Thanksgiving in the Parks Question

mynonnie

mynonnie

Member
Original Poster
We are going to DW for Thanksgiving for the first time. We are partial to Epcot and MGM and therefore ususally stay at the Boardwalk. If you have been there before at Thanksgiving I'd love your recommendations on which park to stay closer to. Wondered if there would be more festivities going on in Magic Kingdom?

Thanks!
 
DanStat

DanStat

Well-Known Member
We've been thinking about going during this time, too. What are the crowds like, and will Christmas decorations be up?
 
Disney's Mom

Disney's Mom

Member
I have been there early November and the Christmas decorations are up then.:xmas: We have not been there for Thanksgiving either, but hope to next year with the whole family (grandparents, cousins, etc).
 
erinuga

erinuga

New Member
We go to WDW for Thanksgiving every year...what we've noticed is that the parks get busier with each day- thanksgiving day being the busiest (especially mk). But- mk is open much later- until 11 on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday- so we usually save some of the more popular rides for later, while everyone is watching the electrical parade.

We tend to stay either at POR or Beach Club- Beach Club is great because of its closeness to Epcot, and we usually don't have a problem with buses at POR.

The decorations are definitely up by Thanksgiving- but don't expect too many Thanksgiving decorations. I think the Christmas-y things, like the Santas at the various countries in Epcot, begin the day after or the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Also, if you really want a Thanksgiving dinner- most restaurants offer a "traditional" turkey dinner- just ask around for the best deal (which we've found is at POR food court!)
 
Horizons1

Horizons1

Well-Known Member
A good portion of Christmas decorations will be up, the Osborne Lights begin on the 14th of November this year I believe. The resorts will probably be in most of their decor.

The only Thanksgiving decorations you might find, would be in the MK, on Main Street. Town Square usually has pumpkins and some of the buildings have a leaf garland but thats about it. WDW really does not do much of anything for Thanksgiving.
 
mynonnie

mynonnie

Member
Original Poster
It appears it doesn't matter where you stay then. Is everyone saying there is plenty going on in every park and that there is no advantage to staying closer to MK? We're trying to decide between Boardwalk and Wilderness Lodge? Any recommendations?
 
K

KrazyKowboy

New Member
I elect the value resort All Star Music each year and find the crowds light the week after Thanksgiving and all the Christmas activities and decorations in full swing.

A stay at the Boardwalk would be nice though. with easy access to Epcot and water transportation to MGM and Downtown Disney. From Epcot the monorail over to MK is simple too. Only bus transportation you'd need would be to AK. For all those reasons, I'd think Boardwalk would be a great choice.

Regardless of where you stay or which park you're in, at this time of year there are plenty of extra holiday activities to enjoy. Don't forget to include MVMCP.
 
Disneyfanman

Disneyfanman

Well-Known Member
We have gone several years in the week before Thanksgiving, and it's a great time to go. The parks are busy, but not horrible. We used the "opposite EMH strategy" very effectively. The lights are either in full swing, or nearly completed. Osbourne Lights are amazing....don't miss them. It's just a really nice, happy time at the resort.

I have heard that the Wednesday before, and Thanksgiving day are more crowded. I haven't gone those two days so I can't advise.

I also really can't see any advantage to staying near one particular park. They all have great stuff going on.

Enjoy!
 
Horizons1

Horizons1

Well-Known Member
mynonnie said:
It appears it doesn't matter where you stay then. Is everyone saying there is plenty going on in every park and that there is no advantage to staying closer to MK? We're trying to decide between Boardwalk and Wilderness Lodge? Any recommendations?
Click to expand...



Pretty much, no matter which way you turn, at that time of year in WDW, something is always going on.


I would definately recommend the WL, its a very beautiful resort, even more beautiful at that time of year with the Christmas decorations and the atmosphere.
 
kachow

kachow

Member
My wife and I are going down on Thanksgiving day and staying a week at the Boardwalk. It's our favorite resort, so that's more why we picked it than being close to any particular Thanksgiving/Christmas event. The nice thing about being near Epcot is we find it to be better in multiple short doses rather than full days, so it's nice to be able to walk over there whenever we feel like it. It's also nice having the short ferry to the Studios.

In terms of Thanksgiving in general. We expect MK to be the busiest, which is why we're not planning on going there that day. In general we've read that Thurs and Fri should be quite crowded, but people will start heading out Sat, meaning Sunday on will be much less crowded. Some areas wait until the day after Thanksgiving to put their Xmas decorations up, but everything should be up by Sunday. We're planning on attending the Candlelight Processional at Epcot and the MVMCP at MK during our trip.

In terms of actual Thanksgiving meals. It may already be too late to get in at one of the nicer places, but I would definitely investigate menus either here or at allearsnet to figure out what you might want. We actually were looking for a nice place that wasn't only serving traditional Thanksgiving that day, since we're not huge fans of that kind of food, and found that Flying Fish Cafe (one of our favorite restaurants at the resort) will be serving their usual menu along with special Thanksgiving items.
 
DWlover

DWlover

New Member
Disneyfanman said:
We have gone several years in the week before Thanksgiving, and it's a great time to go. The parks are busy, but not horrible. We used the "opposite EMH strategy" very effectively. The lights are either in full swing, or nearly completed. Osbourne Lights are amazing....don't miss them. It's just a really nice, happy time at the resort.

I have heard that the Wednesday before, and Thanksgiving day are more crowded. I haven't gone those two days so I can't advise.
Click to expand...


Newbie here!

We are looking at going back to DW the week of Thanksgiving 2007 and are curious about the crowds. The last two times we've been it's been during Spring Break! This past April was the most recent and we swore then that we'd never go back during that time. When you say "the parks are busy" does it even compare to spring break? Also, can I be a total dork :hammer:and ask what the EMH strategy is? Be gentle...remember I'm a newbie! :D

Thanks!!
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom