How bad/crowded is the week before Christmas?

[valerie160]

Possibly thinking of trying to go Friday Dec 16 to Monday Dec 19. Is this just a terrible time to go to DL?

 

[SMD]

The short answer is that we don't know. Historically the busiest week of the year is the week after Christmas, with gate closures on multiple days. Last year Disney introduced a new AP structure where there is a level that is blocked out from the 19th to the 2nd. Last year many people still hand the old unlimited passes. This will be the first year with the new restriction for most of the former premium AP holders. They've allso introduced demand pricing, the effects of which we also don't know yet. We also know nothing about what kind of promotions or events Disney could add between now and December. I have a feeling that with ToT closing on 1/2 that the few days leading up to that will bring an uptick in crowds to DCA. Also, with many people losing the ability to go to the parks for 2 weeks you'll see some uptick at DL too.

 

[alvernon90]

We went that same weekend last year and we found it to be relatively tolerable, since we were prepared for it. We ended up standing in many long lines, but mostly we worked the FPs and tried to find less crowded attractions.

The problem was that lines for things like snacks and beer were always irritatingly long, and also there was some rain that made things difficult -- the crowded walkways at DL are even worse when people are carrying umbrellas.

The good thing, though, was that the nice cool weather made the whole situation much more tolerable. The decorations make everything much more beautiful. As crowded times go, it has to be one of the better ones, no matter how this year's experiment shakes out.

 

[Malcon10t]

Depends on your version of "terrible". It won't be close to the week following Christmas. It may be busy as some classes get out the 16th and families try to cram a trip in before Christmas. If you are looking for 5 min waits, this might not be the time for you. Hoping to avoid hour long waits, it will probably be ok.

 

[hsmamato2]

I am hoping arriving on the 15th will give us a day or so with less crowds before the weekend madness.... hoping hoping..... I am guessing Saturday the 17th will be pretty busy(?) so the real question is to use MM on that morning or avoid? I am hoping they open really early that day to use it....