Crowds the week BEFORE Christmas

[jhun21]

OK, I see lots and lots of people saying the crowds between Christmas and New Year's are insane - is there any break for those few days leading up to Christmas, like the 20th through the 24th?

 

[Sherry E]

OK, I see lots and lots of people saying the crowds between Christmas and New Year's are insane - is there any break for those few days leading up to Christmas, like the 20th through the 24th?

Well, last year I was at DLR on the weekend just before Christmas, like within a couple of days of it, from Fri. - Sun. I can only speak from my experience, but I found that, while it was definitely busy and congested in some areas, it was BETTER than the week between Christmas and New Year's for sure. I know there are folks on here who disagree and say that the weeks before and after Christmas are equally as bad, but I think after is worse. That said, the week before Christmas is still very, very busy, and you have to kind of mentally prepare yourself for it and try to plan as best as you can beforehand to get the most out of your experience. We stayed at the GCH and so when the crowds got too ridiculous in the park, we moseyed back to the hotel and soaked in the Christmasy ambience! We also sat in the huge lobby of the GCH at night and listened to the carolers by the tree, and it felt really warm and cozy, as it should right before Christmas. So, I think if you really want a taste of DLR around the holidays and going between December 20 - 24 is your only option, I think you will be fine with the right planning. It is manageable. We got everything done that we wanted to do. Maybe that is not as much as some folks want to do but we were satisfied!

 

[jhun21]

Thanks Sherry!
I remember what an awful time we had, back during the 50th, when we happened to be there on Veteran's Day which happened to coincide with the first offical day of the "holiday celebration". We waited an hour and a half for a fast food lunch, and went on about 4 rides I think.

We have the 2oth through the 3rd, but looking at the calendar, it seems those few days before Christmas would be our best bet.

 

[Sherry E]

Thanks Sherry!
I remember what an awful time we had, back during the 50th, when we happened to be there on Veteran's Day which happened to coincide with the first offical day of the "holiday celebration". We waited an hour and a half for a fast food lunch, and went on about 4 rides I think.

We have the 2oth through the 3rd, but looking at the calendar, it seems those few days before Christmas would be our best bet.

You're welcome! Yes, it will be very crowded, but certainly a better bet (from my own experience) than in the few days immediately following Christmas, which are horrendous! If you kind of use time-saving tricks such as, for example, making as many Priority Seating arrangements with Disneyland Dining ahead of time, then you will cut down on a LOT of wait time for food and rides. I mean, yes, it takes away some of the spontaneity of it, but we wasted so much time in line last year, waiting at Carnation Cafe to be seated and just trying to decide where we were going to eat and feeling daunted when we saw long lines. This year, I just picked restaurants that everyone would like and made all PS's for them, so we don't have to think about it and we don't have to WAIT. Also, you could use RideMax, which you may be familiar with - it is a software program that you can download (I think they charge $15 total for three months of use) that figures out how much time you will need to accomplish everything you want to do and makes up an agenda for you. You enter in all the rides and attractions and even rest breaks that you will need to do, and RideMax will figure out the best schedule to get all of it done and give you an itinerary. Of course, rarely does anyone stick to the RideMax agenda 100%, but it is cool to use as a general guideline. It will also tell you everything you need to get a Fast Pass for. And that is the other trick - knowing which rides you NEED the FP for and which ones are better off without it! And make lots of lists - of everything you HAVE to see/do, everything you would like to see/do but could stand to skip if necessary and things that you don't need to do. That helps whittle down the options to the necessary ones!

Have a great time! It is extra magical at DLR during the Christmas season, I think - my favorite time of year there! The decorations, the food, the merchandise, the holiday versions of Haunted Mansion and It's a Small World, the colors, the lights, the music - it is absolutely enchanting!

 

[jhun21]

I think staying at the park will help as well. There's so much magic there, plus all the decorations. My girls are 3 and 5, and they've been to WDW earlier this year, plus to Disneyland two other times, so they know the drill. It's my nephews (and sister) I would worry about - they've never been and I am not sure how patient they'd!

 

[Sherry E]

I think staying at the park will help as well. There's so much magic there, plus all the decorations. My girls are 3 and 5, and they've been to WDW earlier this year, plus to Disneyland two other times, so they know the drill. It's my nephews (and sister) I would worry about - they've never been and I am not sure how patient they'd!

Staying at the park - or nearby - helps tremendously. I know that AP holders local to SoCal usually do not stay at a hotel, but for those who only get to DLR every so often and want the full experience, the hotels are extra magical during the holidays too. And those mid-day rest breaks can be SO crucial and revitalizing. When we did not have a hotel to go back to, we would burn out much faster and thus, get less done. Now, we just go back to the room for a couple of hours to rest our weary bones and rejuvenate, then head back out later with a second wind. Plus, sometimes it is just too crowded to eat in DL or DCA and it is nice to be able to eat at one of the hotels or in DTD to get away from the crowds a little!