Christmas or Spring Break

[anastasiaw]

We are trying to decide on a trip either week before Christmas or Spring Break (in March). We don’t want to take my 9 year old out of school. I’m prepared for crowds at the parks with either dates, but wonder which will be less intense when it comes to crowds?

I’d prefer Christmas because I know how magical it can be at that time (and it’s near his birthday), but I think if it’s too packed, it can change the experience and he may not like it. I’m also thinking the weather will be nicer. But if March will be less crowded then I’d rather go then. Thoughts?

Also, he’s not big on characters but will want to ride a lot of rides. (He rode a lot of rides at DL last year) So I am budgeting for Genie and LL. We would do rope drop.

Also, besides mickeys Christmas party, are there any other evening events at the other parks?

 

[Princess Merida]

The week before Christmas is not as busy as the week after so I would choose to go then if you'd like to see the Christmas decorations. There could be an after hours event, but you won't know until your trip is closer. Also, I'm not sure where you are staying, but if you will be on property in a deluxe hotel or villa then you will have free access to extended evening hours which gives you an extra two hours in the park after normal closing time. It's currently only offered for Magic Kingdom and Epcot on select nights.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

I like the decor at Christmas and the special fireworks/parades. I like the weather better in March. Warmer days for swimming.

Either is good. I feel like March break crowds are lower than Christmas crowds but I’m sure there are people who would disagree.

In terms of special events, MK is doing After Hours events in March currently. If you stay at a qualifying hotel, the deluxe evening extra hours are pretty awesome. We walked onto Test Track and Ratatouille.

 

[elaine amj]

I just did both Christmas 2022 and mid March 2023. Both have crazy lines for rides. But rope drop and Genie+ work the same way. Parks feel a smidge more crowded at Christmas than March.

I’d go for Christmas. At least you know it’s insane and you prep for it. Surprisingly more and cheaper (offsite) resort availability at Christmas vs March. Plus special Christmas decor and activities are amazing.

I also was there in January and while busy, wayyyy less crowds lol. Quiet areas actually existed.

 

[soniam]

Xmas is busier than March. Weather can be better in March. Decor is better at Xmas. However, some of the Xmas parties don’t run around Xmas. They tend to run before the Xmas crowds arrive.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Spring break crowds really depends on when your spring break is as those are staggered across Canada and the US. The ‘week before Christmas’ may be quiet or busy depending on where Christmas falls on the calendar. If you don’t want to take your child out if school and are going a week when their school is closed, many others will be the same.

I would choose based on what I want to see at the parks - Christmas activities or Flower and Garden, knowing either has potential to be insanely busy.

 

[eticketplease]

Since you mentioned rides you may want to lean towards spring break. With the Mickey Christmas Party they close Magic Kingdom early so you will have less time to enjoy that park on select days unless you are purchasing the additional ticket for the party.

 

[clm10308]

If your child can do late nights, I would strongly suggest Christmas time. While it is quite crowded during daylight hours, the late nights are amazing for getting lots of rides in with low waits. However, if your family is one of those that is done in the oaks by 7pm, I would not do Christmas.

This last party this past Dec was on 12/22. The closer it gets to Christmas Day th more expensive the party tickets get, but we paid for it anyway.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

MK during the day on Christmas (or Halloween) party nights is amazing. Really low crowds and you’re able to get a lot more done. Many people think “it’s not worth it” because it closes earlier than other nights. That logic and the resulting fewer people make it absolutely worth it.

I have a leisurely dinner at Poly/Grand Floridian/Contemporary/Wilderness Lodge on those days and watch the special fireworks for the party outside the park.

(Personally I don’t like it when MK closes at 11pm, because then the deluxe extra hours are 11pm-1am. And I’m just too old to stay up that late. But if you are a night owl, it’s pretty great. The park starts to really empty out by ~10pm and you have pretty much 3 hours of minimal crowds.)

 

[anastasiaw]

For Christmas, off-site accommodations were surprisingly cheaper than spring break. I have booked 12/19-12/24. Although offsite, it’s on the Disney website so I’m staying at a hotel that has the early entry hours into the park.

Spring break is a tad more expensive but dates are 3/9-3/15.

 

[Dug720]

The vast majority of schools are out over Christmas - how long is area-dependent.

Spring Break is more of a rolling thing with some school systems and/or colleges/universities being out each week between Presidents' Week and Easter.

So crowds would be a bit lower during your Spring Break when not all schools (or most schools) are out.

 

[anastasiaw]

I just did both Christmas 2022 and mid March 2023. Both have crazy lines for rides. But rope drop and Genie+ work the same way. Parks feel a smidge more crowded at Christmas than March.

I’d go for Christmas. At least you know it’s insane and you prep for it. Surprisingly more and cheaper (offsite) resort availability at Christmas vs March. Plus special Christmas decor and activities are amazing.

I also was there in January and while busy, wayyyy less crowds lol. Quiet areas actually existed.

Thank you. Yeah I went in February and it was really quiet and nice lol. We were initially targeting spring break only but I happen to find rooms at the same offsite hotel we were going to stay at for spring break for cheaper right before Christmas so we are entertaining the idea.

I’ve been during Christmas season once preCOVID and it was so magical but i also happen to catch a few days where crowds were lower.

 

[kathy884]

The time between Christmas Eve and New Years day is insane crazy busy and the most crowded time of year at WDW. I would personally avoid that week. All that said, I have done that week about a half dozen times.

If you have a long Christmas break and can do the week before or the week after that super crazy week, the farther you get from those days crowds are typically even a little better than spring break if your spring break is over one of the more popular weeks.

Spring breaks usually cover a six week period or so, so while very busy aren't as insane as Christmas. The weather is usually glorious then, while Christmas weather is quite unpredictable (hit or miss). We've had evenings in the 30s at Christmas when I was wearing my parka in the parks. We've had Christmas weeks in Orlando with highs in the low 80 on occasion too. In general December is cooler in Orlando than I prefer. If pool time and water parks or a day at the beach are something you are looking forward to doing, spring break is a better bet for sure.

The last two weeks of March and Easter week are typically the most crowded spring break weeks.

We like you never took our son out of school have have done numerous spring break trips. I personally prefer that time over Christmas. But if you can do the week before or after Christmas week, based on your preference for Christmas you might want to go for that. I highly recommend spring break instead, though, if you are considering Christmas week -- really and truly it's absolutely insane crowd wise. Resorts are fine, though, as everybody and their brother is at the parks.

 

[quagmire0]

We are trying to decide on a trip either week before Christmas or Spring Break (in March). We don’t want to take my 9 year old out of school. I’m prepared for crowds at the parks with either dates, but wonder which will be less intense when it comes to crowds?

I’d prefer Christmas because I know how magical it can be at that time (and it’s near his birthday), but I think if it’s too packed, it can change the experience and he may not like it. I’m also thinking the weather will be nicer. But if March will be less crowded then I’d rather go then. Thoughts?

Also, he’s not big on characters but will want to ride a lot of rides. (He rode a lot of rides at DL last year) So I am budgeting for Genie and LL. We would do rope drop.

Also, besides mickeys Christmas party, are there any other evening events at the other parks?

All I know is that we went for Spring Break 2019 and it was the absolute worst. Magic Kingdom was a madhouse. There was an actual chokepoint of people near the merry go round in MK. You had to fight through a crowd. Hollywood Studios also had very long waits. Would the Post-Covid crowds be more manageable? Not sure. We actually went to Universal for a couple days and it was way better. Crowds were much more manageable and wait times were reasonable to downright awesome. One night it rained and the park cleared out a bit and we were able to go on any rides we wanted to. I'm actually debating this as well, because we'd like to do Disney soon and already have summer plans with extended family elsewhere in Florida next summer, but not close enough to add a Disney trip to it.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

We are trying to decide on a trip either week before Christmas or Spring Break (in March). We don’t want to take my 9 year old out of school. I’m prepared for crowds at the parks with either dates, but wonder which will be less intense when it comes to crowds?

I’d prefer Christmas because I know how magical it can be at that time (and it’s near his birthday), but I think if it’s too packed, it can change the experience and he may not like it. I’m also thinking the weather will be nicer. But if March will be less crowded then I’d rather go then. Thoughts?

Also, he’s not big on characters but will want to ride a lot of rides. (He rode a lot of rides at DL last year) So I am budgeting for Genie and LL. We would do rope drop.

Also, besides mickeys Christmas party, are there any other evening events at the other parks?

Both times will be crowded but just know, the closer your spring break is to easter, the more crowded it will be. And if your break coincides with the local schools break, that could be a high crowd trifecta of spring break, easter and Orange/Osceola county break. Weather is spotty in December and March, so you'll have to watch before you go. Both times of year could be 85 or 55 degree days, FL is just unpredictable but the later in March your break is, more likelihood of warmer weather than December. If all else is equal, I'd choose based on which time of year you'd prefer given neither are low crowd seasons. If you plan your trip accordingly, even with crazy crowds, you can have a great visit. Some of our best trips have been during 10/10 crowd days.

 

[Amydisneyfan]

We are trying to decide on a trip either week before Christmas or Spring Break (in March). We don’t want to take my 9 year old out of school. I’m prepared for crowds at the parks with either dates, but wonder which will be less intense when it comes to crowds?

I’d prefer Christmas because I know how magical it can be at that time (and it’s near his birthday), but I think if it’s too packed, it can change the experience and he may not like it. I’m also thinking the weather will be nicer. But if March will be less crowded then I’d rather go then. Thoughts?

Also, he’s not big on characters but will want to ride a lot of rides. (He rode a lot of rides at DL last year) So I am budgeting for Genie and LL. We would do rope drop.

Also, besides mickeys Christmas party, are there any other evening events at the other parks?

At Disney World at Spring it can be very crowded and at Christmas especially in Magic Kingdom for the special ticket event. I recommend to go onto Facebook Marketplace and look for toddler wrist straps because if you are travelling with children you could easily lose children in the crowds. But if you and your child don't use the straps at Disney don't worry because you could always sell it on Facebook marketplace or ebay.

 

[Amydisneyfan]

Thank you. Yeah I went in February and it was really quiet and nice lol. We were initially targeting spring break only but I happen to find rooms at the same offsite hotel we were going to stay at for spring break for cheaper right before Christmas so we are entertaining the idea.

I’ve been during Christmas season once preCOVID and it was so magical but i also happen to catch a few days where crowds were lower.

I've noticed in February 2023 that's just gone had lot's of theme park availability on the Disney world website that in February you could purchase your park tickets at the ticket office in February as all parks were available and didn't reach the limit in February. Easter and Christmas is more busier and parks do reach the limit especially Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.