Crowds week before Christmas?

[999DoomBuggies]

Hi all,

Long time WDWer here. I have been DL once (loved every second) and I am looking to squeeze a trip to the land next week from Tuesday to Friday 16-19. How bad are the crowds at this time?

Anyone have experience comparing WDW to DL crowds? My searches have turned up big disagreements between posts.

Also, what are some of the better good neighbor hotels? The onsite rooms are ridiculous right now in comparison to WDW.

Thanks again, hopefully we can pull this trip off.

 

[figment_jii]

I saw your post over on the WDW boards and answered there, but in response to the question about crowds, I do think it'll be crowded, but not capacity-closing level crowds. The AP blockout don't start until the 19th/20th, but LAUSD (and I'm guessing other SoCal school districts) school district is still in session. I think if you go expecting walk-on attractions and no waits, then the parks will feel very crowded. If you go expecting some lines, then it'll probably be okay (I'd say 20-30 minutes for most rides, except the major attractions).

In terms of the good neighbor hotels, I would opt for something along Harbor Blvd between Ball and Katella (or immediately in that area). They're all within easy walking distance to the park. I've stayed at the Ramada Main Gate, Fairfield, and BWPPI. All were fine; they're all essentially motels, so nothing really fancy or outstanding.

 

[TheDoleWhipper]

I will try to answer a few of your questions!

Your dates fall right before the start of Christmas Break on the 19th. From that day on, the Christmas season really picks up and the parks get super busy for a couple of weeks until the second week of January. I do not think it will be that crazy for your visit, but I imagine that the crowds would be increasing rapidly as your stay wears on.

In general, DL is less crowded than WDW because it is less popular with tourists and there is more rides to suck up the people. But keep in mind that DL has tight walkways and it mights feel harder to navigate.

For your hotel, I recommend you pick the Hojo or Farfield inn. These hotels are close enough to the parks to be within easy walking distance, but are still nice hotels. If you wanted something closer, it would have to be a motel, but most of them are clean, nice, and have a pretty decent rating.

Hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[999DoomBuggies]

I saw your post over on the WDW boards and answered there, but in response to the question about crowds, I do think it'll be crowded, but not capacity-closing level crowds. The AP blockout don't start until the 19th/20th, but LAUSD (and I'm guessing other SoCal school districts) school district is still in session. I think if you go expecting walk-on attractions and no waits, then the parks will feel very crowded. If you go expecting some lines, then it'll probably be okay (I'd say 20-30 minutes for most rides, except the major attractions).

In terms of the good neighbor hotels, I would opt for something along Harbor Blvd between Ball and Katella (or immediately in that area). They're all within easy walking distance to the park. I've stayed at the Ramada Main Gate, Fairfield, and BWPPI. All were fine; they're all essentially motels, so nothing really fancy or outstanding.

awesome, thanks for the response, super helpful. I assumed crowds would be thick, just not sure what a 7 day at DL is like compared to a 7 day at WDW. Is it better to wait for blackout dates that from the 19/20 on or go the days prior?

 

[figment_jii]

awesome, thanks for the response, super helpful. I assumed crowds would be thick, just not sure what a 7 day at DL is like compared to a 7 day at WDW. Is it better to wait for blackout dates that from the 19/20 on or go the days prior?

I would probably opt to go the weekdays you had planned (16-19, right?) because those are weekdays and folks have to work and go to school. Disneyland schedules the AP Blockout for periods when they expect high levels of non-AP holders to be in the parks. I think that the crowds are just going to get bigger and bigger as the season progresses, with the peak crowds between Xmas and New Year.

I'm not big ito the crowd calendars other than to use them a low-medium-high crowd indicator (I can't really tell the difference between a "6" day and a "7" day). That being said, I went back and looked at my last trip to DLR and Sunday was supposed to be a "6" day. There were crowds, but the lines were manageable and there was space to move around the parks. The parade and fireworks were busy, but that's expected during the holiday season.