You have a to-do list the length of the Empire State Building, and the thought of cleaning the house that hasn’t been cleaned since last Thanksgiving is giving you panic attacks. What the heck, you think to yourself. Let’s do a Walt Disney World Thanksgiving!
But wait. You’ve heard that everything books months in advance. The parks will be mobbed. You’ll be sleeping in your car and eating Thanksgiving dinner at Taco Bell. That’s not what you were hoping for. You want a nice kick off to the holiday season.
Fear not, nervous traveler. You can head to Walt Disney World for a last minute Thanksgiving getaway – just get planning NOW!
2014 Walt Disney World Thanksgiving Day Dining
As of today, you’ll find many restaurants with open tables throughout the day. While there is no official word on which restaurants may feature a traditional holiday meal, with turkey and all the trimmings, several of the restaurants with dining reservations available have had the whole big turkey dinner available to diners in years past. You’ll find space at Boatwright’s, Portobello, Fulton’s, Wolfgang Puck, and Kona if you are looking to dine at a normal dinner hour. Go earlier or later – like around 1 or as late as 8 – and your options open up to include places like the Captain’s Grille, Jiko, Boma, and even the character dinner at 1900 Park Fare.
2014 Walt Disney World Thanksgiving Rooms Are Available
Although DVC rooms were a bit scarce, I was surprised to find resort options available in every category. Everything from the All Stars to the Beach Club had rooms available, even at this late date. Shades of Green is booked through Friday, but if you want to do a shorter weekend, after turkey dinner at home, you can still find room after Friday at Shades of Green.
What can you expect at Walt Disney World on Thanksgiving in terms of crowds? Let me put it as simply as I can – you’ll find crowds. Make your FastPass+ reservations as soon as you have your tickets booked, and plan to be at rope drop to take advantage of attractions before the bulk of the crowds begin to turn up. If you were lucky enough to snag a dining reservation in a theme park, get there early and plan to stay. The parks can close due to capacity on the busiest days – which are likely to be Thursday and Friday.
If nothing else, grab a turkey leg at the park and enjoy a tour of the resorts. Everything will be decorated for the Christmas holidays by the time you arrive for Thanksgiving, and it’s always so much fun to see the decorations at each of the resorts.
Thanksgiving at Walt Disney World can be busy, but if you haven’t thought about going until now, you still have options. But delay no more. Book today and leave those dust bunnies until next year.