After Thanksgiving Plans

[meredith55]

I’ve always wanted to be at Disneyland during Christmastime and this year we are making it happen! We’ve been a 3 times in the last 4 years or so and we stay up to date with most of the things going on.

My question is about which days we should go to the park. We are planning on arriving in the early afternoon Friday, November 23 and departing in the early afternoon Wednesday, November 28. I know that the weekend days after Thanksgiving can be crazy, but I’d hate to miss out on the longer hours. We are planning on 3 day hoppers and going Saturday (using mm), Monday, and Tuesday. Thoughts? Would you do it differently? I’m thinking of getting 4 day and using that Wednesday morning. I also thought about Friday evening, but my guess is that it will be crazy. And Sundays are to be avoided, right? Any advice from you disboard pros or Thanksgiving/Christmas pros would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!

 

[DizneyMommy]

Yes, Sunday will likely be worse than Saturday as AP’s becomes unblocked. I would do exactly what you planed if it were me!

 

[chickapin parterre]

are you flying in, if so, how was it for buying airfare....because in my though process, friday, the day after is cheap day to fly out, as is Tuesday, so many folks still around on Monday and Sunday. Saturday should actually be good, because local visitors may be tired on Saturday and saving energy for Sunday. As for the casual holiday visitors who can take any week off, there is, 2018 only, an extra week of holiday visiting. So in 2018, that should take the pressure off Thanksgiving week.

 

[katyringo]

We are flying in on the 23rd. We originally were going to fly the 24th but flights were much cheaper for the 23rd and flying home the 28th. We got 4 day tickets. I don’t think think it’s all the much to upgrade to a 4 day ticket if you wanted to go all 4 days!

Last year the Monday after thanksgiving was Dead. But I’ve read of lots of people going these exact times this year so I’m not betting on it again. With a good plan even the crazy busy days can be lots of fun! We are looking forward to all 4 days and taking in slow.

 

[lindyv321]

We are going to be there Sunday through Thursday that week and are planning on being in the parks Monday through Wednesday. I’m in the same boat hoping it won’t be crazy! I looked at past crowd calendars to pick dates. I think most people will have to back be back at work/school after the holiday so Monday and Tuesday shouldn’t be too bad for you. I’ve beenonce on a Saturday and once on a Sunday and I’ll tell you that I won’t ever do a Saturday again.

 

[meredith55]

are you flying in, if so, how was it for buying airfare....because in my though process, friday, the day after is cheap day to fly out, as is Tuesday, so many folks still around on Monday and Sunday. Saturday should actually be good, because local visitors may be tired on Saturday and saving energy for Sunday. As for the casual holiday visitors who can take any week off, there is, 2018 only, an extra week of holiday visiting. So in 2018, that should take the pressure off Thanksgiving week.

It does look like Friday is the cheapest day to fly out. T/w/th are all about the same for our return. That is a good point about others coming when the flight deals are best.

 

[meredith55]

We are going to be there Sunday through Thursday that week and are planning on being in the parks Monday through Wednesday. I’m in the same boat hoping it won’t be crazy! I looked at past crowd calendars to pick dates. I think most people will have to back be back at work/school after the holiday so Monday and Tuesday shouldn’t be too bad for you. I’ve beenonce on a Saturday and once on a Sunday and I’ll tell you that I won’t ever do a Saturday again.

Does fantasmic run on the weekdays? That is one of the main reasons I am thinking about going on Saturday. Our kids were too little a few years back to stay up for fantasmic and last summer we were there before it reopened. I was thinking that it may only be on weekends so we need to go on Saturday to see it.

 

[katyringo]

Does fantasmic run on the weekdays? That is one of the main reasons I am thinking about going on Saturday. Our kids were too little a few years back to stay up for fantasmic and last summer we were there before it reopened. I was thinking that it may only be on weekends so we need to go on Saturday to see it.

Last year it only ran on the weekend. This is exactly why we add a weekend to our trip!

 

[lindyv321]

Does fantasmic run on the weekdays? That is one of the main reasons I am thinking about going on Saturday. Our kids were too little a few years back to stay up for fantasmic and last summer we were there before it reopened. I was thinking that it may only be on weekends so we need to go on Saturday to see it.

I’m not sure, my family isn’t into the nighttime entertainment.... sorry don’t hate me lol!!!! We tried WOC years ago and were underwhelmed....

 

[meredith55]

I’m resurrecting this thread again! We have our flights and hotel booked and will arrive mid-afternoon on Friday. I have two questions:

1. We will have 4 day hoppers. Is it worth it to do a 5th day on Black Friday and just do low-crowd attractions like the Mark Twain, Railroads, and dinner? We would then go to bed early for MM on Saturday. It’s cheap to add a 5th day, but I think that Friday is predicted to be super busy. We wouldn’t arrive until 2-3.

2. Tell me about what people wear in late November. I keep reading to bring a jacket for mornings and evenings, but what do you wear in between? T-shirts? Shorts? Or do we need long-sleeves and jeans?

Thanks for your advice!

 

[katyringo]

I’m resurrecting this thread again! We have our flights and hotel booked and will arrive mid-afternoon on Friday. I have two questions:

1. We will have 4 day hoppers. Is it worth it to do a 5th day on Black Friday and just do low-crowd attractions like the Mark Twain, Railroads, and dinner? We would then go to bed early for MM on Saturday. It’s cheap to add a 5th day, but I think that Friday is predicted to be super busy. We wouldn’t arrive until 2-3.

2. Tell me about what people wear in late November. I keep reading to bring a jacket for mornings and evenings, but what do you wear in between? T-shirts? Shorts? Or do we need long-sleeves and jeans?

Thanks for your advice!

We have the exact same plans. Arriving around noon on Friday and have 4 day hoppers. We’ve left the option of hitting the park on Friday open, but are more leaning towards not. We reserved dinner at goofys kitchen for Friday and are planning to do the VOID in DTD and just shop and stuff.

We were there in December. Early morning we were cool and once the sun went down cool- like hoodie weather. We were in shorts a t shirrs during the day. Granted we were coming from Iowa with negative temperatures.

You should check out our holiday thread!

 

[chickapin parterre]

2018 Thanksgiving weather may be stranger than last year when it was in the mid 90s. I would watch the weather report for the area and plan according. Right now in Yuma we are in preparing for the arrival of remnants of hurricane Rosa, it is wet, cold, windy and throwing a big surprise for all the arriving snowbirds. Monsoon season officially ended yesterday. We now have four more days. The point is, that 2018 has been highly unpredictable for everywhere in the USA.

The best measure of what to wear is gauge from what weather you are leaving. I arrive from Oregon for thanksgiving pasts and wore shorts the entire trip, with light jacket in the evenings. Now I visit in December and find that from sun dropping over the berm I need a thick hoody to go with my shorts.

 

[Niltiac]

I come from a hot climate, but our winters are still colder than Anaheim's (worst of both worlds really). When I have visited in December I have worn long pants and a t-shirt most of the time, with a hoodie as needed at night. There is sometimes a period of time in the afternoon when I wish I had shorts, but it's usually just a couple of hours so I deal with it rather than bringing an extra article of clothing (there is no way I would wear shorts late at night). There's a lot of variation though. One night in early December when we were sitting still waiting for a show, I was freezing even wearing two hoodies, gloves, hat and scarf. A couple of days later (on the same trip), it was hot even before the gates had opened in the morning.

We will be headed out there for Thanksgiving weekend this year and I'll be watching the forecast, but I'm generally planning on jeans, t-shirts and hoodies. I may leave some extra layers in the car just in case because I get cold easily. If we plan to watch any nighttime shows I will definitely bring extra layers for while we're waiting, because I've learned my lesson. If I were not well acclimatized to heat, I might bring shorts for the warmer days.