End of December trip...are we crazy?

[DYOBL0305]

It's been almost 8 months since our trip to DW, we had such a great time we're already looking into going back next year....guess we're officially hooked! lol

For our August trip last year we celebrated DD1's 6th birthday AND dh's and my 9th year wedding anniversary (dates only a few days apart), and we're now thinking of doing the same but for our dd2's 6th birthday next year in December. I have some reservations about going in December though, not so much for the cold/weather, but the crowds, I hear they're awful during the time of the month we're looking into going (between Christmas and New Years). Anyone have any personal experiences on that? Is it any better a week before Christmas?

While we were planning our trip last year I heard similar "horror" stories regarding crowds during the days we were planning our trip for, but it really wasn't too bad. We spent 30 min or less waiting in lines, and we were able to get fast passes for all the rides we wanted. It was very busy, of course, but it surely wasn't as bad as we had been anticipating.

Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[siskaren]

The week between Christmas and New Year's is the busiest week of the year, much worse than any week in August.

 

[LaurenT]

The week before Christmas will be busy, but a universe away from how busy it will be the week between Christmas and NYE. That is - by far - the very busiest week. The park will reach capacity and close to new guests several times. MK will be wall to wall people to the point where, if you don't hold on to your family, you will get separated. There will be long lines for every ride. The entire planet is on vacation that week.
Does that make you crazy? I guess as crazy as the other gazillion people who go - you'll be in good company.
If you can get your family up and out the door and standing at the tapstile an hour before park open, you'll still have a couple of hours where you can breathe, but if you are able to go the previous week, I highly recommend that option.

 

[Disneylover99]

We go every August and love it!
We decided to head down Dec. 20th - 30th a few months back and we loved that too!
It's not something I would recommend for first timers, but since you've been and know the lay of the land....I say go for it!
It's magical!

 

[wdwjeffc37]

Yes. The previous posters are correct. The week between Christmas and New Years is the busiest week of the year. But if you have realistic expectations and a good plan, you can have a fine time. It is possible that the MK will reach capacity and if you leave the park you might not be allowed back in. I believe that if you stay on-site there is a less restrictive re-entry policy. Remember though, there are a lot of other things to do and see at WDW other than the MK. The other parks very rarely ever reach capacity. There are also the resorts to visit. Again, know going in that it is going to be crazy crowded and plan accordingly. Good luck and have a great trip!!

 

[Kimi313]

We have gone down lately for NYE. We head down on 30th and usually come back on January 5. But my DD and boyfriend is 24 so the crowds aren't as scary for us. If u go planning little things is essential like if I wanted to see wishes and stand on Main Street I would make dinner reservations at Tony's Town Square and time it to when dinner was over I could walk out to the street to view them. The first time we went we headed to Main Street from tomorrow land and it was so congested with people the CM climbed up on the light pole and yelled instructions so no one got hurt. Now the hub expansion may help this.

Another point is if your going to be there for NYE the hotels we stayed at, BC & POFQ, both had celebrations of their own. I thought that was cool for little ones.

Also our experience was most of the parks will open at 8:00 am everyday so we would take advantage of that because crowds will pick up faster than normal. Also we did MK EMH at night and I know your guys are young but it was very manageable.

Hope some of this helped!

 

[Liz Z]

My Adult DD(24 yo) and i went during the week between Christmas and NYE for the first time. Trust me i was so skeptical as i panic in crowds.

We knew that this would be a crazy busy time but every park was manageable. Of course there were bottlenecks but it wasn't shoulder to shoulder everywhere you walked. So we have no horror stories to tell. Just an amazing time.

We even spent NYE in Epcot and the only time it really became crowded was during the DJ's spots like China and Italy which starts around 7pm. And of course it was 10people deep to see the fireworks. So stake out a spot early.
I can't tell you how it would be with a little one. But it was definitely manageable for us.

 

[DYOBL0305]

Thank you all for your input, going to look into it very carefully, the crowds dont scare us, but our youngest is and will still be quite little, I dont know how well she'd do waiting in lines for too long. She did phenomenal last year, but waits were really not very bad then. THankfully we have a year before we absolutely need to pick dates. I would love love love it if DD2 could spend her actual birthday at the parks, especially MK, since I know it was one of the most memorable experiences for our oldest last year, but she might not mind celebrating early or later once she's there, I'm sure lol

 

[Puffy2]

Just to give another perspective. We went one year about the first week in Dec. It was cold (coats and gloves weather), and to me I came away thinking "Disney is festive enough year round without throwing Christmas into the mix" - it just seemed over the top. I also felt rushed at home to get ready for the holidays. I just didn't enjoy it like I thought I would . We even tried the Holiday party at MK...after one show, some hot chocolate and part of a parade, my oldest (about 11 at the time) was tired and wanted to go back to the hotel. So we did. I don't want to put a damper on your plans. I'm sure many people just love it. I'm just giving a different view.

 

[Disneylover99]

Thank you all for your input, going to look into it very carefully, the crowds dont scare us, but our youngest is and will still be quite little, I dont know how well she'd do waiting in lines for too long. She did phenomenal last year, but waits were really not very bad then. THankfully we have a year before we absolutely need to pick dates. I would love love love it if DD2 could spend her actual birthday at the parks, especially MK, since I know it was one of the most memorable experiences for our oldest last year, but she might not mind celebrating early or later once she's there, I'm sure lol

You don't need to wait in lines if you plan properly. Get there at rope drop 7am. You can do lots in the first two- three hours with no lines. Then use your 3 fp's, grab lunch and head out. Go back after dinner for fireworks, parades, etc, if you wish.

 

[DYOBL0305]

Just to give another perspective. We went one year about the first week in Dec. It was cold (coats and gloves weather), and to me I came away thinking "Disney is festive enough year round without throwing Christmas into the mix" - it just seemed over the top. I also felt rushed at home to get ready for the holidays. I just didn't enjoy it like I thought I would . We even tried the Holiday party at MK...after one show, some hot chocolate and part of a parade, my oldest (about 11 at the time) was tired and wanted to go back to the hotel. So we did. I don't want to put a damper on your plans. I'm sure many people just love it. I'm just giving a different view.

Not at all, I appreciate it! Frankly I've always wanted to go in Oct, but with our oldest in school, and our middle princess starting school this August, it seems like the only times that will work are when the parks, particularly MK, are busiest. Missing school for a couple of days is something we could have them do, but dd2's birthday is right in between Christmas and NYE, and I kind of have my heart set on surprising her just as we did with our oldest. The things we do for our kids, huh? Lol

 

[DYOBL0305]

You don't need to wait in lines if you plan properly. Get there at rope drop 7am. You can do lots in the first two- three hours with no lines. Then use your 3 fp's, grab lunch and head out. Go back after dinner for fireworks, parades, etc, if you wish.

You're absolutely right! That's exactly what I did last year, lots of planning and strategizing, paid off very well for us, hoping it helps again if we do decide to go ahead and visit on those dates....fingers crossed! Lol

 

[Jing]

I'm with you OP - my son is a NYE baby, and I really want to give him a surprise birthday to WDW around 6-8 years old. Not my favorite time of year to go, but we will have fun regardless!

 

[tinkermom_of_two]

We loved our Christmas week trip, and it allowed us to have a longer trip without worrying about missing so much school. Are the crowds insane at times? Yes, but at least there isn't the summer heat/humidity to go with the long crowded lines! We made sure to plan ahead, early mornings then afternoon nap/rest, then late night hours were our best way to handle it. My kids still won't stop talking about how fun the final 2-3 am EMH at MK were - back to back to back headliners can be done, even over Christmas week

 

[DYOBL0305]

I'm with you OP - my son is a NYE baby, and I really want to give him a surprise birthday to WDW around 6-8 years old. Not my favorite time of year to go, but we will have fun regardless!

My kids' birthdays are all during peak seasons, what luck! Lol But yes, I do believe a huge part of the experience is our attitude, and there's plenty of time to plan this so I'm very hopeful we can pull this off with some good planning. I just want her, all 3 of them really, to have a magical time, and I'm sure they will regardless of when we go

We loved our Christmas week trip, and it allowed us to have a longer trip without worrying about missing so much school. Are the crowds insane at times? Yes, but at least there isn't the summer heat/humidity to go with the long crowded lines! We made sure to plan ahead, early mornings then afternoon nap/rest, then late night hours were our best way to handle it. My kids still won't stop talking about how fun the final 2-3 am EMH at MK were - back to back to back headliners can be done, even over Christmas week

This gives me hope, thank you!!