Best time to go during December - 1st or 2nd week??

[DISNEYmooner2008]

When is the best time to go during December?? DF and I will be honeymooning at WDW in January 2008 and are already planning to take another trip in 2009 with my family (mom and dad). We would love to go when all of the christmas decorations are up, but don't want to pay holiday rates or deal with very heavy crowds. I know value season lasts until 19th but is there a huge difference in crowds between the 1st and 2nd week?

 

[Sammie]

Crowds will be close to the same, heavy both weeks. Word is out this is the time to go, and many Disney resorts this year are completely sold out for both weeks. Also many special groups going then, such as Pop Warner sports and Mousefest. Go with the week that works best for you.

 

[hercamore]

HOw about arrving the weekend after Thanksgiving. That's what we are doing this year, and so far, crowd levels are forecasted to be low. Plus, it's also value season starting the sunday after tgiving.

herc.

 

[Southernswthrt1]

Crowds will be close to the same, heavy both weeks.

We're going the second week to avoid Pop Warner and Mousefest. I'm really hoping that the crowds are not heavy. We went Dec 19-24 in 2002 and the crowds were virtually non-existent up until 2 days before Christmas. We'll be visiting Monday through Thursday to hopefully avoid the weekend crowds.

 

[princessesrule4]

Were going the 2nd week in Decembet this year to avoid Pop Warner and Mousefest beforehand and the pre Christmas crowds later! Let's hope the plan works!

 

[Sammie]

We're going the second week to avoid Pop Warner and Mousefest. I'm really hoping that the crowds are not heavy. We went Dec 19-24 in 2002 and the crowds were virtually non-existent up until 2 days before Christmas. We'll be visiting Monday through Thursday to hopefully avoid the weekend crowds.

Avoiding the weekend will help but WDW has been experiencing record crowds this year due to the Dreams promotion. I would not expect it to be anything comparable to 2002 which was still suffering from the affects of 9-11.

 

[Portugal1000]

I think both weeks will be fine. I was there from 7th last year for 3 weeks and only got busy on 22nd. I think alot of the resorts sell out that time of year but that doesn't necessarily mean the parks are busy.

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

Well, I'll let you know after we get back the comparison between the 2 weeks. Last year we went the first week, and it was Pop Warner Football Championships, so we decided to try a different week this year. So, when we get back I'll let you know.

 

[micmacmissy]

Crowds will be close to the same, heavy both weeks.

Huh???? This was NOT our experience. These two weeks have the lowest attendance all year!

When we went, it was wonderful--NO crowds, NO lines, NO waiting. The Unofficial Guide is predicting record low crowds up until December 23, when it starts filling up.

Enjoy this time of year, it's wonderful there!

 

[2tink4u]

I use ***************** and it is really accurate.
enjoy

 

[tink's girls]

We went from the 8th to the 13th in 2005 and it was great!

 

[micmacmissy]

I use ***************** and it is really accurate.
enjoy

????

Now i'm dying to know!

I use touring plans dot com and that seems to be pretty good. Let me know if you use something different, love to see what's out there and works for others!

 

[Dis Ohana]

Crowds will be close to the same, heavy both weeks. Word is out this is the time to go, and many Disney resorts this year are completely sold out for both weeks. Also many special groups going then, such as Pop Warner sports and Mousefest. Go with the week that works best for you.

I was under the impression that the resorts were always full, but that it wasn't a true indicator of what park attendance would be like. The main reason we booked for early December is to avoid the crowds!
I've never been to WDW, but we go to Disneyland at the same time every year. I've noticed that the last couple of years there park attendance, especially on the weekends, have been crazy busy. Disney marketing must be doing a great job.

 

[vettechick99]

Keep in mind that when they say that a resort is booked, it doesn't necessarily mean every room is taken. It just means that it's booked to the capacity it's reduced staff can handle. Early December is notoriously slow, even now with increased park attendance. But there is no way it's booked to full capacity like it is during Christmas/New Years. KWIM?

The value resorts will be likely full because of Pop Warner (but the parks won't indicate a marked increase) and Mousefest is only a small percentage of guests (2,000 last year) - hardly affecting crowd patterns.

I saw either week would be great! December is a fun time to go.

 

[DebbieB]

I've gone the first week and while it's more crowded than it used to be, it's not bad. Great time to go. The second week will probably be less crowded at the resorts since Pop Warner takes alot of rooms the first week.

 

[hapi2bme]

Keep in mind that when they say that a resort is booked, it doesn't necessarily mean every room is taken. It just means that it's booked to the capacity it's reduced staff can handle. Early December is notoriously slow, even now with increased park attendance. But there is no way it's booked to full capacity like it is during Christmas/New Years. KWIM?

The value resorts will be likely full because of Pop Warner (but the parks won't indicate a marked increase) and Mousefest is only a small percentage of guests (2,000 last year) - hardly affecting crowd patterns.

I saw either week would be great! December is a fun time to go.

That's good info to know...I thought since it was so hard to make ressies that it meant they were booke to capacity. Thanks!!

 

[anne930]

We are going Dec 13-18 and usually that's a good time to go. This year, I called to book a reservation for POFQ and was told that the discount code I wanted wasn't available and there was only 1 standard room left - if I wanted to stay there, I'd better grab it. I did, but called again 1 week later and was able to switch my reservation and get the discount code. She said there must have been a big group that cancelled - it just shows you how availability can change from 1 week to the next.

 

[GoingtoWDWagain]

Just went to the Pop Warner site, www.PopWarner.com and it states under calendar they will be in WDW from December 1 - 8. This will be our first trip during Christmas, are the Pop Warner crowds like Easter or Fourth of July?

Thanks a bunch for any information

 

[Simba22]

We went 12/1-12/10 2006 and the crowds were minimal! We never waited longer than 20 minutes for anything and the weather was beautiful! A bit chilly in the low to mid 50's most of the week, but no rain or clouds!

PS It was Pop Warner week and we only saw them once with no issues.

 

[tcp0421]

Huh???? This was NOT our experience. These two weeks have the lowest attendance all year!

When we went, it was wonderful--NO crowds, NO lines, NO waiting. The Unofficial Guide is predicting record low crowds up until December 23, when it starts filling up.

Enjoy this time of year, it's wonderful there!

What week did you go? We are thinking about going Dec of 2008.