How bad are crowds during Christmas?

[mickey765]

Our trip was cancelled due to the virus, and we are thinking about rebooking from December 16 - 19 and then following with a cruise. If we were to do one day at MK, one day at AK and one day at DHS, do you think we would get much done? Or would the crowds be outrageous. I was also thinking about adding a DHS day following our cruise (so on the 28th) and making our first DHS day a half day, with the evening at Epcot so we could ride Ratatouille. Is this even doable? I know the crowds can be massive, but would you plan more days at the parks because of it?

 

[mickey765]

also, will there be limited fastpasses? and I decided that MVMCP isn't worth the money for us. Do you think it's worth the money?

 

[rpb718]

At this time, the only answers can be based on past experiences at the parks - which are all pre COVID-19.

If there is a vaccine by the fall and folks have been inoculated and WDW is the same as we all know and love, I would imagine XMAS crowds this year could be historic.

The unknown here are the short and long term measures that might be put into place this year at WDW to control crowding in the parks - especially if there is still no vaccine which is a more likely scenario. No one knows what these measures could be. For example: Maybe you have to reserve what park you want to go to days in advance like picking your ADRs or FPs, and once it hits a maximum crowd number you wouldn't be able to go to that park (or keep checking as folks change plans until you can reserve). I'm not saying they'll do this, just throwing out an example of an "unknown" that might or might not happen.

 

[sanibel11]

I went to Hollywood Studios on Dec 23 and it was really crowded but manageable. Family of 4 and we were still able to ride Rise of the Resistance get same day fast passes for slinky, TSMM (3X) and Aliens in addition to the 3 other fast passes we had coming into the day.

 

[AngelDisney]

I think Dec. 16-18 should have lower crowds than Dec. 19 onward as the Christmas crowds starting to roll in that weekend until Jan. 1. It’s hard to predict what the Christmas crowds would be like with people cancelling and rebooking trips as well as the economic implications of COVID-19. It could be more crowded or less crowded than what the parks normally are. I am booked for Dec. 19 to Dec. 29 with a 3-night cruise on Dec. 21 which I may cancel depending on the situation, and I would plan for huge crowds. I have park hopper tickets and hope not all parks are closed for capacity at the same time.

 

[CynBeth]

I would have one of your days be at Epcot for the storytellers and Candlelight Processional.

 

[Gehrig1B]

No crystal ball here so going on past experience (5 years running)...

1) Crowds are manageable. It is best to manage crowds by using park hoppers and leaving mid-day to avoid the largest crowds. Hoppers are nice to have as many nights are party nights at MK and the park closes at 6:00. Crowds on party days are usually very manageable, just hop to another park in the evening.
2) Your holiday will be much better if you stay at a Disney resort that has close proximity to MK or Epcot. These parks are most popular during the Christmas season and it is nice to be a short walk, boat, or Skyliner ride away, especially if hopping/leaving mid-day to avoid crowds.
3) The Christmas Party is a lot of fun but can be very expensive for a large family. I think it is worth doing once.
4) Learn how to master MDE for same-day fast passes. We never get in a standby line of over 20 minutes yet are able to fo all the headliners over an 8-10 night stay. Not uncommon for us to get 8-10 fast passes a day, sometimes more.
5) Use Mobile Ordering. It is amazing how many visitors do not use it or do not know about it. Be sure you make ADRs at 180 days if you plan to have table service meals.
6) Because you are planning only a few days you will be at a disadvantage trying to do as much as possible with holiday crowds... it is much easier if you have a longer stay.
7) Do not concern yourself with capacity closures based on history. No park has had a phase 4 capacity closure in over 10 years. If staying on property you will be allowed into the parks, even if you get a park closure popup from Disney. The only people locked out are day guests, not resort guests.

 

[mickey765]

I would have one of your days be at Epcot for the storytellers and Candlelight Processional.

what is storytellers?

 

[mickey765]

I think Dec. 16-18 should have lower crowds than Dec. 19 onward as the Christmas crowds starting to roll in that weekend until Jan. 1. It’s hard to predict what the Christmas crowds would be like with people cancelling and rebooking trips as well as the economic implications of COVID-19. It could be more crowded or less crowded than what the parks normally are. I am booked for Dec. 19 to Dec. 29 with a 3-night cruise on Dec. 21 which I may cancel depending on the situation, and I would plan for huge crowds. I have park hopper tickets and hope not all parks are closed for capacity at the same time.

what is your favourite way to park hop? Are there specific parks you like to do on the same day or specific parks in the evening/morning?

 

[Gehrig1B]

what is storytellers?

During the Festival of the Holidays, most of the pavilions have a presentation by a traditional Christmas figure discussing the Christmas traditions of that country. Always entertaining.

 

[AngelDisney]

what is your favourite way to park hop? Are there specific parks you like to do on the same day or specific parks in the evening/morning?

For now I think DHS and AK are more popular with ROTR and FOP. They will be my rope drop parks with FP. MK used to open till midnight during Christmas week so I would hop over after dinner or nighttime show at other parks. EP would be the park to hop over in the afternoon since I only want to ride Ratatouille. I am ok not to ride FEA, Soarin’ or TT, but Ratatouille is a must! EP will also have the Festival of Holidays food booths in the WS and you can visit the countries for storytelling about their holiday celebrations. Planning to attend MVMCP if one is scheduled before our cruise, and I am definitely getting a dining package for the Candlelight Processional. So MK and EP would be the parks we would hop over. I wonder if we should take a hotel break if we are staying late at MK. I also wonder about the availability of 4th+ FP at MK with its late park closing time. Would definitely need to ride 7DMT standby or at the MVMCP. We are focusing on new rides and our favourite rides this time.

 

[Ksquared]

we've been the weeks both before and after Christmas. Crowds should be manageable your dates as I think the week before is typically less crowded. If you can get to the parks early, you can get allot done within the first hour of ropedrop

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

I'm going to guess that the parks will be very crowded Christmas week (assuming the economy isn't in tatters). A lot of people like you are going to cancel and plan to go later in the year. We are probably canceling our July trip and may look at rebooking Christmas week.

 

[gharter]

Previously WDW over Christmas has been incredibly busy.
This year, I would say there are several options.
1. We still have issues with the virus, crowded, but not terrible (assuming it is open).
2. Virus concerns are gone, but things are not back to normal (economy still down). Still busy but not terrible.
3. Virus concerns are gone and everything is back to normal, I would expect WDW to be near historic crowd levels. You have many who have had to rebook due to cancellations, and for many that is time they have off.

 

[icc2515]

Christmas to New Years is the most crowded time of the year. If you want to actually see how crowded it is simple do a search on Youtube for Disney World crowds at Christmas. There are lots and lots of videos showing the crowds.

 

[robinb]

You'll be gone by the time the hoards start arriving. You'll be fine!

 

[hereforthechurros]

The only unmanageable crowds we experienced around Christmas were MK crowds on Christmas Day. You’re going the week before so I imagine you’ll be okay.