Early December Crowd Level Question

[WorldofColor]

Dear Disneyland Experts,

I was advised that I should plan my Disney Vacation on the first or second week of December to avoid big crowds. I understand the school is still in session and most people come closer to Christmas itself so I figured that was a good idea.

I chose to book my vacation at Grand Californian Hotel for the week of 12/11 to 12/17, which is the second week of December because of ridiculous crowd during Candlelight Processional on the first week of the month.

Thankfully I have the touringplans.com subscription and it gave me an idea of the crowd level but wanted to confirm with you guys. How is the crowd level during that time? I know there's a CM party on Monday and Tuesday but hoping the crowd isn't bad. My trip over the summer in July was horrific in terms of crowd. Of course, it had Disney magic to it but still. Thanks!

 

[skiingfast]

The CM party isn't a sure thing this year, so don't plan on it, wait and see.

Crowd wise it will feel regular to busy. Not horrific.

 

[specialks]

We had the same idea last year. We went Dec 7-14, and were amazed at the crowds. Sherry E, one of the Disbaords monitors, even recognized the craziness that marked our Dec 13th visit. My best advice for others, don't expect low crowds, there is a good chance you'll be surprised and/or disappointed. I will never again enter a seasonal time at the DLR thinking it will have low crowds.
P.S. I personally think that some of the crowd predictions on touring plans are a complete joke. I subscribe too, and was curious how our Dec trip rated and it is TOTALLY wrong. I might add that one of our nights (the CM party night-was that the 13th?) we spent 45 min waiting in our running car to exit the M&F parking garage because we left when everyone else did. Staying for a shorter time this year, so we can afford the GCH, so I never have to fight my way onto a tram or out of the garage again!

 

[WorldofColor]

Thank you for the responses. That is weird for last year on the December 13th. Touringplans.com has it at 4 of 10 day which is fairly low.

 

[MinnieMama09]

We went last year about that time too, Dec. 12-15. It was busier than I was expecting, but honestly not as bad as I know it gets closer to Christmas. We made sure to get there early, got quite a bit done in the mornings (which were not that bad for us) and then went back to the room for naps (we have 2 little ones) in the afternoons...it definitely was pretty packed by then! We still had a fabulous trip, used FPs when we could and still was able to go on everything we wanted (we were there for 3 days). The most insane part for us anyway (never being there for holiday season), was at night during the fireworks and after...literally wall to wall people (at snail speed, if that) trying to get out of the park, I've never been in such close quarters before! It was quite an experience!

All that to say though, we had a wonderful trip!

 

[boiseflyfisher]

We were there during the same time. If you can swing the money, book the Holiday Tour for the reserved parade seating and the Fantasmic! Dessert seating. They saved us lots of time and frustration as we didn't need to save a spot. We watched the fireworks from our F! reserved seats.

I agree with the others, get there early to avoid the crowds in the late afternoons and evenings.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

We were there during the same time. If you can swing the money, book the Holiday Tour for the reserved parade seating and the Fantasmic! Dessert seating. They saved us lots of time and frustration as we didn't need to save a spot. We watched the fireworks from our F! reserved seats.

I agree with the others, get there early to avoid the crowds in the late afternoons and evenings.

I TOTALLY recommend the Holiday Tour. It was so much fun. My kids had a blast and what's better than walking up 5 minutes before the parade with gingerbread men, hot cocoa, and front row SEATS.

 

[KrazyForTheMouse]

I TOTALLY recommend the Holiday Tour. It was so much fun. My kids had a blast and what's better than walking up 5 minutes before the parade with gingerbread men, hot cocoa, and front row SEATS.

Is there a place to see the prices for the tours? I was thinking about signing the family up for the In Walts Footsteps tour. But might consider the Holiday one as well.

 

[areweindisneyyet]

The first page of the Christmas Superthread has lots of information on the holiday tour and how to book, prices and links to a great thread from last Christmas about all the ins and outs.

It also answers lots of questions about crowds and what to expect.

Enjoy your Christmas trip to Disneyland

 

[Sherry E]

We had the same idea last year. We went Dec 7-14, and were amazed at the crowds. Sherry E, one of the Disbaords monitors, even recognized the craziness that marked our Dec 13th visit. My best advice for others, don't expect low crowds, there is a good chance you'll be surprised and/or disappointed. I will never again enter a seasonal time at the DLR thinking it will have low crowds.
P.S. I personally think that some of the crowd predictions on touring plans are a complete joke. I subscribe too, and was curious how our Dec trip rated and it is TOTALLY wrong. I might add that one of our nights (the CM party night-was that the 13th?) we spent 45 min waiting in our running car to exit the M&F parking garage because we left when everyone else did. Staying for a shorter time this year, so we can afford the GCH, so I never have to fight my way onto a tram or out of the garage again!

Yep - agreed, specialks!

My dates last year - 12/12 - 12/15 - were dates I thought would be less crowded than the usual right-before-Christmas weekend to which I had become accustomed for my DLR trips.

Not the case. The line for POTC on 12/12 and 12/13 (Sunday & Monday) last year looked exactly like it had looked on the weekend immediately before Christmas in 2009. December 12 - December 13 were the most crowded, and 12/13 was even a Cast member party day! By 12/14 (Tuesday), I noticed only a small decrease in any kind of crowds milling about on Main Street.

By Wednesday, 12/15, I noticed a significant decrease in overall crowd levels, but it was still not an uncrowded park, by any means.

What I would consider to be uncrowded is what I saw a few weeks ago in DCA, on the morning of 9/16 (Friday - the start of Halloween season). That was basically empty (I'm talking like DCA-circa-2007-pre-TSMM-and-WoC kind of empty), compared to what DCA has been for the last year or so. If I ever saw anything like that in DL or in DCA during the holiday season, I would be shocked, because the holidays are peak season. Even in the slowER weeks of the holiday season, it's still the holiday season.

 

[RainyDayPixie]

I was there last year Dec 1 (Wednesday) through Dec 4 (Saturday). Wednesday and Thursday were great, but it was much busier Friday and Saturday than I anticipated! The days were fine, but it was pretty crowded after dark. Made it feel really festive, though!