Disneyland over Thanksgiving Week?
Does anyone have recent experience with Disneyland the week of Thanksgiving (including Thanksgiving day)? There is a post from 2004 but the answers are from people who hadn't been in at least 10 years before that. We are trying to find a less crowded time to visit Disneyland and are wondering if the week of Thanksgiving would be good or if too many schools have the week off and therefore it ends up crowded like other school holidays.
Jan 2, 2017
Parent Replies
Hi, we are season pass holders at Disneyland I would stay away from all major holidays. It is crowded and unpleasant to move about the park during those times. Most of October and early November are really nice times to go with almost no lines. I also would skip spring break and summertime. if you really want a great Disneyland experience I would go during the slow time of year so you spend more time enjoying rides and less time waiting in line.
We went to DisneyWorld over Thanksgiving and it was insanely packed. I was really surprised. If you're going to do it, I recommend making a reservation for Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant in the park now. We ended up eating fast food.
Hi sharie!
Im a huge Disney fan and worked at Disney world in college. The week of thanksgiving is always super busy. I recommend the first week of November. It's one of the slowest times of the year (after summer, before holidays, kids in school) but the holiday decorations are already up. Also the month of September ( after Labor Day) and the first two weeks of January (before rides close for the slow season) are ideal. Feel free to reach out if you need more suggestions!
The week after thanksgiving, when everyone is back in school is usually not too crowded. Short breaks during the school year such as thanksgiving and spring break tend to be much more crowded than summer, I guess because summer gives potential visitors 10 weeks to choose from to go.
I am a frequent Disneyland traveller (read: slightly obsessed) and have always found the crowd predictions on this website to be helpful and accurate:
http://www.isitpacked.com/disneyland-crowd-forecast-predictor-calendar/
Have a great trip!
I used to go with my family every year at Thanksgiving Break. Loved it. We stayed for the week, got the pass so we could come in and out as we pleased. My ex mother in law has graduated to an annual membership, but we got the 5 day (or something like that) pass. It's nice in the morning, then we would go back to our hotel and eat lunch, swim, maybe take a nap. Then we'd head back and stay until closing each night. It's worth it to buy the "fast pass" or whatever it's called because you save a lot of time in lines. The middle of the day is the most crowded. Also, most hotels have a shuttle to and from the park for free, so don't worry about staying a block away from the park. Go a few more blocks and save some money, the shuttles are pretty good. Do not even think of taking an umbrella into the park. Get a poncho and some water proof shoes if it's going to rain at all (he rain does keep the crowds down but also closes some rides). In all our years, we rarely encountered rain, but do check ahead of time. If it will be raining more days than not, DON'T GO. If it will be raining, check the weather websites that show weather by neighborhood and forecast the weather by the hour and plan your time at the park accordingly. Many of the lines for the rides are actually "indoors", or at least are partially covered. Others are completely exposed. Use your map, you will be able to use lots of short cuts to get around to your destinations. h, and get the pass that allows you entry into California Adventure, not just Disneyland.
Good luck!
We did this back in 2015 - we were in the parks (CA & DL) on Monday and Tuesday of Thanksgiving week. The pros are that it is already decorated for the winter holidays and is quite beautiful. Disneyland is already fancy and this take it up several notches. We're glad we did it for that experience - once. The menus do include turkey and other Thanksgiving type foods if you search it out. We didn't go on the Wed/TDay/Fri so I can't speak to crowd levels those days.
The cons - yes, it is extra CROWDED. We go somewhat regularly and tips to avoid crowds include avoiding weeks that are typical for spring break, no weekends, no summer, and you need to google when "Dapper Days" are. That one was a surprise - we'd ended up in the parks one of those weekends a few years ago and while it is interesting to see people dressed up in their finest - polka dots, red lipstick, and spats galore! - they walk pretty slowly in groups and there are hundreds of them. That weekend is only once a year and is easy enough to avoid.