Dec 5-17 (maybe 4th-18th) and getting nervous

[dreambound]

I just saw 2 or 3 of my 4's turn into 5's, and one of my 5's I think is a 6 now.

Was it really all that bad this last Dec? (We've been in early Dec. twice now and loved it. We don't expect empty, just reasonable wait times for rides. We actually like most of the queues!)

Those of you who went this past Dec:

Were you suprised by the crowds?

AND

Did you use TGM, Touringplans, RideMax, or none of the above?

Thanks

Meg

 

[DebbieB]

I was there December 5 to 11 and didn't think it was bad. I used my own touring plans based on my past experiences with this week. When I did look at touringplans.com, my plans pretty much worked out with the best/worst days they had. I heard Monday at MK was bad that week, there was no party that night so Spectro & Wishes were shown plus it was evening EMH. We chose DHS for that day and there was no Fantasmic that night. It was not crowded at all, ToT was a walk-on at 10:00am. So my basic rules for that week is not to choose MK for non-party days, choose non-Fantasmic days for DHS. Avoid EMH. We used fastpass for the major attractions, I don't think we had a line longer than 20 min for anything else.

 

[g-dad66]

Those of you who went this past Dec:

Were you suprised by the crowds?

If I hadn't read these Boards, I think the crowds would have suprised me as larger than expected, because I had read elsewhere that early December is the least crowded time of the year.

Not any more!

Many who visit regularly during early December reported here that crowds were not as low as they used to be, so I was prepared for moderate-to-low crowds, and that's exactly what we experienced December 10-16.

It was a great time to go!

 

[nhl66pens]

We went in Dec 2008 (12/6 - 12/13) and I agree with everyone's comments. Do not expect the park to be empty, but it was very manageable. Take advantage of EMH's and get up early. The park hours are not as long as those in the summer so you have a limited time to begin with but the crowds are no where near as bad as summer.

 

[FigNewton]

We were there the week after Thanksgiving like usual and definitely felt it was more crowded. My parents had better crowds in Late Sept / early October for sure. Used to be almost DEAD first 2 weeks of December butnover the last few years it has become pretty average in terms of crowds.

We're still going back same time this year because it's our 5th anniversary. 2011 though I think I'm gonna push for a different week.

 

[Disneycup]

We went in early December in 2008 during pop warner. It was more crowded than I had expected it to be, but was very doable. We just followed TGM's advice and was able to do anything we wanted to do. The football players were not a problem at all and we rarely saw them. I would do it again, but just be prepared for some crowds. I think it's hard when you expect it be low crowds and then you experience moderate crowd levelsl-it's all about expectations!

 

[cel_disney]

I think that predicting crowd levels are going to be a bit more conservative given what happened this december. That being said - some REALLY unique things happened this year! First - there was some really desirable incentives, Second - the weather was rainy/cold which meant people were all trying to get to the parks on the few non-rainy days, Third - parade weekend was a weather nightmare and changed schedules constantly!

I dont think we will really know what will happen next year but just incase, it seems better to prepare for the 4-6s instead of 2-3s!

That being said - we are taking our first December trip Dec 5 - 11th! We usually go in September but we are expecting a baby in July and that would be a little too soon for my body to want to be walking around in the heat!

 

[jaysmom4285]

We were at WDW from 12/13-20 and didn't experience any significant crowds at all. We always follow the touringplan site's advice about which parks to avoid, and we get there early and get fastpasses for the rides that always seem to have a long wait no matter what (Soarin', Toy Story Mania, Test Track, etc.) Most of the other attractions were a virtual walk-on at any time of the day, and the counter services restaurants, where we eat most of our meals, weren't overwhelmed at all even at peak dining times. We watched Spectromagic from Frontierland, and there were places to stand right on the rope throughout the parade. The only day that started to get really crowded was the 19th, which is the Saturday before Christmas, and MK was the worst, so we just left around 11. I know other people have talked about significant crowds during this time period, but we just didn't experience anything like that at all. Maybe just a difference in touring plan strategies, or lack thereof.

 

[WI_DisneyFan]

We were there Dec 6-14 last year. We didn't follow any touring plans, just my knowledge from prevoius trips and what I've read on here. The crowds were really up and down, depending on the park and the day. Despite everything I had read and already knew from past trips, we made the decision to visit the Magic Kingdom the night they had Evening EMH. Big mistake -- the place was crazy busy. But we just headed over to The Studios for the Osbourne Lights instead and made the best of it. Other days/nights the crowds were very manageable - most rides < 20 minute wait time. The weekend was busier, as usual. But not to the point where we got frustrated and wanted to go in a corner and cry. What I wasn't prepared for (this being my first trip during the holidays - my past trips have all been in September) was how much the MVMCP and shorter park hours cut into my touring time. It felt like we were rushing around alot becuse we only had a few nights in the Magic Kingdom (our favorite park) due to the party, and the other parks either closed early or have super busy evening EMH. I didn't really care for that aspect all that much. But that's just nitpicking on my part.

 

[JPN4265]

I just saw 2 or 3 of my 4's turn into 5's, and one of my 5's I think is a 6 now.

Was it really all that bad this last Dec? (We've been in early Dec. twice now and loved it. We don't expect empty, just reasonable wait times for rides. We actually like most of the queues!)

Those of you who went this past Dec:

Were you suprised by the crowds?

AND

Did you use TGM, Touringplans, RideMax, or none of the above?

Thanks

Meg

Biggest problem this time of year............"POP WARNER"

 

[Golf4food]

Biggest problem this time of year............"POP WARNER"

Not in the parks. The PW kids are rarely in the parks. They crowd the resorts and take up a lot of rooms, but do not affect park crowds or ride wait times.


How can they possibly predict crowds 11 months from now? What will the economy be like? What discounts will be offered? Will there be some catastrophic even that effects vacation planning?

Are you also trusting the current December weather predictions?

Go and have fun and stop worrying - because it ain't gonna do you no good no how.

 

[goofy4tink]

I was there from Nov 29 through Dec 13 this past Dec. THis was my 6th trip at this time of year...in a row. The crowds were heavier than they have been in previous years. I think free dining brought a lot more people in.
PopWarner has yet to really impact my Dec trips. Although, this time around, I did see more kids in the parks during the daytime hours. It used to be that you seldom saw the kids during the day. They were in competitions or practices. They did come out at night though. But, even then they weren't an issue. This year, the kids out in the daytime were a bit of an issue. Seems there were some that just were not very well supervised..so lots of teen girl screaming and yelling. Not awful, just a bit annoying.
I just booked my stay for next year....one of my shorter trips in Dec. I get there on the 8th, and leave on the 13th. I do expect the crowds to be moderately heavy. But, if they don't offer free dining, that should help keep the numbers down a bit.

 

[Tom Kurowski]

We were there between the 4th and 8th of December and, at least to us, it was the most crowded we have seen yet. We have been going every year since 2004 and it seemed there were more people than ever. The Osbourne lights were jam packed! They closed off one entrance to the backlot and funneled everyone around back where there were a ton of kids (didn't see anyone supervising them) plus alot of people just stopping in the middle of the walkway and not moving. As for Magic Kingdom, we went one night and it seemed they had scheduled their street shows (Street party, castle illumination, then spectromagic) all in a row, so needless to say Main street was chaotic.
But excuse me if it sounds like i'm complaining because i'm not. Still LOVED every minute of it and will continue to go back for our annual christmas tour of the world
tom

 

[fers31]

Was there from 12/5-12/13 and it was definitely more crowded than in the past. On our first morning there (12/6), we got to the park around 10am and there was a 60 minute wait for Pooh. For Pooh! We walked around, did probably 4 rides, and decided to go back to the hotel. The crowds were up and down during the week but nowhere as empty as it had been in past years. Word got out that it was a great time to go.