Category — 5. Thanksgiving at Walt Disney World

WHAT IS NOVEMBER LIKE AT DISNEY WORLD?

Mid-November has some of the best times of the year to visit Disney World, with cooler weather, low crowds, low prices, and fun special events.

Other parts of the month are not so good. Jersey Week, beginning 11/2 in 2019, sees moderate crowds and higher prices at the deluxes. Thanksgiving week, beginning 11/23 in 2019, with high crowds and higher prices than the rest of the month, should be avoided.

Note also that picking the right park to visit each day is critical at this time of the year. See this, and use the comment form below to ask me about your specific dates!

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THANKSGIVING 2019 AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Thanksgiving week at Walt Disney World is busy–particularly Wednesday through Saturday.

It represents the first major long holiday period in 2019 after the August partial opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, so likely will be even more crowded than past years.

WALT DISNEY WORLD 2019 THANKSGIVING WEEK ITINERARY

This site’s Higher Crowd Itinerary mostly works for Thanksgiving Week, with one possible change and one however.

• The possible change comes from the fact that the itinerary puts you in Magic Kingdom on Thanksgiving. Traditionally, the two crowdest parks on Thanksgiving are Magic Kingdom and Epcot, and the least crowded is Disney’s Animal Kingdom. So you will be best off if you swap Thursday and First Sunday in both the itinerary and its To-Do List.
• The “however” is that the parks may open an hour earlier than it indicates many days Thanksgiving week, and may also have morning Extra Magic Hours added as well–making the day start one or even two hours earlier than indicated on the itineraries. These may not be added until a month before–or even the day before. So you’ll need to stay in touch with schedules–even on the night before–to make sure when you need to arrive to beat park openings.

Doing First Sunday on Thursday puts you in Tusker House for Thanksgiving dinner.  If you are looking for alternatives–or not even paying attention to my itineraries–recent Disney World Thanksgiving meals are here.

SEEING EPCOT’S CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

Starting on the Friday after Thanksgiving 2019, Epcot’s Festival of the Holidays begins. My itinerary has you in Epcot that day.

UPDATED PARK SCHEDULES

You can get updated park operating hours when you arrive at Walt Disney World. If you want to know what’s up before then, check the park calendars in mid-October and also a day or so before you depart for Florida on the My Disney Experience website, and while you are there as well.

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WHAT IS NOVEMBER LIKE AT DISNEY WORLD?

Mid and late November are some of the best times of the year to visit Disney World, with cooler weather, low crowds, low prices, and fun special events.

Other parts of the month are not so good. Jersey Week, beginning 11/3 in 2018, sees moderate crowds and higher prices at the deluxes. Thanksgiving week, beginning 11/17 in 2018, with high crowds and higher prices than the rest of the month, should be avoided.

Note also that picking the right park to visit each day is critical at this time of the year. See this, and use the comment form below to ask me about your specific dates!
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OVERVIEW: NOVEMBER 2017 AT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews November 2017 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, and operating hours; adds a few other notes; and ends with week by week summaries.

Very early, mid and late November are some of the best times of the year to visit Disney World, with cooler weather, low crowds, low prices, and fun special events.

Other parts of the month are not so good. Jersey Week see moderate crowds. Thanksgiving week, with high crowds and higher prices than the rest of the month, should be avoided.

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THANKSGIVING 2017 AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Thanksgiving week at Walt Disney World is busy–particularly Wednesday through Saturday.

While not as crowded as some other holiday weeks–Easter and Christmas, for example–it can be very challenging, and the material below gives some hints on how to deal with it.

WALT DISNEY WORLD 2017 THANKSGIVING WEEK ITINERARY AND DINING

Park schedules indicate that this site’s Higher Crowd Itinerary mostly works for Thanksgiving Week, with one change and one however.

• The change is that you will be best off if you swap Thursday and Monday in both the itinerary and its To-Do List.
• The however is that the parks–especially the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom–may open an hour earlier than it indicates many days Thanksgiving week, and may also have morning Extra Magic Hours added as well–making the day start two hours earlier than indicated on the itineraries.

So you’ll need to stay in touch with schedules–even on the night before–to make sure when you need to arrive to beat park openings.  

Moreover, a couple of other things are worth noting.

• First, making the suggested change has you off mid-day on Thanksgiving, and at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Thanksgiving morning and evening, with counter service meals
• Believe me–that’s a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving.  Hollywood Studios  likely will be the least crowded park (in the past, it would have been Animal Kingdom, but with the openings of Avatar and Rivers of Light and other evening options, I don’t expect it to be so in 2017), and you’ll need an afternoon break by this point in your vacation anyway.
• However, if you are looking for something both more formal and fun in your Thanksgiving meal, then consider skipping 50’s Prime Time and booking a mid-day table service meal elsewhere.

Note that to get a sit-down meal on Thanksgiving it’s critical that you make your dining reservations well in advance. See this for more.

SEEING EPCOT’S CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

Starting the day after Thanksgiving, Epcot is open thirty minutes later, and a special Christmas version of Illuminations is shown nightly at 9.30p rather than 9p. Moreover, the Candlelight Processional also begins the Friday after Thanksgiving.

UPDATED PARK SCHEDULES

You can get updated park operating hours when you arrive at Walt Disney World. If you want to know what’s up before then, check the park calendars a day or so before you depart for Florida on the My Disney Experience website. and while you are there as well.

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OVERVIEW: NOVEMBER 2015 AT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews November 2015 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, and operating hours; adds a few other notes; and ends with week by week summaries.

Mid-November has some of the best times of the year to visit Disney World, with cooler weather, low crowds, low prices, and fun special events.

The beginning of the month is not so good, with moderate crowds from Jersey Week.  Thanksgiving week, with high crowds and higher prices than the rest of the month, should be avoided.

NOVEMBER 2015 CROWDS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

November has high, low and moderate crowd weeks.

On a crowd scale of 1-11, the week beginning 10/31 has a crowd rating of 5/moderate minus, the week beginning 11/7 3/low, the week beginning 11/14 2/low, and the week beginning 11/22 10/higher.

However, because of the Christmas Party and the Food and Wine Festival, you can face higher much waits if you go to the parks on the wrong days.  See this for how to avoid these crowds.

See this for more on 2015 crowds at Disney World.

NOVEMBER 2015 PRICES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

November 2015 prices begin 10% higher than the lowest of the year at the values, 8% higher at the moderates, and 10% higher at the deluxes.

Other than a bump over the Jersey Week (11/6 to 11/8) weekend, prices stay this level until November 21 at the values and moderates and November 24 at the deluxes, when they bump for Thanksgiving.  On November 28th, prices revert to the same as at the beginning of the month.

See this for more on 2015 resort hotel prices at Walt Disney World.

NOVEMBER 2015 DEALS AND DISCOUNTS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Deals are available for November 2015. Details are here.

NOVEMBER 2015 WEATHER AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Early November weather can be about as good as Orlando gets. Over the course of the month, lower and much more variable temps emerge.  Days can be perfect or quite cool.

Click the image, or go to Weather and When to Go to Disney World, for more on temperatures.

NOVEMBER 2015 SPECIAL EVENTS

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has its last show November 1..

The Epcot International Food and Wine Festival continues through November 16.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party kicks off November 8.

NOVEMBER 2015 OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Park operating hours vary by the day, and sometimes change without notice. It is rare for hours to be shorter than Disney has publicized, but Disney may lengthen them in response to unanticipated crowds.

The best way to keep up with operating hours is to check Disney’s official calendars, usually available six months in advance.

These calendars can be found by clicking the following links:

• Magic Kingdom Calendar
• Hollywood Studios Calendar
• Animal Kingdom Calendar
• Epcot Calendar

WEEK BY WEEK COMMENTS FOR NOVEMBER 2015 AT WALT DISNEY WORLD BY ARRIVAL DATE

The week rankings that follow below are from 2015 weeks to visit, ranked in order, and are designed for first-time visitors who do not know whether or not they will return.

Click the image for a calendar view of 2015 weeks (when open, keep clicking to enlarge.)

• 10/31/2015 Jersey Week. Low prices at values and deluxes, moderate prices in moderates. Moderate-minus crowds. Crowd ranking=5. Week ranking=15. Use the FastPass+ Lower Crowd Itinerary, but swap First Sunday and Wednesday in both the itinerary and its To-Do List
• 11/7/2015 Low prices at values and deluxes, moderate prices in moderates.   Low crowds. Crowd ranking=3. Week ranking=7. Recommended week.  Use the FastPass+ Lower Crowd Itinerary, but swap First Sunday and Wednesday in both the itinerary and its To-Do List
• 11/14/2015  Low prices at values and deluxes, moderate prices in moderates.  Lower crowds. Crowd ranking=2. Week ranking=4.  Recommended week. Use the FastPass+ Lower Crowd Itinerary, but swap First Sunday and Wednesday in both the itinerary and its To-Do List
• 11/21/2015  Thanksgiving week. High prices at values, moderate prices in moderates and deluxes.   Higher crowds. Crowd ranking=10. Week ranking=40. Use the FastPass+ Higher Crowd Itinerary, but swap First Sunday and Wednesday in both the itinerary and its To-Do List
• 11/28/2015  Low prices at values and deluxes, moderate prices in moderates. Low crowds. Crowd ranking=3.  Week ranking=1. Recommended week. Use the Basic December Itinerary, but swap Wednesday and Thursday in both the itinerary and its To-Do List

MORE ON WHEN TO GO TO WALT DISNEY WORLD

• For when to go to Walt Disney World, see this
• For the best and worst times to visit, see this
  • For 2015 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
  • For the 2015 Week Picker, see this
  • For 2016 weeks to visit, ranked in order, see this
• For forecasting crowds at Walt Disney World, see this
  • For the 2015 Crowd Calendar, click here
  • For the 2016 Crowd Calendar, click here
• For seasonal pricing at Walt Disney World, see this
  • For 2015 price seasons, see this
  • For projected 2016 price seasons, see this
• For weather at Walt Disney World, see this

Want a second opinion?  Then check out my book lol.

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