Early December Crowds

[dawgsgirl]

I don't think early December is a low crowd time anymore!! It seems as if the crowds have been pretty thick the past week. Not undoable, just much more crowded than it used to be. Anybody have an opinion??

 

[FLchick415]

I think I have to agree. I was there last week and I followed EasyWDW's recommended parks and it still seemed pretty congested. Of course, "crowded" is relative (with the obvious exceptions), and everyone will have different views, but there were a lot more people than I was expecting. Could be the shortened time between Thanksgiving and the first week of December, but I also think the "secret" is out and a lot of people are going at that time expecting low crowds.

 

[Viva Las Disney]

I don't have a previous trip to compare to but went for the first time last week and was surprised Sunday night to Thursday night at how short the lines were for everything compared to what I expected from reading others reports, Friday and Saturday felt busy though and with the heat I felt like I got a taste of the busy summer months. Those last few days were crowded and HOT.

 

[Katelly]

We were there last week and this was our seventh trip at this time of year. I thought it was way more crowded than our previous trips the first week of December.

For our next trip I think we'll try the second week of December and see if that's any better.

 

[Karebear]

A good friend of mine and her family just got back last night. They were there from 11/30 to 12/8 and she said that it was very crowded. They go this time every year and it was the most crowded it has been for the first week of Dec. in her opinion.

 

[rebbyparker]

I think, with the aggressive way that Disney is advertising overseas, combined with the past promotions and bounce back offers, that we're only going to see crowds increase. Not going to mention the economy because that seems to be a touchy point but FP+ notwithstanding, I think the days of lower crowd level are only going to diminish.

Boy, do I hope I'm wrong.

 

[DavidNYC]

Yes it was more crowded but still relatively low in comparison to other times. Crowds are up overall so you're going to see it at all levels.

 

[J and R's mom]

We just arrived today...and OMGosh! Magic Kingdom was thick with people (wall-to-wall) at 6:00pm when we arrived and just started to thin out around midnight (11pm closing, 1am EMH).

We have been doing early December since 2000. We have watched the crowds steadily increase year-over-year. Thirteen years ago a light crowd meant the parks almost seemed vacant. And waiting 20mins in line for ANY ride was rare...even for the headliners. Now folks call only waiting 20mins for headliners this time of year "not crowded." So, yeah, it's all perspective.

We were here the second week of May 2013 and I never saw MK as crowded as it was tonight. As I said earlier, we just arrived today. We'll see if crowds stay this thick across all parks for the six more days we are here. According to the crowd calendar, though, today and tomorrow are supposed to be the least crowded days of our trip.

We had our FP+ rides in place (including watching Wishes from the rose garden) and I'm glad we did! Years ago, our FP wait tonight was like the old stand-by line waits. Anyway, I planned ahead since I knew MK would probably be more crowded than usual since it was not a MVMCP night and later closing time than the rest of the week. But I still was NOT expecting the crowds we saw.

Good for Disney, I guess. No more slow times like the past means lots more money for them.

 

[Violet Parr]

I think I have to agree. I was there last week and I followed EasyWDW's recommended parks and it still seemed pretty congested. Of course, "crowded" is relative (with the obvious exceptions), and everyone will have different views, but there were a lot more people than I was expecting. Could be the shortened time between Thanksgiving and the first week of December, but I also think the "secret" is out and a lot of people are going at that time expecting low crowds.

If if makes anyone feel better, I have seen posts almost word-for-word the same as this one for years and years on here, all suggesting that the secret is out. I've been going since 2005 and readind the disboards since then, although forgot my login info and had to start a new account back in 2010.

I think people see the crowd calendars and really expect to see relatively few people in the parks. I've been going since December of 2005. The parks still have crowded spots and crowded moments, even in the off-season. I've now been in summer, Sept, October, December, and I think that the best thing to do is expect shorter wait times at peak hours, rather than using a visual estimation of crowds. Crowd-wise, there were days in July that looked no busier than December days I've been, but the line for Maelstrom was 35 min in July while it was 10 min in December.

VP

 

[Violet Parr]

We just arrived today...and OMGosh! Magic Kingdom was thick with people (wall-to-wall) at 6:00pm when we arrived and just started to thin out around midnight (11pm closing, 1am EMH).
.

Yes, MK was the "Park to Avoid" on both Easywdw and touringplans today.

We always skip MK on non-party nights because there are just so few, it's just impossible to navigate. So I can imagine at 6pm on a non-party night with EMH, it was insane. That said, we are going to non-party night next week but ONLY to watch Wishes with fastpasses. Hopefully it won't be too hard to get in and out!

VP

 

[Violet Parr]

A good friend of mine and her family just got back last night. They were there from 11/30 to 12/8 and she said that it was very crowded. They go this time every year and it was the most crowded it has been for the first week of Dec. in her opinion.

Curious to know if they use a crowd calendar and go by recommended park days at all.

 

[LLLSRL]

We are here now and it is busy to us. The last time we were here early December was 2006 and the parks were very slow. I don't believe we seen a standby time longer then 10 minutes, most were walk ons. Yesterday was our first day and we went to MK knowing it would maybe be a little busy with the long hours but it was packed in our eyes. Most waits were 45 minutes by noon. Lots of people everywhere. We were able to use our UT to pull legacy fast passes and had our 3 so we were able to do every ride, many a few times so we were happy with that but very surprised at the amount of people. We stayed till the EMH close and it really didn't thin out a lot till close to 11 when it started. On another note I tried the very popular Dole whip and do not understand what all the hype is about but glad I tried it once.

 

[Me!Thatswho]

We were there last week (12/4-12/8). Having only visited once previously during this time frame (re: 2008), I really can't compare to years past. The parks definitely were more crowded than we expected, but the wait times didn't seem directly in proportion to the crowds. We were able to do everything we wanted to do when we wanted to do it. For instance, we visited MK on Saturday night, entering the park about 5:30, and it was wall to wall people along Main Street and in the narrower areas (ex. entering Tomorrow Land by the Laugh Floor & navigating through Adventure Land). Yet, we still managed to ride the three mountains with FP+, scored FP- to Buzz & the Jingle Cruise, waited about 20 minutes for Haunted and the Speedway, and walked onto the People Mover, Stitch, & the Carousel of Progress. Ironically, the hardest challenge was finding a table at Cosmic Rays. All-in-all, it was a successful evening, especially when you consider we left right before Wishes (~9:45pm) because DD, who danced in the parade taping earlier in day, was pooped. And Saturday wasn't a fluke.

It was the same on Friday, yet DS & I hopped between all four parks and rode 17 rides including all of the majors, and on Sunday, yet we managed to do everything in DHS except for the shows (ex. L.M.A., Indiana Jones, etc.,) including two sessions in the Animation Studio, hopped to Epcot (rode TT [single rider], Journey into Imagination, Sum of All Thrills, S.E., & Soarin' [actual wait time = ~40 minutes] all without FP+or-), then hop back to DHS to visit Osborne Lights & hit our last traditional last ride - ToT during EMH.

So, while the crowds were indeed thick, the parks were manageable at least to us.

 

[aml3679]

We ate here now and it is extremely crowded. We took The Keys to the Kingdom tour and our guide said that each December gets more crowded.

 

[AmyB2006]

I think it's due to several things. One being that Thanksgiving was "late" this year and it basically chopped off a week of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas that people usually travel to Disney.

Pop Warner visits the secondish week give or take. The parade taping is usually right around the first week. The first week of December is also the most highly traveled week for DVC members. Plus, all the other reasons pp have mentioned as well LOL.

ETA... Oh, plus the free dining promo they had for the beginning of December. Disney is just doing a lot more promotions for their down times, to try to attract more people, I think.

 

[mmullena70]

We were there last week, too. We wanted to see Disney all dressed up for Christmas and had heard the week after Thanksgiving was the low-crowd week. I talked to several other guests who had been to Disney right after Thanksgiving before and every one of them mentioned how much more crowded it seemed.

Late Thanksgiving and the Christmas parade taping did seem to be a factor. We saw several large groups like bands, choirs and dance troupes. Then you have to add in the parents, families and chaperones who come with them. Just at our resort alone (POR), we saw at least four different groups. One was a dance troupe who used their own bus transportation, thank goodness. They were all dressed up in sweaters, scarves, hats and gloves on Saturday morning when we left. It was already 77 degrees and was going to get warmer. I felt sorry for those little girls who were going to have to perform over and over again in those outfits and that heat!

We've already decided we'll stick to February from now on. The weather can be iffy, you never know if it will be really cold. But the lower crowds are definitely a plus for us.

 

[Katelly]

We were there last week, too. We wanted to see Disney all dressed up for Christmas and had heard the week after Thanksgiving was the low-crowd week. I talked to several other guests who had been to Disney right after Thanksgiving before and every one of them mentioned how much more crowded it seemed.

Late Thanksgiving and the Christmas parade taping did seem to be a factor. We saw several large groups like bands, choirs and dance troupes. Then you have to add in the parents, families and chaperones who come with them. Just at our resort alone (POR), we saw at least four different groups. One was a dance troupe who used their own bus transportation, thank goodness. They were all dressed up in sweaters, scarves, hats and gloves on Saturday morning when we left. It was already 77 degrees and was going to get warmer. I felt sorry for those little girls who were going to have to perform over and over again in those outfits and that heat!

We've already decided we'll stick to February from now on. The weather can be iffy, you never know if it will be really cold. But the lower crowds are definitely a plus for us.

I think we may go in February as well for our next visit. Last week was the most crowded I've ever seen Disney and we've gone the first week of December since 1991. In fact, our one and only trip during February (President's Week) was less crowded than last week.

 

[FLchick415]

Like a PP said, there seemed to be a lot of people milling about, but the lines didn't really reflect it. We were able to ride a lot with relatively short waits. It was quite weird. I even saw the Speedway with a TEN minute wait. In all my years of going to Disney I don't think I've ever seen the wait that low.

 

[Sandy Fisher]

While we lived in central FL, early December was one of our favorite times to go. We had AP and could go any time we wanted, but we still avoided the crowded times.
We'd go overnight so that we could enjoy Illuminations, etc. and not have to drive back home late on the turnpike.
It was never crowded. And we saw crowds of all levels, all year 'round. I guess the truly slow times are over.
And that's sad for everyone but Disney's accountants!

 

[1girln3boys]

I agree. The only issue for me was FW in Epcot. The rest of the parks were busy but not unmanageable. FW was so crowded even the FP lines were to long. We had 3 FPs booked and only did 2 bc I couldn't take it anymore.