DL/DCA on Christmas Day - historical times that 'lockout' was in operation?

[backinoz]

We'll be there for Dec 24,25 & 26 this year (yeah I know it'll be crazy busy). Can anyone tell me what times the 'lockout' has been in place in previous years? I'm really looking for first hand (or close to first hand) info, or an otherwise reputable source. If you've been there during this period please post reply along these lines...

Year, park, gates closed time, gates re-opened time

E.g. 2014, DCA, 11:45am, 4:15pm

Thanks - I'm trying to plan out these days and am torn between hitting the park early Christmas Day and having a looooooooong break in the middle of the day, staying in the park all day (but not sure how we'll go after a full day Christmas Eve), or sleeping in, brunch at one of the DL hotels and then (maybe) heading into the parks later (but I assume all the FP's will be gone by then). We will be having 5 days in the parks during the week after thanksgiving long weekend at the start of our trip, so Christmas time will be more about atmosphere, shows, and characters.

 

[Sherry E]

Sometimes people who are there don't even realize the park has been closed to capacity, so even the people who have been there may not be able to answer the question. I don't know if the closure times have been consistent from day to day or year to year -- sometimes the closures might last for less time than others. Sometimes Christmas Day is not closed to capacity at all (though last year it was).

It is usually Disneyland that closes to capacity -- DCA not as much, though it has happened.

 

[Kiwiprincess]

I'm really interested in any answers to this too as we will be there similar dates

 

[SMD]

It has never followed a pattern. And Disney doesn't decide when to close the park, the fire marshal does. On the 60th kickoff the crowds were concentrated around the entrance, so it was closed, but by all accounts not as crowded as on other days when it was closed. Something similar could happen that week due to the high number of people who will be on their first visit since PTN started.

But, it's also a phased closure, so while they may stop allowing ticket holders to enter, if you were in the park earlier that day, it may still be open to readmission.

 

[backinoz]

Thanks all for your input, from what you've all said and spending waaaay too long scrolling and reading through other posts and trip reports then i think our strategy will be:

a) If we think we want to go to DL on Christmas Day, then it's probably best to drag ourselves outta bed & go early
b) If we think we may want to leave the park (for brunch/lunch, nap, or just a break), then it's probably worth having a park hopper so if DL is closed to re-admission, then we can go into DCA
c) We may be better off just buying a 2 day ticket (for this part of the trip), in case we decided not to go to a park on Christmas Day; then if we do we'll just add an extra day before leaving that night.
d) Sort out most likely scenario (family poll time...) and make sit down meal reservations accordingly. We've done NYE in Epcot at WDW, and having those sit-down meals booked in was a welcome break - gotta find best place for Christmas Lunch or Dinner now...

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Not really trying to hijack the thread, but I have a similar question....has Disneyland or DCA typically done closures for New Years Eve or New Years Day? We will be there then and I know it will be busy I just want to be prepared for it.

 

[Malcon10t]

Not really trying to hijack the thread, but I have a similar question....has Disneyland or DCA typically done closures for New Years Eve or New Years Day? We will be there then and I know it will be busy I just want to be prepared for it.

NYE does have closures almost every year. I've been there when it has closed at noon, and another when there was no closure, and everything in between. If you want to be in DL for NYE, get in by noon and don't leave. DCA rarely closes on NYE (I don't think it ever has) and last year is was really empty (we headed to DL about 8pm and DCA was slow.)

New Years Day is similar to the rest of Christmas break. Basic rule of thumb, if the park is going to close, it will close somewhere around 2-3pm and reopen after the parade. Disney does not close the park, the fire marshal does. The fire marshal will allow it to reopen based on people leaving.

 

[emmybee]

I don't remember why my family chose to start the day at DCA on Xmas day last year. Maybe it was because we started at DL the day before. In any case, when we were ready to head over to DL in the afternoon, the plaza was filled, and we heard that DL was at capacity. Making the best of it, we spent the day watching shows and eating turkey legs. It was a very nice day! For whatever reason, we didn't bother trying to get into DL again that day. In any case, I think it's a good idea for you to head over to DL early and plan on staying put. In retrospect, it wasn't as horrible as I was expecting it to be. A couple people were total jerks at the shuttle station, and there was one infuriatingly obtuse family at the train station once, but it was pleasantly positive for a very last minute trip! It did teach me that I do not want to stay off-site again, but obviously, that's just me and my spoiled family!

 

[tarheelalum]

We were at DL this past Christmas and I think they closed the gates early in the afternoon for a while. Can't say exactly when because we were in the park and we didn't want to get locked out by leaving. To play it safe you should expect the gates to be closed from 11am to 6 pm.That is probably overkill but getting locked out of DL on Christmas day would really stink so I'd play it super safe if I were you. The crowds are going to be miserable so bring a lot of patience.

 

[Metalliman98]

I know the answer is going to be "very" or "extremely". But the main thing I want to know is, will DL reach capacity on 12/31, and if so what time does it usually reach capacity? Also, if we go that week my expectations for attractions will pretty much be fastpass only, as I'm sure everything else will have unreasonable wait times pretty much, but will lines for counter service restaurants be ungodly? Will it be so packed that getting around the park will be an issue?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I am also interested in this as we will be in DL during this time and it will be the first time going during the holiday season.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Never been personally so this is from reports that I've seen over the years...

EXTREMELY crowded, ESPECIALLY on New Years Eve. When/what time could gates close? If you decide to go on that day get there first thing in the morning and do NOT leave the park, if you leave for any reason it is entirely possible you won't get back in due to capacity constraints even though you have a park ticket only valid for that day. There is no way to know if DL will gate close or what time so prepare for the worst because getting locked out of the park would be a sucky NYE. Fastpass only sounds nice but Fastpasses do run out during the day. Ungodly CS lines? Yep, best suggestion I saw was dine at really weird times. So packed getting around the park is an issue? Yes- but this is DL its hard getting around certain spots (Adventureland) even on a normal day, so just magnify the normal getting around issues. Sorry I'm so "Debbie-downer" on it but that's what I've seen reported since I've been watching over the last few years.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I am also interested in this as we will be in DL during this time and it will be the first time going during the holiday season.

Preparing ahead of time is great! You'll know what you're getting into, there are plenty of people who do this every year and still have good experiences despite the crowds. I humbly suggest checking out the Holiday Thread for seasonal info & ask around here on the boards for suggestions on how to still have a wonderful time over the Christmas-New Years week despite the crowds, I'm sure you'll get some great suggestions!

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

It's a crapshoot. Yes, gate closure is a very likely possibility. From what I heard from the CMs this year though, NYE didn't get as crowded as predicted or feared. To be honest though, we left DL at around 10:30 on NYE because we knew that the crowds and congestion would be more than we wanted to put up with. We started the morning in DL around 8:30, did a few of our favorites before the crowds poured in, and then headed over to DCA. Lockers were still in abundance at DCA at 10:30 or 11:00 am on 12/31, so we rented one to stash our stuff and spent until 12:30 am Jan 1 in DCA. It was great. I think we got to do every ride and show we wanted. Food lines weren't bad at all. They had a lot of extra nighttime entertainment and a special small fireworks show followed by a World of Color show at midnight.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

NYE does have closures almost every year. I've been there when it has closed at noon, and another when there was no closure, and everything in between. If you want to be in DL for NYE, get in by noon and don't leave. DCA rarely closes on NYE (I don't think it ever has) and last year is was really empty (we headed to DL about 8pm and DCA was slow.)

New Years Day is similar to the rest of Christmas break. Basic rule of thumb, if the park is going to close, it will close somewhere around 2-3pm and reopen after the parade. Disney does not close the park, the fire marshal does. The fire marshal will allow it to reopen based on people leaving.

Thanks good advice. I was kind of thinking the NYE would be a day that we would just spend in the park. I'm thinking some nice leisurely meals will help us relax during the day.

 

[ImDMous]

We went on the 26th one year because out of town guests wanted to go. I will not do it again if I have a choice, but we still had a great time and it was very festive. We only had DL passes so never left to park hop so I don't know if they gates closed that day. We did have problems getting places, New Orleans Square had this random dead stop, people coming from Splash area heading out and people heading in from Golden Horseshoe area all just clogged up not moving anywhere. CM's had to come in and tell people what direction to go in no matter where they were trying to get, just to clear out the clog. This was in the afternoon, no added Fantasmic traffic or anything. We waited about 1 hour for Pirates and 1 1/2 for Haunted Mansion, which is pretty crazy. We are go with the flow people so we didn't get angry or frustrated or anything, but there were a lot of frazzled parents that day. Just go in knowing you won't get on the usual volume or attractions, but soak up the atmosphere, go where the day takes you and have fun.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

I don't remember why my family chose to start the day at DCA on Xmas day last year. Maybe it was because we started at DL the day before. In any case, when we were ready to head over to DL in the afternoon, the plaza was filled, and we heard that DL was at capacity. Making the best of it, we spent the day watching shows and eating turkey legs. It was a very nice day! For whatever reason, we didn't bother trying to get into DL again that day. In any case, I think it's a good idea for you to head over to DL early and plan on staying put. In retrospect, it wasn't as horrible as I was expecting it to be. A couple people were total jerks at the shuttle station, and there was one infuriatingly obtuse family at the train station once, but it was pleasantly positive for a very last minute trip! It did teach me that I do not want to stay off-site again, but obviously, that's just me and my spoiled family!

Why not stay off site?

 

[BostonJP]

Just out of curiosity, what is it like when the park is at capacity? I've seen Main Street at the Magic Kingdom completely packed with people but that seemed to dissipate once past the hub, and I think that would have been like 7/10 capacity.

Sorry to derail, just curious!

 

[SMD]

Someone actually answered that here: http://www.disboards.com/threads/dl...l-times-that-lockout-was-in-operation.3440248
Maybe these could be merged and we could get a big "Christmas to New Years" super thread?

 

[SMD]

Just out of curiosity, what is it like when the park is at capacity? I've seen Main Street at the Magic Kingdom completely packed with people but that seemed to dissipate once past the hub, and I think that would have been like 7/10 capacity.

Sorry to derail, just curious!

Shoulder to shoulder people with lines so far out of the FL and NOS queues that they practically meet. And people camped out on Main St and by the castle four half the day waiting for a spot.