Am I crazy to be wanting to go Christmas?

[Belleoftheballl]

Hey guys ! My family and I are planning a Christmas 2016 trip. Wanting to go Dec 23 to 30...
Am I crazy ??? Reading more and more info about crazy crowds..
I've seen busy but..is it going to be so busy we won't enjoy ourselves ???
Thanks for any input or advice xo

 

[amyg1975]

We went on the 29th and 30th of December a few years back, and while the 29th was not too bad, the 30th was absolutely crazy busy (closed the gates in the early afternoon)! We weren't able to go on many rides and the crowds were too much. We said we would never do it again.

 

[SMD]

It's not crazy to go, obviously thousands of people do it. It's crazy to expect anything but extremely high crowd levels or to park hop (or take an afternoon break) without lines or gate closures or to expect to walk up to TS places or that some parades or night time shows won't be canceled due to weather. Also check out the ROA and railroad closures, and know there will probably be other things down by then too.

 

[sherilaine]

Have you gone when it is busy, like right in the middle of spring break? I would say if you can go when it's really busy and gave a good time then you might be the type that could handle the extra busy Christmas. If you have never gone when it's very busy then I'd be hesitant. We are not crowd people. I know the parks are busier than years past but we prefer less crazy times as crazy crowds just get on my nerves. Also, what about the entire family? As it only takes one person to ruin it if you all are not able to handle the crowd levels.

 

[Disney127]

No, you are not crazy. We were at DL from Dec 23 and leaving today. As long as you know that there will be crowds and have some sort of plan if you want to get on the rides. We have seen many new visitors with maps in hand looking lost. Also, knowing when the parades, shows and fireworks times helped us avoid the congested areas. Make reservations if you are planning to eat at certain restaurants. Even though last week was much busier than our July 17th trip, we still had a good time but our touring style is pretty laid back. Having patience kept our sanity!

 

[sherilaine]

We have seen many new visitors with maps in hand looking lost.

THIS!

I am amazed at how many people take Disney out of the box only after they have entered the parks - rather than read the instructions and assemble beforehand. It is crazy! The fact you are here shows you are working on a plan.

We had friends visit DLR within days of one of our trips and they had a miserable time vs. our wonderful and relaxed vacation - the difference had nothing to do with what time of year and everything to do with how prepared we were!

 

[Kittyskyfish]

My husband and I have been there when it was at ~94% capacity. We will never do that again. It's more than just being crowded. It was a CRUSH. The only good thing we got out of the peak days was the chance to walk the back passageways behind Main Street to bypass the parade. Mornings start off in a rush and short wait times disappear before breakfast is over. By lunch, rides that have FPs still available are dwindling and you're left deciding whether the 20 minute wait for Winnie the Pooh is worth it. There's always space at the Enchanted Tiki Room, though you can't do that over and over w/out going craaaazy.

I would go during that week if I were a local in the LA area, but the high cost of flying and hotel accommodations on top of what I pay for park tickets makes the trip expensive to the point where I want to experience more for my money.

 

[Liltx]

We went this year on the Dec. 20, 22, 23, 28, and 30. The crowds are there but we were able to do everything some MANY times (star tours, hsm, hm, indy, sw, etc), even baby rides, all of shows except mickey and map (didnt want to), all of the parades (4), and both the fireworks and world of color holiday show in the first 3 days. We didnt do Fantasmic only because we dont really care for it. Park hopping was the biggest help. We would start every day in DL and then switch at noon or 1:00 tp ca when disneyland became gridlock. We would return some nights after the first ptn to watch the fireworks (did this twice) and then stay until the last ptn. Crowds reallt thinned after fireworks so this really worked for us. We were able to eat walk up at carnation cafe, cafe orleans, wine trattoria, and espn with none to 15 minute wait because we would eat at 11:30 or 3:30-4. We did not take breaks so spent between 12-16 hours a day in the parks. Thats why we spread oyt the days to sleep in the next morning. We were in oc for 2 weeks so had a relaxed schedule with many other things in our itinerary. Parades were cancelled on one rainy day but you can anticipate that happening. If its wet at all they dont do it, performers could slip. The parks were magical at christmas and we had a wonderful time! My favorite trip of the 6 we have taken to dl. Just joyful!

 

[Ckkk]

I was there the 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 24th, 25th, 28th, 30th, 31st. Liltx is right, parkhopping will save the day. Disneyland 8-12 has always been the game plan as once parades start going around 1, disneyland is a mess. I will say that the weekend before Christmas, the 19th and 20th, were exceptionally amazing because from 8-10am the park was considerably empty and we were able to knock out most of disneyland.

In short, yes it is crazy to want attend between the 23rd-30th. It is extremely crowded. However, if you are there before the park opens and have a game plan you can make any day at disneyland fun.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

When I was a kid and in college, we went every year around Christmas because it was one of the few times a year when everyone could go. It's not horrible. I won't lie--there will be long lines, it will likely be hard to walk anywhere at certain times of the day, and there may be gate closures. But, it's do-able. Go in with the expectation that you'll maybe get...6 rides per day (could be more or less). Pick some rides that are top priorities and do those first. Be there at rope drop and make use of your EMH/MM when possible. I'm not sure if you've been before, but if you don't have the layout and map pretty much memorized, do it before you go. The worst part for me is always seeing people standing in the middle of walkways looking lost/staring at maps when they could be headed to the next area.