Holiday crowds

[daystar]

I was wondering if anyone has been at WDW for christmas and new years, what's the diffence in crowds???We went for christmas and thinking about doing it again but staying longer until new years, just wondering if it's worth it or will it be to crowded....I didn't have a problem with the crowds at christmas but if at new years it becomes worse than that it might become a problem with small children....I'm not doing this trip to next so plenty of time to decide but just need advice so i can start my vacation planning early....Thanks

 

[Lollipop Mom]

We were there from 12/27 to 1/2 this past year with my then 21 month old and 3 year old as well as my parents. It was VERY crowded but we still had a fantastic time. At least one or more parks closed at capacity for at least a few hours each day. I used Tour Guide Mike and found his "holiday week survival guide" to be a HUGE help. We didn't wait more than 20 minutes for anything on the days we followed his advice. We had one day where we didn't (our first) and the difference was dramatic! My mother, who has really bad arthritis and deteriorating cartildge in her knees, was with us and had a guest assistance pass. Had it not been for that and the handful of rides with alternative entrances for "mobility challenged guests" we would have been waiting for an hour or more for pretty much everything.

Go early, use fast pass, get good advice on what parks will be the least crowded and you'll have no problems at all! Honestly, the crowds are HUGE but if you have good planning, you can manage it no problem. As a matter of fact, we are going back again this year.

 

[dougsmom98]

We went from 12/27-1/3 two years ago with two year old twins and a four year old. It was crowded but we got there when the parks opened and we were able to walk onto most rides for the first 2 hours or so. After that, we did things with short lines and utilized fast pass. We followed much of the touring plan advice in the Unofficial Guide book and we had a fantastic time. When it got too crowded we would go find some place to sit and eat a relaxing lunch. After lunch we would do a few more low key rides and then go wait for the parade and have a Mickey Bar. If you do go at this time and don't care to stay out late on NYE, we went to Animal Kingdom that day and it wasn't crowded at all. It was a good choice for us with small children.
- Amy