Cold Weather = Fewer Crowds?

[AKLFan3]

I'm sitting at work right now, shivering a bit as I look out the window at all of the snow and ice coating the parking lot. I decided to look up today's forecast in Orlando and although I know it can become quite cold there in December, I'm shocked that the Weather Channel is reporting 38 degrees at WDW...but with wind chill it feels like 32 degrees! I hope those of you who are at WDW right now are staying warm! I will be there this upcoming Sunday and I am definitely packing my winter coat and a few sweaters.

Has anyone noticed if the parks are *a little* less crowded with the cool weather?

 

[joelnkelly]

No, the parks are not less crowded this time of the year. I live here in Orlando and we took our daughter last week to Hollywood Studios and it was packed. We went last Saturday night and it was even more crowded. The cold weather is definatley not keeping the people away. Good news for you is starting Friday the weather will be warming up to the mid 70's. It will feel like summer again.

 

[Chuck S]

We were there from Dec 1 to 11, the parks were busy, especially in the afternoons.

 

[TLinden16]

I'll third this. I was there Dec. 5-13, and the cold weather did not keep people out of the parks. There were a lot of people. Probably the only thing the cold water did was keep people off of Splash Mountain and Kali River Rapids.

 

[jolia]

My understanding is that WDW pumps in warm air....(I expect nothing less from Disney). Just kidding!

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I'll third this. I was there Dec. 5-13, and the cold weather did not keep people out of the parks. There were a lot of people. Probably the only thing the cold water did was keep people off of Splash Mountain and Kali River Rapids.

Yep. Spot on. We were there the 5-12 and that's exactly how I saw it. I will seriously contemplate my Christmas trip next year. We've enjoyed it in the past but last week was ridiculous. It's been getting progressively worse for the last 3-4 years IMO. I, for one, will be happy to see free dining (what an oxymoron) go away. I think FD is a lot of the problem.

The weather was one thing but just the fact that the crowd levels were that high in that weather speaks to the fact that the first couple of weeks in December are no longer just DVC folks.

MVMCP was sold out Thursday night when we went. Never again. That crowd was ridiculous. Saturday night we didn't even stay but an hour. You could not MOVE. Our 5 YODD was disappointed but even she understood why we left at 8:30 on our last night of this trip.

I gotta find a better time to see the Christmas decorations. Maybe Disney oughta do Christmas in July.

 

[robert@dvcstore]

As I have noticed over the years, when the cold weather arrives in December and January, it does not seem to deter guests from visiting the parks. All are bundled up and enjoying themselves, but especially in December, the guests are here.

Grab your coat and hat and enjoy yourself.

Robert

 

[wbl2745]

We were there from Dec 1 to 11, the parks were busy, especially in the afternoons.

We were there from 12/1 to 12/7 and it was crazy packed. The Magic Kingdom was wall-to-wall people and strollers. We were talking to someone who pointed out that at least during part of that time Disney was offering free DDP. Does WDW have a down time any more?

 

[ToddyLu]

Crowds were also larger in my opinion while we were there 11/30-12/10. Someone said that the weekend of the taping was also the last weekend FL residents could use their passes which added to the numbers We were to chilly to stay until the very end of our 3 MVMCPs...and we did that becuase the parks were closing early. We rode and did what we wanted but I glad to be knowing I am going back to enjoy and that it wasn't my first visit at Christmas. I was more tired after trying to keep warm all day. The party on 12/09 I was just plain cold.

 

[Granny]

Has anyone noticed if the parks are *a little* less crowded with the cool weather?

I would think that aside from Orlando locals, most people plan their WDW pretty far in advance. The weather is unknown when most people plan their trips. So if you bought the plane ticket and have the park tickets, you're going to head to the parks even if it's cold, right?

 

[toniosmom]

I would think that aside from Orlando locals, most people plan their WDW pretty far in advance. The weather is unknown when most people plan their trips. So if you bought the plane ticket and have the park tickets, you're going to head to the parks even if it's cold, right?

I agree with you. We were there from Dec 4-11 and went to the parks regardless of the weather. I found that the parks in the daytime were much less crowded than the nighttime. My guess is that everyone wanted to see the various lighting displays that you obviously can't see during the day. Compared to our trip in early March this year, I found the crowds to be a little less than they were in March. The MVMCP was very crowded, I thought -- more so than the daytime hours. I'm glad we got to see Disney Christmas because it's going to be a while before we go back at this time of year. We love to swim and the weather is just too unpredictable this time of year.

 

[AnnaS]

Guets would plan way in advance. I have never visited during this time of year and want to someday - desperately, lol.

It is in the low 20s here and feels more like it's in the teens. If I ever make it to WDW during Christmas (or Jan.Feb.), I would definitely prefer much warmer weather (as I am sure everyone else does too). I would be happy to be there but would enjoy it much better if Orlando was in the 50s and not 30s.

 

[Luna_Lovegood]

We were here last year this same week when the high was in the 80s several days, and it seemed less crowded than in the blustery 40s the past couple of days. Lines were still over an hour for the big rides, but the freezing wind made me grumpy and less willing to navigate them! Crowd numbers looked good when I checked them earlier, but I believe they were off quite a bit!

 

[dbs1228]

Wow we were there from Dec 10 - today, and EPCOT seemed a bit busy (not crowded) on Saturday, Sunday Magic Kingdom was not busy at all, I actually took a picture down the street outside of Pirates because there were only 3 people walking on the street at 10:00 AM. Monday Hollywood Studios was not busy until the evening when we went back to see the lights and Tuesday AK was walk on rides in the morning. It felt like a treat but then again we have never been in Dec. before. Had a ball and packed my layers, gloves and turtle necks! Back to reality!

 

[pmcpmc]

As I have noticed over the years, when the cold weather arrives in December and January, it does not seem to deter guests from visiting the parks. All are bundled up and enjoying themselves, but especially in December, the guests are here.

Grab your coat and hat and enjoy yourself.

Robert

needed in the southern hemisphere for the canadian snowbirds.
let's play cricket

 

[ekm]

This is a great time to be at Disney, Most people reserve well in advance but the weather is a crap shoot, and you take what you get.
We were waitlisted for the first week in December this year, so the entire DVC inventory was booked solid. Our request eventually came through, and we had a great time despite the cool weather.

 

[Tamar]

We were there Dec 10-16. It was downright cold!! I did not take my Eddie Bauer down jacket off once on Monday. And the parks were packed. I really thought the locals at least would stay away, but that doesn't seem to have happened.

And....I cannot believe how many flip flops and shorts I saw over the weekend. By Tuesday people seemed to have packed for the weather, but over the weekend it was amazing how many people were underdressed. And, yep, there were people in the pool each day.

'Course, I'm not complaining. We watched the weather channel on Sat and Sun and saw the snow and cold we were missing in MN and we decided 40 degrees was just fine!

 

[kwdw]

We were there Dec 10-16. It was downright cold!! I did not take my Eddie Bauer down jacket off once on Monday. And the parks were packed. I really thought the locals at least would stay away, but that doesn't seem to have happened.

Okay - okay - where we there at the same time? I was there Dec 13 (Monday) through Dec 16th - and I did not think the parks were crowded. Monday night after the fireworks - MK rides - you could walk on. Place was deserted by 10:30 pm when I gave up due to the cold. Tuesday at Epcot was not bad - but then - I didn't try to do Soarin either! A little busy around dinner time. Wednesday - I thought Animal Kingdom was not bad at all - and again, felt deserted during the evening EMHs. Mickey and Minnie were posing together for photos in the evening during EMHs and I couldn't resist getting my photo taken with them in their holiday attire. Only waited for 3 or 4 families in front of me. Esp. on the 13th and 14th - I think the cold kept people away.

 

[Tamar]

Okay - okay - where we there at the same time? I was there Dec 13 (Monday) through Dec 16th - and I did not think the parks were crowded. Monday night after the fireworks - MK rides - you could walk on. Place was deserted by 10:30 pm when I gave up due to the cold. Tuesday at Epcot was not bad - but then - I didn't try to do Soarin either! A little busy around dinner time. Wednesday - I thought Animal Kingdom was not bad at all - and again, felt deserted during the evening EMHs. Mickey and Minnie were posing together for photos in the evening during EMHs and I couldn't resist getting my photo taken with them in their holiday attire. Only waited for 3 or 4 families in front of me. Esp. on the 13th and 14th - I think the cold kept people away.

Not sure if it was Friday or Saturday that Soarin' fastpasses were gone when we got to the Land at 1:30pm. I consider that busy!!

Sat night we had dinner at V&A Chef's Table, and that was just DH and me, so no crowd there.

Monday at MK there was a line out the door for Mickey's Philharmagic--something I haven't seen for years, and also a 20+ minute wait for Haunted Mansion (line back to the Riverboat entrance with lots of zigzags).

Friday Illuminations was about 5 deep in Canada. Tuesday we had no competition for a front row view. So---maybe it got progressively less busy from the weekend...

 

[photobob]

I would think that aside from Orlando locals, most people plan their WDW pretty far in advance. The weather is unknown when most people plan their trips. So if you bought the plane ticket and have the park tickets, you're going to head to the parks even if it's cold, right?

Exactly the point I was going to make. I would think the only people who would stay away when a cold snap comes in would be locals who can pretty much go when they want to.