and quite cool some days but we had a great time. I would do it again in a heartbeat! We spent the first part of the week at our home resort on Hilton Head then the Tuesday before the holiday through that Saturday at Disney. Getting to the parks early and utilizing fast pass is essential at a busy time but honestly it was not as bad as I thought it would be. We had a great time and as I said before, I would do it again in heartbeat!

 

[heart4dis]

While I have not done WDW at T-giving, one of my good friends did it in 2002. They have 6 kids ages 3 to 16. They said it was VERY crowded. They did not plan, either. They said in hindsight, they should have planned ahead and gotten agreement with the kids as to who would get "their" ride when, etc. So the kids had a great time and the parents survived...

I think it would be great any time. If that's the only time you can go, then do it. Plan well. Be prepared for crowds and unexpected weather changes. Be flexible. Then enjoy.

 

[donna in Oz]

The only time we were at WDW over Thanksgiving was pre-9/11, so perhaps crowd pattern has changed significantly since then.

BUT, the crowds over the week-end following T-Day were the worst I've seen at WDW, the MK in particular. It became frustrating just to try to move from one area of the park to another. I don't particularly like elbow-to-elbow jostling with strangers!!

Thanksgiving Day itself wasn't bad, but it seemed as if everyone who lived in Orlando had decided to bring their holiday guests to the world in the days following . . . . . .

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

We only noticed crowds on Thanksgiving Day at Magic Kingdom between 4 & 8pm. Other than that, we were not bothered or hampered by them. We were there for the beginning of the Millennium Celebration, and from what I've read since then the crowds were worse the following year (2000). Fast Pass was new and only available for a limited number of major attractions at the time- They will certainly help you see more of the parks, instead of spending time waiting in lines.

I thought that the weather was perfect- mid 70's everday, very little rain (one shower, one thunderstorm). We wore shorts and short sleeves during the day and needed a sweater/sweatshirt of jacket in the evening, especailly during Illuminations. The only day we were affected by the heat was Friday at Epcot (little shade in World Showcase), it was very warm. The other parks offer more shade and indoor queues and activities to keep you out of the sun for extened periods of time. Space Mountain is one of a few exceptions, where if you choose stand-by to wait in line, that you will be in the sun for an hour or more mid-afternoon- but use the fast pass to avoid the wait.

Read my trip report (link in my signature) to get an idea of what we accomplished during our visit from Sat-Sat of Thanksgiving 1999.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

I was told (I think?) on another thread that the only MVMCP during our Nov 24- Dec 2 trip would be on the 2nd..... which is when we'd be flying home! But then I saw somewhere else... in the Mickey Monitor actually... that it says Nov 30th is one also!

So does that mean it will be? Or is that changed already since they printed/mailed the Mickey Monitor? And if not changed, can we buy the tickets for that NOW???

 

[tink2]

I've been twice the week of Thanksgiving. Monday - Friday aren't bad at all- MK is very crowded Thanksgiving Day though. Monday-Wednesday the crowds are very managable- pretty low in fact. Thursday the people flock to MK- us included. We use this day to take in parades, character meals- with PS of course, and go with the flow. Friday at a non-MK park is fine. As stated above, be sure to plan and make use of EE and FastPass. I've never been the weekend after Thanksgiving, but I have friends who have and said it was so crowded they hardly got to do anything.
Thanksgiving week is a wonderful time to go! Great weather, low crowds the first part of the week, Christmas decorations,....
Have a great time! See you there!

 

[noodles]

We went last year at that time for 10 days and will be there Nov. 22 to Dec 2nd this year! I think its a great time of year to visit! Hopefully we will both be able to eat dinner at LTT on Thanksgiving!!!! Last year we stayed away from the Disney Parks on Friday and Saturday. We did Universal those two days and the crowds were not bad at all over there. This year we are staying on property the whole trip!! My kids are 2, 4, and 8 and last year for MVMCP we went to DD in the morning and went back to take an afternoon nap. We stayed till the end of MVMCP and the kids didnt want to leave even though it was way past midnight! Have fun!

 

[wahoo776]

Thank you all!

I'm getting a little less scared and a little more excited as the day has gone on, Thanks to all of you!

I have actually been in MK when it had gotten so crowded they where no longer letting people in. I didn't even realize until I got home and read on one of the message boards that a woman had been on the phone with DTC and they had shut the park down. It was March 17th of this year, and I didn't even find that intolerable with Fastpasses. But we also are the type of people who figure "we will be back, so anything we miss we can see next time." I am giving lots of thought to just trading the dates and doing US/IoA for the weekend following Thanksgiving with the exception of MVMCP on 30 November, on that, I spoke to a Castmember when I was adding days to my ressies and she confirmed the 30 November date for MVMCP.

On that, does anyone know about this selling out? I can't buy those tickets right now, and I only have seen one place that showed a sold out date. We are hoping that the holiday crowds will be heading back to work. But, who knows.

Once again, Thank you all, feeling much better about this trip!

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

I hope someone answers your question, if they can. And hope someone also lets me know if we CAN buy those tickets now. Am I right to assume you mean they can be purchased now by you saying you can't personally purchase them now??? So that means it's possible?

 

[wahoo776]

Yes, They can be purchased now, I just can't.

Sorry, I should have been clearer on that.

Thanks again!