Help Please - Disneyland over Christmas/New Years

[mclopezzz]

We are celebrating our 25th anniversary this year and although we have been to Disneyland and DCA many times we thought it would be wonderful to end our 25th year together over Christmas and New Year's. I know the crowds are going to be big but has anyone done this before? We wanted to do something really non-traditional and instead of spending the holidays at home instead wanted to be among all of the magic. We spent our 20th at the Beach Club in WDW and absolutely loved it. Please let me know if the parks are just too overwhelmingly busy or if we use the Fast Pass system wisely, as in the past, if we will have a great time. I appreciate all responses and thanks much.

 

[hlbtimes2]

If you look at this graph, you'll see that is the busiest week of the entire year. http://www.scottware.com.au/theme/feature/crowds.htm If the park is going to reach capacity and close the gates, this is when its going to happen.

Personally, I wouldnt go, because I like the off season with fewer crowds, but that doesnt mean you shouldn't go!

 

[TravelingJen24]

We have never done Christmas, but we have done Thanksgiving and New Years. I personally would choose another time. We too have thought about doing this at one time or another, but the problem is not only the parks, but also you have trouble getting into restraunts without a resso. and using the monorail. They have a great buffet on Thanksgiving, so I would assume that they would do the same on Christmas, but it is quite expensive and you need to make a resso. way in advance.
If I were you, I would go if you are not concerned with getting on the rides and just want the experience. Everything is decorated beautifully, but the rooms prices are excessive. Good Luck.

 

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

I was there for both TG and NYear's eve & day this past year. I knew it would be crowded, but I wanted to be there for the magic. I enjoyed myself because I didn't have any expectations of being able to do a lot of rides (and I didn't). I got about 3 fast passes a day, spent time in CA which was much less crowded, and did rides the last hour or so before the park closed. I also took advantage of rides with single-rider options. I spent a lot of time looking around, watching/listening to street entertainment, doing off the beaten path things like Innoventions and taking lots of pictures and video. (The park is so beautiful with its holiday decorations!)

I avoided Adventureland & New Orleans Square--they were literally shoulder-to-shoulder. Another thing that was impossible was getting something to eat--the lines everywhere were long and slow. After the first day (not getting to eat lunch until almost 3 ) I took a sandwich and some trail mix w/me each day to eat midday. And of course if you wanted a primo spot for the fireworks or a parade you had to plan to camp out way early.

DL was closed to new ticket sales almost every day by 11 a.m./noon so you have to plan to get there early, too.

I had a good time and would do it again. Keep in mind, I was with one adult friend at TG and I was alone at NYear's--no kids. Also, New Year's eve was very rainy and that diminished the crowd SOME--but there were still a lot of people. In my opinion, the key to having a good time is to have realistic expectations.

 

[Shawn]

I'll disagree with a few of the posters here.

Christmas at Disneyland can be fun if you do it right.

We were there from Dec 21-26th in 2004 -- stayed at the Disneyland Hotel. So we were there for Christmas Eve and for Christmas Day.

It is busy, and if you are the type of people who like to spend the entire day in the park without leaving, then it may not be for you. But we typically go to the park right when it opens and then leave around noon and come back in the evening. Even at Chritmas time, the first few hours are pretty good at getting on attractions.

The crowds after the fireworks and other nighttime shows were pretty packed (shoulder to shoulder people jam after the events to get out of the park)-- so we only showed up for those shows one night during our stay. On the other nights, we hit attractions while these events were happening.

We went the Christmas before the big 50th Celebration, and it sound like this past Christmas was even more packed than in 2004. But I think the Celebration may be over by Christmas 2006, so it may not be as bad as last year.

As far as food goes, we had no problem getting reservations, or just walking into places for breakfast and lunches. We typically don't eat large dinners, so I don't know what the reservations were like for that meal. But there are lots of places to eat at the Hotels and in the Downtown district. It didn't seem like a problem to us.

-Shawn

 

[RanStak65]

Hi, this is my first post on this board. I've been reading for a while, but thought I would reply here.
We took our first trip to Disneyland two years ago as a surprise to our kids on Christmas morning. We left that afternoon. We knew going into the trip that it would be crowded, but it was a little overwhelming, at times. The average wait was nearly 90 minutes, sometimes more. The simple act of moving around became difficult as the crowds grew throughout the day. We agreed that we would not complain and we pretty much kept to our agreement! Did we still have fun? Yes!, its Disneyland, how could you not? Would we go again during that same week? Probably not. I think it can still be a lot of fun if you have the right attitude. It would take quite a bit for me to get bent out of shape over while I'm on vacation. You can make it anything you want it to be.
Our next trip is on April 1, and we are staying at the DLH hotel this time! I'm sure it will be crowded then too!
Have a great time whenever you decide to go.

 

[mclopezzz]

I want to thank everyone for their very imformative responses. We are going to give it a go as we have a view room at Paradise Pier and unlimited fast pass from AAA so we should be able to go on a lot of rides and then head back to the hotel when it gets too crowded. I really appreciate the suggestions

 

[momofeva]

We do the DL thing every other year at Christmas time. The crowds get really crazy after Christmas because of the Rose Parade and Bowl, the Holiday Bowl, etc. All the bands and teams that are there for those come to DL then. My best advice would be to try and go before Christmas. The week before Christmas is not as bad and if you really want smaller crowds, the week after Thanksgiving has been less crowded. Weekends are worse then weekdays, as always.

 

[Sleeping Jedi Beauty]

It's been my experience that the week before Christmas is less crowded than the week after. We went after Christmas in '04 and it was packed. Before Christmas in '05 was crowded, but fairly manageable.

 

[momofeva]

One or two more things...

The crowds at DL get really bad about 2pm. That is when we have either left the park and gone to lunch or back to the hotel for a swim and nap or gone over the DCA, which is never really crowded.

Another trick is to watch the parades, fireworks and Fantasmic once and the other days ride some of the long line rides that are open during these events. That way you avoid some of the crowds.