Is Disneyland Open & Busy On Thanksgiving? | Holiday Travel Tips
Thanksgiving is typically known as a day to spend watching football and feasting on a turkey dinner with family, but you might be looking to do something extra fun this year and wondering if Disneyland will be open on Thanksgiving.
In this article, we’ll detail if Disneyland is open on Thanksgiving as well as some tips to keep in mind on your next holiday visit!
Questions We'll Answer About Disneyland On Thanksgiving:
- Is Disneyland Open & Busy On Thanksgiving?
- Disneyland Thanksgiving Day Tips!
Is Disneyland Open And Busy On Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is actually one of the busiest days of the year to visit Disneyland.
Disneyland is open 365 days a year and this includes all major holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Day.
All of these days see some of the longest wait times for attractions and often Disneyland will close due to reaching maximum capacity on these holidays.
While Thanksgiving might be one of the busiest days of the year to visit Disneyland, it’s a great way to spend the day making memories with family and Christmas decorations will already be on display for you to enjoy!
If long wait times are your primary concern and you’re flexible on what day you visit then we’d recommend visiting Disneyland on another day.
Early November and early December have some of the lowest crowd levels and wait times all year and you’ll still be able to enjoy the Christmas festivities!
If you don't mind longer than usual wait times then Thanksgiving is a great time to visit Disneyland.
The park is totally decked out in Christmas decorations, select restaurants will be serving Turkey dinners and you feel immersed in the holidays when spending Thanksgiving at Disneyland.
Disneyland Thanksgiving Day Tips!
Because Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days of the year to visit Disneyland there are some considerations to keep in mind to make the most of your visit that you may not be aware of.
Below are some tips to save time and money on your Thanksgiving day visit!
- Make Your Park Reservation Early: You must make a park reservation to visit Disneyland or California Adventure no matter what day of the year you plan to visit. This is especially true if you're hoping to visit the parks on Thanksgiving day, so be sure to make your park reservation as early as possible or you might risk reservations running out.
- Purchase Your Tickets Online: To make your park reservation early you'll need to purchase your tickets in advance online. You can purchase your Disneyland tickets here and save some money along the way with special deals and discounts!
- Consider Genie+: Wait times for some of the most popular attractions can exceed 120 minutes on Thanksgiving. Genie+ service allows you to use Lightning Lane to skip the general line and get on the most popular rides and shows faster. Genie+ does come at an additional fee on top of your park ticket, but if budget isn't a concern then we highly recommend purchasing Genie+.
- Make Dinner Reservations Early: Getting a table for dinner, especially at the restaurants serving a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, will be something you need to plan in advance. Due to very high demand, don't expect to easily be able to find a dinner reservation with only a few days' notice. We recommend booking a reservation at least a few weeks in advance unless you're fine with a counter-service restaurant.
- Arrive Early and Stay Late: Crowds are often the lowest first thing in the morning and late at night. If you can get to the park early you might be able to hit some of the most popular attractions before lengthy wait times being to build. Crowds will also start to dwindle as it gets later in the evening, so you'll have another opportunity at shorter wait times at night (typically after 9 PM).
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