NP here. Holy crap. Some of these Disney websites are frighteningly detail- and schedule-oriented. Do I have to be already diagnosed with OCD to plan a successful Disney vacation, or is it a fringe benefit that comes from organizing a trip to Orlando?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard Disney isn't that busy during Thanksgiving but is mobbed Christmas through New years. Call the hotels on the property and chat with concierges or the front desk.

I've heard that when you call, you aren't actually speaking to someone at that hotel, you'll just be talking to someone at a central booking line.

Well, she can ASK for the concierge. Duh.

She can ASK for anything. It doesn't mean that's what she's going to get. Duh.

We did Tuesday and Wednesday before and it was empty-

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I heard Disney isn't that busy during Thanksgiving but is mobbed Christmas through New years. Call the hotels on the property and chat with concierges or the front desk.

I've heard that when you call, you aren't actually speaking to someone at that hotel, you'll just be talking to someone at a central booking line.

Well, she can ASK for the concierge. Duh.

Please. WDW crowds are 9 or 10 out of 10 on Thanksiving weekend. It's almost as bad as Christmas to New Years or Easter.

If you want an idea of the crowd levels, you can check them at touringplans.com

Anonymous wrote:We did this a few years ago. We did 3 days, the Friday - Sat-Sun after Thanksgiving. It was packed to the gills, but we knew it would be so we used the Tour Guide Mike site to set up a tour plan. TOTALLY worth the $25 or whatever. Even though it was a "red" day for the crowds, we rode every single ride we wanted to ride, never waited for more than 30 minutes, and still went back to the hotel for the kids' naps mid-day.

That's impressive. We usually do the search ourselves. Did you tell TGM which rides you wanted to go on or did you tell them the ages? How does that work?

We did this a few years ago. We did 3 days, the Friday - Sat-Sun after Thanksgiving. It was packed to the gills, but we knew it would be so we used the Tour Guide Mike site to set up a tour plan. TOTALLY worth the $25 or whatever. Even though it was a "red" day for the crowds, we rode every single ride we wanted to ride, never waited for more than 30 minutes, and still went back to the hotel for the kids' naps mid-day.

Check out this site. It ranks the best weeks to go to Disney each year, taking into account crowds, weather, etc. I used it to plan our trip in 2012 (but this is the 2011 list). The week beginning 11/26 (Saturday after Thanksgiving) is ranked as the 3rd best week to go, but it notes that the Sat/Sun following Thanksgiving will be more crowded than the rest of the week. The week starting 11/19 is ranked as one of the very worst weeks to go so it looks like you would have some of the best and some of the worst.

http://yourfirstvisit.net/2009/11/20/2011-weeks-to-visit-walt-disney-world-ranked-in-order/

Anonymous wrote:I heard Disney isn't that busy during Thanksgiving but is mobbed Christmas through New years. Call the hotels on the property and chat with concierges or the front desk.

I've heard that when you call, you aren't actually speaking to someone at that hotel, you'll just be talking to someone at a central booking line.

When I was a kid, back in the 80s, someone told my mom that Thanksgiving was the least crowded time, so we went then. I honestly don't remember if it was really crowded or not--I was about 9.

Now, the advice is that it is actually VERY crowded the week of Thanksgiving. We went in 2009 the week BEFORE Thanksgiving week. We arrived on a Sunday and stayed until Saturday. It was Great the first several days of our trip, but on our last day, Saturday, the crowds had begun. A lot of people, since they will already have Thanksgiving Thursday, and black Friday off anyway, just take that whole week off to go to Disney.

If you can go the week before--so like this year, it would be the 13th-19th--it will be a lot less crowded.

I heard Disney isn't that busy during Thanksgiving but is mobbed Christmas through New years. Call the hotels on the property and chat with concierges or the front desk.

Anonymous wrote: One of my favorite memories was of my dad going to get Chip's and Dale's signatures ( I was too shy) and they wrote "send us turkey" in my autograph book.

During our last trip, Donald Duck wrote "to sleeping beauty" in my daughter's (4 y.o.) book who was asleep in the umbrella stroller.

I think it's going to be busy. Most people/locals who don't want to miss school will go that weekend.

Check out www.disboards.com and

http://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/crowd-calendar

We went every year from when I was 5 - 12 and then switched over to Universal. I am 25 now so it is a little outdated. It was def. getting more crowded as the years went on, however I"m not sure if there is ever a really great time to go to Disney that won't require your kids to miss a chunk of school. The crowd not considered, this was a great time to go. The weather is great and there are a lot of holiday themed exhibits etc if you celebrate Christmas. One of my favorite memories was of my dad going to get Chip's and Dale's signatures ( I was too shy) and they wrote "send us turkey" in my autograph book.

Anyways, I'm totally jealous!

Any experience on how crowded Disney is this time of year? We're thinking of arriving the day after Thanksgiving and staying through Monday. Thanks in advance!