Thanksgiving at Disney World?

[wfjny]

I've done Thanksgiving but it was a few years ago. I remember it being busy but not awful. We also did EPCOT on Thanksgiving and it was great. We had dinner at Biergarten and it was a blast. We were with a big group and we all fit at one long table and all the kids danced. Great memories.

Exact same plan about 3 years ago. Yes, busy, but manageable. Plan your fast passes, be patient on others, and be prepared to skip crazy long lines (i.e I am NOT waiting 150 minutes for Sorrin').

One note. Thanksgiving is a blackout date for certain things. For example, If memory serves me correct, not only was Biergarten $5 more than on other days, they also do not take TiW. We had not been their on a holiday previously, and were not aware of that.

I guess that should also be noted that many restaurants in the world will offer all the food of a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner. So, you may want to verify if and what the special menu will be.

 

[kangamangus]

We are going over Thanksgiving for the first time as well! I'm expecting heavy crowds but we are staying thru 12/2 and am hoping for more moderate wait times the week following Thanksgiving. We are eating at Olivia's on Thanksgiving day ( we fly in at 10am) and are staying at OKW so probably will take a boat over to Disney Springs that evening. Can't wait! We are officially at the 100 day countdown mark today

 

[Order66]

We went over Thanksgiving a few years ago and it's definitely a time frame I would do again. I loved the parks with the holiday decorations. I liked the longer hours and great weather. Shorts during the day, a light jacket at night. No sweating at all! It's all perspective, but I really didn't find the crowds then to be any worse than a typical summer trip. Busy yes, but not wall to wall people I've seen (in photos- not willing to try it myself) on some holidays like Easter or Christmas. Most crowded day IMHO was the Wednesday before, but we were at HS which is the smaller park. Like a lot of others we spent Thanksgiving at Epcot. We made good use of FP and went to every attraction we wanted. The best day was the Monday after. It was so empty compared to the other days. We hit 3 parks that day.

There really isn't anything significant in the parks for Thanksgiving except for places that do serve a Turkey dinner. We ate at Rose and Crown. They had a menu with a Thanksgiving dinner typical to what we normally have at home. And it's a place that the regular menu doesn't appeal much to me...so figured it was a good time to try it. The food and the service were excellent. I'd eat there again.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

I've done it twice and enjoyed both trips. It's busy, but hours are extended, everything is open and the weather is great. I felt like the crowds were comparable to summer. Hit rope drop when you can, have a good touring strategy and avoid MK on Thanksgiving Day. I would definitely do it again.

 

[FSU Girl]

I did it last year and really enjoyed it, hope to do it again next year. It was my first time being at Disney for a big holiday and I thought the crowds were pretty manageable. We made our fast passes and were able to do a few extra rides. We booked the trip pretty late, but was able to get a dinner reservation for Thanksgiving. It was the only way I could talk my fiance into going was still getting him his traditional meal. It's a fun different way to celebrate and will definitely be back one day to do it again.

 

[WEDWDW]

Do the parks do anything special for Thanksgiving Day?

Be sure to catch the Thanksgiving Parade of Bands at Epcot!

It makes Thanksgiving Day so awesome.

Grab a good spot early so you can see them Marching in!

It is our favorite part of "Thanksgiving at WDW"!

https://bobrogerstravel.com/thanksgiving-parade-of-bands-walt-disney-world

 

[lahobbs4]

We are visiting over Thanksgiving this year, too! We are having Thanksgiving dinner at Hoop Dee Doo.

I can't decide if we want our non-park day to be on that Wednesday or on Thanksgiving itself? I've heard mixed reactions on which day in the parks is actually worse! We will be at Beach Club so we may sleep in, watch the Macy's parade in our room, then maybe head to Epcot for a slow park day in World Showcase

 

[SaintsManiac]

We are visiting over Thanksgiving this year, too! We are having Thanksgiving dinner at Hoop Dee Doo.

I can't decide if we want our non-park day to be on that Wednesday or on Thanksgiving itself? I've heard mixed reactions on which day in the parks is actually worse! We will be at Beach Club so we may sleep in, watch the Macy's parade in our room, then maybe head to Epcot for a slow park day in World Showcase

This is exactly what we did and it worked out wonderfully. We used 3 FPs in Future World at night. It was a really great night! Had dinner at Garden Grill.

To be honest, Wednesday was the most crowded day we experienced the entire vacation. We were at AK.

 

[Princess_Nikki]

Boma is where we love Thanksgiving Dinner as well!

Glad to hear!! Was just going to ask everyone’s favorite restaurant for Thanksgiving.

 

[ColoradoMom12]

This Thanksgiving will be our second at Disney World. We went last year and had a wonderful time!! The decorations for Christmas are really spectacular. I am so glad we had a chance to see those as we have not/will not in the foreseeable future go to Disney just for Christmas.

I found the crowds to be in between. Manageable for us, at least. Spring break/Easter week is when we usually have been in the past, and it is crazy then. In fact, this year we found the crowds then so unpleasant we have decided not to return next Easter/spring break. We did not experience Thanksgiving to be anything like that. Our other trip is in late summer, which seems to be much less crowded but very hot. While Thanksgiving does have crowds, it’s more pleasant because it is not so hot. It was my favorite of the four trips my family made to Disney last year (our fourth was a short one for MNSSHP). I can’t wait to go back this Thanksgiving!

 

[dawnhen]

Hey everyone! We have a reservation in the afternoon at Splitsville (my brother wants to catch the Thanksgiving Day football game) so we are going to bowl and have a light lunch. After that, we may see a movie or walk around Disney Springs. We have dinner ressies at Olivia's Cafe' @ OKW Resort for dinner. Anyone ever had dinner there for Thanksgiving?

 

[ttintagel]

We LOVE the week after Thanksgiving. Cool but not cold weather, low crowds, and holiday decorations are up