Christmas Hordes

[Andy too]

When will the hordes descend in December?

 

[Eljay]

When will the hordes descend in December?

Hey, watch your language, they're really nice ladies, they just wear a lot of makeup!

 

[gssmks]

I was wondering the same thing. I will be arriving at WDW on Dec 17th and staying until Dec. 29th. I wanted to know how many, if any, days we will have before the crowds arrive.

 

[asa'smom]

We were there this past Christmas from Dec 15th -24th and began to notice the crowds to start to pick up around the 23rd. Still not bad, but noticeable.

 

[Greg K.]

We were there a few years ago from Dec 12-21. By the 20th, there was a noticeable uptick in activity around our resort (the GF). It was fun seeing people checking in with gifts and shopping bags full of wrapping paper

But if you go the first three weeks of December, you should have few crowds -- and a lot of fun!

 

[GoofyGirlnPrincessV]

and there were NO crowds. Every ride was walk on or less than a 10 minute wait. But it was very chilly!

 

[simba2007]

We have been at Christmas (19th-28th) for the last 3 years. In my opinion it is the best time to go! We generally don't notice the crowds being a problem until the 25th & after. Even then however, it is not unbearable - you just plan differently. The decorations & atmosphere far outweigh any crowd issues! We'll be there again this year!

 

[erikthewise]

If you ever want to know how busy it's going to be at WDW, just check out the Magic Kingdom park hours. Nobody has more experience, information or motivation to know how busy it will be than WDW themselves, and they set park hours accordingly.

December is a little tricky because you have to ignore MK park hours on nights when they have the Christmas Party. But it's clear that the week of the 10th will be pretty quiet, the week of the 17th will be busier but manageable, with crowds building toward the end of that week. But the real "hordes" don't hit until the weekend before Christmas. The week of Christmas-New Year is the busiest time of the year, as evidenced by the 8AM-12Mid MK hours every day.

 

[PrincessParty]

December 27th, 2004 in the afternoon at MK my youngest was whiney and I said the typical "How can you be whiney, we are WDW?" Her response was "Mom, all I see are butts!" It was crowded, but we still had a magical time! Can't wait to do it again December 27th, 2006!!!!!

 

[jillyjoey]

and there were NO crowds. Every ride was walk on or less than a 10 minute wait. But it was very chilly!

Whew -- we are traveling 14-20. BTW, I loved your BBB experience link -- your little girl is absolutely an adorable princess!!!

 

[MiamiBeach]

Were there Dec. 15 - 19 last year, thinking we would hit that empty-park-before-holidays period with no problem. We did not realize many public schools were out the entire week before Christmas. On Thursday the 15th and Friday the 16th, it was gloriously empty. While we slept Friday night, the hordes descended. Saturday, Sunday, Monday (and I imagine onward) the hotel lobbies were pandemonium and the crowds were noticeably bigger in the parks. Lines were still totally manageable, but there were TONS more people there than the previous days.

If you are looking for the empty early December time, keep an eye on school vacation calendars. This year, we are going Dec. 7th just to be sure!

 

[gssmks]

We have been at Christmas (19th-28th) for the last 3 years. In my opinion it is the best time to go! We generally don't notice the crowds being a problem until the 25th & after. Even then however, it is not unbearable - you just plan differently. The decorations & atmosphere far outweigh any crowd issues! We'll be there again this year!

These are almost my exact dates. Will you mind giving me some advice. We have been to WDW twice, but the trips were in Oct. and March. I realize that this trip is going to be an entirely different experiece because of the crowds, but I just want to know exactly what to expect. For example, will we need to make ADRs for lunch and dinner every day to avoid waiting in hour long lines to buy food or will we be alright getting CS so long as we avoid the regular meal times. If so, is this only the week between Christmas and New Year, or should I plan meals for every day of the trip. We just normally do not eat that many full meals even when we are home. Also, what do you think about this as a game plan. Since we are arriving on the 17th, I thought we would use that full week before Christmas to hit the parks and do the rides and attractions while the crowds are more manageable. Then save the parades, fireworks, shows etc., for the week between Christmas and NY. I'm open to any advice and suggestions.

 

[MiamiBeach]

Just to qualify -- we have traditionally gone to WDW during very "off" times, so our version of crowded is probably very different from those who have experienced REAL crowds of Christmas day, summer vacation, etc.

We had NO problem with counter service meals anywhere, even at regular meal times. Those meals were quite pleasant and it was easy to get a seat anywhere, anytime. We WERE glad that we had lunch ADRs at Sci-Fi and dinner at Cape May since both had people waiting. Cape May had an hour wait for walk-ups and that was on Thursday the 15th, two days before we noticed crowds arriving.

You'll probably have a few days of very uncrowded conditions at the parks, then it will gradually increase. And even when parks were crowded the lines weren't long. So just get your big items out of the way early on, then use the more crowded times to take in the sights, resort-hop during the days, etc. December is a really fun time to be there. Just be sure to bring warm clothes because it can get pretty chilly. That's the best part for us -- blue skies, crisp air, decorations, Christmas music all around.