Christmas Week Crowds ??

[Surgie]

Do you think that all the crowds will go home and the parks back to manageable levels on Jan 1 2008

No - my guess is that it will still be very busy - though maybe not as bad as Dec. 26-31. With Christmas and New Year's on a Tuesday this year, may schools are off until Jan. 7. So teachers like me and loads of people with school-age kids will be at WDW to take advanatge of the extra long after-Chrristmas break. We leave next Tuesday and I can't wait - crowds won't spoil our fun!!

 

[jcb]

We were there 12/22 and 12/23 (and earlier). Crowds were very heavy. We got there early and were able to get on some rides with only a long wait in line. By mid-morning, wait times were impossibly long for popular rides at EPCOT. We jumped to MK in the evening, grabbed fastpasses and were able to ride a few times.

One thing I haven't seen discussed is that the wait-times are not uniform. On 12/23, the actual wait-time for space mountain was 30 minutes (40 minutes posted) at midnight on 12/23 but we walked onto the boat at Pirates.

From 9 to 10, the morning of 12/23 Test Track was 10 minutes (including the training video) but all of a sudden jumped to 45 at 11:00.

 

[emh1129]

We were there 12/15-12/23. The masses seemed to hit on the 22nd. Up until then we had little to no waits all week. The 22nd was just insane at the MK (to me, anyway..) we actually got stuck on Main Street and couldn't move for at least 10-15 minutes. Not fun.

 

[emh1129]

The only thing I did not enjoy was MVMCP...I found the crowds way too big for me and wouldn't do it again this late in December.

We don't plan to do it again, either. Our chosen night was sold out and it was so crowded.

 

[Luv2trav]

We don't plan to do it again, either. Our chosen night was sold out and it was so crowded.

I agree, We went on the 18th and didn't enjoy it at all.... Big Thunder Mountain was a 40 minute wait.. I don't wait in lines like this during the day let along during a party. I was very dissappointed and probably won't do a party again.

 

[GovieMom]

Do you think that all the crowds will go home and the parks back to manageable levels on Jan 1 2008

Unfortunately not ... Expect the parks to stay packed until Sunday Jan. 6th.

 

[jfap]

I was wondering if anyone witnessed some of the fights that broke out this week? One at the front gate and one in Toontown. Not sure what caused them other than crowded conditions and short tempers. Note: these were not teenagers fighting but so-called Adults.

 

[glass slipper girl]

I posted this in another thread on the resorts board but figured I'd add it here. Our trip was 12/18 - 12/24. We were in the MK from about 8:30 am till 5:00 pm on Christmas Eve. By mid afternoon I'd say you need a new word for crowded. Three experinences to describe the crowds: first I stood in line for 10 minutes TO GET A FAST PASS for Thunder. Not to use one, to get one from the machine. At around 2:30 there was a LINE to get on TTA. It went down the moving sidewalk, out into the queue area below it and snaked out beyond that. It was constantly moving, but it was a real, true line for TTA. I've never seen that before. Christmas week a few years ago there was a wait but it was only down to the end of the moving sidewalk/incline thing, not beyond that. And last, while DH had our older boys on Thunder Mountain abour 4:30, I had the baby in his stroller. I decided we would go get a snack so we ventured out from the Splash playground. DS(1) tried standing in his stroller so I "pulled over" to the side of a walkway to kneel down and buckle him in. When I knelt down the crowds closed in behind me and I could not stand back up!

It was better early in the morning but overall it was jam packed crowded. Still fun, just crowded!

I have pics of the line to get a fast pass and the line for TTA as well as just some general crowd pics that I will post later on once I get them uploaded. We found crowds to be pretty low 12/18 - 12/21, moderately crowded on 12/22 and very crowded 12/23 and 12/24. We still had a great time and had very few waits in line thanks to following TGM's advice and effective use of fast pass.

 

[RussellDisney]

I agree, We went on the 18th and didn't enjoy it at all.... Big Thunder Mountain was a 40 minute wait.. I don't wait in lines like this during the day let along during a party. I was very dissappointed and probably won't do a party again.

We were there on the 18th also - IT WAS INSANE!!!!! I was very disappointed and really feel cheated. We were only able to do the castle show, 'Twas the Night show, dance party and fireworks. The early parade was too crowded and the kids were alseep before the second one started - however, we did watch most of it on ABC yesterday morning!! That was a very expensive evening to do nothing but fight crowds. We won't do any ticketed party again.

On a high note, crowds in the parks during the day last week (we left Orlando Sat morning the 22nd) were not too bad. The tram guy at Epcot on Friday said there were 29,000 there that day, but that Disney was projecting - get this - 77,000 on New Year's Eve!!!! Heh, no thanks...

 

[RNRcoasterGrl07]

My brother and his family are there now and one of my sisters leaves tomorrow. For some reason I can't see the pics...arrggg! Anyone else have any to share?

thats my fault. i'm gonna reupload the pics.

 

[Tinkerbell63]

I love your positve outlook, I plan to be there next Christmas with your attitude.

We will be at Disney next year at this time. I also think it's kind of fun when there are big crowds.

 

[GovieMom]

At around 2:30 there was a LINE to get on TTA. It went down the moving sidewalk, out into the queue area below it and snaked out beyond that. It was constantly moving, but it was a real, true line for TTA. I've never seen that before.

I hear you ... This year, during the first week of January, we experienced the same thing. When you have to stand in a long line to get onto TTA, you know it's crowded, and that week sure was!

 

[KYCruiseCrazy]

anyone have video of the crowds?

 

[mousiemom]

we just got back 12/14-12/19 and the crowds were great. the only line we had to stand in was soarin and it was only 15mins. we went to the sold out christmas party on the 18th and had a great time!! our dd is 7 so we rode all the rides when the parties were going on and caught the fireworks at 9:30 and got a great table @ Casey's to watch the later parade. we couldn't get over how pretty the castle was. they should keep those lights up all year and you couldn't even see them during the daylight. we are leaving on 1/1 to go back till 1/6. i know we will experience different crowd levels but we can't wait to get back!! i'm so excited spaceship earth will be open!!
mousiemom

 

[lindsychris]

We'll be arriving in Orlando tomorrow morning and fly home on the 1st. I really don't think we're prepared for what the crowds are going to be like!

Yikes!

 

[Otter49]

Christmas Eve - EPCOT

I guess the crowds were at MK because Epcot crowd might as well have been from the first week of December.

We queued 30 minutes in standby for the last CP performance and got great seats well within the package seating area. Obviously from the number of standbys that went into the package area, including rows 2 to 5 (covered area), packages were nowhere near sold out.

At 9:15, there was a ton of good viewing spots for IROE and the bridge wasn't crowded at all.

 

[SamRoc]

We were there from the 20th to the 24th. The Christmas party we went to on the 20th was sold out, but we walked on all the rides. We loved the parade and fireworks. We went to MGM on the 21st and had no problems there either. On the night of the 22nd we went into the MK at night and it was very crowded, but we just wanted to see the Castle lights and fireworks, no rides this time so it was fine for us. We didnt try any rides but i'm sure there was a long wait time. Went back to MGM on the 24th in the morning and walked right on the rides again, we arrived as soon as the park opened and left about 1pm. not sure how the crowds were in the afternoon.

 

[j827]

We just got back a few hours ago. This year was WAY less crowded than at least the past four years that we've been there at Christmas. The parks still got unbearably crowded in the afternoons, but if you got in and out before about 1:00 pm, they were pretty much empty. We continually marveled at the fact that we could wave our arms around and not hit anyone. We played mini-golf and hung out around our resort pool in the afternoons of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The rest of the time, the parks were quite comfortably uncrowded. Having said all that, we heard from various other guests and a few bus drivers that the parks hit capacity in the afternoons, so that part was the same as every other year.

 

[doulacandice]

Whoa. Those pictures are wild.. I pray they are dead when we go, end of Jan. lol

 

[emh1129]

I agree, We went on the 18th and didn't enjoy it at all.... Big Thunder Mountain was a 40 minute wait.. I don't wait in lines like this during the day let along during a party. I was very dissappointed and probably won't do a party again.

That's the one we went to. It was really disappointing.. we tried to make the best of it- and Wishes was really great as was the amazing parade- but most of the party events were too crowded to take part in.