Thanksgiving week nightmares?

Tdee5961

Tdee5961

New Member
We will be staying @ the Dolphin the week of Thanksgiving. I realize that any holiday @ any Disney Park can be crazy, but I have heard nightmarish tales for this time period. We have been to the DLR during the week between Xmas & New Years, if it is anything like that! :eek: Did we make a smart choice to go @ Thanksgiving? Enlightenment please!!
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
Eeyore

Eeyore

Mrs. WDWMAGIC [Assistant Administrator]
Premium Member
I've gone at Thanksgiving, Easter, and fourth of July for many years. Though they are all very busy times Thanksgiving, in my experience, is the least busy of the three.

I was able to visit WDW the week between Christmas and New Year's eve for the first and LAST time last year and it was a nightmare! It was so congested that it took an hour to walk from Frontierland to Main Street and we had to wait in line 20 minutes just to get a fast pass for Big Thunder Mountain! Thanksgiving is busy but nothing like that- just take advantage of fastpass, extra magic hours and the extended Holiday hours and you'll be fine. :)

The Dolphin is a great choice!
 
Upvote 0
P

Philo

Well-Known Member
Eeyore said:
It was so congested that it took an hour to walk from Frontierland to Main Street and we had to wait in line 20 minutes just to get a fast pass for Big Thunder Mountain!
Click to expand...

Thats crazy!

Thankgiving will be busy but I've heard alot of people say its not all that bad. I think that either thanksgiving day itself or the day after is very quiet in the parks? Someone who's been will be able to tell you for sure.
 
Upvote 0
DisneyGigi

DisneyGigi

Well-Known Member
I went Thanksgiving week in 2000 and it was pretty bad. I have never been during Christmas & New Year's week so I can't compare the two, I can only speak of my experience at other times of the year. (Early November, Late February, Early March, Late August/Early September)
Magic Kingdom was miserable and it was at capacity on Thanksgiving day at about 10:00 am. The day before Thanksgiving we tried it and just could not deal with it. I think we rode one ride Buzz Lightyear because the kids wanted to do it so bad (waited well over an hour) then we left. Animal Kingdom & MGM were still bad but do-able. We spent the rest of our trip at those two parks. We didn't even try to go back to MK.
If I can give you any advice if you are going to go be sure to make any ADRs that you may want now because there is nothing sadder than having to eat a turkey leg and fries for Thanksgiving dinner..:ROFLOL:Use fastpasses and get to the parks early. I would avoid MK until after Thanksgiving day. And hopefully it won't be as bad as it was when I was there.:wave:
 
Upvote 0
apatten22

apatten22

New Member
thanksgiving

We left for WDW the Monday AFTER Thanksgiving last year (2007) and arrived just after the crowds died down. We asked many cast members how the attendance was and they all agreed that it was one of the most crowded Turkey-days they had seen in awhile. The week after was VERY good most rides only had a 5-10 min wait and the longest was for hot items like Finding Nemo The Musical or EE at AK with 30+ min waits. On the plus side my Father In Law (who plays in a band) was watching a live band while waiting for Nemo and was offered an opportunity to play bass (guitar not the fish) with the band while waiting to get into the Nemo auditorium. So things like that passed the time quickly.
 
Upvote 0
SnowWhiteMomma

SnowWhiteMomma

Member
I went the first year they did the Osborne Lights. Yes, it is pretty busy, but it is okay. If you can't wait to go it is not as bad as Christmas, but if you can go in October or January, it is best to go then
 
Upvote 0
TinkerCarol

TinkerCarol

New Member
4th Of July - Crowds? Ideas? Help?

:veryconfuI am taking my grown DD's, husbands and DGD age 3 1/2 from July 2 - 9. What can I expest? We have reservations for 2:45 lunch at MK but one son-in-law not arriving at airport in FL until almost noon. Will he get into the MK? Booked the trip around my one DD's work schedule. Did I make a mistake? HELP!!!!!:veryconfu
 
Upvote 0
P

Philo

Well-Known Member
TinkerCarol said:
:veryconfuI am taking my grown DD's, husbands and DGD age 3 1/2 from July 2 - 9. What can I expest? We have reservations for 2:45 lunch at MK but one son-in-law not arriving at airport in FL until almost noon. Will he get into the MK? Booked the trip around my one DD's work schedule. Did I make a mistake? HELP!!!!!:veryconfu
Click to expand...

It will be busy but you didn't make a mistake, you will still have a good time so long as you are prepared for it to be busy. Make good use of fastpass, and try not to run from one side of the park to the other alot. Make sure you leave plenty of time for eating, parades, fireworks etc and expect to wait a while for all the attractions.

The one problem I suspect you will have is regarding your son-in-law. I think it is quite doubtful that he will be able to get in to the park by the time he arrives (maybe someone with more knoweldge can help you here). I think you really need to get there at opening or at least before 9.30am to be sure.

I have heard of guests being allowed into the park for an ADR in some cases (like when they don't have a ticket) and it seems likely that alot of people will be in the same position as they may want to park hop or just arrive in time for dinner but the crowd limits are there for a reason - safety - and those rules can not be broken.
 
Upvote 0
kangaand2roos

kangaand2roos

Member
At what point do the crowds die down after Thanksgiving? We arriving the Saturday after Thanksgiving but won't hit the parks until Sunday, am I safe or will the crowds still be a nightmare?
 
Upvote 0
stmize

stmize

Member
We Are Going At Thanksgiving This Year. I Made All Of Adr's Yesterday And Was Able To Get Everything We Wanted. We Arrive The Friday Before Thanksgiving And Will Not Leave Until The Saturday After. We Plan To Be At Epcot On Thanksgiving Day As We Read That It Is Typically Not As Busy As The Mk. We Then Plan To Go The Mk On Friday. We Spent Christmas Day At The Mk In 2007. It Was Busy After 10:30-11:00 But We Got There As Soon As We Could Get In Which Was 7:00 Am Since We Stayed On-site And Rode Everything We Wanted. We Had Lunch Reservations At Ltt Then When We Came Out They Were Doing The Parade For The 1st Time That Day And We Left. We Had Been There Since The 15th And Was Leaving The Next Day. Even If It Is Busy I Would Think It Would Not Be As Bad As Then. Best Thing To Do Is Plan For It To Be Busy And Be Patient And Go With The Flow.
 
Upvote 0
Swood35

Swood35

New Member
I was in WDW Thanksgiving 2007, going from the saturday before to the saturday after Thanksgiving.It was easy to see that as the week went along, the parks became more and more crowded, being the worst and Thanksgiving, and the day after. The saturday after Thanksgiving, though, the parks were surprisingly empty.

We were talking to different CMs on the trip and they confirmed this, saying in past years, Thanksgiving has become more and more crowded. They also told us that the week before, and the week after Thanksgiving week, as with any other holiday's week, the parks are surprisingly empty.

P.S. if you want to see the Thanksgiving Day parade at MK, get to the park and camp out your spot early, because the park fills up quickly.

P.S.S. Have fun during your trip! :)
 
Upvote 0
ClemsonTigger

ClemsonTigger

Naturally Grumpy
Thanksgiving isn't nearly as bad as Christmas week or Easter. It does get noticably more crowded as the week progresses to Thanksgiving, and drops off significantly Sunday and especially Monday following.

As with the other high volume dates, I strongly recommend that you start your day at park openings. Many people opt for later EMH, and mornings, even on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, you have a few hours of normalcy before people start packing in around noon.

Also, be sure to make ADR's for ANY sit down meals you will want.
some restaurants do offer special "Thanksgiving" menu's on Thursday.
 
Upvote 0
hemloc

hemloc

Member
Philo said:
Thats crazy!

Thankgiving will be busy but I've heard alot of people say its not all that bad. I think that either thanksgiving day itself or the day after is very quiet in the parks? Someone who's been will be able to tell you for sure.
Click to expand...

The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally one of the busiest of the year...
 
Upvote 0
RiversideBunny

RiversideBunny

New Member
Do as much as you can in the days before Thanksgiving Day on Thursday.
The crowd levels should be lighter then.
On Thanksgiving Day itself and the day after, Friday, the crowds will be heavier.
If you want to eat a special Thanksgiving lunch or dinner on Thanksgiving Day, make the reservation now.

Good luck.
Have fun.
:king:
 
Upvote 0
C

clairew

Member
We went Thanksgiving 2005 (and are going back this year)...it is crowded bu not crazy crowded like Christmas...the weather is great and it is decorated for Christmas

I started making ADRS on Friday, and got Le Cellier on my first try for Thanksgiving night dinner...I am taking that as a good sign!

Have a great time! Maybe we will see you there:ROFLOL:
 
Upvote 0
hemloc

hemloc

Member
Philo said:
Ooops, best to ignore my advice then!
Click to expand...

I found this out the hard way one year, lol... All the local Floridians will be there, since it's most likely a day off for them(Just as it was for me!), and I remember a LOT of people from the UK being there for some reason. And it was a big fat repeat the next year, hehe... That being said... Mid-May is the time to go!! Just went a few weeks ago, and there was hardly anyone there(At all 4 parks!), although everyone seemed to be on Soarin':shrug:!!
 
Upvote 0

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

Back
Top Bottom