How are the parks the week before Christmas?

[bettyann29]

Just wondering if someone can tell me how crowded the parks are the week before christmas.. Im trying to figure out when we are going to go next year and now Im thinking about this week.. The weather will definitely be better but just wondering about the crowds..

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) You should have low crowds - relatively speaking.
2) Our favorite times are
. . . the two weeks before Christmas (for low crowds)
. . . the last week in Feb & first week in March (for a winter break)

 

[mommykds]

We went in December & walked on everything! Crowd level is very low. The weather can get cold though so pack accordingly.

 

[disneydreamer98]

We went on December 12, 2003 and I couldn't believe how wonderful it was! Not only was it beautiful with all the Christmas decorations, but we walked right on to pratically every ride! I do not think that we waited for more than 5 minutes for anything! The weather was a lot cooler considering we usually go in June or August, but us Michigandars were still in shorts and just fine! After all...it was like a heatwave considering the weather where we come from in December!

 

[floridagirrl2]

DH and I were there one week before Christmas last year (for DH's 50th birthday on Dec. 18th) and, while it was more crowded than we were used to (we generally go during the least crowded times of year), crowds really weren't bad. I would recommend making PS if you want to eat at a table service restaurant for dinner, though.

Magic Kingdom is always crowded on weekends no matter what time of year you go, so hit MK on a weekday if you have the option!

 

[Kellygurlz74]

I went last year around 12/3 with the girls & everything was great. Previous to that trip I was there the year before in May & it was horrible hot & crowded. Dec was great because it wasn't too hot or too cold. (for me it was too cold to go swimming, but the pools are heated).

I agree-- not a lot of waiting we did for any rides. Pretty much walked right on. Stitch's Escape was horrible line wait & the fast pass was full, but last year it was opening year I believe. Let me know if anyone tries this & the wait isn't too bad!

You must take time to see the decorations (especially at night!) and meander around the shops they are decorated as well.
And don't forget the parades! and don't forget the Osborne spectical of lights-- this is a definite must see! It was totally cool!

Disney at christmas time is simply magical!

 

[FINFAN]

We were there 12/18-12/28 last Dec. '04. To us, the days were erratic...I remeber thinking the 20,22,23,24,25, not bad, but 18,19,21, 26-28 pretty jammed. However, we arrived on a Sat which is always crowded and a whole new crop of folks then as it is when just about every school lets out for break. We expected awful crowds on 24, 25...but the weather was cold and rainy and that kept the crowd level down. Our kids are 10 and 14, so we took advantage of the late hours on Xmas eve and hit MK from 10:30 -midnight...just about everything was a walk-on. We were kinda teasing ourselves tho, as since the weather was so crummy if we were at home, NO WAY would we be at a Theme Park with winter coats/ponchos on due to lousy weather...but we had just eaten a FAB meal at O'Hana's, gotten on the monorail, and MK was right there...it was a blast! We hit Epcot/MGM on the 25th...again, rainy day, but very manageable crowd wise. On the nice day 22...it was jammed everywhere! So, I guess what I am trying to say is, the crowds WILL be there that week, but you may get lucky and have some breaks. Also, even tho we are not early risers...we forced ourselves at least 1/2 of the time to get up..it did help. We specifically did a split stay WL first 4 nights and the Dolphin last 6 for the locations...it was great strategy that paid off once the crowds were there at the end of the night...we just walked to the Dolphin. I will say that the cold was rough tho...when we take our next trip, we will plan for summer..but on the up side, we were not tired from lugging backpacks/water bottles etc. around the parks all day.
Have a great time!


PAM