Attention To People who went to WDW this December!!!

[LoriMistress]

Hello everyone! I'm planning our vacation to WDW in December 2007. We were planning to stay there for ten days but not sure exactly when we would like to leave.

I'm very curious on anyone else who went to WDW this year from December 1st thru the 15th. I would love to read your trip reports/opinions/things that you enjoyed and things you wish you would have done different/etc. You get the idea. My DH and I main concern is mainly CROWDS!!! We HATE crowds! How crowded was it?

I would love to read everyone's experience at WDW and I would love to learn a things from each person so I know how to better plan for our trip.

Thank you for your time!

 

[OhMari]

Go over to Theme Park Strategies, sometimes people post right away about their trip. Sometimes we get live reports, but December trips should start coming in.

 

[bjscheel]

Mine is on the first page at the moment- it's the one that's double posted- for some reason the bottom one doesn't have anything on it. We thought the crowds Dec 3-7 were moderate- we didn't wait in any ride lines more than 20 minutes. At times some had 40 minute waits but we skipped or used FP. It was Pop Warner week but we didn't see droves of cheerleaders until evening and then all day Thursday at MK.

 

[Mouse511]

We just got home Friday from seven great nights at the Wilderness Lodge (12/8-12/15). We absolutely loved the Wilderness Lodge, it's gorgeous! We usually visit WDW in October so, it was nice to see all of the Christmas decorations. Friday and Saturday were crowded at the parks, even at the resort. The CM's at our resort said that Friday's are always busy, as many of the Florida residents stay for the weekend. Also, the Pop Warner kids were still there, many of them leaving on Sunday. By Monday, the parks were empty, it was so nice. The longest we waited for a ride was 5 - 10 minutes. But, we did talk to many people who regularly visit in December and they said that it gets busier every year. The CM's at the WL said that September seems to be the least crowded time to visit. I'll post pictures soon so, you can see the difference in crowd levels at the parks between the weekend and Monday, big difference

 

[twinybb]

hi,
this was my very first trip to disney so i can't tell you about crowds. i know that we didn't wait very long in lines. most times it was an average of 15 min. some rides we were right on them.
we stayed at port orleans riverside- the week before was full of cheerleaders. i did hear some people complain about it being loud. however we didn't hear anything. if i were you i would check the calendar to see when they will be back and at what hotels they will be in. that includes the football teams also
good luck
maryann
ps we will be back!!!

 

[Lauralee131]

Hi there. Good for you on planning your trip!! December is an awesome time to go!! The link to my trip report, which is currently in progress, is below.

Crowds were a bit heavier the first few days of December and then it thinned out a bit, but I'd shoot for sometime around the 10th when the Pop Warner kids are gone - if they're gone by then...check the calendar.

The groups that I saw were out of control and their parents/chaperones did nothing that I saw to control them or remind them that they were in a family oriented place. I was a bit annoyed at them.

I would highly recommend the Wilderness Lodge, the Animal Kingdom Lodge or the Contemporary. But it all depends on your budget, etc...

Good luck with your planning!!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1262013

 

[NeverBeen2DW]

I was there 12/7 - 12/13

Thurs the 7th was crowded at AK park
Friday at MK was crowed but waits were still not that bad in fantasy land an toon town.
Sat we say alot of the Pop Warner Cheerleaders.
Sunday - moderate crowds
Monday - moderate crowds

Tues, Weds were much better. Could walk on all rides. Space mountain on Tues had a 5 min wait.

There was never really a day where I thought it was real bad. But next year I plan to come a week later such as on the 12th. More mid month. The staff said the week following pop is the slowest.

 

[LoriMistress]

Thank you all again for your responses!

 

[Cass]

I just started a TR for our trip last week. I can tell you that the crowds were very light Dec 13-19th, hardly any waits for anything before noon or after 4pm. Weather was perfect, sunny and warm - not too hot.

 

[PirateBride08]

I was there from the 15th-18th and the parks were packed. The lines for all the rides had 60 minute waits. We used the fast pass on most of the bigger ones. I see the previous poster said there were no crowds but that's not what I got. It wasn't as bad as the middle of summer but it was crowded. I usually go in September and there are no lines at all then but I wanted to see the holiday decorations. We knew that it was going to be busy so I didn't mind waiting for things but there were a lot of people there

brandy

 

[meghan74]

We were there the 16th-20th and the only day that was really packed was the 20th. A cast member at Pop said that beginning the night of the 19th, they were at 100% capacity and I noticed a significant increase in crowds the morning of the 20th. Our first few days were delightful-excellent weather and low crowds.

I should mention that we used touringplans . com and TGM to plan our best days to visit each park and we were always there at opening. We managed to ride every ride in Fantasyland by 10:30 a.m. (MK opened at 9:00) on Tuesday the 19th. The longest wait for anything that we saw was 30 minutes for Pirates mid-afternoon on the 19th. Otherwise, with some planning, we walked right onto every ride in MK. We used FP for Soarin' and walked onto everything else at Epcot. We don't do roller coasters, so I'm sure that helped us avoid some long lines as well.

I love going in December, but it isn't as empty as it used to be. We are considering going in September for our next trip as that seems to be the new best time to visit.

 

[lynn71092]

We were there November 29th through December 4th and it was great!! No lines anywhere. The only time we used Fast Passes was for Soarin' and Everest. We had the best of both worlds, no lines and all the Christmas decorations were up. The weather was in the 80's every day (while home in Chicago they had a snowstorm)! I am definitely going back the same time next year!!

 

[PrincessV]

Ditto for me; I've been hitting The World in Dec. for the past almost 10 years - it's a terrific time to visit! Decorations are beautiful, weather is usually perfect, and (here's the best part) low to very low crowds. It's definitely busier now than it was years ago, but if you follow the advice of experts like the Unoffical Guide or Tour Guide Mike, you'll avoid the worst crowds and have a great trip.

I'm in the process of writing my TR for this year's trip 11/30-12/6. You'll find the link below, if you'd like to take a peek!

 

[Cass]

I was there from the 15th-18th and the parks were packed. The lines for all the rides had 60 minute waits. We used the fast pass on most of the bigger ones. I see the previous poster

Strange, I am curious as to what parks you went to on what days.

We did DAK on the 14th, MK on the 15th, EPCOT on the 16th, MGM on the 17th

I was so impressed by the light crowds everywhere. There was hardly anyone out front waiting for the train and opening show at MK. At the Holiday Wishes were were on the bridge near Tomorrow land and there was tons of room, usually it is packed like sardines.

In EPCOT there was hardly anyone around for illuminations, we were in Morocco,

The only waits we experiences were for EE at DAK and we had the fast pass. There was a 20 minute wait at SPlash, that was about the longest one we had.

 

[stephenjohnsilver]

We were there fom Dec 11th-19th at the WL. It was a great time.The longest time we waited was 45 min. for Test Track.Other than that waits were about 20 min.Do not go to MK on the weekend! We went on the 17th (Sun)and it was pretty busy.Mickey`s Backyard BBQ was awesome!!We got to dance with some characters and the food was good.The decorations at the WL,Contemp, and GF were beautiful! Poly decs were boring. Mk decs were nice but, did seem light..I`ve been there in the summer heat and another time in Dec. It`s the best time to go.We will be going back in four years with our second dd,that`s when she`ll be 5yo.Epcot stunk for my 5yo dd.She was bored out of her head.Which meant she drove me nuts Transportation was awesome.We didn`t have to wait long at all for buses,monorail,and boats.Only one thing really bothered me........cheeseburgers.I ate so many of them last week!!I am a picky eater,but I must admit they were some mighty fine burgers!Pass the ketchup and YEE-HAWWWW!!

 

[8lovesmickey]

Hi! I haven't had much time since we returned so I haven't written a long trip report, but I'm snowed in now so I thought I'd give you my take on our first ever December trip.

First I was actually surprised at the large crowds. Our first day was Saturday the 2nd, and there were lots of people on the streets of Epcot but the waits weren't bad at all. Sunday at MK wasn't bad either, but as the week wore on things got more and more packed. That said, we took advantage of all the "perks" of staying on site and really didn't wait for much at all. We did the extra magic hours when available, and although they were usually full at the beginning of the time, the lines got smaller by the hour. Because we had 8 days to spend at the parks, we were also able to avoid peak times most days so in the end it was all good.

I would say ABSOLUTELY do Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and the Epcot Candlelight Processional. Those were two highlights for sure. Mickey's party was so festive and there were hardly any lines for anything. We went Tues. the 5th (had purchased tickets before we left) and loved every minute of it. The parade and fireworks were awesome endings and we also used the night as our chance to ride things we hadn't wanted to wait for earier in the day.

The candlelight processional was included with our reservations at Albertos (with the meal plan) and was AWESOME. Of course I'm a sucker for a good choir and an orchestra, so Mario Lopez (celebrity reader) was just icing on the proverbial cake! We also got preferred seating for Fantasmic and that was spectacular as always.

The weather was, as advertised, variable! We went swimming one day and froze our backsides off three days later. Most days it was sweatshirt weather, but Thursday and Friday of our week my kids wore their winter coats and were glad about it.

I would also tell you to take the time to notice the small things. We tried to look closely at every Christmas tree because they were all themed differently depending on where they were. It was amazing! Each hotel also had themed Christmas music (at the POFQ we had jazzy holiday tunes; at Wilderness Lodge it was country/western, etc.). Each store also had amazing displays.

Overall I would have to say it was a fabulous trip. Have fun planning and anticipating!!!

 

[KarlaG4Kids]

Hi, we were there Dec. 11th - 16th. We were also there this past September during free dining plan month and last January. Compared to the crowds in September the crowds were much lighter in December. The crowds are much larger than they used to be at this time of year....but still managable. We try to hit the parks during the week days and avoid weekends. We also follow the advice of best/worst days to go to the parks on the touring plans. We had an average wait of 10-15 minutes. Longer on Soarin and Expedition Everest of course. But we would use fast passes and not have any trouble. There were MUCH SMALLER crowds in the restaurants than there were in September. Last January was still smaller crowds than this trip, but we love seeing the decorations and Christmas programs.

Now, our FAVORITE things that we did. We LOVED the MVMCP. We went on Monday evening and there were very small crowds. We were able to stay on some rides repeatedly. We loved the parade. The stage shows were great and the fireworks were awesome. We weren't nearly as impressed with the MNSSHP in September because the crowds were huge comparatively. We could hardly move in September and I believe that is why we were disappointed with the MNSSHP.

Another highlight for us was the candlelight processional. It was rainy that evening and we had the dinner package. We were mistaken when we thought we could show up an hour before the performance and have decent seats since we had the package. They would have been great seats any other night, but it was raining and only the first few rows were covered. We were 205th in line and we ended up 1/2 row away from the covered seating. We stayed and it did stop raining and the performance was wonderful. Keep in mind...if you don't get the dinner package you may not get a seat depending on the evening. If you want to sit close to the front get in line EARLY. This is a truly moving performance. Worth the wait.

We loved seeing the Osborn lights at MGM. We loved the "dancing" feature. The Christmas lights at Epcot are FANTASTIC. The other thing we really enjoyed this trip was visiting the different resorts to see the decorations. We arranged dinners in a couple of different resorts so we could see the decorations. It worked out well.

December is a wonderful time to go. We stayed at Coronado Springs and it seemed nearly vacant. As we were leaving on the 16th there were lots more people coming in and it did seem quite a bit busier. But during the week it was GREAT. We will return to Coronado for sure. We will also return in December....hopefully next December!

 

[ashlynandevanmom]

We were there Dec 11th - 16th. We were at MK Tues 12/12 and MGM at night, AK Wed 12/13 and MK at night, EPCOT am Thurs 12/15 and MK with MVMCP at night, MK Fri 12/15 with MGM afternoon/night.

We thought crowds were extremely low the whole time. Even lower than our Nov. 6-12th trip last year. The longest wait we saw was 35 minutes posted for Peter Pan. We walked right on Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Splash Moutain, Jungle Cruise, etc. At times the posted signs said 10 minute waits but they were always more like 5 minutes max and it was constant walking up to the ride. The downside was weather, it was very overcast most of the time, humid and even rain on Wed am and Thurs pm. We didn't see any rain in November, but I realize that varies greatly. It was cooler than in November though, which was nice. We still wore shorts/tshirts everyday with no jackets (aside from ponchos at times!) We arrived early for MGM's fantasmic unnecessarily, could have walked in just 10 minutes or less prior to start time. It was very easy to get tables at all of the counter-service type restaurants unlike Nov. which was more crowded.

The Christmas party was not crowded at all on thursday night. Maybe due to downpour right as it started? It did let up and there were no waits on any of the rides we tried--space mtn, splash mtn, etc. It was easy for the kids to see the characters at the dance parties, etc.

Overall we thought mid/late Dec was a great time to visit. Was beautiful to see Christmas decor & the lights/Christmas carols at MGM and 'snow' was a highlight for the kids!

 

[BYC]

We were there Dec. 8-17 (last 2 days at Universal). I didn't feel there were bad crowds at all. I followed advise I got here, plus joined Tour Guide Mike, and we did not wait on any lines. The longest line we waited on was 15 minutes, but that was on Test Track, and it suffered a break down, so the line stopped completely. With fast pass, and choosing the right days to go to the parks, we were able to maximize our enjoyment!

 

[ploto]

In Dec. for the most part the crowds are not too bad untill the week of christmas and new year. we just got back and the crowds were heavy towards the end of the week. (light crowds in the begining) A cast member told us every day you get closer to christmas it gets more crowded. on christmas they will have 60,000 people in the Mk.