Disney over Thanksgiving Week

[Anonymous]

Ugh... We're going, not our choice on the date but we're not paying so such is life. Planning on hitting Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios (didn't bother with the hopper option, don't want to attempt to hop parks with those crowds). So here's what I've gathered thus far:

1. Get to the park an hour before it opens
2. Ride the popular rides first
3. Don't go to parks on the days they have extra magic hours
4. Don't expect much when booking FastPasses (and book for early afternoon when the crowds really get insane)

We are also not staying on property to add to the fun. DD will be 3.5 when we go. We have a stroller to take and while she naps most days she can function well without one already at this point (we're not attempting to leave and come back to the park just for a nap). DD also does incredibly well waiting in lines, she's been to Sesame Place a few times and will easily wait 20+ min just for 30 seconds with Elmo. Any additional tips and suggestions?

[Anonymous]

We went Thanksgiving week and loved it. I don't remember the lines being that bad. It may be too cold to swim though. We only had one day my 5yr old went in and it was still chilly. That was a bummer.

You can book meals 180 days in advance so do it! Even if you are unsure whether you are keeping some, get the initial ones down, especially Thanksgiving.

If you are staying onsite, definitely get your fast passes the midnight of the 60 day mark for the entire week. Have a game plan on what parks you would like to be at.

If you are staying onsite, I highly recommend the early magic hour at MK with young kids. Get there at rope drop and you can knock out almost all of Fantasyland in that hour. I split with my husband who took the olders ones on big rides and my 5yr old and I did Anna/Elsa, Peter Pan, Small World, Pooh, Barnstormer x3, and Dumbo all in one hour.

[Anonymous]

I'd have to disagree with #3 and #4. We found the morning extra magic hours to be a total game-changer. I can't tell you the different in the park crowds and lines during that first hour (the xtra magic hour) and the hour after it (when parks opened to general public). We were at the gates at opening each morning and were able to get on so many rides.

Furthermore, the Fastpasses made it possible for us to never wait more than 10 minutes on any ride that we Fastpassed. And usually, we were able to just walk right on.

That said, we have youngish children and spent our time in the parks from park opening until about 1pm, at which point we went back to the hotel to swim/nap. So we never had to deal with afternoon crowds. You could see a definite drastic thickening of the crowds starting around 11am.

Use the morning magic hours for sure!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'd have to disagree with #3 and #4. We found the morning extra magic hours to be a total game-changer. I can't tell you the different in the park crowds and lines during that first hour (the xtra magic hour) and the hour after it (when parks opened to general public). We were at the gates at opening each morning and were able to get on so many rides.

Furthermore, the Fastpasses made it possible for us to never wait more than 10 minutes on any ride that we Fastpassed. And usually, we were able to just walk right on.

That said, we have youngish children and spent our time in the parks from park opening until about 1pm, at which point we went back to the hotel to swim/nap. So we never had to deal with afternoon crowds. You could see a definite drastic thickening of the crowds starting around 11am.

Use the morning magic hours for sure!!

OP isn't staying on property, so I don't think she can use extra magic hours. Her strategy is to be at the non-extra magic parks as soon as they open, to beat crowds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd have to disagree with #3 and #4. We found the morning extra magic hours to be a total game-changer. I can't tell you the different in the park crowds and lines during that first hour (the xtra magic hour) and the hour after it (when parks opened to general public). We were at the gates at opening each morning and were able to get on so many rides.

Furthermore, the Fastpasses made it possible for us to never wait more than 10 minutes on any ride that we Fastpassed. And usually, we were able to just walk right on.

That said, we have youngish children and spent our time in the parks from park opening until about 1pm, at which point we went back to the hotel to swim/nap. So we never had to deal with afternoon crowds. You could see a definite drastic thickening of the crowds starting around 11am.

Use the morning magic hours for sure!!

OP isn't staying on property, so I don't think she can use extra magic hours. Her strategy is to be at the non-extra magic parks as soon as they open, to beat crowds.

OP here - exactly. As I said we're NOT staying onsite. I can book our FastPasses 30 days in advance, but good to know about doing it at midnight. I have most of the food booked (well, something booked) and plan on keep checking there sporadically until we fly out incase one of the better options open up.

We plan on doing as much in the morning as possible before the crowd thickens, then have FP's in the afternoon and hit anything with under a 45min wait.

[Anonymous]

We went during a holiday weekend that is not as busy as Thanksgiving. We were staying off site and booked our fast passes with less than 30 days. It was not a problem at all to get what we wanted. The only thing that seemed impossible was the A and E meet and greet and my youngest is 8 and didn't care (though she likes Frozen- she isn't into meeting princesses).

[Anonymous]

Staying offsite on a busy week is a nightmare. I would rethink that one

[Anonymous]

Fast passes are worth it. But you have to know how to do it. Go in to the system and pick your 3 rides/attractions. The system will spit back several options for those rides with different combinations of times. Pick one that works best and that has at least one time that you like. After you pick your option, you can go back into the system and edit your options (rides OR TIMES!!!)> Most people don't realize this. When you go back in to edit the times, you can pick a lot more options that you might think.
I would definitely get a reservation for lunch. Or eat at 11:30. Bring lots of snacks and water and put it in the bottom of your stroller. Disney is ok with that and it can help little kids last longer.
Do you first fast pass for about 1.5 hours after park opening. When you arrive, go straight to the back to Fantasyland and ride any rides that you don't have a fast pass for in that area. If you arrive at park opening and go straight back (not stopping to peek into every store, etc), you can do Small world, Pooh, Ariel and maybe Peter pan before the rides get long. TOTALLY worth getting there early.

[Anonymous]

Consider registering for touringplans.com by the Unofficial Guide folks (the guys who recommend things like avoid the park with extra magic hours). Your plan already seems in line with a lot that they suggest so they may work well for you (if you don't like to plan, you might not like it). It's like $12 for a year's subscription, and you can put in the days you will be there, and it will tell you the recommended park that day, e.g., MK is 9 on Tuesday, but AK is a 3 so go to Animal Kingdom. They also have actual touring plans that tell you what to ride in what order based on the day you will be there and the crowd calendar. You can even add in your Fast Passes once you get them, and the touring plan will regenerate itself around that. You can also download the app and use it in the parks.

We've found it useful the two times we have been. We also stay off property (Wyndham Bonnet Creek) and have had no issues during busy spring break weeks when we use the touring plans.

[Anonymous]

You don't have to pay for touringplans.com. Use Josh's blog instead: http://www.easywdw.com/

He also does crowd ratings, but it's free. and better, if you ask me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Staying offsite on a busy week is a nightmare. I would rethink that one

OP Here - We're not paying for the trip so unfortunately we have little say over where we stay. SIL really pushed FIL to pay for us to stay in a condo at a nearby resort... Believe me I would LOVE it if we would've stayed on property, I made the pitch, but FIL wants to please SIL (not possible, but whatever).

DH, DD and I are going to be at the parks at least an hour before rope drop (do we need to be earlier?) - I think they plan on coming when the park opens and leaving the park early... I'm not sure they get the point of going to Disney but whatever (far easier to get a dinner reservation for 3 as opposed to 10 anyways).

Good to know about Fast Passes! I planned on booking all after lunch, if that's possible. Only being able to book 30 days out I'm not sure how much variety there will be (will there be options? do they run out of FP's?).

[Anonymous]

I'd make reservations for lunch each day. We went with a 2 yr old and a 4 yr old & I was really glad to have the time inside to sit down each day.

It will be crowded but it sounds like you know what to do -- get there early, and fast pass as much as possible. Log in at midnight the day you can make the fast pass reservations. Personally I hated doing the fast passes on the desktop computer but found the Disney app on my iPhone MUCH easier to use. They may have upgraded the system by now though (this was last fall). Put the app on your phone so you can check wait times while you are there and plan your next steps accordingly. With a 3.5 year old, Fantasyland in the Magic K will probably be your big hits -- go there immediately when the park opens and hit Peter Pan, Ariel, Dumbo, and Barnstormer. (Focus on these for fast passes). It's a Small World doesn't usually have a long line. There are some cute character visits near Dumbo in the circus tent. We also did Mickey/Minnie character visits in Epcot bc there are less little kids there so the lines for that werent as long as in other parks. You can also go to the shows (Lion King in AK, others in Hollywood Studios, also our kids loved Phillarmagic in MK - very cute) and those have designated start times so it isn't the same as standing in line forever for a 1 minute ride.

Also, once inside the park, take advantage of the Disney staff ("cast members") who are standing near the fast pass kiosks. They will have iPads and they can change your fast passes for you and in my experience they were VERY helpful.

It will be crowded but just accept that, and don't kill yourself trying to do too much in one day. Do what you can & you will have fun regardless

[Anonymous]

I am the most YAY DISNEY person I know, and even I want to leave the Magic Kingdom by noon if I'm there for rope drop. There's nothing wrong with leaving early!
You will ride more rides in the first two hours of the park opening than you can during the following eight...
If I were you (esp with small ones) I'd leave at noon, take nice long naps, maybe a dip in the pool, then go back around 8pm for electrical parade and fireworks, and all the much shorter lines.
It is so easy to get overloaded at the parks.

[Anonymous]

I should note- re admittance into the parks is easy. Save your receipt from parking- you can use it to park at any of the parks for the rest of the day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am the most YAY DISNEY person I know, and even I want to leave the Magic Kingdom by noon if I'm there for rope drop. There's nothing wrong with leaving early!
You will ride more rides in the first two hours of the park opening than you can during the following eight...
If I were you (esp with small ones) I'd leave at noon, take nice long naps, maybe a dip in the pool, then go back around 8pm for electrical parade and fireworks, and all the much shorter lines.
It is so easy to get overloaded at the parks.

I agree with this. We left the parks each afternoon for a break & then went back in the evenings. The kiddie rides had shorter lines at night, and our kids loved the fireworks.