Hi everybody, I am contemplating planning a Christmas trip next year. Preferably before Christmas. How were the crowds this year the week and weekend leading up to Christmas? Like the 16-22 time frame? Also curious to see how the crowds are now, following Xmas???
I'm sure it's crazy, but just HOW crazy?
Thank so much!
Well, I can tell you that my friends and I went to DLR in 2007 on the weekend immediately before Christmas, and again in 2008 on that same weekend, and again this year on the same weekend (this year was only a one-day trip on 12/19) - and this year was crazier than the previous two years' trips! I don't know if it is solely due to the massive number of people with Annual Passes now, or the just the economical need to stay closer to home and visit DLR rather than travel out of state for most families, but it was crazy busy. I was not expecting it, based on our experiences in 2007 and 2008! I have since learned that DL reached capacity for a bit on 12/19, and I am not surprised.
The line for Haunted Mansion Holiday was already about 45 minutes long before 11:00 a.m. the POTC line was longer than I have seen it since the '80s and early '90s (but it moves very fast, thankfully). The crowds that gathered for the Tiana Showboat Jubilee greatly added to the congestion around the NOS/ROA area. Main Street was just packed with people at night (because everyone wants to see the gorgeous Winter Castle and its sparkly icicles), and I can't even begin to describe how thick the crowds were who surrounded IASW Holiday at night. Absolute insanity!
On the other hand, DCA, as usual, was not as crazy-crowded as DL was, but due to the upcoming WoC show, I wonder if one year from today, we will be talking about how insane the DCA crowds are.
Still, I would think that when the numbers are all in (let's all wait for the next Al Lutz column in the first few days on 2010 to tell us exactly what they were), the crowds post-Christmas will have been worse than the pre-Christmas crowds I experienced, simply because people probably got DLR tickets or APs as presents, or they got $$$ to spend on APs or tickets, and, therefore, likely stormed the parks right after Christmas was over, not to mention the fact that many people have the whole week between Christmas and New Year's off.
I would still go to DLR again on my same pre-Christmas weekend if I had to, but just better prepared mentally for all the crowds (though I may try to aim for a different time). I found I was getting daunted and discouraged from taking lots of photos and looking in shops and things because I was exasperated by how tough it was to get through the mobs of people.
