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Disney World on Black Friday?

Walt Disney World: How are crowds over Thanksgiving?

From Joe Brown
Posted April 15, 2010 at 8:28 AM
Thinking of going to Disney World the day after Thanksgiving and staying for about 5 days. What are the crowds like during that time? The last time we went was during Star Wars weekend. It was crowded then, but not overwhelming.


Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond.

From Michael Smith
Posted April 15, 2010 at 10:54 AM
From what I can remember, Thanksgiving day isn't very crowded at all, but the fri, sat, and sun, after are pretty bad. I wouldn't necessarily not come, you just have to have a different mindset about what you will be able to do. You'll have to get there when the park opens and ride as much as you can before it gets crowded, and use fastpass wisely. Remember when you get a fastpass to look at the small print on the bottom. It tells you the time that you can get your next one. (it's usually 2hrs from when you get the current one or when your return time starts, whichever comes first) When you are waiting for your return time, that's a great time to look at holiday decorations, or do attractions that you might normally skip, but usually don't have too long of a wait if any at all. Tiki Room, Hall of Presidents, Carosel of Progress, TTA, Riverboat. You can also go explore the caves on Tom Sawyer Island. Don't get too frustrated with the long lines, and don't wait in them if you don't like to. Keep in mind that the park usually clears out after the fireworks, so you'll still be able to catch some of the things you haven't done yet. My advice has been focused on the Magic Kingdom, but you can find ways to spend time at all of the parks without having to wait in ridiculous lines. If you have a choice then come when it's less crowded. But if that is the only time you can come, then you can still have fun if you have the right mind-set.

From Anthony Murphy
Posted April 15, 2010 at 2:34 PM
I would wait a week before going.

However, if you follow the tips for Magic Kingdom and go early, you should be ok.

Still, probably waiting a week after Thanksgiving would be best, but it should be ok.

From James Koehl
Posted April 15, 2010 at 6:29 PM
We went to WDW in 2007, arriving on the day after Thanksgiving and staying until the following Saturday. I felt that the crowds were manageable, with the usual mob scenes at special events (parades, fireworks, etc.) There was so much to see, especially with all the holiday decorations up, that we really had a nice time. The weather was warmer than usual for that time of year, and we heard from other visitors that the week after T-Giving is the best week to go, with the crowds relatively small compared to closer to Christmas/NYE.

From Jason White
Posted April 20, 2010 at 6:53 PM
My family went to disney recently and hired a guide to get us through Disney. It was the smartest move we ever made. At first $115 an hour seemed a little high until I saw the stress they saved me and my family. First, our guide got to know my family over the phone. She was quickly in tune to my family's needs. She knew what rides to go on and which to avoid, based on our family's interests. Our guide took us to every ride,we didn't have to open a map once. We only only visit each park once in order to see everything we wanted to see. At Magic Kingdom we rode 10 rides and saw characters all before lunch. I highly reccomment Elite Orlando VIP Tours. Here is there website;

http://eliteorlandoviptours.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=44&Itemid=59

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