Question for those who have traveled WDW the week before Thanksgiving

[disney_mood]

Hi all! I am having a dilemma and need some advice. I have a December UY and am having trouble currently with my 11 month window at VGF. I'm contemplating borrowing my 2024 points to 2023. I really want the kids to get the full holiday experience, which is my biggest question. If you would like to share your experiences please do to help a girl out

 

[tx911]

No personal experience with that time frame, but I think you would have the decorations in place by then, and you would have some MVMCP dates available.
This past year the EPCOT festival of the Holidays didn't happen until after Thanksgiving, so you would miss out on that part (eg Candlelight Processional).
I still think you could have a great time, with probably a bit lower crowds.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

We have gone the week before, the week of, or the week after Thanksgiving for the entirety of our DD's Birth-12 grade education. The week before Thanksgiving is traditionally a slower crowds week relative to much of the Holiday season, in our experience. We really liked that week.

Given that, make sure you understand the risk with bookings a month before your UY begins thoroughly before booking anything. There are some 'risks' and some consider them too great. A lot of people simply won't book anything within especially the last 30 days of a UY because of those risks. We are June and we do it all the time, but I understand the risks. Any UY has its risks. The important thing is that you understand those risks relative to the UY you have.

 

[dcfromva]

A lot of the decorations are in place. We generally stay at the Boardwalk. This year the BWV gingerbread house/store was not yet installed when we visited. (We had an abbreviated visit this year and only stayed 14-16 Nov)

But, they had the gingerbread set up at the Grand Floridian, Beach Club and Yacht Club. I don't remember if the Contemp had their gingerbread set up at that time as we visited the Contemp later on in the season.

I don't think the Christmas tree was not set up in the lobby at the GF when we visited in Nov.

This upcoming week before Thanksgiving will fall a little later this year than last year. Thanksgiving is the 28th this year (it was the 23rd last year), so maybe more stuff will be installed by then?

 

[disney_mood]

A lot of the decorations are in place. We generally stay at the Boardwalk. This year the BWV gingerbread house/store was not yet installed when we visited. (We had an abbreviated visit this year and only stayed 14-16 Nov)

But, they had the gingerbread set up at the Grand Floridian, Beach Club and Yacht Club. I don't remember if the Contemp had their gingerbread set up at that time as we visited the Contemp later on in the season.

I don't think the Christmas tree was not set up in the lobby at the GF when we visited in Nov.

This upcoming week before Thanksgiving will fall a little later this year than last year. Thanksgiving is the 28th this year (it was the 23rd last year), so maybe more stuff will be installed by then?

Thanks for the input! That makes me wonder what to do since we did want to resort hop to see decorations…

 

[WilsonFlyer]

Thanks for the input! That makes me wonder what to do since we did want to resort hop to see decorations…

This year was kind of an anomaly due to where Thanksgiving fell as mentioned above. I wouldn't worry too much about missing anything. If anything's not up the week before, my bet would be that you wouldn't even really notice. We certainly haven't and we've been enough during those times to notice the major things if there were any.

 

[Chuck S]

I took a group of 11 to WDW for Thanksgiving Week a couple of years ago. Weather was perfect, but the crowds! Never again. Depending on your school vacation dates, if you school is out in early September, that would be a better time to go, as most Southern states' schools will already be in session. The weatther will be hot, but the crowds will be pretty low.

If you really want the kids to get the Holiday Experience once, it would be worth taking them out of class for a week in early December, IMO even though the school will severely frown upon it.