How bad is Disney World crowd wise during Christmas?

[Disneyland1084]

Are they really bad? Are the lines unbearable? DH and I are trying to decide the best time of year to go.

 

[LynJ]

It very much depends on your tolerance for crowds. We went last Christmas and absolutely loved it. We're going back this Christmas. It was crowded, but with fast passes and a few sit down meals, it was very manageable. Of course, this is coming from a couple who used to go on new rides at Cedar Point and were willing to wait in the lines for them.

One huge recommendation: stay on site and make use of extra magic hours. On Christmas Eve, we rode Space Mountain 3 times before 8 am without fast passes.

 

[ProTraderColin]

best time to go is the first 2 weeks of December. All the decorations are up and the crowds are small. After that the crowds can get crazy and room prices go up quite a bit.

 

[ZoZo]

It's my understanding that the last two weeks of December are the busiest of the year. Wall-to-wall people (you can see some of the photos people post on the DIS - it looks crazy to me!) and long lines.

I think with a good strategy it would be workable (getting up to do morning EMH before the crowds build; keeping your expectations low about the number of things you'll get done, eating meals at non-busy times, using FP+ wisely, etc.). But I like going during non-crowded times, so it sounds awful to me! But lots of folks love it.

 

[Disneyland1084]

I once went to Disneyland during Christmas and it was miserably crowded. Never again. I guess I was just hoping it'd be different for Disney World. Wishful thinking I guess.

 

[LisaCM614]

I saw your other thread and honestly I'd choose summer over Christmas if I had to go Christmas week. If I could go Thanksgiving week - I'd pick that.

 

[chartle]

We went the last full week before Xmas and it wasn't bad but it was a year that it fell later in the next week. We saw them preparing for the onslaught. They had temp queue ropes set up for the ferry at the TTC probably could hold a few thousand people or more.

So if you mean the week between Xmas and NYE you have to be prepared for the largest crowds you will ever see in your life. You will need one or more of your FP+ selections for the bathroom.

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

We loved our Christmas trip - even decided to make it a bi-annual event, though real-life circumstances changed that. The key is planning. Book whatever you can (Fantasmic dinners, Candlelight Processional dinner, fireworks shows, FP+, meals, etc.) to skip lines. Get there early and stay late (DD was old enough that we could go from rope drop to park close). Understand that you will wait in some lines, but the parks have extended hours, so you have the time to wait.

If you plan and go with a good attitude about waiting in lines, you will have a great trip.

 

[outahere]

Something to keep in mind....... Christmas Day is one day of the year that they typically start closing down admission to the MK because of crowds. If I recall correctly, this past Christmas they started closing admission sometime around 10:00AM. If you are staying on-site you have a better chance of getting in, but think about how crowded it is in the park if they are starting to close admission.

 

[Hopefully]

I have not been and do not want to go that week. I have seen pictures and it is truly unbelieveably crowded - scary crowded to me. And the comment about waiting in line at the bathroom is totally valid. My closest experience to that was at F & W festival one year and I hated waiting all that time for the bathroom (I didn't plan ahead well ) and that is no where near as crowded. Attraction lines are easily 2 plus hours each

 

[Micca]

You know how when you're at a big game or a concert at a stadium, and when it's over you are sort of stuck in the crowd while everyone tries to leave at the same time? That was our experience on Christmas day a few years ago at MK. It's probably not total gridlock the entire week, and it may not be as bad at the other parks (especially Epcot). Still, I'd avoid doing that time again unless it was my only option.

 

[The Dirty Steve]

I'll second the Thanksgiving time!!! You will see days where the park is empty and days where it is full. Plus all the holiday decorations and events give you a real feeling of Christmas. It's a tradition for us!!!

 

[lovndisney12]

We have been twice and are planning to be go again this year. It is doable but you can't expect to stay at the parks the entire day as they will become extremely crowded by mid-day. And yes the parks do close to additional guests once they reach capacity which happened while we were there (MK on Christmas day for example). However, as another poster mentioned - stay on-site and use the early or late EMH. Use the crowd calendar to pick the best recommended park. Plan sit down meals to give yourself a break from the crowds and plan activities away from the parks such as resort hopping (many have awesome decorations) and relaxing at the resort pool if the weather is warm enough. I ended up spending more time in line early this past November when I was just there for a day around a conference and park hopped to MK in the afternoon and didn't have any fast passes.

 

[PirateD]

We have been before and had a great time. We were able to manage the crowds pretty well using some strategies. We are headed back this year and are excited for another Disney Christmas! I'm a little nervous though just because we haven't been with FP+. I know that we will need some new strategies to keep everyone happy and out of the worst of the lines. I think that staying onsite will be an advantage. It's a very magical time of the year to be there, but I believe that it takes a lot of planning (and a little pixie dust) to get the most out of it.

 

[izzylovesmickey]

We went in 2014 and plan to go again this year. We were in the World for July 4th last year so the week between Christmas and New Year did not seem too much different. You just have to have the expectation that there will be long lines for some things and you may wait for a bus for a while occasionally. We didn't wait very long for many rides and tried some we normally would not go on. Had a ball. Only waited a long time (20-25 minutes) for a bus-New Year's Eve and when we went to Downtown Disney. And this was with us making our plans 3 days before we went. Got most of the fast passes we wanted and most of the ADRs we wanted. Staying onsite is definitely a help!

 

[Babsy]

How early in Dec are the kids out of school? The earlier that you can go the lower the crowds. As a PP said, early Dec has fairly low crowds.

Christmas week is the worst for crowds. Having a plan for the crowds is important. Be prepared to take it easy and not stress over having to do everything. Book tours and activities for middle of the day that takes you away from the crowds. Try to arrange to do things slightly off schedule for most people. Definitely book some nice ADR's and enjoy some TS meals for a relaxing break. Stay onsite and use the pool/ resort activities.
(Stay at the CR and avoid the transportation issues to the MK (walk) or stay at YC/BC/BWI and avoid transportation issues to Epcot/DHS. Budget a concern? Consider the Swan/Dolphin and look for a discount there. Still walking distance to Epcot and DHS.)

After New year's it starts to decrease as well, so perhaps early Jan before they go back?

Thanksgiving would work if you leave Wed right after school then return on Monday night. They would miss Friday and Monday from school. You would be gone 6 days including travel days (4 full days there, 2 partial days/travel days). I know - none of this is perfect - working with school year restrictions is a PITA!!

Check with the school(s) and see if there are any longer weekends? teacher's workshops? extended breaks? anything that could add an extra day?

Hope you get something that works for you!

 

[Disneyland1084]

How early in Dec are the kids out of school? The earlier that you can go the lower the crowds. As a PP said, early Dec has fairly low crowds.

Budget a concern? Consider the Swan/Dolphin and look for a discount there. Still walking distance to Epcot and DHS.)

After New year's it starts to decrease as well, so perhaps early Jan before they go back?

Thanksgiving would work if you leave Wed right after school then return on Monday night. They would miss Friday and Monday from school. You would be gone 6 days including travel days (4 full days there, 2 partial days/travel days). I know - none of this is perfect - working with school year restrictions is a PITA!!

Check with the school(s) and see if there are any longer weekends? teacher's workshops? extended breaks? anything that could add an extra day?

Hope you get something that works for you!

My kids don't get off for Christmas break until the Friday before Christmas Day. About the budget concern, my DH is frugal with money and I'm not. I'd be willing to spend the extra money and stay at Contemporary, but he'd be happy with a value. When we do make a trip, it will be for at least 12 days, so going in January before they return to school wouldn't work. The only long break they have is during Christmas for two weeks. They have shorter breaks during the year, but they're not long enough for Disneyworld.

 

[tinkerbesh]

Look around on easywdw.com for detailed crowd calendar, as well as recommendations for the best times of year to visit.

 

[Networth]

Been once. Never again even if Disney paid me.

 

[Babsy]

My kids don't get off for Christmas break until the Friday before Christmas Day. About the budget concern, my DH is frugal with money and I'm not. I'd be willing to spend the extra money and stay at Contemporary, but he'd be happy with a value. When we do make a trip, it will be for at least 12 days, so going in January before they return to school wouldn't work. The only long break they have is during Christmas for two weeks. They have shorter breaks during the year, but they're not long enough for Disneyworld.

Ouch!

I see your problem. Looks like a choice between summer heat and Christmas crowds.

The good news is, if you are there two weeks, you will have lots of time to not worry too much if it is too crowded or too hot for you some days. Which depends upon when you go - Christmas or summer.

On days that you know will be crazy busy, make other plans. Christmas Day you could go to the park early and stay only as long as the crowd is bearable. Maybe plan to stay until about 11:00am? Have all your fast passes booked for late morning. Then go to a nice character lunch at cinderellas castle or the crystal palace. After the meal head back to the resort and spend some time with previously planed Christmas tradition activities. We would do our gift exchanges and stockings then. Next go for a game of golf or some other pre arranged, booked activity that has limited capacity. Finish with dinner at a nice pre booked restaurant (example:Sanaa - take a taxi). At the end of day, watch fireworks from your resort, if possible, or just go 'home' to your resort and relax. It is Christmas Day and you are in the happiest place on earth! Just go with the attitude that you WILL enjoy it, and you will.

My choice would obviously be to go at Christmas and deal with the crowds. But my family has members that would not deal with the heat of summer at all well. So I start with making sure that we all will be comfortable and make my plans from there. If your family will be OK or even just better with dealing with heat then summer could work better for you. Again, use strategies that others have suggested to get out of the heat each day. Stay in a resort with a great pool and take advantage of it as often as possible.

Only you know what will work best for you and yours.

Let us know what you decide!

Good luck!