7-Day Thanksgiving Guide to Orlando & New Orleans

As an international student in the US, this was my first holiday trip—I picked a combo of Orlando’s theme parks and a short getaway to New Orleans, and we had a smooth time even without a car! Below is a breakdown of the 4 core days in Orlando; feel free to ask for details in the comments 🥰🥰 ⭐️ Day 1: Nature Therapy + Disney Christmas Night 🚣 Morning: After arriving in Orlando, head straight to Silver Spring State Park for a Crystal Kayak tour We booked a 2-hour session in advance. Though it’s a bit far from downtown, the experience exceeded expectations! The water is so clear you can see the bottom, and you can get up close to manatees while kayaking—we spotted over a dozen! We also encountered turtles 🐢, various birds, and a friend even caught a glimpse of an alligator 🥲! It’s perfect for recharging in nature—total introvert bliss! 🏰 Evening: Check in at Pop Century Resort, then enter Magic Kingdom (MK) at 5:30 PM for the Disney Christmas Party (night ticket only) The night session has fewer crowds, making it easy to ride attractions! For “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure,” no Virtual Queue (VQ) was needed—we waited just 15 minutes. The Christmas-themed fireworks 🎆 had way fewer people than the “Happily Ever After” show; arrive 10+ minutes early to get a front-row spot! Pro tip: Watch the Christmas parade on Main Street—it “snows” ❄️ there, so dreamy that every photo turns out amazing～ ⭐️ Day 2: Hollywood Studios Marathon With Disney’s Lightning Lane (LLM), we rode 12 attractions and watched 4 shows in one day—super efficient! LLM is a game-changer for avoiding long lines～ ✨ Highly recommend the Fantasmic show! It’s my top pick among all Disney shows—both the visuals and storyline were beyond expectations, totally mind-blowing 👍 ⭐️ Day 3: Animal Kingdom (AK) + Magic Kingdom (MK) Double Park Day 🐒 Morning: Use Early Entry (EE) at Animal Kingdom (AK) to line up for Avatar: Flight of Passage This ride is a must! The scenery is so realistic it feels like stepping into Pandora—it’s not too intense but has incredible immersion, so fun we wanted to ride it twice 😍😍😍 🏰 Afternoon: Hop over to Magic Kingdom (MK) to finish any rides we missed the day before. You can also catch a sunset view of Cinderella Castle in the evening—super romantic～ ⭐️ Day 4: EPCOT Relaxed Day The park was surprisingly empty that day; we finished all the rides we wanted by afternoon, then sat in a restaurant to edit photos—we barely used LLM! 💡 Itinerary Tip: If you’re not super into Magic Kingdom (MK) (it’s similar to Shanghai Disneyland), you can combine Animal Kingdom (AK) and EPCOT into one day—there’s plenty of time! 🎢 Must-ride: Guardians of the Galaxy – Cosmic Rewind! It’s the best roller coaster I’ve ever been on—perfect balance of thrills and fun, with an unbeatable experience 🐮🐮🐮 #OrlandoDisney #Orlando #Thanksgiving #ThanksgivingTravel #InternationalStudentsUS #USStudentLife #StudyAbroad #Travel