A note from Mommy Frog: The delicious details are out for Thanksgiving dining at Disneyland. Three restaurants have Thanksgiving meals: Napa Rose, Storytellers Café (brunch and dinner with characters) and Goofy's Kitchen (brunch and dinner with characters). Reservations are limited, so keep checking for reservations in the app if you're looking for Thanksgiving dinner at Disneyland. We offer suggestions for finding turkey and seasonal foods in the park as well. Keep hopping back for updates, and hop over to our post on enjoying Disneyland at Thanksgiving for holiday treats and tips, and the Disneyland reopening post for the latest news and details!
Gobble, gobble! It's never too early to start thinking about Thanksgiving, especially if you're hopping to the Disneyland Resort. While Thanksgiving itself isn't a major affair in the parks since they will be decorated for Christmas, the dining experience is. Here is everything you need to know to find your Disneyland Thanksgiving dinner ... plus a few tips! The Disneyland Thanksgiving dinner offerings for 2021 were available, as of mid-October! Are you hungry for all of the mouth-watering details? Us, too! Let's hop to it!
There are usually many options for Disneyland Thanksgiving dinner. In normal years, there are large buffet dinners, table-service dinners and quick-service turkey dinners. In 2021, it's a smaller affair, with three hotel restaurants offering special dining on Thanksgiving day. You can dine at Napa Rose, Storyteller's Café and Goofy's Kitchen. Most Disney dining reservations for table-service and large ballroom events (when they return) fill up as soon as the reservation window opens. You can book online or through the Disneyland app to make a Thanksgiving dinner reservation at the Disneyland Resort. Don't fret if you've missed that window! Keep checking back in case of cancellations. For quick-service Disneyland Thanksgiving dinners, there are plenty of delicious options in Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure.
If you want to have a full, sit-down meal for Thanksgiving at the parks, you can make advance reservations (be aware that many will be fully booked) in the Disneyland app and at disneyland.com/dining as early as 60 days in advance (about 3 a.m. PST). But always keep checking because not all restaurant reservations open up that day or at the same time.
Where to Find Thanksgiving Dinner at Disneyland Park in 2021
Keep in mind that you can look up each restaurant's menu to see both seasonal and Thanksgiving offerings for that day (posted a few weeks in advance). Here are a few options for Thanksgiving Day in the park:
- Blue Bayou Restaurant (Turkey and pumpkin creme brulee)
- Café Orleans (Holiday-spiced Monte Cristo and pumpkin pie)
- Carnation Café (Traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, veggies and pumpkin pie)
- French Market Restaurant (Quick-service restaurant with seasonal offerings of smothered beef, cheesy mashed potatoes — could be served in a Zero bowl —and the Haunted Mansion Holiday wreath cookie)
- Plaza Inn (Quick-service restaurant with nothing mentioned yet besides seasonal desserts)
- River Belle Terrace (Traditional turkey dinner and other seasonal offerings)
- Rancho del Zocalo (Seasonal offerings but no turkey mentioned this year)
- Jolly Holiday Bakery Café (Turkey noodle soup and a Holiday Sandwich throughout the season)
Ultimately, you can type "turkey" into the Disneyland app and find all of the restaurants with turkey on the menu. It might be a yummy holiday turkey sandwich, such as this one from Jolly Holiday Café, but it will be turkey.
Where to Find Thanksgiving Dinner at Disney California Adventure Park in 2021
There are fewer choices at this park on Thanksgiving, but still a ton of holiday foods to try:
- Carthay Circle Restaurant (Seasonal flavors such as Autumn Squash Soup)
- Flo's V-8 Cafe (Quick-service restaurant usually has turkey all day, plus you can usually hop back the next day for a "Day After Thanksgiving" sandwich; however, we do not see turkey on the menu in 2021)
- Wine Country Trattoria (Holiday turkey meal and pumpkin pie)
- Pacific Wharf Café (Quick-service restaurant with seasonal offerings)
- Get small bites from the Festival of Holidays food booths and seasonal offerings from many participating restaurants.
In both parks, you can always grab a turkey leg and corn on the cob for a Thanksgiving meal on the go. Other restaurants have seasonal offerings that you can find in our yummy guide to holiday food at Disneyland.
Where to Find Thanksgiving Dinner at the Disneyland Resort Hotels
- Goofy's Kitchen: The buffet adds turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potatoes with marshmallows and seasonal desserts to the brunch and dinner menus. Plus the characters are there to help you celebrate! Bunch meals are $55 for adults and $32 for kids (plus tax and gratuity). Dinner is $75 for adults and $35 for kids. Dinner also includes prime rib eye, shrimp cocktail, crab cakes and pumpkin pie.
- Disneyland Hotel Grand Ballroom (not available in 2021): The Thanksgiving Day buffet with Disney characters has the first meal from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The feast costs $180 for adults and $70 for kids (ages 3 to 9). The price includes tax and gratuity. Reservations must be canceled 72 hours prior to the event. Nonalcoholic beverages are included, plus one specialty cocktail or drink. One complimentary family PhotoPass photo is also included.
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
- Napa Rose 4-Course Wine Country Feast: The first seating times are at 4 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. The second seating times are 6 p.m. 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The cost is $135 per adult with an additional charge of $55 per person for a wine flight. The cost is $25 per child. Beverages, tax and gratuities are not included.
- Storyteller's Cafe: Seasonal tastes are added to the buffet, and the characters help you celebrate all day. At brunch, enjoy carved turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and an array of hot and cold breakfast items. Brunch is $55 for adults and $32 for kids, plus tax and gratuity, while dinner is $75 per adult and $35 for kids, plus tax and gratuity. Dinner includes carved turkey, cranberry sauce, crab cakes, shrimp cocktail, roasted ribeye, pumpkin pie and an array of classic hot and cold comfort foods.
Cancellations for Thanksgiving dining must be made at least 72 hours in advance to avoid the full package price charge per person. The Disney Princess Adventure breakfast is closed on Thanksgiving.
Disneyland Thanksgiving Dinner Tips
Here are a few dining tips that may come in handy if you're hoping to enjoy a Disneyland Thanksgiving dinner (or perhaps even just a turkey leg!):
- Make dining reservations. Cast members have a much easier time making changes to your reservations on the day of. It's much more difficult to seat people who do not have reservations.
- Need to adjust your reservation, such as the time or party size? Check with the host or hostess that day. It's possible you may have better luck changing that current reservation to suit your needs.
- Be sure to check the cancellation policy when you book. Some meals must be canceled 72 hours before the event.
- If you have no reservation, keep calling to check for cancellations and ask at the restaurant. It may not work, but it can’t hurt to try.
- If you have a group of six or eight, see if you can get two smaller reservations at the same time.
- When dining at a quick-service restaurant, consider eating early or at odd times between regular meal times.
- If you've missed the chance to make a reservation on Thanksgiving, we still recommend reserving another meal on a different day during your journey. Know that turkey is generally on the menu only on Thanksgiving. If that doesn't work, use this information to plan ahead and reserve in advance next year. In 2019, the magical reservation date was Oct. 2. In 2021, it was not announced in advance.
- Hop by the Festival of Holidays food booths at California Adventure for seasonal tastes and treats if you're more into holiday snacking than dining.
- If all else fails, go for the turkey legs! It toadally counts as a Disneyland Thanksgiving dinner.
Have a question about planning your Disneyland Thanksgiving dinner? Share your question in the comments. Want to know what crowds will be like on Thanksgiving Day? Check out our Los Angeles crowd calendar!
Related: The Ins and Outs of Disneyland Dining Reservations
Hoppy planning!
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