PHOTOS: You Won’t Believe the Thanksgiving Day Crowds in Disney World

Remember how we warned you about HUGE holiday crowds in Disney World?

Magic Kingdom

Today is Thanksgiving Day, which means Black Friday deals, specialty snacks, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and (normally) big crowds in the parks. Today, we’re taking you along with us to see what crowds are actually looking like in Walt Disney World.

Over the past few days, we have seen a major change in the crowd levels in Disney World as the holidays are approaching. Today, those crowds actually seemed smaller than we’ve been experiencing lately.

Thanksgiving Day Crowds

There were still quite a few people on Main Street, U.S.A., but not as many as we saw on Monday of this week.

Crowds on Main Street

Many visitors were watching Disney film performances near Cinderella Castle for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Thanksgiving parade performances

Over in Tomorrowland, the crowds thinned out a bit, even though lines were pretty long for some of the popular attractions.

Not a lot of people here!

Around mid-morning, the wait for Buzz Lightyear: Space Ranger Spin was at 65 minutes, and the wait for Space Mountain was at 60 minutes.

Space Mountain line

However, the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover was only a 20-minute wait, and Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor had a 15-minute wait.

Tomorrowland crowds

Elsewhere in the park, wait times were pretty average. Splash Mountain had a 50-minute wait, “it’s a small world” was at 40 minutes, and Princess Fairytale Hall was at 30 minutes.

“it’s a small world”

A few of the most popular rides are definitely busy today! Jungle Cruise (which is “Jingle Cruise” right now) has a 90-minute wait, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train was at 105 minutes when we walked past it.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Although the ride wait times were about average, much of the park felt fairly empty compared to what we’ve seen the last couple of days. We usually see big crowds around the holidays, so it’s possible that some people are taking it easy on Thanksgiving Day and will return to their busy Disney vacations tomorrow.

Where’d everyone go?

If you’re planning to visit Disney World during the 2022 holiday season, be prepared for crowds. Check out some of these posts to help you make the most of your trip, even with busier parks:

Don’t forget, DFB will always keep you updated when it comes to Disney holiday and crowds news! Make sure to keep following the blog for every update.

Here are our tips on how to avoid Disney holiday crowd burnout!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Don’t Miss Out on Any Disney Fun!

Pre-Order Your Copy of the 2023 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today!

With more than 750 pages, the 2023 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We’ve done the research for you, so you’ll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family’s needs!

With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you’ll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet.

Click here to pre-order your copy of the 2023 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2023 to save 25% off the cover price today!

Use code WDW2023 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today!

ready-to-shop-button
Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. 🙂

Are you visiting Disney World this holiday season? Tell us in the comments!

The post PHOTOS: You Won’t Believe the Thanksgiving Day Crowds in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.