Days *before* Thanksgiving?

[sambahat]

I've had a change in plans. We were originally planning a trip in September but for various reasons we can only go in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. Specifically, we're considering going the Saturday through Tuesday *before* Thanksgiving.

I've never been during that time. Does anyone have any advice, thoughts, or hints for that time period? Are the crowds unbearable? Any idea what queue lengths I should expect?

 

[KingStefan]

It seems like every year, Thanksgiving gets more crowded. 25 years ago, it was empty, even when the weather was good. Now it is one of the crowded times. Not like Christmas and Easter, but more crowded than usual.

A few years ago, I heard that just before Thanksgiving had moderate crowds. This year, however, the touringplans.com crowd calendar has Sat-Thu before Tnanksgiving (Nov 22-26) at 8s and 9s - same as Thanksgiving weekend. That means PEAK wait times at the big attractions of 75-94 minutes.

However, as other posters have said, have a plan, go at park opening and/or a few hours before park closing, use EMH and FP wisely, and you'll have no problem.

Make ADRs early - 180 days before your hotel check-in day. If you stay at a deluxe resort, especially an MK resort, and especially the Poly, your transportation problems should be minimized. You've got the monorail to MK, and can walk to the Epcot monorail or the MK ferry, and the busses will be less crowded at any deluxe.

Good luck planning, and have a magical trip whatever you decide!