Touring Strategy/Plan for 11/21-11/25

[gulliesmom]

Yes, you read that right, we are there Thanksgiving week. I know it will be crazy busy and that we will most likely only be able to do our FP rides. I have accepted that and am OK with that. That being said, here is what I am working with:

Staying at The Grand Floridian
4 Day Park Hopper Passes
Our days available are: 11/21 (Wed) - 11/25 (Sun).
We have family in Orlando and could easily spend Thanksgiving Day with them and skip the parks, but we are not at all obligated to see them and I am happy to do a park that day if it means fewer people.
We have the Dining Plan
We are a family of 4 and kids are 11 and 13
We would like to go to all four parks
We are not renting a car

Curious what the experts on here would recommend

 

[Shellyb84]

We went Thanksgiving week in 2016. Crowds don't usually bother me but they did get to me that trip. Thanksgiving Day was not any less crowded than the rest of the week.

We are going again this year - we plan to use our 3 fastpasses and leave the parks and spend most of our time at the resort. Last time we just "wasted" a lot of time wandering around trying to find rides that weren't long waits but there weren't any. We'll be camping at FW and there's a lot to do there.

 

[gulliesmom]

Yes we are thinking the same thing- lots to do at the resorts as well and would like to enjoy that stuff too

 

[jaysmom4285]

Once you have used your allotment of three FP+, don't hesitate to keep refreshing the MDE app to see if you can get more FP+. Even if the app says that there are none available, repeated refreshing often turns up something. I've just about always been able to get a FP+ that I wanted on the day I was in the park with a lot of refreshing, although I admit that we avoid WDW at very busy times. It's still worth a shot if you have a few minutes to keep poking at the app.

 

[gulliesmom]

Thanks, great idea!

 

[WishICouldSpeakWhale]

We were there in 2017 from Sunday before to the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Honestly, the day that seemed the worst was the Sunday before (we went to MK). Thanksgiving day was busy, of course, but we managed to get a couple of extra fast passes - I think we had 5 total that day. We did make reservations for two meals most days. I didn't want to wait in long lines for quick service. Thanksgiving day wasn't that bad, but we went with the expectation that it would be very busy. Also, the weather was not good, but I don't know if that really impacted others' plans. It wasn't awful, but it was dreary and cool (60s).

We used our park hoppers most at the end of the week. On Saturday, my daughter and I had fast passes in AK, then hopped to Epcot after 3pm. I got DD a FP for Test Track that overlapped with my husband and son, and I got a FP for Soarin.

Expect high crowds. Figure out where you want to eat and make your reservations at 180 days. Also, book your room as soon as you can as well so that you have the category you want. It will also help a bit with some of your dining reservations that week so that you can have 180+ days.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I arrived the Saturday after this past TG and stayed 2 weeks. I wasn't there on TG but the Saturday after was crazy, though Saturdays always are there. Sunday wasn't as bad though. If you have a good plan, crowds won't matter as much. Maybe try going on touring plans and see what they tell you to do. You plug in your dates and they'll recommend the best coarse of action according to predicted crowd levels. I always use touring plans from them and I love them. I'm arriving the weekend after TG again in 2018, so our dates will overlap!

 

[gulliesmom]

Is that the touringplans site where you pay $14.95 for the subscription or is there a free version?

 

[disneydreamer1980]

The touring plans i believe are free, as is much of the site. You can pay to subscribe, but most of their more helpful features are free.

 

[LilDisHelper]

i would go to AK ( Hollywoodstudios) in the Morning because it can get really hot there and Epcot and MK i would do in the Evening cause they have the amazing Fireworks then.

 

[AFwifelife]

I get a paid subscription to TP. There are many places that you can get a coupon code to make it slightly cheaper but it's worth the price. I like that I can input the rides that we want to ride on a particular day and see what's feasible. Helps narrow down what FPs to get and when as well as other things to do to fill in the time gaps so you aren't just wandering around. I use it for every trip we've been on, including the 4th of July.