It’s almost Thanksgiving — Can you believe it?!
Happy Thanksgiving
The year is flying by, and even though there are holiday decorations up and a Christmas party is happening in Disney World, Turkey Day has still yet to come. Thanksgiving usually brings out a LOT of people to the theme parks for the holiday, and we’re already starting to see that happening, because the crowds in Disney World this week are BIG!
Monday, November 21st
We headed to Magic Kingdom to check out just how busy things are during the beginning of Thanksgiving week, and we weren’t let down! Even the crowds to get on the tram in the parking lot were pretty significant.
Yeeesh!
The crowds heading toward the Monorail were also big!
Maybe take the Ferry instead
Once we got in the park, Main Street, U.S.A. was packed!
Yikes!
There were even lines to get inside some of the stores.
Waiting on the sidewalk
Just look at all of those people.
Wow!
A ton of people seemed to be hanging out in front of Cinderella Castle, which isn’t anything unusual.
It’s a popular spot
But, moving over into Tomorrowland, there were still big crowds.
Still a bunch of people around
Lines for attractions were pretty long as well — even Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor extended past the regular queue!
End of the line marker
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin also had a big line…
Whoa
…as did the PeopleMover…
End of the line
…and Space Mountain.
Space Mountain line
It doesn’t look like the crowds are thinning that much looking toward Fantasyland, but it does look a little lighter.
A little bit better
Fantasyland was sparse in some areas…
Not too bad
…and busy in others.
Pretty busy!
At first, not a ton of people were walking toward the back of Fantasyland…
Hmmm
…but, then we found the crowd!
Fantasyland
And, check this out — Barnstormer had a 70 minute wait! That’s pretty high for this attraction.
Whoa!
However, this area which is usually packed, wasn’t that bad at all.
Okay, not very crowded
But, the wait times were — Peter Pan’s Flight was at 105 minutes when we walked by in the early afternoon.
No thanks!
Walking toward Liberty Square, the crowds just got more intense.
So many people!
And, once we were in Liberty Square, it was very, very busy.
Wow
Over in Frontierland, the crowds weren’t as bad.
Frontierland
But, in areas that are smaller and near popular rides, a lot of people were around.
Near Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
The wait times are proving that things are busy as well! There were a LOT of attractions that had wait times above 100 minutes. This is what things were looking like around 11AM.
Genie+ isn’t looking too shabby right now
Yeah, pretty wild, right?!
AHH!
And things aren’t looking better as the day goes on — here’s what the early afternoon wait times were.
Yikes
Yep, Flight of Passage is over 3 HOURS.
Would you wait in these lines?
That’s a wrap on Monday, but what’s in store for the rest of the week?
Tuesday, November 22nd
We were back on Tuesday to see what things are like in Magic Kingdom, and in the morning, it’s already looking less crowded than it was on Monday. On Tuesday, the park was only open until 6PM since it was a Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party night.
Very empty here!
The wait times weren’t even bad — Pirates of the Caribbean was posted at just 25 minutes. We typically see lower wait times and crowds on holiday party days, since guests with day tickets want to get the most hours in the park as possible.
Only 25 minutes!
And even the line for Mickey Mouse was short — posted at only 10 minutes around noon. That’s surprising, especially for a holiday break!
Short wait to meet Mickey!
We’ll continue to watch the crowds throughout the week, but they might spike again on Wednesday, considering the park will have normal hours again.
Crowds at the monorail
Wednesday, November 23rd
On the day before Thanksgiving, things were HOPPIN’ in Disney World. We stopped by both Magic Kingdom and Disney Springs, and we snapped plenty of photos to share.
Lots of people waiting for the monorail!
There was a long line at the monorail, so it took us longer than usual to get from the Transportation & Ticket Center to Magic Kingdom’s entrance. If you’re traveling on a major holiday, make sure to budget time for transportation.
Heavy crowds at the monorail station.
Things weren’t so bad crowds-wise on Main Street, U.S.A. when we arrived, but there’s a lot more open space back in this area by the train station and the Christmas tree.
Not so bad in the front of the park
Once we got back into the various lands, we FOUND the people! Adventureland was very busy in the bottlenecks, and we got stuck behind a large group.
Adventureland crowds
Frontierland was a little bit better away from the big rides, but it still wasn’t anywhere close to being “empty.”
Lots of people in Frontierland
But Liberty Square was BAD. Just look at that crowd!
WOW!
There was even a longer line than usual at the PeopleMover. The queue stretched out into the walkway this afternoon.
Queue for the PeopleMover
Heading over to Disney Springs, the crowds weren’t as bad as they were this past weekend, but they were still heavy for a weekday.
Crowds at Disney Springs
It was fairly easy to walk around in the main areas, but you might find yourself a little cramped inside the shops. Just keep that in mind if you’re dropping by to do some shopping.
Disney Springs crowds
For more on Thanksgiving in Disney World, check out the entire Thanksgiving meal that’s served on Texas Toast in Disney Springs, what Disney World ride wait times are like just BEFORE Thanksgiving, and our reviews of ALL the 2022 Thanksgiving treats in Disney World!
Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney World news and updates.
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Yup! We were there during Hurricane Ian week! We saw a low wait time for Peter Pan first thing in the morning and all seven of us were sprinting to get there. Then the ride seemed to go through so quickly. Did they speed them up? I swear they lasted longer back in 2016 our last visit. Even Small World that’s usually seems to drag, seemed to go quicker. Even with a few lags to let on the scooter people. Did they speed up the rides?
And herein lies the problem. We can complain ’til we’re blue in the face about ridiculous prices, poor service, long lines without genie+, etc, but as long as people keep going & paying those prices nothing will change. If people would stay away for a year or two, Disney would be motivated to change. Otherwise park goers will continue to be fleeced & deserve to be.
I’m in MK on thanksgiving I’m shocked lines are not bad most were the same wait times as in May