Comparing the busy holiday weeks...

[4luv2cdisney]

Is there really any difference (in crowds) when comparing:

Thanksgiving week
The week leading to Christmas Day
The week leading to New Years Day

We have done Thanksgiving week many times. Our plan is to do the same for 2021 but there's a possibility we may have to switch to Christmas or NY.

We love Thanksgiving but it is definitely busy. We don't do much Thanksgiving Day and we usually leave the Friday or Saturday after and I can feel the difference on those last few days. So, how does Christmas and after compare?

 

[Robo]

"Normally" you'll see the following:
Busy: Thanksgiving week
Busier: The week leading to Christmas Day
Busiest Week of the year: The week leading to New Years Day

 

[fla4fun]

I have experienced both, pre-Covid. Thanksgiving was busy primarily the four day weekend, and Christmas/New Year was that level of crown door the entire period. With Thanksgiving I could get stuff done before or after the four day weekend, but it was more difficult over the weekend itself. My first Christmas visit was back pre-Fastpass (standby only, which could correlate to now) and the lines were so long we didn’t ride any attractions for the entire trip. Fastpass makes a huge difference during the holidays. Hopefully it will be reinstated at some point next year.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

We were supposed to be there starting a week from today. I'm guessing that was our best shot at low crowds!

Ugh!

I long for the days when we just pulled our kids out of school for vacations and they didn't have any input! Trying to work around all these busy adult lives is so hard!

Thanks!

 

[Future_WorldPhonencian]

I have been during these times pre-Covid.

Week prior to Christmas: Varies between low-moderate (5 out of 10) Dec. 18/19th to (8 out of 10) depending on school breaks. Usually things really pick up starting the 23rd/24th but Disney is running at full capacity to accomodate. Long Hours, extra entertainment, multiple parades, and rides being run at max occupancy means there are more people but waits are not outrageous

Thanksgiving: The Wednesday- Saturday of Thanksgiving will all be crowded but not outrageous think 8 out of 10. If you have a good plan and some patience you will be ok. If you visit before or after you will have more moderate crowds. Disney does not expand Thanksgiving hours and entertainment as much as during Christmas which makes it feel more crowded.

Christmas to New Years: Most Crowded Time at Disney. Long Hours, extra entertainment, multiple parades, and rides being run at max occupancy, but its still insanely crowded with long waits. Lots of non-planners show up during this time and have an awful time. These are the people that end up hating Disney or think no one goes at Christmas. The internet has cut down on this some, but you will see lots of angry, confused people or people taking their once in a lifetime trips. This is the time when you see phased capacity closures or parking lots being closed to capacity.