THANKSGIVING 2013 AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
Update October 23: New extended operating hours and 8a openings.
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 2013 THANKSGIVING WEEK ITINERARY AND DINING
Park schedules indicate that this site’s Autumn-Winter-Spring Itinerary works for Thanksgiving Week, but you will need to arrive at MK and AK an hour earlier than it indicates.
Moreover, a couple of other things are worth noting.
First, this itinerary has you largely off on Thanksgiving itself, and with the only formal meal a morning brunch. Your meals otherwise are in your hotel food court.
If you are looking for something both more formal but fun in your Thanksgiving dinner (not necessarily in menu, but in ambiance and waiters and such), then consider
- Reserving the Liberty Tree Tavern at the Magic Kingdom Thursday, or
- Changing your Whispering Canyon Cafe at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort from lunch Tuesday to dinner Thursday, or
- Moving your Hoop Dee Doo Revue reservations from Tuesday evening to Thursday evening
The first option means both another table service meal and another day of park tickets; the other two don’t cost any more, as they are just moving items already in the Autumn-Winter-Spring Itinerary to another day, and are at resort hotels, not parks.
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.
DISNEY WORLD OPERATING HOURS DURING THE 2013 THANKSGIVING WEEK
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. Adjust your Friday itinerary for this change in times.
The Candlelight Processional also begins the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Moreover, Disney has changed the operating hours of the parks to accommodate the crowds.
This includes 8a openings all week at the Magic Kingdom and the Animal Kingdom. Disney may also add additional Extra Magic Hours and more 8a openings.
These changes mean that some of your days need to start one or even two hours earlier than the itinerary suggests.
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, and then while you are there as well.
Click the links for park calendars
And Disney veterans–please feel free to add more suggestions for Thanksgiving dinner at Walt Disney World to the comment box below!
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125 Comments on "Thanksgiving 2013 at Walt Disney World"
We are planning our second trip to disneyland in Cali, we were looking at Nov 15-17, I had called disneyland and spoke with someone and they said they are always busy but the weekend of and after thanksgiving is best to come, we were going to holloween but told that would be very busy. I was wondering what other times are not so busy before the new year? Thanks so much.
Hi Kym, on the stroller point, if you have a folding stroller, bring it. You’ll then have it outside the parks as well, and will be able to save the step of renting one inside the parks.
The week that includes Thanksgiving is one of the busiest weeks of the year, so no days are good at the Magic Kingdom. Of them, I like best Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.
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Hi, my name is Kym Langford. My family and I will be traveling to Disney Saturday November 23rd to Sat the 29th. Our trip is made possible with Make-A-Wish Oklahoma. I was wondering of our days which days would you think would be the best (lease crowded) days for Magic Kingdom? We have a 9, 6, and 3 year old. Also do you recommend bringing your own stroller from home or renting one from Magic Kingdom? Thank you for your time.
Hi Brandy, I don’t think anything is out yet. My guess-and it’s just a guess-is that Brown Derby will be doing it. If you can afford the prices there, you can also eat there as part of a Fantasmic package, and kill two birds with one stone…for more on the Fantasmic Package, see this: http://yourfirstvisit.net/2010/10/19/review-fantasmic-at-disneys-hollywood-studios/
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We got APs this year and are planning our second trip for the week of Thanksgiving (probably 26th-2nd and will be doing MVMCP on the 1st). Of course the suggested dining is all reserved but I was thinking of doing HS on Thanksgiving so we can do Osbourne lights that evening. Have they released what restaurants will be doing traditional dinner or lunch there? Or anywhere for that matter…I can’t seem to find a list for this year, only for 2012.