Hi Kristin,
Thanks for coming to see us here at planDisney.
It's so fun to hear you'll be celebrating Thanksgiving week at "The Most Magical Place on Earth!"
I always find that celebrating the holiday season with Mickey and his pals at the Walt Disney World Resort helps make this special time of the year feel even more magical. It's even more exciting that you'll be celebrating Thanksgiving during
"The World’s Most Magical Celebration" to mark the 50th anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort.
It sounds like you're well on your way to planning for all your magical moments. It's also fun to hear you'll be using the Park Hopper Option for your theme park tickets.
Since you sound like a planning pro, you likely already know
how park hopping works with the requirement to make your theme park reservations. You would make your theme park reservations using the
Disney Park Pass system. You would select the theme park you want to visit first on a given day, and then enter that theme park to enjoy its magic before starting your park hopping. Park Hopper hours begin at 2 p.m. and you can check the
Park Hours Calendar for updates.
Kristin, here's the really tricky part about your question. I understand you're asking how to
guarantee your entry to the theme park you plan to park hop to and
visit for your dining experience. The important note to share is that
dining reservations do not guarantee theme park entry. The recommendation you'll see from the Walt Disney World Resort is to book your dining reservation in the theme park where you have your Disney Park Pass theme park reservation.
While I'd love to tell you that you'll have no issues with making dining reservations and then enjoying all your favorite restaurants when you park hop to dinner, I would not want to give you any false assurances, especially given that Park Hopper availability can change and Thanksgiving week is a really popular week for Guests to visit the Walt Disney World Resort.
My suggestion is that if you have a favorite in-park dining location that you absolutely do not want to take the chance of missing, you can try and make a Disney Park Pass reservation for the park and then make your dining reservation for that park. If your dining plans are more flexible, you could try to use the
Mobile Dine Walk-up Availability to enjoy a great meal at one of the select participating table-service restaurants when you visit a theme park during your Park Hopper hours.
One guarantee you can look forward to,
Kristin, is that you'll have lots of magic awaiting you when you visit the Walt Disney World Resort. Enjoy a wonderful visit, and enjoy a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Jerry