How crowded is the week before Christmas?

[WANNABE@WDW]

I am already planning our next trip (we just got back last week), how busy is WDW the week before Christmas? My plan is to arrive Friday, Dec 16th and leave Dec 23rd. I know each day closer to Christmas it will get more and more crazy. We were there last year for New Years, so I guess I am looking to compare the crowd levels. Any info would be helpful. I know that MK is always busy, but how about the other parks during this time? Any info on the Candlelight Processional would be helpful, too.

 

[DVCLiz]

We took this trip last Christmas. I expected it to be fairly quiet until about the 21st, but it was packed each day. We used Fast Pass and went early, but it was also a time to look at the decorations, etc. We napped some afternoons and went back later at night, and that worked well. I will say it was less crowded than a previous New Year's trip, but not by too much. Still, loads and loads of fun!!!!!!

 

[WANNABE@WDW]

Thanks, we go quite often so we don't have to go "comando". I know everything will be beautiful, we have been the week before Thanksgiving and watched the Christmas decorations go up. It will be great to actually be there during Christmas time this year. We are looking forward to doing MVMCP and the Christmas around the world at Epcot. Now I just have to decide which resort!

 

[Ilovestitch]

We went this past December 16th thru the 20th. The 16th and 17th were very uncrowded (that was a thursday and friday). But starting that Saturday the 18th, I definitly noticed the crowds picked up. On Monday the 20th, we decided to go to the the MK one more time before we left and it was a zoo! Two hour waits for the mountains, an hour and a half for Stitch- an hour and a half for the Haunted Mansion even! It was so hard to even walk around!

 

[WANNABE@WDW]

How crowded were the other parks?

 

[Ilovestitch]

We went to Epcot the morning of the 20th and it was doable, MK was really bad. I'm thinking people were starting their vacation on a Monday and going to the MK first. -Steph

 

[JeffnFl]

I was there there on the 13th and 14th (MK, EC and AK) and hardly had to wait in line for anything. It was great. Those two days just happened to be the coldest days of the month, too, which wasn't so great, but at least is was sunny. Once Christmas vacations start kicking in, though, it will get very busy.

 

[dan-tot]

We went Dec 11th throught the 18th and we didn't really have any problems with lines. Except POC it was weird one day we had a line from the turnstil but the next day was no waiting. Then the next day it was back to the turnstil again. They only had the right side open though. We will be back Dec 10th throught the 17th this year.

Dan-tot

 

[rkmassa]

We went last year the 18th to 23rd. It was a bit more crowded than we had anticipated, but not like Christmas week at all. The MK had some long lines. EPCOT had long lines for TT and MS, but everything else we rode early and walked on. DS had long lines for TOT and RRRC. We had to get FP for all the long lines. We had gone the year before in 2003 and found the lines shorter.