food IS a theme park
Happy Turkey Day, DFB Readers!
Cinderella Castle
You might be wondering what our big plans are for the day. Well, we’re at Disney World because we just can’t get enough of those holiday decorations, holiday snacks, and that everyday Disney magic! But what are crowds like on Thanksgiving? Well, leading up to the holiday, things were getting busier in Disney World, AND we saw Genie+ sell out at a record-high price. So, let’s take a look at crowds on ACTUAL Thanksgiving.
The week of Thanksgiving typically marks an EXTRA busy season at Disney World.
November 20th — It was a very busy morning!
It probably comes as a surprise to no one, though, as folks are headed to the theme parks to celebrate the holiday season and some much-needed time away from school and work. That being said, the parks get pretty crowded. It’s something we expect every single year, but that doesn’t make it any less of a punch in the gut when we’re greeted with those dense crowds and soaring wait times. If you’re hoping to head to the parks on the week of Thanksgiving, you’re going to want to keep reading so that you can ACT FAST.
While it’s the most wonderful time of the year at Disney World right now, it’s also usually one of the busiest.
EPCOT
The festive decor, the delicious seasonal treats, and the exclusive parties — Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Jollywood Nights — can draw huge crowds to the park. However, when looking at the average wait times we noticed something strange…the wait times are trending DOWN!
The holiday season brings many things to Disney World — specialty treats, fun entertainment, exclusive events, and so much more.
Jingle Cruise
One of our favorite things to see in the parks during this time of year is the holiday ride overlays! We just saw a few that are exclusive to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, but the most popular one is available all day long. Yep, we’re talking about Jingle Cruise, but we’ve got to warn you about something before you hop in line… .
Something strange is going on with Disney World rides.
Christmas has arrived!
This week we celebrated Halloween, said goodbye to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, and said hello to the holidays! Holidays are typically some of the busiest times in Disney World but we noticed that wait times went down at nearly every attraction this week! We keep track of the average wait times every week, so keep scrolling to see the wait times at each Disney World ride from the past week.
We’ve got to talk about Toy Story Land.
Toy Story Land
Disney’s Hollywood Studios jam-packed a LOT of stuff to do in this one land including two restaurants, Woody’s Lunch Box and Roundup Rodeo BBQ, and three attractions! Slinky Dog Dash is easily the busiest of the land’s rides but we’ve got an update on this Toy Story-themed coaster.
Can you believe it? EPCOT is almost done with its years-long transformation!
EPCOT
Disney announced that the EPCOT construction is set to be complete by the end of 2023, and it makes us want to reminisce about the changes, you know? We have several new attractions including Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana and now the 100th anniversary celebration is in the park with a special meet and greet, the return of Soarin’ Over California, and more. Now there’s an update about one of the new additions…but fair warning, you may not like it.
Disney World rides are some of the most immersive out there — they instantly transport you out of reality!
Space Mountain
Whether that’s because you’re busy fighting Kylo Ren on Rise of the Resistance or jumping into a cartoon on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, there are so many stories you can explore through attractions. This applies to roller coasters too — there’s a reason why they all almost always have a long wait! However, this week, one coaster saw a jump in wait times that caught our eye and we had to let you know about it.
It’s been another week full of Disney news!
EPCOT
Disney released a ton of information about EPCOT Festival of the Holidays including the food booths, the entertainment, celebrity narrators for the Candelight Processional, dining packages, the return of the cookie stroll, and more. Also Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana has soft opened as well as the Moana meet and greet! Even though the Disney news has been busy, the parks seem to have calmed down when it comes to wait times.
Not all rides are built the same — some are much harder to get on than others.
EPCOT
Whether that’s because the ride has a Virtual Queue (we’re looking at you, TRON Lightcycle / Run) or it has one of the longest lines in the park, there’s a reason that we warn you about attractions like Rise of the Resistance and Slinky Dog Dash. But there’s been a huge update involving an EPCOT ride and it has certainly impacted the wait times!
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