Advance planning, but this is the place for the that!

[BebopBaloo]

Hi all,

I know that I am not alone in planning trips way in advance. So, I feel comfortable asking a few questions now about a trip coming up at the end of the year. We're looking at being in WDW from 12/29 -1/4. It's been over ten years since I visited over New Years and I know that the crowds have grown enormously since then. We would be visiting the parks on the 30, 31, 1, and 3rd and staying onsite. I fully expect the 31st and 1st to be insanely busy and we'll do our best to be in the parks early and probably head back to the resort after dinner, or right before. What can we expect from the crowds on the 30th and the 3rd? I expect MK to be the busiest, but will it be reasonable by the 3rd? (Reasonable meaning 30-40 minute waits instead of 3 hour waits for popular, non-thrill ride attractions.)

Also, am I correct in thinking that AK would be the best place to go on the 31st or the 1st?

Thanks for helping a fellow DISer revel in advance planning

 

[BebopBaloo]

aaand no one wants to talk to me.

 

[RayRay13]

I'm not sure about the waits but if you make your FP+ selections and just roll with the rest of the stuff you will definitely have a great time. I am not brave enough to go at peak times but I would recommend going early then taking a long afternoon break and heading to the park that is open the latest in the evening. I have found that a lot of families leave the parks around 8ish. especially of site guests and those with small kids. I check the MDE app all the time to try and distinguish patterns.

 

[BebopBaloo]

Thanks for your reply RayRay! The trick is that we will be one of the families with a very little one...so we'll definitely hit the parks early, but then probably not go back out late.

 

[prudence64]

I'd still expect it to be 8/10 or so based on past crowd calendars. But you will have 3 rides that won't have a wait and could probably get a lot done early in day or late at night.

 

[RayRay13]

It will still be great! It's a beautiful time of year and there are some nice play areas for the little ones that you can just walk right in. Also the Dumbo queue is really fun so I never use FP+ there.

 

[prudence64]

Undercover tourist already has their crowd predictions up for that time. List it as an 8

http://www.undercovertourist.com/pl...lendar_january-2015.html#disney-opening-hours

 

[BebopBaloo]

Thanks Prudence!

 

[ladeedeb]

All those days will probably be crowded, so AK is probably just as good that day as any. MK will be extremely crowded all of those days. AK is large, however they have less attractions and guest walking area, so it tends to get bottlenecked. Epcot seems to handle crowds a little better, but that time of year is also crowded. Go early early and have your FP+s for a little later and then just enjoy being on vacation.