Just how bad is Christmas week?

[DeluxePrincess]

I loved being at Disney Christmas week, crowds and all. If you plan accordingly, you can get a lot done. The only thing that prevents us from going every year is our bank account. That Christmas trip cost us almost twice as much as our summer trips.

 

[bryanb]

One of my bosses went between Christmas and New Years, completely unprepared for her first WDW trip. She just thought it would be a fun idea, and had I known, I would've warned her. Boy was she miserable and swore she would never go back to Disney again, ever -- even after I told her that it's usually not like that.

I used to work at Disneyland, and that was my favorite week because of how challenging it was. The queues were so long we had to figure out new ways to route the lines and find rarely-used holes in the concrete to plug in the stanchions. We'd put our "A" teams on attractions, grouping and dispatching guests with record levels of efficiency. We'd be at the top of our game handling cranky park visitors, and there were sure a lot of them... but a lot more who just appreciated the atmosphere and made the crowded conditions a real joy.

So now when I visit DL (and someday WDW), I'll be the guest in the latter category. Go with no expectations, other than to just soak up the excitement of being part of an enormous crowd on the most exciting time of the year. If you are that type of person, you could go into the parks, not go on a single ride (other than your three FP+ reservations) and it's worth your while. If you have a checklist of must-do items, and you hate to wake up early on your vacation, and your kid doesn't tolerate that much stimulation, this is a terrible idea.

 

[AngiTN]

Someone on here mentioned the earlier before Christmas the better.. Last year my boyfriend and I went the 12th-18th and that was manageable. This year we are doing the 15th-21st and I feel a bit nervous being closer to Christmas, about when do crowds start to get crazy, and do you think these dates will be manageable for us again or start to get crazy?

When schools get out and folks can make it there.
Last day at most schools are either 12/17 or 12/18. So up till then it will be busy but more manageable. Once those schools get out, watch out. It will increase day by day all the way till New Years to a point that is unlike anything you have seen. I think you'll find 18-21 much busier than 15-18 will be.

DGD gets out on the 17th, half day. We are leaving straight from her classroom for the airport and will be there till 12/22. We can't go any other weekends because she's in the Nutcracker and their performance is on the 13th. Otherwise, we'd head down for a long weekend before school's out. Like you, I'm nervous about the trip but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. We are just going to hope for the best and hopefully get out of dodge before crowds reach frenzied levels.

 

[AngiTN]

OMG. Is this for real? Is this really a photo of the bag check lines?

No, it's a joke

 

[BaxterSaysMeoww]

When schools get out and folks can make it there.
Last day at most schools are either 12/17 or 12/18. So up till then it will be busy but more manageable. Once those schools get out, watch out. It will increase day by day all the way till New Years to a point that is unlike anything you have seen. I think you'll find 18-21 much busier than 15-18 will be.

DGD gets out on the 17th, half day. We are leaving straight from her classroom for the airport and will be there till 12/22. We can't go any other weekends because she's in the Nutcracker and their performance is on the 13th. Otherwise, we'd head down for a long weekend before school's out. Like you, I'm nervous about the trip but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. We are just going to hope for the best and hopefully get out of dodge before crowds reach frenzied levels.

I've been constantly checking out crowd calendars and it looks to me like my last two days, the 19th and 20th, will be the busiest but I'm not gonna worry about it. The trip is so close now I'm just more excited to get there than anything. I can manage crowds and we don't mind standing in line when we need to, I just wanna get there already!

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

It's crowded. You either have a fantastic time or you let the crowds get you down.

We've been to Disney from Dec. 24th through 1/1 five of the last 6 years. This year will be our 6th year visiting during Christmas. Our first year we were overwhelmed by the crowds. We had been to Disney in July, but had never experienced anything like it. On top of all this, it was FREEZING. But we didn't let it get in the way of a good time. The next year, we planned and strategized. We still made some mistakes, but we had a better time. It wasn't until our 2012 trip (after taking a break in 2011, doing research and consulting other Disney fanatics) that we got it down pat. We planned everything - down to the minute. In 2013, we were selected to test FP+ in beta. Between FP+ and paper FP still being available, we barely waited.

But 2014 brought on a new challenge. FP+ and MDE was in full swing and with it came a whole new level of strategy. We also brought another family with us. They were first timers and allowed us to be the "tour guides." The trip went pretty seamless. There were a few hiccups, but we enjoyed one another's company and had a great time.

This year we're prepared. I've made our itinerary and planned our FP+'s. We're ready to go.

Look - a lot of strategy and planning goes into a Disney vacation - especially during the holidays. It'll be packed and the wait times will be long. NYE Day at the parks is the worst. You can barely move. BUT, I wouldn't trade it in for anything in the world. My family is together, and not just for December 25th, but for the entire week. We laugh, we eat (a lot) and we enjoy one another. Most times, we enjoy the gorgeous weather down there and together, we curse the unseasonably low temps when they occur.

If you're going down to Disney for the first time - NO, I don't recommend Christmas week. If you're going down for your umpteenth time, then I absolutely recommend it. One of the biggest benefits of being seasoned Disney vets is the ability to not have to see and do everything. We've seen POTC a million times. Of course we'll feel bad to skip or miss it, but it won't ruin our trip. There are a few MUST DO rides for my family. They're nostalgic and our trip would be incomplete without them. We have a FP+ for those rides. Otherwise, we're extremely fortunate to have seen and done everything already, so if the line is too long, we simply don't wait and skip the attraction.

There's so much more to Disney than the rides and lines. There's the decorations in the hotel lobbies, the food, the weather and the fact that you're vacationing. Crowds aren't for everyone. I'll even admit I get overwhelmed sometimes. BUT - like I said, it's far from torture!

 

[carlacv]

In terms of 4th of July vs Christmas, I've attended the 4th of July, and I worked at MK during Christmas/New Years. Christmas was drastically more crowded. However, nearly every person I interacted with was enjoying their time in the parks with their family, and were understanding of the wait times. If you go in with an open mind and understand that it's a time to spend with family, and not ride every attraction, I think Christmas will be a great time to go. It's also cooler, 4th of July is most definitely hotter!

The weekend before Christmas is when it starts to increase in terms of crowds. It is noticeable, but not nearly as bad as Christmas through New Years. The park always reaches some sort of capacity, and the shortest waits are roughly half an hour. These crowds tend to stay at crazy levels until the 2nd of January it seems. Your party will notice it's crowded, but it shouldn't be as bad as after the 25th.

Thank you so much! Actually that is what we are looking for just family time enjoying the decorations, eating together, laughing. I told my teens not to expect to get on an rides other than their fastpass ones and enjoy the shows/parades/etc. just somethig we can all remember in years to come

 

[Brian Noble]

Last year, we went the week leading up to, and including, Christmas. We had a fantastic time by hitting rope drop most days, staying out of the parks mid-afternoon, having a sensible plan, and taking advantage of a late night or two (but sleeping in the next day).

Be sensible, and you'll enjoy it.

We did make a point of doing the holiday offerings you can't get any other time, and didn't focus too much on the been-there-done-that things. The Processional package at Epcot alone made the trip worth it. Spectacular.

 

[carlacv]

We do have the candlelight procession dinner pkg for Xmas evening. Wondering if one can see the fireworks after the procession from our seats?

 

[DVCcurious]

There was a group of pictures posted here last Christmas with 8AM, 10AM, and 12PM crowds at Liberty Square in exactly the same location each time. At 8AM it was empty, at 10AM it was normal crowds, at 12PM it was "rub against your neighbor" tight and you couldn't see any gaps (or smiles) anywhere.

The key to Christmas week is to get there early or stay extremely late (past midnight) to get any park touring without masses of people. Between 10AM-11PM it's going to be massively tight.

My co-worker went last Christmas week and she ignored my tips to get there at 7AM each day because they wanted to sleep in. So her and her family showed up at 11AM and left at 11PM and did about 6 rides. She came back and complained about how Peter Pan isn't that good. I was like "Peter Pan is awesome" and she says "It's not worth the 2 and a half hours we waited for it".

 

[kaseyC]

After many trips to Disney, we are trying a Christmas trip this year. We will be there from the 12/20-26. I'm a planner and I feel I have our days planned out well. We are doing a few special Christmas events- the Candlelight processional Dinner pkg on Christmas and the Osborne Lights dessert party on the 23. Our family tradition has been to dine at O'hana on the last night of our trip but this year we are doing it on Xmas eve. We have set our expectations low about rides, will be happy with just our FP+ choices but we are rope drop people so I expect we will get to ride a few more. Looking forward to special trip with our family.

 

[TandLMommy28]

I so badly want to go at Christmas just because HOW COOL! But we are typically fall people and like our low crowds and low prices... We went over Memorial Day this year and that was too hot and too crowded for me. I just wonder if the cooler temps offset some of the awfulness of the crowds? Crowded and miserably hot is a terrible combination. But crowded and cool maybe isn't THAT bad? I know we'd have to go into it with very realistic expectations and an excellent touring plan.

How is the week before Christmas, typically? Looking ahead, Christmas is on a Sunday next year. Will the crowds be pretty low until that Friday?

 

[mom2rtk]

How is the week before Christmas, typically? Looking ahead, Christmas is on a Sunday next year. Will the crowds be pretty low until that Friday?

No.

It will be far better than the week after, but kids will be getting out of school at various points during that week, with crowds growing as they do.

 

[gmboy95]

I have done Christmas week many times...Christmas eve through new years day....it remains my favorite week at Disney....If you understand that you need to get up for park opening, then you can do all the attractions you wish. Spend time doing the Christmas things like the candlelight processional, Osborne lights (at least this year)...check out the resorts and their decorations. If it is warm chill at the pool in the middle of the day. Above all else, embrace the business of it all!!

 

[gmboy95]

also the holiday fireworks shows, especially the NYE show at Epcot is worth the big crowds!!!

 

[AngiTN]

We do have the candlelight procession dinner pkg for Xmas evening. Wondering if one can see the fireworks after the procession from our seats?

No. The Pavilion/stage area will totally block Illuminations from your view.

 

[Georgia Girl 13]

I see that Disney has already extended their hours for the week of Christmas. I know most people say to get there for rope drop but we usually love to stay for the late hours and sleep in the next morning. Will that work? I don't have any real expectations on what we will ride, I just want to enjoy being with my family in Disney at Christmas.

 

[Disneylover99]

I see that Disney has already extended their hours for the week of Christmas. I know most people say to get there for rope drop but we usually love to stay for the late hours and sleep in the next morning. Will that work? I don't have any real expectations on what we will ride, I just want to enjoy being with my family in Disney at Christmas.

Yep. That will work too. We were there last year Dec. 20-30. I think we only did rope drop twice out of 10 days.

 

[BCNHF]

What defines "rope drop"? If the parks open at 7 do you wnat to be there waiting at 6? What time do the hotel shuttle sbegin running?

 

[mortimor]

I'm not sure of the exact time the buses start to run, but on non-Christmas trips we leave our room at the resort and head to the bus one hour prior to opening. Christmas week, we leave the room at least 1 hour and 15 minutes before the park opening time. That is our preference. We like to be towards the front of the line when the park opens and the way we see it, why get up early to be at the back of the line...might as well make it totally worthwhile. It is crazy how fast the staging area fills up Christmas week and the people just never stop coming.