How crowded during Christmas?

[kirtivdesai]

Hi all,

We are planning a vacation during the christmas week to WDW. We are going with my BIL and his family who are visiting from UK. We will have 4 kids ranging from 9 yrs to 1 year.

I just wanted to ask how bad is the crowd during this week so that i am better prepared. Also if somebody can share some tips to keep us sane!!!

TIA

 

[Bob P]

Hi and welcome to the DIS!

Well, be prepared for some of the largest crowds you have ever seen! They will start building on Saturday the 17th and keep on building through the week. WDW will be extremely crowded until Monday January 2.

But, if you make ADRs, arrive early, and use FastPass, you will have a great time. Tens of thousands of people go every Christmas and have a great time! But you do want to be prepared for huge crowds.

Look around some of the other boards and do a search for "Christmas" or "Christmas week" and you will probably find lots of ideas.

Have fun!

Bob

 

[kirtivdesai]

Thanks for the prompt reply!! I guess we will come prepared!

Kirti

 

[Eeyoreluver]

We were at DW 2 years ago for Christmas. It was okay, we had some long waits. The hardest was on Christmas Day, it was really bad at Magic Kingdom. We had dinner reservations at Liberty Tree Tavern, it was packed. We were moving through there like cattle, literally. The food was fantastic even if we had to wait about 45 minutes after our reservation time. When we came out, we couldn't even move, the parade had just come by. I don't know if we will do that again, but I believe everyone should experience at least one Christmas at Disney. I don't regret it and we had a fantastic time. We decorated our room with a tree and drew names for presents. Aftrerall, the trip was our main Christmas present. Oh yeah, the snow on main street in MK on Christmas Eve was beautiful. We waited until it was almost empty before we left the park that night. That was a sight to remember with the castle in the background. So, go and enjoy.

 

[Cinderella94]

Yes, I remember once I read in a Disney Unofficial Guide I bought at Borders Bookstore or something, and it had a list of the most crowded times of the year. You guessed it, Christimas was number one, at the top of the list.

I would reccomend going to, perhaps, Epcot or MGM ON Christmas, but if the kids are impatient and don't enjoy waiting for long lines, avoid MK on Christimas Day.

 

[Mary_Poppins]

My family and I went to Disney three days after Christmas, and it wasn't crowded at all. I wonder why that was?

 

[Melanie459]

We arrive on 27 Dec. The kid's presents are Walt Disney World tickets

We are very excited to enjoy the Christmas season at WDW and then bring in the New Year in the Magical World!

 

[SqueakyMouse]

See you there! We just decided today to take the kids over Christmas. Since we've been 4 times this year already, this will be a different sort of trip for us. We know that the parks will be crowded and the lines we will be long. (Really, not all that different from last week!!) Thus, we're going more to have some good meals, see the decorations/shows, etc. I've spent many Christmas' at WDW over the years (grew up in Winter Park), so I know what to expect.) I only hope my kids aren't disappointed.