Gobble, gobble! It's never too early to start thinking about Thanksgiving, especially if you're hopping to the Disneyland Resort. Reservations for Thanksgiving dinner at Disneyland went live as of Oct. 4, 2023. Go get them!
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! Disneyland's Thanksgiving dinner offerings often become available on a Wednesday in early October each year. But it's always a good idea to start looking for reservations 60 days in advance at 6:00 a.m. just in case. 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 past years, there were large banquet hall dinners. But the last few years have been limited to select hotel restaurants offering special dining on Thanksgiving day. You can dine at Napa Rose, Storyteller's Café, Goofy's Kitchen and the new Great Maple. Most Disney dining reservations for table-service restaurants 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. You can also try to join walk-up lists in the Disneyland app that day.
For quick-service Disneyland Thanksgiving food, 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 hotels, 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 6 a.m. PST). But always keep checking because not all restaurant reservations open up that day or at the same time. Special Thanksgiving menu items start appearing on the Disneyland app up to a few weeks or days in advance of Thanksgiving. But for the most part, the in-park menus are set for the holidays in general and not a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Flo's V-8 is one of the only in-park quick-service restaurants to serve a Thanksgiving meal.
Where to Find Thanksgiving Food at Disneyland Park in 2023
Keep in mind that you can look up each restaurant's menu to see both seasonal and Thanksgiving offerings for that day. Menus usually appear online or in the app a few weeks in advance. Here are a few options for Thanksgiving Day in the park (options are less than traditional, but here's where you can find turkey or seasonal desserts):
- Carnation Café (Roasted Turkey Club)
- Plaza Inn (Seasonal desserts)
- River Belle Terrace (Cranberry Apple Tart)
- Jolly Holiday Bakery Café (Turkey pot pie soup and a Thanks-mas Sandwich throughout the season as well as an oven-roasted Turkey on Ciabatta Sandwich)
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 and Food at Disney California Adventure Park in 2023
There are fewer choices at this park on Thanksgiving, but still, a ton of holiday foods to try (you can look up each restaurant's menu in the app about a day or few weeks ahead of time to see special items for Thanksgiving Day 2023):
- Carthay Circle Restaurant (Seasonal flavors such as American Heirloom Turkey Schnitzel, Butternut Squash & Sage Gnocchi, and Pumpkin Chocoflan)
- Flo's V-8 Cafe (Quick-service restaurant that offers a Thanksgiving dinner for lunch and dinner on Thanksgiving Day. It has with turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, vegetables and cranberry sauce as well as pumpkin pie on the menu)
- Aunt Cass Café (Quick-service restaurant with a Turkey Pesto Club and Turkey sourdough bread as of Nov. 19, 2023.)
- At Studio Catering Co. in Hollywood Land, hold your whole Thanksgiving dinner in one hand with the Holiday Turkey Empanada. It's a fried empanada filled with turkey, stuffing and gravy with cranberry dipping sauce (and it's on the Sip & Savor pass).
- Get small bites from the Festival of Holidays food booths such as Pumpkin Layered Cheesecake at the Making Things Bright booth.
In both parks, you can always grab a turkey leg and corn on the cob for a Thanksgiving meal on the go. Get some turkey poutine from a festival marketplace (but of course, it's no substitute for the real thing). 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
Here's a look at the 2023 offerings. Reservations and menus went live Oct. 4, 2023.
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- 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 (7 a.m. until 1 p.m.) are $60 for adults and $32 for kids (plus tax and gratuity). Dinner is $85 for adults and $35 for kids (plus tax and gratuity). Dinner also includes prime rib eye, seafood cocktail, and pumpkin and assorted pies. You must cancel at least 72 hours in advance.
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
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- Napa Rose 4-Course Wine Country Feast: Enjoy Chef Andrew Sutton's four-course feast that celebrates the flavors of California. The seating times are from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The cost is $140 per adult with an additional charge of $55 per person for a wine flight. The cost is $35 per child. Beverages, tax and gratuities are not included. Complimentary 5-hour parking is included with validation. (Princess Breakfast Adventure is closed Nov. 22-23, 2023.) Attire is dinner attire, such as dress pants, jeans in good condition, collared shirts, dress shorts, sweaters, blouses, dresses and lifestyle shoes. No hats, swimwear, tank tops, cutoffs or distressed jeans.
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- Storyteller's Cafe: Seasonal tastes are added to the buffet, and the characters help you celebrate all day. At brunch (7 a.m. to 2 p.m.), enjoy carved turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, assorted pies, and an array of hot and cold breakfast items. Brunch is $60 for adults and $32 for kids, plus tax and gratuity, while dinner is $85 per adult and $35 for kids, plus tax and gratuity. Dinner ( 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.) includes carved turkey, cranberry sauce, seafood cocktail, roasted ribeye, pumpkin pie, assorted pies and an array of classic hot and cold comfort foods. Three hours of parking are included at the Grand Californian with validation.
- Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel (Soon to be Pixar Place Hotel)
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- (New!) Great Maple: This brand-new eatery just opened in November 2023. Great Maple offers a full Thanksgiving Dinner on Nov. 23, 2023. Enjoy a Thanksgiving prix-fixe menu with sparkling wine and a choice of Duo of Turkey with maple-brined and buttermilk-fried varieties; Duo of Ham with rosemary-apple cider and luxardo-glazed preparations; or Turkey & Ham ($10 extra). Each entrée is served with all the fixings, including mashed potatoes, cranberry, French bread stuffing and truffled green bean casserole. Desserts include Pumpkin Mousse or Roasted Apple & Red Grape Parfait. It costs $55 per guest and is served from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Cancellations for all 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. You may have better luck changing that current reservation to suit your needs.
- Be sure to check the cancellation policy when you book. Holiday meals must be canceled 72 hours before the event.
- If you have no reservation, keep checking for cancellations and look for walk-up availability in the Disneyland app. 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 and 2022, it was not announced in advance. Reservations went live (unannounced) on Oct. 4, 2023, so check on a Wednesday in early October for future years.
- 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!
