December vs. October

[Jennifer124]

Today I moved our 2015 trip from 10/2-10/9 to 12/15-12/21. I am curious as to what people think about Disney right before the Christmas rush.

 

[GunnarCharles]

I have a relative who worked as a cast member and he said the slowest time of year was the down time between Christmas and Thanksgiving. I think by the 20th and 21st the crowds will start to pick up because just about everyone will be on break by then but for the most part I bet you miss the big rush. Besides, the parks at Christmas time are pretty hard to beat, you made a good choice.

 

[Jennifer124]

Thank you for the reassurance!!

 

[bwang123]

we went those exact dates in 2012. the crowds did start picking up at the end of the trip but not too bad. the day before we left a cold front came in and it was extremely cold. i would definitely go again during that period.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

We love going at this time. It's not so crowded that you can't function and you still get all of the Christmas atmosphere.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

We were there December 13-20th this year. Crowds seemed moderate to me...not light, but then again, our prior trip had been at the end of August when the parks were dead. This year, they had MK opening at 8 a.m. everyday (not EMH) and that was wonderful, if you're willing to get up that early. I have pictures of my kids skipping though Liberty Square to Frontierland all alone (and that was after we'd ridden some rides in Fantasyland).

The weather was a bit of a shock for us. We had three prior October trips (plus one in June and one in August) and December was downright chilly in the mornings and at night, even for us, and we live in Minnesota. It just didn't feel like Florida...the kids didn't even want to swim. Maybe we got an especially cool week, but coats and hats and mittens were requirements at night.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

December is my favorite time to go to WDW. I've done two trips where I flew home on Christmas day, and many others that were during the first two weeks of December. I'm thinking about booking another early December trip this year. I love to cool weather and all the decorations.

It seemed like the crowds increase each day as you get closer to Christmas day. You'll probably notice a big jump in crowd levels over the weekend you're there.

 

[staceyrhood]

Dec 19-21 will be VERY VERY busy. The Saturday before Christmas starts the 2 busiest weeks of the year by far. It will be pretty and decorated, and if you plan for rope drop and get your fp you will be ok.