Christmas week crowd compared to Thanksgiving

[ibela]

Hello....seasoned Disney goer but first time during Christmas week. I guess never say never!!

I'm starting to question my plans...how do the crowds compare with Thanksgiving weekend? We went Thanksgiving last year and it was crowded but we were able to do what we wanted to. How would 12/28 compare to that weekend? Thanks!

 

[Alesia]

Christmas is much, much busier than Thanksgiving. There really isn't even a comparison.

Christmas is, by far, the busiest week of the year. Thanksgiving week barely breaks the top 10.

 

[tyandskyesmom]

I haven't been at Thanksgiving time since before the secret got out so can't really compare but we were in The World for two weeks from before Christmas thru New Years Day last year and it was crowded but not as bad as I was expecting. Maybe I was just prepared for it to be so much worse that it seemed not bad or maybe it was because we had all our fast passes planned out and deluxe dining so we had all our dining planned out. Could also be that we did not go to MK on any of the major days.

There were a couple of times when the back way around Main St was open and we did not ride Small World at all because the line was always 40 minutes long or more.

There were some long bus lines but we never waited very long and it seemed that there were more buses and vans running to get people where they were going.

It is definitely busier than Thanksgiving of about 10 years ago.

It was not my favorite crowd time to go but I would not hesitate to do it again if the opportunity presented itself!

 

[mco65]

its been at least a decade since i was there on Thanksgiving week so this may not be valid anymore but we were there last Christmas week and there truly is NO COMPARISON. WAY busier at Christmas... still we had a great time last year but holly cow.. was it busy.

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Isn't it funny?

We were apparently both there at the same time and have different opinions of the crowd level.

I agree it was busy but in no way did I think it was "holly cow" busy.

LOL

 

[sharadoc]

This Thanksgiving was crazy busy at Magic Kingdom, but the rest of the parks were just fine, just "summer level" busy to me. We had a 7 day parkhopper so we were able to do everything once, with 4 visits to MK - one full day, 2 evenings with late hours/EMH and one morning. I think the MK crowds can't be much busier at Christmas, even the FP+ kiosk lines were over 1/2 hour! All FP+s were gone by early morning for EVERYTHING.

 

[ibela]

Thanks all for the feedback! We're actually only visiting parks 1 of 5 days and have hoppers (leftover from when non-expiring tickets) and are trying to hit 3 parks on 12/28. The plan is: MK at open (7am), Hollywood Studios for our fast passes and QS lunch, then Epcot for the evening - whatever rides we can do or walk around the showcase and a late dinner ADR to watch Illuminations. No bags, no strollers. Hopefully it pans out. Seems doable?

 

[Spridell]

Just got back from the World and was talking to a lot of Cast Members about Christmas week. They all seem to agree that it is by far the worst time of the year to visit because of crowds. That being said, they said MK is the first park to close usually around 10am or so because it gets filled to capacity. They said Epcot usually the last since its so big.

 

[sleepingbeauty17]

What about the week before Christmas? We're thinking of going Monday the 18th to Friday the 22nd next year.

 

[Alesia]

What about the week before Christmas? We're thinking of going Monday the 18th to Friday the 22nd next year.

It's still extremely busy, but a little bit less so.

 

[Scalemaster34]

What about the week before Christmas? We're thinking of going Monday the 18th to Friday the 22nd next year.

This year the 18th is the last day AP holders can use their passes.... reason is the parks start getting very crowded.


But what is crowded? That varies depending on ones experience. I remember a time when "off season" meant most rides were a walk on. Today "off season" means that most major rides are below triple digit wait times, with others at around 30 mins.

 

[DVCcurious]

Disney World crowd calendars should go to 11, Spinal Tap style, to show just how much more crowded Christmas week is.

The busiest non-Christmas week of the year is Easter (if it's in March) or July 4th week. A quick (non-scientific) comparison of wait times for rides during the 2nd busiest week to Christmas week:

(ride, 2nd busiest week peak wait time, Christmas peak wait time)

Haunted Mansion, 60, 90
Thunder Mountain, 150, 210
Alladin's Magic Carpets, 45, 75
Barnstormer, 30, 60
etc...

basically "popular" rides have 50% longer waits than the 2nd busiest week and "bad" rides have double the wait.

Christmas week also hits park closing levels regularly, while it's rare to see parks hit capacity the other 358 days of the year. MK may reach phase 1 capacity on July 4 but that's pretty much it outside of Christmas week.

 

[Scalemaster34]

Thanks all for the feedback! We're actually only visiting parks 1 of 5 days and have hoppers (leftover from when non-expiring tickets) and are trying to hit 3 parks on 12/28. The plan is: MK at open (7am), Hollywood Studios for our fast passes and QS lunch, then Epcot for the evening - whatever rides we can do or walk around the showcase and a late dinner ADR to watch Illuminations. No bags, no strollers. Hopefully it pans out. Seems doable?

Can be done.....

Will you be a resort guest? MK has EMH that day @ 7AM, so if you're not a resort guest you'll find lines are pretty long by the time you get in at 8AM. If you are... you are talking about a very early morning - MK @ 6Am for 7AM Rope Drop, then Illuminations at 10:30PM - that will be a LONG day. Also have to allow for longer than normal transportation time between Park and on going through the scanners. But yes it can be done, and can be a fun experience... as long as you aren't expecting more than you'll be able to do.