So, I am debating heading to Disney for Thanksgiving 2011. We would be there during and around Turkey Day. Anyone know if it is MOBBED there during that time? How is the weather? Good places to eat Thanksgiving in the park?
Also - anyone stay at The Caribbean Beach Resort and can you WALK into Epcot?
Thanks!!!
We have gone to Disney many times around Thanksgiving and have found it to be extremely crowded Thanksgiving weekend but by the Tuesday after Thanksgiving the place is cleared out. We were there this past Thanksgiving and found the longest ride line to be 30 minutes (Toy
Story Mania at Hollywood Studios) majority of the rides were a 5- 10 minute wait or less.
Hi,
Go to allears.net. Awesome unofficial site for all things Disney. Great info on hotels and pictures of them you cannot find elsewhere. They have a part that tells you crowds are at highest and lowest. I do think any holiday time is crowded. If you can take the kids out of school on an off time that is ideal. We have done that w great success. We stayed at Caribbean a few years ago and it was pretty nice. I have heard that Port Orleans is the best of the moderate resorts. Although Caribbean just added pirate rooms and a themed pool if you have little boys.
We stayed at the polynesian last year. It was so-so as it is a bit dated...yes, it is on the monorail, yet that is not a huge selling point for me. We go to one park a day and do not go back and forth so I do not mind even staying off property. We stayed at the Ritz Carlton, which you cannot beat. The only thing with the hotels on property is that sometimes it is a little walk and a wait for buses. But again, if you are going once in the morning and back to the hotel, it is really not a big deal. The food choices are a little limited at the moderates as well...but if you are ok with a food court then I think it will be great. I always call liberty travel for pricing because I have gotten some good deals from there.
I just love Disney! Have a great time!
Also, we have gone at different times of the year and the weather is so hit or miss in the fall/winter. I looked for a hotel with an indoor pool but could not find one. It did not stop my so from swimming in 60 degree weather. Anything beats the summer heat in Florida!
We did it once and never again. I LOVE Disney, but Thanksgiving has been our least favorite time to go. It was OK in the parks up until the Friday after Thanksgiving. And then it was so bad at one point we weren't able to move after a parade and we just abandoned our rented strollers in the middle of the street and left. It was insane. If you could possibly go in October, the weather is much warmer and the crowds much smaller.
If you do end up going Thanksgiving, try to go a few days in advance and enjoy the busier parks before Turkey Day.
I don't know about any of the rest, but mid to late November in Orlando is just about PERFECT as far as the weather goes. Daytime highs are probably around 70-75 (unless there is a weird cold front that blows through) and lows are probably not less than about 50 at that time of year.
(I lived in Jacksonville FL for about 15 years).
I used to work there....it's mobbed during Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you can try to go before or after, that would be best. Really October is the perfect time....plus if you time it right you can be there during the Food and Wine Festival.
Weather is usually good...a bit on the chilly side, but nice if you're coming from up North...not warm enough to go to the water parks, but nice enough. Any place is really good to eat...lots of places offer Thanksgiving dinner, but you need to book way in advance.
I don't believe you can walk to Epcot from Caribbean Beach...only The Boardwalk and the Beach and Yacht Clubs.
Good-luck!
Disney has a Moms panel website specifically designed for those traveling with kids of all ages and they would probably be the best place to start in reference to where to eat. You can make reservations 90 days before, there are so many options so it depends on what you're looking for (character/buffet etc) If you want to walk to EPCOT you would have to stay at either Boardwalk, The Yacht or the Beach Club. I stayed at Boardwalk and loved it! It was great to be able to take a 10 minute walk with strollers rather than hopping on a bus and loading/unloading all of your stuff for the day. You enter the park at the U.K. (who has great fish and chips!) Have fun!!
Thanksgiving is our FAVORITE time to visit Disney. The weather's PERFECT. Magic Kingdom's always packed on turkey day itself, but the other parks are ok. We will be spending Thanksgiving there again this year as well. This will be our 6th Thanksgiving spent in Disney in the last 7 yrs. I can't answer the ? of the resort, but feel free to PM me if you have any other ?s.
We were just there the Saturday after Thanksgiving which was "super busy" Sunday and Monday were great and hte weather was lovely and we got to see the Xmas lights.
I hear all holidays are crazy in DW.
I can't respond for the specific time you are going because we went in October, but I found this helpful planning our trip:
disneyworldforum.disney.go.com/home.aspx
It's all these moms who "live" at DisneyWorld, either in the area, or go like a million times a year. Very helpful!
But I have friends that just went this past Thanksgiving. They stayed at the Safari-like Disney Hotel (african like with animals roaming and stuff). They had ordered Thanksgiving dinner to their room/suite. They had a blast.
Have fun!!
