Worried about Thanksgiving trip...some tips please?

[SFMommy]

After reading a recent thread about Thanksgiving crowds, I am starting to panic that it will be crazy crowded when we are there. It is me, DH and DD5.

We arrive at lunchtime on the Friday after Thanksgiving and will have Friday afternoon, all day Saturday and all day Sunday in the parks before flying home early on Monday morning.

We are staying at the PPH, so planning on using both 7:00 a.m. Magic Mornings to do Fantasyland rides. We'll also do Toontown Morning Madness on Saturday. We will fastpass Autopia, Soarin' and Holiday Haunted Mansion. (We don't do roller coasters.)

We were there 6 months ago and did everything that we wanted to, so I'm not too worried about doing every ride this time. The only ride that we are willing to wait a long time for is Little Mermaid, since it is new for us.

We have dining reservations at places that we've never been to before...Minnie & Friends, Goofy's Kitchen (dinner), Big Thunder Ranch, and Storyteller's.

These are the things that I've thought about doing if the ride lines are just too much:

DLR:
Mark Twain or Columbia
Tom Sawyer's Island
Tiki Room
Big Thunder Ranch (Santa & Reindeer)

DCA:
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail
Animation Studio
Muppets 3D (preferred seating)
Aladdin (preferred seating)

What are some other good things to do if we can't bear the wait times? Which rides have historically short waits even during crowded times?

We also want to see the Christmas Parade and Fireworks. Which day/time for the Parade and which night for the Fireworks might be less crowded?

We are so excited to be there during the Holiday Season for the first time and also it's our first time staying onsite. So I'm sure that it will be a magical trip no matter what!!!

Thanks for any advice!!!

 

[cloudconnected1039]

I went during Thanksgiving last year, from the Tuesday to the Saturday, and we still had great fun. My biggest advice is to take advantage of lower crowds in the morning. You'd be amazed how much you can get done in such a little amount of time!! But also be aware that crowds will be there, and during a couple of days on our trip, crowds were near capacity (about 98%) The best way to avoid these though is probably to take an afternoon break. This will work especially well since you aren't as concerned about riding every single ride.

As for entertainment, I'd try to see the fireworks on Saturday, just in case they have to cancel or something and then you can attempt to see it on Sunday. It's always smarter to see certain nighttime entertainment earlier on in the trip so if it does get canceled, you have more opportunities to see it But for the parade, I feel that's far less likely to get canceled, so I would do that Sunday.

Either way, you're going to have a great time!! It'll be crowded, but be aware of that and expect it and you won't be so disappointed.

 

[DTDkettleCORNfan]

We were there last year the Sunday after Thanksgiving and it was a great day. There were a lot of people, but the ride lines were not completely awful. It was the first time we had done a Sunday....and were worried, but it ended up being just fine.

I concur with the previous poster about seeing the fireworks asap. During one of our trips they were cancelled either 2 or 3 nights in a row. Unless you want to sit and watch, you can just walk onto the middle of Main Street 15 or 20 minutes before the fireworks start (to get a great view of the show while facing the castle). Everyone just stands, but its still a great place to watch the show. We've always held up our little ones so they can see (but not on shoulders which would block people behind us). The Christmas firework show is fantastic.

Have a great trip!!!

 

[HydroGuy]

It is always good to have a list of things to do when it is crowded.

When you choose to go to DLR during a major holiday then it will be crowded. That should not surprise you and it is certainly no reason to "panic". It is a holiday after all.

As others have said, a good plan with early arrival each morning can take you a long ways to avoiding crowds.