Christmas Day at Disneyland

[Aspencreek]

Was anyone at the parks on Christmas Day? How was it, crazy busy or not too bad? Want to give it a try next year but curious to hear what it is like.

 

[LAS2AMS]

I didn’t go into the parks but was at DTD and the crowd at DTD was nothing crazy - probably less people than a typical weekend.

 

[sayhello]

Ah, brings back memories (boy am I dating myself here!) when we'd go to Disneyland on Christmas Day and it was practically empty except for Jewish and Asian people!

Sayhello

 

[ady2glude707]

It was busy Christmas eve and Christmas day. Crowd level similar to summer time.

 

[Aspencreek]

I found a livestream from a youtuber who did Christmas Day at DL this year. Looked pretty dang busy to be honest, certainly more people than we experienced when we went earlier in December. Thought maybe it would be pretty slow (like SayHello mentioned) but that doesn't seem to be the case. Probably going to stick with the early December trips to get the holiday vibes.

 

[disneychrista]

I found a livestream from a youtuber who did Christmas Day at DL this year. Looked pretty dang busy to be honest, certainly more people than we experienced when we went earlier in December. Thought maybe it would be pretty slow (like SayHello mentioned) but that doesn't seem to be the case. Probably going to stick with the early December trips to get the holiday vibes.

The two weeks including Christmas and New Years are (some of ) the busiest times of the year. There is a reason they block all Magic Keys during this time. They can fill the parks without them.

 

[sayhello]

I found a livestream from a youtuber who did Christmas Day at DL this year. Looked pretty dang busy to be honest, certainly more people than we experienced when we went earlier in December. Thought maybe it would be pretty slow (like SayHello mentioned) but that doesn't seem to be the case. Probably going to stick with the early December trips to get the holiday vibes.

What I mentioned was decades ago! Everybody celebrated Christmas at home with their families back then. Things have really changed, and it's now one of the busiest times of the year!

Sayhello

 

[UnpokemonMom]

Wait time for Soaring was 90 minutes, which is the longest I've ever seen (it dropped to 60 minutes when we got to the doors). It seemed crowded, but not scary crowded. May have been different at DL.

 

[ady2glude707]

Park tickets sold out Christmas day too.

 

[Aspencreek]

What I mentioned was decades ago! Everybody celebrated Christmas at home with their families back then. Things have really changed, and it's now one of the busiest times of the year!

I figured that was probably the case but hopeful it was still not too bad on Christmas Day.... apparently not.

 

[Aspencreek]

Park tickets sold out Christmas day too.

Wow seriously? Definitely a no-go then. I've been enough times that I don't mind the park busy, but there is a limit. I've posted on here before about going during the end of October a couple years ago and it was so busy that you could lift both feet off the ground and the crowds would carry you halfway across the park!

 

[disneychrista]

What I mentioned was decades ago! Everybody celebrated Christmas at home with their families back then. Things have really changed, and it's now one of the busiest times of the year!

Sayhello

As soon as word gets out that a certain time of the year is slow, everyone wants to go during that time and then it is no long a slow time of year.

Super Bowl Sunday was once considered to be a great time to go for low crowds too. That is no longer the case.

 

[sayhello]

As soon as word gets out that a certain time of the year is slow, everyone wants to go during that time and then it is no long a slow time of year.

This was long before all that kind of stuff. I'm sorry to sound like a crotchety old person, but times were different. People spent time at home with their family or left town to go visit family. They didn't go to Amusement parks on Christmas. They didn't go to the movies. People's whole attitudes about Christmas and Holidays have made a major shift. I remember when that started to shift and it really surprised people.

Sayhello

 

[LAS2AMS]

This was long before all that kind of stuff. I'm sorry to sound like a crotchety old person, but times were different. People spent time at home with their family or left town to go visit family. They didn't go to Amusement parks on Christmas. They didn't go to the movies. People's whole attitudes about Christmas and Holidays have made a major shift. I remember when that started to shift and it really surprised people.

Sayhello

It shifted a long time ago. The time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas was historically a slow travel period, but when schools and businesses shut down for Christmas/ New Year’s break, travel surged.

In SoCal, most schools mimic LA Unified and get a three week break, so attendance at DLR would swell the weak before Christmas and peak Dec 26 - Jan 1.

I’m entering my mid-40s and can’t remember DLR not being busy on Christmas Day. Part of that was until relatively recently, it and El Torito were literally the only places open on Christmas Day.

I really don’t think things have shifted that much. Since the pandemic, most businesses now close on Christmas Day once again. That’s pretty remarkable in SoCal, where the population is very diverse and many people don’t celebrate the holiday.

 

[LKing]

I’m entering my mid-40s and can’t remember DLR not being busy on Christmas Day. Part of that was until relatively recently, it and El Torito were literally the only places open on Christmas Day.

I'm in my late 50s and Jewish. Movie theaters and Chinese restaurants have been open on Christmas since I was a child.

 

[sayhello]

It shifted a long time ago. The time period between Thanksgiving and Christmas was historically a slow travel period, but when schools and businesses shut down for Christmas/ New Year’s break, travel surged.

In SoCal, most schools mimic LA Unified and get a three week break, so attendance at DLR would swell the weak before Christmas and peak Dec 26 - Jan 1.

I’m entering my mid-40s and can’t remember DLR not being busy on Christmas Day. Part of that was until relatively recently, it and El Torito were literally the only places open on Christmas Day.

I really don’t think things have shifted that much. Since the pandemic, most businesses now close on Christmas Day once again. That’s pretty remarkable in SoCal, where the population is very diverse and many people don’t celebrate the holiday.

Let's just say I'm *way* older than you. And grew up in Southern California, too. So yes, it shifted a long time ago, as I said. Schools and lots of businesses back then closed for the week between Christmas and New Years, and for the most part, people didn't go to Disneyland on Christmas Day unless they didn't celebrate Christmas.

Sayhello

 

[LAS2AMS]

Let's just say I'm *way* older than you. And grew up in Southern California, too. So yes, it shifted a long time ago, as I said. Schools and lots of businesses back then closed for the week between Christmas and New Years, and for the most part, people didn't go to Disneyland on Christmas Day unless they didn't celebrate Christmas.

Sayhello

I went every year from the time I was an infant until the early 2010s. The only time crowds were light was 2001, when DL and especially the brand new DCA was dead.

So, it’s been a long, long time .

 

[PiratesMansion]

I was there on Christmas Day this year. It was indeed busy, but honestly, not terribly different from many summer days I've spent at the parks over the last decade-at least, not in terms of wait times for attractions.

To me, the biggest difference was that there was a MUCH larger crowd of people waiting to get in early than normal (which extended through the remainder of the week as well)-I walked over from my hotel to the Toy Story Lot, where they took care of security before we boarded the shuttle to the parks, something I was grateful for when we pulled up to see enormous security lines on the Harbor Boulevard side of things that we got to skip since we had already taken care of it. Once inside, it felt as though the the park got busier after rope drop perhaps an hour earlier than average.

The other biggest differentiator was the Festival of the Holidays entertainment at DCA, which meant there was much more entertainment in the park than there is normally (granted, that extends for the whole season, not simply Christmas Day).

The vibe was perhaps a bit more hectic than normal, but not dramatically so. I'd recommend Christmas Day to anyone who enjoys Disneyland and knows how to get the most out of the park/resort in crowded times.

 

[tink89]

we have gone the week before christmas and the week of Christmas and after i will say right up to Christmas day it is typical packed. but ont he 26 through new years it is scary packed.

 

[Mama_Cass]

I have a lot of anxiety and for years my husband wanted to bring me to Disney for my birthday. I always said absolutely not because it falls right between Christmas and New Years. After a particularly rough year I finally agreed to try it last Christmas (2023). We went from the 23rd until Jan 1st. Honestly, I didn’t find it any worse than summer crowds and wasn’t overwhelmed at all. If it’s something you want to do, I definitely suggest just going ahead and doing it. It’s really not as bad as you think it will be!