Crowds week before Christmas

[CanadianImagineer]

How are the crowds the week before Christmas (tentative dates are 16-23). Do the parks ever close due to reaching capacity? If so, how probable is it to happen during these dates? Sorry for the montage of questions, I'm a west coast newbie so I'm trying to educate myself

 

[DLR29]

I've been twice during that time in the past 3 years. Certainly the 16th-20th will not be crowded. After that, the crowds begin to come in, increasing every day as it gets closer to Christmas. However, the parks are definitely not nearly as crowded as the week between Christmas and New Years Eve. The week before Christmas, it will not sell out.

Having said that, I would definitely keep reading these boards for good tips about how to handle crowds. Getting there early, using FP, and understanding which rides have long/slow moving lines and which don't are probably the 3 key tips to doing a lot during a crowded season. Also, the week before Christmas is great because the hours are normal "crowded park hours" (8AM-12AM) even though the crowd levels are not as high as other times. This means you can do a ton more AND the entertainment schedule is running in full swing (fireworks, fantasmic, Electric Parade nightly)

 

[Sherry E]

I agree with DLR29. My friends and I went to DLR for the last two years on the weekends right before Christmas, and while it was crowded both years and maybe too much for some people to handle, we found it to be totally manageable and very worthwhile because the holiday experience at DLR is one not to be missed! Once Christmas passes, people show up at DLR armed with their Christmas gift $$$ and time off from work, and they pack into the parks like sardines. New Year's Eve is exceptionally busy and actually a bit scary. But leading up to Christmas, and especially the week before it when not everyone has money or time off yet, things should be fine.

 

[CanadianImagineer]

Excellent - very encouraging responses
I was originally thinking early february, but then I was informed about the ROA drainage...

 

[MAH4546]

The lowest attended date in 2008 was December 17th, a Wednesday. Total gate count was only around 4,000!

Though, it also rained all day.