How crowded is Nov/Dec?

[me4disney]

How crowded are the parks around Thanksgiving? How about the middle of Dec? When do the Christmas crowds start? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

 

[laceemouse]

We no longer take our kids out of school for vacation, they are too old now and the workload is too huge, but in 1999 we went to WDW the first week of December. It was great, cool, and not too crowded. I would think Thanksgiving would be pretty crowded, but anytime that the majority of kids are in school it should not be that bad. Most schools have a few days prior to Christmas until a few days after New Years off, these times would definitely be the most crowded. Hope this helps.

 

[pampam]

Christmas vacation is chaos. Thanksgiving week is busy as well but not as bad. Any other time should be no problem.

 

[ktglads]

We went last year from the day after Thanksgiving through the next week. The first 2 days were busy, but I would equate them to a normal summer day. The rest of the week was much nicer. We barely used fastpass, only to ride twice in a row sicne the waits were so short!

 

[disney's daughter]

Due to grandkids...school...work...We had to go to Disney World over Thanksgiving (2003)...It was EXTREMELY crowded....I would say it is one of the most crowded times...(and I am one of those lucky people who can go several times a year) However...if that is the only time you can go....then...by all means...Make the very best of your trip...It will all work out...

 

[cranbiz]

We went Dec 3rd last year for 4 days and it was great. The lines were short and the weather was good. One day was cold ( for Fla, 50's).

The kids went with grandma between xmas and new years and it was extremely crowded.

Hope this helps.

 

[airjoe]

Not bad except Thanksgiving and Christmas.

 

[daisylove]

hi there
we went last year from the 21 -25 of Nov coming home the wenesday before thanksgiving. The crowds were awful. We had hoped that it would not get crowded until thanksgivibng day but from the first day we were there MK had terrible crowds. even fastpass ran out on most of the ones they offer it for well before 12 noon. I am going to try my best not to ever go that week again. But that is me. we live close and have a bit more flexibility to plan dates. Good luck!

 

[sydsdad]

hi-
we go every year for thanksgiving--

the weather is usually good although there have been 1 or 2
cool weather trips

the crowds last year were huge

having said that......you are still able to navigate the parks
and get everything done

you just have to be very aware of the daily
crowd patterns for the different parks and learn to zig when everyone else is zagging

all things considered it still is disney and there certainly worse
places to be !!!!!

ENJOY!

 

[DisLUV]

After the weekend after thanksgivng crowds get much better and stay away until the weekend before christmas. It usually begins to get crowded again around the 17-19th. We always go during this time and LOVE IT!!

 

[memymomonica]

Yeah, we will be there in Dec. I look forward to cooler weather and smaller crowds!!

 

[mickeymousefan]

We went last year from Dec 3 to Dec 8. It was our first time going since we had kids, so we avoided all the adult rides and stuck with the family oriented ones. We had no problem getting everything done that we wanted and same of the rides we were able to walk right on. The christmas decorations are a nice touch in the parks and we had no trouble getting same day priority seating at Chef Mickeys. This is definetely a better time to go than a peak time like spring break.... when the crowds are unbearable. We did have some chilly weather last year, which was disappointing considering we are from the northeast and looked forward to more spring like weather.
Overall, after two previous April trips and one December trip, I think it was much more enjoyable in December. Less crowds make for a more relaxed and fulfilling trip, despite coming back with out the tan.