How busy is it the week before Christmas?

[fairytalelover]

We just booked our next cruise for Dec 10 2016 and want to stay a few days before the cruise at wdw and a few days after. The week before the cruise is the first week of december so we assume that's not a problem but the ship ports on dec 17th so we wonder how busy will the parks be for the 17 thru 21st?

 

[johde]

With Christmas being on a Sunday it's anybody's guess. I would expect moderate crowds the 17th growing to very heavy crowds by the 21st as various schools dismiss for Christmas Vacation. It still won't be the insane crowds of Dec 25- Jan 1st.

 

[Paigesmom2013]

Maybe not too crowded? Our school doesn't even get out for break until Dec. 23. Christmas is on Friday, btw.

 

[lovndisney12]

It should be pretty nice early in the trip and start to get busier - but certainly very manageable. That is actually a pretty nice time to visit because you get all the decorations but not the horrible crowds that will start to come in as you are leaving.

 

[SonicGuy]

We did the same thing last year - cruise and WDW, with almost same dates. While it won't be like Christmas week, it definitely is NOT slow. Had several ADR's we couldn't get at the 180 mark, lots of waititmes at MK greater than 60 minutes, etc. Nice time, but there really isn't a "slow" period any more. You will have an AWESOME time though

 

[ajh88]

We have been there during almost that exact time - I think it was the 16th through 21st. The crowds are heavy, and get progressively heavier with each day closer to Christmas. The first couple of days weren't too bad, but by the time we left on the 21st, I knew we were leaving at the right time (for us!). I know your trip is next year, but for this year, our kids get out of school on the 18th.

 

[focusondisney]

Maybe not too crowded? Our school doesn't even get out for break until Dec. 23. Christmas is on Friday, btw.

OP is asking about next Christmas, 2016, which will be a Sunday, not this year.

 

[DizMomAndWife]

Have you heard of easywdw.com ? He'll post crowd calendars for each month (I'm sure December 2016 will take a few more months). We always plan according to Josh's advice and he's never steered us wrong.

 

[minnie mum]

Have you heard of easywdw.com ? He'll post crowd calendars for each month (I'm sure December 2016 will take a few more months). We always plan according to Josh's advice and he's never steered us wrong.

Or there are the crowd calendars at touringplans.com.

I'm surprised that since the OP has quite a few previous trips to WDW, and has been a Diser for a dozen years, she hasn't heard of crowd calendars.

 

[fairytalelover]

Or there are the crowd calendars at touringplans.com.

I'm surprised that since the OP has quite a few previous trips to WDW, and has been a Diser for a dozen years, she hasn't heard of crowd calendars.

actually, no, I havent heard of crowd calendars. That's why I like the disboards so much. I learn something new all the time no matter how often I've been to the parks or cruises.

 

[sharonabe]

Watch what happens this year with the crowds and read trip reports from that time frame. PP is correct. Christmas being on a Sunday will make both the week before and the week after VERY busy. Most schools will be out for the full two weeks. You'll also want to keep an eye on when the last MVMCP is scheduled next year. That will give you another clue as to how busy everything will be.

 

[skipfierce]

We went the week before Christmas in 2013 and crowd levels were not real bad. Average wait time for most rides were about 15 to 20 min. I believe the bigger rides like ToT and RnRC, Space Mountain etc were about 45 min on average.