🦃 Thanksgiving Week at Walt Disney World (2025): Crowds, Tips & Holiday Magic
- Practically Perfect Pixie Dust
- 2 days ago
- 7 min read
Happy Thanksgiving Week, friends! 🦃✨ This is one of the busiest (and most magical!) stretches of the year at Walt Disney World — and 2025 is no exception.
Fun fact: This used to be one of our favorite weeks to visit when Lyn, Kim, and our college boy were all still in school. You get full Christmas vibes — twinkling lights, festive snacks, cozy nighttime shows — without the full chaos of Christmas Week. Is it crowded? YES. Thanksgiving is consistently one of the busiest weeks of the year.But the cooler weather and more relaxed holiday energy truly make it one of the most enjoyable “high-crowd” times to visit.
Here’s everything you need to know to navigate this busy (but magical!) week at Walt Disney World.
🦃 Thanksgiving Week Crowd Forecast (2025)
Thanksgiving Week has a predictable rhythm:
Busiest Days
Wednesday (Nov 26)
Black Friday (Nov 28)
Saturday (Nov 29) — historically a top-10 busiest day of the entire year
What to Expect
100–180 minute waits for headliners
Instant virtual queue fills
Heavy walkway congestion from 11 AM–4 PM
Evening crowds that feel more manageable thanks to cooler temps
✨ Your Thanksgiving Week Strategy
🌅 Early Morning Is Gold
Arrive 60–75 minutes before posted park opening
Hit 2–4 major rides before the crowds crash in
Mobile order breakfast before you even leave your resort
🌤 Mid-Day Expect Gridlock
Focus on indoor shows
Shop or snack
Take a resort or sensory break (this week is overstimulating for everyone)
🌙 Evenings Are Your Friend
Hop to a second park after 4 PM
Enjoy nighttime entertainment, but show up an hour early to grab a good spot
Plan anything outdoors or photo-heavy for these cooler hours
🧚♀️ Pixie Dust Pro Tips (Thanksgiving Edition)
🧚♀️ Hop after 4 PM — it dramatically improves your day this week.
🧚♀️ Mobile order early — windows fill shockingly fast during holiday weeks.
🧚♀️ Pick two must-do's per park — anything else is bonus pixie dust.
🧚♀️ Plan sensory breaks — crowds + Christmas music + lights = sensory overload.👉 Need help choosing break spots?
🧚♀️ See our Navigating Crowds & Sensory Break Maps for spots at all four parks where you can duck away and take a break from the crowds.
🌀 The Toughest Bottlenecks in Each Park (Thanksgiving Edition)
Thanksgiving Week amplifies a few already-tight walkways. Here’s the one chokepoint per park that becomes the hardest to navigate this week:
✨ Magic Kingdom
The walkway between Fantasyland and Liberty Square (by Peter Pan’s Flight and it’s a small world) becomes an unpredictable tangle of stroller wheels and pixie wings. People flood in from all directions, making it overwhelming during peak times.
✨ EPCOT
The area around the Mexico Pavilion consistently hits crowd-critical levels. Restaurants on one side, the pyramid on the other, a margarita stand to the right, a character meet to the left — all squeezed into one tight walkway.
✨ Hollywood Studios
Toy Story Land has no chill. With rides, food stands, and meet-and-greets all sharing one main path, this land becomes shoulder-to-shoulder very quickly.
✨ Animal Kingdom
The main walkway through Africa clogs up fast with guests rushing to Kilimanjaro Safaris, lining up for Tusker House, and stopping for the Tam Tam Drummers.
👉 Want detailed strategies + reroute paths? Plus more of our best tips and tricks for dealing with crowds at Walt Disney World? See our Navigating Crowds at Walt Disney World Guide.
🎄 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (2025) — Everything Is Sold Out
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is such a fun holiday tradition for many families, including ours. Every MVMCP night is officially sold out — and party nights Thanksgiving week are going to feel very busy at the beginning of the evening, when party goers and regular party guests are both in the parks.
If you’re attending during Thanksgiving Week:
Arrive at least an hour before the 4 PM party entry to maximize your park time — or wait until after 4:30 PM to avoid the initial entry crowds.
Prioritize rare characters early (lines hit 2+ hours fast)
Watch the second parade — always lighter
Bring a pouch or small bag for cookie trail stamps
Expect Main Street to be PACKED before fireworks
🎶 Disney Jollywood Nights — Trending Up This Season
Jollywood Nights is gaining popularity, and Thanksgiving Week tends to bring even higher demand — especially earlier in the evening.
If you're attending this week:
Start in Echo Lake for lowest early waits
Prioritize the special entertainment — it’s the heart of this event
Grab snacks early (booth lines spike by 8 PM)
🍷 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival — Final Days!
Thanksgiving Week is your last chance for:
Festival booths
Eat to the Beat concerts
Marketplace exclusives
Global Marketplace favorites
🧚♀️ Pixie Dust Pro Tip: Crowds will be very high around World Showcase from 1–7 PM.If you want to enjoy the booths, start early.
👉 Festival guide: Food & Wine Guide
👉 Booths + best eats + must-try tips: Food & Wine Food Guide
👉 Maps & entertainment: Festival Map Post
🎄 Festival of the Holidays Starts November 28, 2025
Beginning next weekend, expect:
Holiday Kitchen menus
Storytellers in every pavilion
Cookie Stroll
Gingerbread Spaceship Earth display
A gorgeous extra layer of coziness across the park
Now is a great time to preview booths + storytellers so you can plan ahead.
👉 Festival overview: Festival of the Holidays Guide
👉 Holiday Kitchens + treats + sips: Festival of the Holidays Food Guide
👉 Storytellers & map navigation: Festival Map Post
🦃 Where to Find Thanksgiving Meals at Walt Disney World (2025)
Quick-Service & Table-Service Options for Thanksgiving Week
Whether you’re spending the whole holiday week at Walt Disney World or popping in just for Thanksgiving Day, you can absolutely find a turkey dinner (or something close!). Options are growing ever year, with more and more quick-service and table-service locations typically offer seasonal plates inspired by a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
Below is a curated list of the most accessible options. This is not an all-inclusive list — just our favorite picks for Thanksgiving dinner at Walt Disney World.
🥪 Quick-Service Thanksgiving Meal Options
These spots typically offer a turkey-day platter, turkey sandwiches, or seasonal sides — no reservation needed.
Magic Kingdom
🍽 Columbia Harbour House: Known for hearty seasonal sandwiches and roasted turkey specials in past years; great indoor seating for a break.
EPCOT
🍽 Sunshine Seasons (The Land Pavilion): One of EPCOT’s most reliable seasonal-meal locations. Look for turkey breast plates, mashed potatoes, and classic sides.
Hollywood Studios
🍽 ABC Commissary: Has a strong track record of offering turkey dinners, fall-flavored sides, and seasonal desserts.
Animal Kingdom
🍽 Satu’li Canteen: Not a “traditional Thanksgiving” meal, but offers a special Thanksgiving Dinner Bowl.
Resorts
🍽 Roaring Fork (Wilderness Lodge): Wilderness Lodge leans into holiday theming — this spot often offers turkey sandwiches or seasonal comfort food.
🍽 Centertown Market (Caribbean Beach Resort): One of the most consistent resort quick-serves for Thanksgiving-inspired offerings.
🍽 Landscape of Flavors (Art of Animation): Frequently adds holiday sides or turkey entrées for Thanksgiving Day.
🧚♀️ Pixie Dust Pro Tip: Most Disney resort quick-service locations serve some kind of Thanksgiving-inspired entrée on Thanksgiving Day — sometimes a full turkey platter, sometimes a holiday sandwich or seasonal sides. If you’re staying on property, check your resort’s mobile order menu first before heading into the parks.
🍽 Table-Service Thanksgiving Dinner Options
(Most will be booked — but last-minute cancellations DO happen!)
Magic Kingdom
🏰 Liberty Tree Tavern & The Diamond Horseshoe (Magic Kingdom): Home-style turkey dinner every day, so it’s a natural fit for Thanksgiving if you get lucky with a last-minute cancellation.
Resorts
🌙 Ale & Compass (Yacht Club): A longtime holiday favorite — often offers a fall-inspired meal or turkey entrée.
🦃 Steakhouse 71 (Contemporary Resort): Offering a modified Thanksgiving Day menu with holiday-inspired dishes from 12–9:15 PM.
🦃 Sanaa (Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge): Serving a tandoori-basted heritage turkey dinner plus other holiday-inspired dishes from 11:30 AM to 9:00 PM.
🦃 Olivia’s Café (Disney’s Old Key West Resort): Offering Thanksgiving-inspired entrées from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM. This is one of the best hidden gems for comfort food on property,.
Disney Springs
🥧 Raglan Road: Offers festive fall entrées and holiday desserts; lively atmosphere and far easier to book last-minute than park restaurants.
🧚♀️ Pixie Dust Pro Tip: Don’t give up on table-service! We’ve personally snagged hard-to-get reservations the day before and even the day of. Refresh MDE often, check early morning and late at night, and search “All Parks” for the widest results.
🎁 That’s a Wrap!
If you’re visiting Walt Disney World this Thanksgiving Week, take it one moment at a time — sip the cocoa, admire the decorations, laugh at the silly moments, and don’t stress the crowds too much. They’re all part of the holiday adventure. ✨
We hope this guide helps your trip feel smoother, calmer, and a whole lot more magical. And if you’re already dreaming about your next visit (we always are!), we’ve got plenty more holiday updates, festival coverage, and Pixie Dust tips coming soon.
Wishing you the warmest, sparkliest Thanksgiving Week at Walt Disney World. 🧚♀️💛
Pixie Dust Hugs,
Bren, Kim, and Lyn
P.S. Planning your own magical getaway?
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