Hiya, Leeann!
Welcome to planDisney. There's nothing I love more than a Walt Disney World vacation when our family travels together as a big group. While the planning process definitely takes a little extra effort, the laughs and memories we get to share make all that hard work worth it. How exciting that you'll be bringing a whole group along to celebrate a very Disney Thanksgiving this year!
While it's possible to make
dining reservations for such a large group, it can also be a challenge, especially during busy holiday weeks. To increase your likelihood of getting a reservation, I recommend having 3 or 4 people in your traveling party book a reservation for smaller groups at or around the same time. By breaking your group into tables of 4-6 people, you'll likely find more availability than trying to book a table for 18. If you make reservations for smaller groups, I suggest arriving a few minutes early and asking the host if you could be seated closer together –– while there's no guarantee that tables will be available together, in my experience Cast Members go above and beyond to make magic for their Guests.
When it comes to dinner itself, there are usually quite a few options for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner around Walt Disney World Resort. In the past, both
Whispering Canyon Cafe at Disney's Wilderness Lodge and
Garden Grove at the Walt Disney World Swan Hotel have offered a Thanksgiving menu and both of these are great choices for large-group dining. Liberty Tree Tavern at Magic Kingdom Park is also another popular turkey day spot. While the Thanksgiving menus for this year haven't been confirmed yet, in past years they've typically been released sometime in October –– be sure to keep an eye on
Disney Parks Blog for all the latest Thanksgiving news as your visit gets closer.
If you're staying in a Villa at a
Disney Vacation Club Resort during your visit, you might also want to consider cooking your own Thanksgiving dinner for the whole crew right from your room's fully-equipped kitchen. Several years ago, we cooked a Thanksgiving feast for 12 in our 2-Bedroom Villa at
The Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa –– it was so much fun! If you decide to go this route, I recommend having a grocery order delivered right to the Resort with everything you need. Since your group is so large, you could even find a spot outside at the Resort to get a little fresh air while you enjoy your meal.
Finally, you may also want to think about reaching out to
Disney Meetings & Events for help coordinating a holiday meal for your group. Whether it's a private dining room or booking space at a certain venue, they're the pros when it comes to creating one-of-a-kind experiences for large parties. For more information, you can give them a call at (321) 939-7129 or
submit an event request directly from their website.
Thanks for visiting us at planDisney, Leeann. No matter where you and your family choose to dine this Thanksgiving, I hope your visit is filled with delicious dishes and plenty of pixie dust!
Happy Planning,
Amy