Crowds During December

[kmb43]

I booked our trip for the week of December 1st to December 10th, under the impression that the time between thanksgiving and Christmas break was a very light crowd. I called to book our dinning reservations and can not get many of the ADRS that we wanted, the woman on the phone said that the entire month of December is extremely crowded !!!!! Can anyone tell me if this really is the case ? Please tell me that it is not crowded and has something to do with the new booking system for dinning reservations

 

[WoodyFan113]

My family has made 2 trips to WDW during the first week of December and will be returning this year for our third 12/05-12/13. I keep returning at this time because the weather has been nice, the Christmas decorations are up and the crowds are light. Some of the more popular attractions will be crowded but for the most part the wait times have not been bad.

 

[BradyBz12]

Was she referring specifically to ADRs? It would make sense that the restaurants are particularly busy during this time since they extended free dining right up to Christmas.

Not sure how that will effect actual crowds in the parks. We've been there the first 2-3 weeks of December the past 3 years in a row. While it's true it gets a bit busier each year (darned Travel Channel shows!) crowds are still typically very reasonable compared to other times of the year - typically in the low-moderate range.

For example... we don't generally do rope drop, tend to get to the parks late morning, and usually do PM EMH. We're armed with a good bit of WDW knowledge but only a loose touring plan. Given all that, we haven't waited more than 20 minutes for anything (except TSM, but it doesn't matter what time of year it is for that).

All that said, all bets are off this year with all the promos/free dining - so your mileage may vary.

 

[RMulieri]

I have gotten pretty much every Dec except last year.I can tell you it has gotten busier. The crowds now are more avergae or moderate/low.Not Low/Dead like it used to be.Disneys marketing has done an excellent job with getting the crowds to come in December .Go expecting avergae waits and be surprised if they are less.FWIW, I am going Dec 12-18 ,called at my 90 day mark and had an AWFUL time getting adrs.This is the first time ever I had a problem and I also go during free dining all the time.My guess is with the 90 day window, more people's plans are firmed up and everyone books as opposed to 180 days where most people haven't even booked their trips yet

 

[sanboogie]

We used to go every first week in December. It was pretty light. We never waited for anything. We did not do ADRs though.

We are going TONIGHT(!!) due to hubby's schedule. I like Nov/Dec better though. Not as hot, nice weather, low to moderate crowds.

 

[DisneyNDecember]

I have been the last 7 years the 1st/2nd week of December & it has increased every year since then due to Disney Marketing, the internet, & the Travel Channel. Here is a photo of the 1st week last year WITHOUT disney free dining & it was horrible.

So, I hate to see the first year this year with free dining !!

 

[look1angel]

I booked our trip for the week of December 1st to December 10th, under the impression that the time between thanksgiving and Christmas break was a very light crowd. I called to book our dinning reservations and can not get many of the ADRS that we wanted, the woman on the phone said that the entire month of December is extremely crowded !!!!! Can anyone tell me if this really is the case ? Please tell me that it is not crowded and has something to do with the new booking system for dinning reservations

Went second week of Dec last year & the crowds were low. Longest wait for any ride was 1 hour for the new Toy Story Mania & everything else was less than 15 mins, and we did it all.

The weather was fantastic, barely needed a sweater. Didn't make a whole lot of reservations but when I do it's right at the 90 day mark. Good luck.

 

[jkahne9]

I have been the last 7 years the 1st/2nd week of December & it has increased every year since then due to Disney Marketing, the internet, & the Travel Channel. Here is a photo of the 1st week last year WITHOUT disney free dining & it was horrible.

So, I hate to see the first year this year with free dining !!

But last year was the 4/3 deal and free dining. We went last year 12/13/ - 12/20 and it was not too bad at all. Going 12/6 - 12/13 this year and hoping for the same.

 

[NeverBeen2DW]

We are booked right now for Dec 15 - 20th. I was considering switching the dates to Dec 1st to the 6th. It would be better form my child school wise because he does not have school the 4th and would be missing 3 days. Where as with the 15-20th he would be missing 4 and it would lead right into the Christmas break. Not sure what to do. He is only 7 so what is he really missing. The last week of school before the holiday is usually a blow off week anyways. Any thoughts on which would be the better date to go? The 1st to the 6th would be less expensive because it is value season still. It is only value season until the 17th. So we would be paying 2 days with peak season.

 

[firegoofy]

We are going at the end of the last week of school because it's a do nothing week for the kids. Usually they are just watching movies and stuff. We are also going then to be there for DD's 9th birthday on the 21st. We have been twice before middle of January, we know it is going to be more crowded this time. Expecting to do not as many rides but enjoy the decorations more. With the new package released today, Disney obviously is still trying to get people into the parks during that time frame.

 

[NeverBeen2DW]

We are going at the end of the last week of school because it's a do nothing week for the kids. Usually they are just watching movies and stuff. We are also going then to be there for DD's 9th birthday on the 21st. We have been twice before middle of January, we know it is going to be more crowded this time. Expecting to do not as many rides but enjoy the decorations more. With the new package released today, Disney obviously is still trying to get people into the parks during that time frame.

That is how I kinda feel about the week before Christmas. They do not really do much in school. So I would prefer to pull him out and leave early. They frown upon that though. But grades are already turned in and the progress reports go out on weds before break.

 

[BradyBz12]

We are booked right now for Dec 15 - 20th. I was considering switching the dates to Dec 1st to the 6th...Any thoughts on which would be the better date to go?

You're most likely going to be hitting the Christmas rush on the tail end of the 15-20th timeframe.

I'd definitely pick the 1-6th. Low-moderate crowds, value season, and you'll still get the full "holiday experience." Plus it sounds like it works better for your child's school schedule too.