Hi there, Celeste! Welcome to planDisney!
Spending Thanksgiving at
Walt Disney World Resort is certainly something to be thankful for! I'm also planning to spend Thanksgiving Day at The Most Magical Place on Earth with my family this year, and we're really looking forward to changing up our traditional holiday routine. After all, it really doesn't matter what you do on a holiday when you're surrounded by people you love.
During holiday weeks, the Walt Disney World theme parks tend to be busy. Although Thanksgiving week typically tends to be less crowded than Christmas week, you can certainly expect lots of Guests to be visiting throughout the entire Thanksgiving holiday break. While we can speculate about what the holiday crowds will look like this year, it is only a prediction. However, if I had to guess, I would think that crowd levels at
Magic Kingdom Park would be fairly similar on both Thanksgiving and the day after. My advice to you would be to choose which parks to visit on which days based on what best fits your personal vacation itinerary.
When visiting Walt Disney World Resort during busy times, there are some strategies that you can use to make the most of your time in the theme parks. I recommend purchasing the
Disney Genie+ service which will allow you to bypass the standby wait for some of your favorite
attractions. You can purchase the Disney Genie+ service using your
My Disney Experience mobile app on the day of your theme park visit. I recommend making your purchase before 7:00 a.m. because this is the time when Guests using Disney Genie+ service may select their first
Lightning Lane Entrance time.
Be sure to check the
theme park hours for the dates of your visit. During the busy
holiday season, the parks sometimes open a bit earlier or stay open later in the evening. If you'll be staying at a
Disney Resorts Collection Hotel, you can take advantage of
early theme park entry each morning, allowing you to access the parks 30 minutes ahead of the general public. I recommend arriving at the theme park as early as possible, and then taking a break as crowds increase in the afternoon. After you rest and recharge, you'll be ready to return to the parks later in the day as the crowds are thinning.
I hope that these strategies will help you to maximize the magic during your Thanksgiving holiday at Walt Disney World Resort. If we can help answer any additional questions for you, please don't hesitate to ask. See ya real soon!
Samantha