Disney at X-Mas & NYE

[bobandkevin]

We are going to WDW from Dec 25 through Dec 30 and I know its going to be crowded. The question is...how crowded? I have been to the world during June, July & August, so I've seen crowds. Can anyone give me any idea what to expect? Parks closing due to capacity? 2 hour wait times? Oh my!

 

[Franne]

We were there Christmas week and NYE last year. Let me preface this by saying it's always been a dream of mine to be there on New Years and this was the first time I could since I am a teacher and we always have to go back to school on the 2nd, the way the calendar worked out last year we didn't have to be back till the 5th! For the week after Christmas, it was very crowded every day and the lines were long. You have to take advantage of fast pass for sure!

On NYE that was another story! I have never seen the park so crowded! We got to the Magic Kingdom at 9:00 parked our car and didn't get off the ferry boat until 10:00! We waited soooo long just to get on, and the monorail line was longer. But, being the fanatic I am, we had to wait to get in because I wasn't missing NYE at MK!!!

Well anyway, it was extremly crowded. The park closed at 10:15 and we didn't leave all day for fear of not getting back in. We hardly went on any rides but that was ok, because just being there makes me happy! We spent a lot of time on Tom Sawyers Island were there were less crowds. They start giving out hats and noisemakers around 4PM.

AT 10:30 PM we decided to head over to Main Street so we could get a good spot for the fireworks. Well, it was SO crowded that you couldn't even get down Main Street, they were exiting people behind the shops because there literally was no room to walk down Main Street. We staked out our spot and stayed there till midnight. (BTW, people with carriages or wheel chairs had such a hard time getting around, they really should rope off a path so they could get through) It was a crazy day and my kids had about enough as the time got closer and closer. It was just like being in Times Square, all smooshed together.

At 12 it was just so magical, I am crying now thinking about it, the fireworks were AMAZING, and they were everywhere. I have never experienced anything like that before and it was a dream come true for me. Would I do it again, even after all the crowds, you betcha! I wish we could go again this year!
Franne

 

[Deb & Bill]

The parks will close several times during that week because they have reached maximum occupancy. If you don't go early, plan on going later in the afternoon or evening. They usually open back up again after lunch, but can close down again in the afternoon.

If you want to go on rides, do it early and get out of there when the lines become long. Plan on not doing everything and coming back on another trip. My time is too precious to wait an hour or two for a ride. And when you see wait times of 30-45 minutes for Small World, LEAVE THE PARKS.

We were there for NYE last year and it was wonderful. We got to Disney Studios by about 5PM and stayed until after midnight. They had three or four Fantasmics that evening. Fireworks were great. We stayed at the Dolphin that night (moved over the VWL on Jan 1) and walked to and from the park. We loved NYE even more than Christmas and we have done Christmas several times.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I see a couple of you have 1st hand knowledge of the week after Christmas. We'll be in Orlando from Dec. 23rd to Jan. 2nd. I have been attempting to get some info on this week on the Theme Park board, to no avail. We are considering going to the MK one day this week, but only if they have the Christmas shows and parade. Do you remember if any of the special shows & parade from MVMCP were showing this week? We also want to eat at LTT, but again, only if the characters are dressed in their Holiday attire. We have eaten at LTT before, and thought it was o.k., but the Holiday attire and atmosphere would definitely make it worth a return visit. Did you notice if any of the other rests. in the MK had characters dressed in Holiday attire? Also, we're not staying on-site, and due to my health, will have to leave at some point during the day then return later. Due you have a suggestion on which day we should plan to go, if we can see the Christmas shows? If you can help, that would be great. I'm getting close to PS time, and we still don't know whether or not we even want to go. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Noelle]

We were there for Christmas last year. We arrived on the 19th and the crowds were about average in comparison to our usual summer trips. But on Xmas Day, I couldn't believe all of the People. It amazed us. In my opinion, the one place you do NOT want to be on Xmas day is the Magic Kingdom! I imagine it probably is similar to the NYE description. We decided that we didn't want to spend our day in long lines. So we went over to Epcot. The crowds were still large. But since the park is larger, the crowds didn't seem too bad. The lines were still long. We waited over an hour to go on Malestrom because my youngest daughter "had" to ride it. But we passed our time, watching the different Santa's in each of the different countries at the World Showcase and we had made reservations to see the Candlelight Processional that night.