Here now...

[wdwobsessed]

My son is there now and I was refreshing FP from home (for 2 people) to see what was available in AK. It was around 4pm so evening times were coming up.

Saw a lot of Tough to be a Bug, but also could have gotten EE, Kali River Rapids, Safari, Dino, PE, Triceratops Spin, Navi, and ROL. The only thing that never came up was FOP. You have to keep refreshing. Things disappeared and then reappeared each time. I did it for about 20 minutes.

Not my experience this past week. At all. I was honestly shocked. Maybe just bad luck.

 

[KayKayJS]

Local here.

We were at Magic Kingdom Saturday evening and it was absolutely oppressive. The hub and HEA were insane. The line for Columbia Harbor House at 7PM was wrapped outside around the building. We are going to go back to going in summer again because the last few times I've been in the summer it was not nearly as bad as I've experienced in the "off" times.

 

[mco65]

We were at WDW the last 2 New Years... in 2016, we were there between Christmas and New Years... leaving on the 1st. In 2017, we arrived on the 31st and were there the following week. Both trips were extremely busy.. busiest we had ever experienced but in both cases, they were memorable trips. Being Rope Droppers, we were able to ride just about everything we wanted... Looks like our next trip will be a summer one.. surely the parks aren't as crowded in late July/early Aug as they are in Late Dec... ?

 

[ajwolfe]

This is exactly why we were a one and done for Christmas in the World. And I'll be honest, while it was pretty we found we just simply like Disney as it normally is.

We would love to try Halloween one year but with 2 kids playing basketball that's probably not in the cards until we are kidless for trips.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Agreed!



We’ve waited anywhere from 10-20 mins.



My husband is still down and only made 1hr of the MVMCP. A friend of ours is also here and her daughter and husband have it. Agree.. wash hands and bring hand sanitizer and use italit in between. Hope they feel better soon!

My son was over it in a day it my daughter is still too ill to get out of bed. I’m so sad for her, what a miserable vacation.

 

[hsmamato2]

Emh was at 8 am

Yup- I was there that day,as noted in my thread.... we got there 'late' at 8:30 and lines were a madhouse.... we had FoP FP+ but will have to see the other ride on our next trip. I though the middle part of the day was way too hot and crowded, we sort of ducked back along the trails and didn't do much till it started cooling down,and crowds started easing

 

[hsmamato2]

Um, sorry to hear that... If you feel unsafe, that's your subjective opinion. My subjective opinion is that I've never once felt unsafe inside WDW, ever, including on Xmas Day in MK in the hub. So I'm not going to "aware and prepare" people for something I just don't see as a huge issue. YMMV, but it doesn't make me wrong, or you wrong. Everyone keeps singling out the hub during fireworks. Yeah, that place is a madhouse, it's packed. But anywhere you have a massive crowd like that, tempers can flare...concerts, sporting events, you name it. That one portion of MK is no different. But I don't feel unsafe there, and I wouldn't cast that same blanket across the rest of the parks, because it's not that packed everywhere else. Sorry that your husband had that issue...I would chalk that up to something really unusual...typically when issues escalate that far where it nearly comes to blows, it "takes two to tango". One person gets grumpy and fires off, the other person then fires back and so on. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been party to that myself before, but I was just as "guilty" as the other guy.

slightly OT here But I also avoid the hub at fireworks time- don't know if it's 'unsafe' but I get high anxiety in crowds like that. You just have to be prepared to stand still and not move very fast. If you have a stroller,it's much worse. outer edges of the crowd,staying still till the crowd disperses,those things can all help ease it. If we do get stuck nearby, I'd rather wait in a quieter spot for crowds to thin than fight thru them.

 

[wdw4rfam]

Let's not exaggerate and scare people. If you're in the center of the hub at fireworks time, yes, it's packed (you can still move, it just requires a lot of "excuse me"). However, beyond that, it's not crowded to the point you are unable to move.

MamaBear12, don't get too nervous about it. Yes, it's the busiest week of the year. No, you won't be able to do as much as you do during the summer...lines are longer, 4th, 5th FP+ are harder to get (but not impossible by any stretch). However, as I said before, if you have the right attitude and have some patience, you'll have a wonderful time. Lots of people in the holiday spirit, lots of neat Xmas decorations. Go with the flow, take your time and enjoy. We're many, many time summer veterans and had the same concerns as you when we did our first Xmas at Disney in '15. We had a fantastic time, especially once we came to grips with the fact that we weren't going to ride as many things as we normally do and just changed focus a bit. We're heading down tonight and staying through New Years. Gonna be awesome!!!

Not an exaggeration from what we saw last year either. That was pretty much spot on what we experienced. Felt very unsafe.

 

[jaysmom4285]

honestly, the best way to deal with HEA crowds is NOT to try to leave or go anywhere else right after HEA. We were fortunate to have a reserved viewing area in the hub because of the the plaza dessert party a week ago on a non-party day at MK, and the crowds were packed in tight in every available space. When HEA is over, most of them will opt to leave the park. We just stayed in our reserved area until the tidal wave of people was reduced to a slower trickle, and then we ventured out. If you aren't in a reserved viewing area like that, try to watch HEA from a spot that you could stay in while the crowds leave - near a building or something like that - and just let them go, rather than fight through it.

 

[bladiator]

slightly OT here But I also avoid the hub at fireworks time- don't know if it's 'unsafe' but I get high anxiety in crowds like that. You just have to be prepared to stand still and not move very fast. If you have a stroller,it's much worse. outer edges of the crowd,staying still till the crowd disperses,those things can all help ease it. If we do get stuck nearby, I'd rather wait in a quieter spot for crowds to thin than fight thru them.

As a 6'7" man, I hate going into crowds of people that perhaps have been scoping out their spot for a couple of hours because I know everyone hates me for showing up. I personally don't care if I'm shoulder to shoulder or hugging my neighbor -- but I know that my wife (who is 5'2") never can see night shows very well ever, so I try not to inflict that on others if I can stand in some far flung place.

 

[OnSpaceshipEarth]

Reading all these posts leads me to believe outside of the MK and Avatar, crowds everywhere else are very manageable.

 

[TiffanyA]

We go every year, Xmas week. We know to expect crowds and, like previous PPs have stated, actively avoid popular viewing spots in MK during the parades and especially fireworks. It can feel dangerous even walking the wrong way. A girl once stepped on my toe so badly, it cleanly ripped off my toenail. Trying to get to first aid after was futile. I ride the rides while everyone else clamors to the hub. When the fireworks do start, we just watch them from wherever we are. I would rather NOT be front and center in that crowd.

 

[TiffanyA]

Reading all these posts leads me to believe outside of the MK and Avatar, crowds everywhere else are very manageable.

Crowds are definitely a lot more manageable elsewhere! I've only once been shoulder-to-shoulder at Epcot and that was when the candlelight processional was coming through.

 

[North of Mouse]

Let's not exaggerate and scare people. If you're in the center of the hub at fireworks time, yes, it's packed (you can still move, it just requires a lot of "excuse me"). However, beyond that, it's not crowded to the point you are unable to move.

Oh, yes it was a lot of the time. We just got back and have no plans to go in Dec. again. The last time we went it was not near as crowded. This is the first trip ever that Dh & I had to seriously adjust our expectations of what we could do. Trust me, we go regularly, and this is 'no' exaggeration meant to scare anyone. All are welcome to it!!! LOL

We've always said we'd never go at any of the major holiday times, but thought we were 'safe' that early as we've gone before. Times - they have changed!!

As for watching HEA from the HUB - that's the 'only' way that we'll watch, especially with the projections on the castle. Yes, the crowds are heavy, but I do not feel unsafe as others mentioned. We wait until the next show (Storytime) - 30 min. (?) and it is just as good as the HEA.

 

[disneycountrygirl]

We were there last week, and hearing your report, I am so thankful. The first few days were COLD - like 50 degrees that felt like 40. Winter parka weather, but better that than crazy crowds you are describing.

Good thing you have MVMCP tickets. We did not and were disappointed in how non-Christmasy everything was. Just a little bit of non-eventful Christmas stuff around. Then one night, a wonderful CM at the Crystal Palace gave us some bracelets that allowed us to shop in the MK till 8pm on a party night after our discovery during that dinner that we had 82 snack credits to spend and the park was about closing, and the next day was our last one! Because of that, we accidently got to see the park during the party, and we realized Disney saved almost everything Christmas for the party. We had no idea how all those decorations instantly appeared without us even noticing, but the difference in the look and atmosphere of the park was night and day. It was astonishing almost. Standing on main street with the snow falling, the carols playing, the huge holly wreaths, the lights, the CMs dressed in Christmas attire, the characters in winter scarves really was one of the highlites of our trip. It was a wonderfully serendipitous moment all thanks to our crazy snack credit snafu! We all just stood there in amazement and pure joy, taking it all in for a good 20 minutes. It was bliss, and everything we hoped for in a Disney World at Christmas trip.

I felt so sorry for the people who go during Christmas and don't get party tickets because the trip alone breaks the bank. (It would have been almost another $1000 for our group to attend the party). Non-party goers don't really get to experience a real WDW at Christmas, and they don't even realize they are missing out!

 

[North of Mouse]

Not my experience this past week. At all. I was honestly shocked. Maybe just bad luck.

Ours neither!!!

 

[Sepo]

A few quick tips from our recent trip that would’ve eased my mind so passing them along ; just got back today. Some of these have been said elsewhere but these are fresh and serve to confirm.

1) Fastpasses opened up A LOT on the SAME DAY, between 8am and 12pm especially. Just keep refreshing on your phone by clicking an arbitrary nearby time slot. FOP, Navi, all of them really, they popped up out of the blue after multiple refreshes. Folks are shuffling their own plans for meals, pool time, etc, all over the property and parks and times are constantly shuffled. Again, this is not so much for any time other than the first half of same day. It seems stressful, but it’s actuslly not. There’s a lot of downtime and the MDE app is easy to navigate. Easier than checking email.

2) End of day ride times were very short and MUCH SHORTER than posted. For example, standby/regular wait for Navi River Journey, entered 15 min before “closing” (7:45) was only 25 minutes to the converge point (point where FP and regular line meet) despite a posting of 140 minutes. It was even shorter for folks entering later.

Rode Soarin’ twice in a row with less than 5 minutes wait toward the very the end of Epcot’s day (9:30) as well.

This late night trend has also been stated elsewhere on these boards. Just realize that ride times will remain posted higher (sometimes much much higher) than they are at the very end, presumably as a deterrent.

 

[fbarker]

Um, my husband almost got into a fistfight in the crowded hub on Saturday because he bumped someone who went on an expletive explosion that included following him until the other guys' kids made him back off.

I've never felt as unsafe in a crowd as I did trying to leave before HEA this past week.

I'd rather be aware and prepare then go in with some idea that it's all hunky dory.

Wow amazing!! I have been to WDW 25+ times and I have never ever seen a fist fight. I can only assume it was the cause of two people looking for a confrontation

 

[DisHeels]

We were just there from 12/16-12/22. Like @Sepo said we found fastpasses during the day for FOP and FEA. Just keep refreshing the fastpass times and you may get lucky too.

Something I noticed a lot this trip is people clogging the fastpass entrance. Some were waiting on their time and didn't seem to want to move. Some got up to the entrance and had to dig their park card out. Only to do it again if the ride required you to scan in again. At FOP there was a family of 8-10 people trying to figure out rider swap or whatever. They kept apologizing while more and more of their family walked up. I guess the craze of the ride made them think it was now or never? And we ran into a few times where it looked like the fastpass queue was longer than standby only to find it was one group holding it up.

 

[loves to dive]

We were there Sun - Thurs and I agree the weather was perfect. We did FOP on Monday morning EMH, got to the park around 7:30 and were off the ride by somewhere between 8:30 and 8:45 so not a horrible wait for us. We didn't do FP either, actually, I think we only did 3 FPs the entire time we were there. We knew it was going to be crowded so we weren't focused on rides. We rode the few rides we wanted to and if that meant a 60 min. wait, we waited because we really didn't have any goals in mind. We ate at Mons. Pauls, Tiffins, Rose and Crown and the Maya Grill at CSR, all with no ADRs made until Sun. I made the Tiffins ADR on Sunday while my son was driving down for Monday night. I made the Mons. Paul ADR Sunday afternoon while we were walking around for Sun. night. I made the Rose and Crown for Wens. night on Sun. afternoon while shopping the tea shop and realized we had never eaten there. I made the Maya Grill on the bus on Tues going back to CSR for Tues. night. Any FPs we had I made the day before.