How crowded the week before Xmas

[SleepyKeith]

Hi, I'm a new poster to Disboards but I have been reading for years. I have a question on what size crowds to expect the week before Christmas this year. My DW and I usually visit Disney in Oct. so we really have no idea waht to expect in December. Thanks

 

[AJKMOM]

I think the crowds won't be too bad up until Dec. 21, Friday. That's the way we found it a few years ago.

 

[jamimb]

we were there this past December (06) from the 16th to the 22nd and it was way way crowded everyday. Small world had hour to hour and half waits. We had heard here that it was not too bad but I am here to tell you it was as bad as we have seen during like thanksgiving and easter weeks. Very Very crowded!

 

[mm_ja]

Welcome,

The last time my family and I visited WDW we went in mid October and this year decided to visit the week before Christmas. So I am in the same boat as you. I have asked the exact same question a couple of times. I even asked if anybody had any crowd pics from that week so I could judge for myself. Each time I get the same answers. About 50% say it is low crowds, great time to visit and are going back the same week. The other 50% say it is horribly crowded and they will never again go that week. Maybe this time we can get a better consensus.

 

[OLT2004]

We will also be there from the 15th to the 23rd of December.

I am planning on crowds getting heavy on the 21st & 22nd....

We will use EMH - Fastpass & getting to the parks early....

We will hit our Not To Be Missed Attractions first and then slow down...

 

[dixiedizfan]

The people who say that the week before Christmas isn't too crowded at all, most likely have not been there in a few years. I would definitely take the word of the above poster who was there the same week last year, and said it was way crowded.

This reminds me of people asking if the crowds die down after New Years Day. Half the people will answer that the majority of visitors leave January 2nd, because that's how it was a few years ago when they were there. The other half (like us) will tell you that last year the first week of January was quite crowded, and this year that entire week was packed!

 

[GrumpySue]

Hi SleepyKeith !!! Doesn't matter how crowded, as long as I'm with you !!!

 

[SleepyKeith]

Hi SleepyKeith !!! Doesn't matter how crowded, as long as I'm with you !!!

I case anyone was wondering, GrumpySue is my wife. And she is right, as long as we are together and in Disney who cares about the crowds

We will be arriving at Disney on the 16th so I guess we can expect the crowds grow as it gets closer to Xmas. Thanks for all of the replies.

 

[4lilpoohs]

I was there last year the week before Christmas. It really wasn't bad. From reading these boards I was worried that it would be crazy busy. You just have to tour the right way..get there at opening, use fast pass, etc.... Even Christmas Day wasn't bad but I think that is because it was raining.

 

[deejohn]

We usually went in Oct/Nov and have switched to Dec the last couple of trips. We found the parks to be more crowded in the Dec time. Many of the cast members told us that more people are coming down at this "slow" time than before, because WDW is offering lower rates and some discounts (they vary by agent).

We found that the crowds usually follow the Extra-magic hour schedule, so we try to avoid the park on those days.

I can tell you the crowds are better in Oct-Dec then they are in May. We did that once...only once.

 

[DreaminDisney]

We're arriving the 16th too, going home on the 26th and I expect it to be busy but we'll still have fun!!

 

[marvin12]

We we're there in dec 06.dec,o5 dec,o4 dec o3, and always the same week,. You just have to sit and figure the things you want to do and do them early on, and then relax and just enjoy the rest of the week.

 

[ss0414]

We were there last year from 12/13/06 - 12/26/06....it was packed IMO the week before Christmas. I'm a "take your kids out of school" Mom to avoid the crowds. (1st and 2nd graders) Seems to me that everyone else thinks the same way now..that secret is out...having done the same with my older girls (now in college) in 1996 & 1997, I picked the week stated that it was "least crowded" in the guide books....and it was not crowded back then...we never stood in line. Returning in 2006 with the same philosophy was a big mistake. We barely waited during the first few days, but around the 19th, we waited. My older daughter and I commented the entire time on how it used to be...
With that said, I would never not go during Christmas because of crowds. It is the most beautiful time of the year and worth experiencing.
We all know crowds can be as unpredictable as the weather and the weather was fabulous Christmas 2006! 80degrees some days. It rained two days (they had a terrible storm) out of 2 weeks. The weather, coupled with the decorations and spirit, made the crowds bearable. In 1997, we didn't wait in line, but it was the coldest Orlando had been in years...it snowed!
Enjoy the time, just know it's going to be crowded, and hope for beautiful weather!...it is really a magical time of year at Disney.

 

[CPer'sMom]

we were there this past December (06) from the 16th to the 22nd and it was way way crowded everyday. Small world had hour to hour and half waits. We had heard here that it was not too bad but I am here to tell you it was as bad as we have seen during like thanksgiving and easter weeks. Very Very crowded!

We were there from the 18-26 and had a much different experience than you!! Guess we must have hit different parks on different days We went very first thing in the morning and never had more than a 15 minute wait for any ride up until about noon each day. Afternoons and evenings there was a bit more of a crowd but we did fast passes and saw the shows & just enjoyed being at the parks since we'd already done all the "big" rides in the morning.

This coming December I would say that up until Friday the 21st you should be good for a visit without *big* crowds.

 

[daisy112878]

I think it depends on what you consider crowded and what parks you hit on which day etc. We've been several times in may, july and december. By far the week before december has been the least crowded for us. The closer you get to christmas the more crowded it is. But we take advantage of getting up early, getting fast passes, etc. We also are not commando style people at disney. We figure out the must dos and make sure we get to those but anything else is whatever we feel like.

 

[cgainer]

We were there 12/14/06-12/20/06 and it was c-r-o-w-d-e-d compared to our trip the previous trip the month before (November '06) and our last trip( (January '07). We have two young children that got tired of waiting in lines. We hit the parks first thing in the morning and then left around lunch time to go back and swim at the hotel. After naps, we headed back to the parks, but the lines were still pretty long around dinner time. We had to get fast passes to ride any of the popular attractions. About an hour before the parks closed, the lines seemed to die down and we could do anything we wanted. We still had a magnificent time, just not as much time in the parks as we would have liked. It was like a ghost town the end of january 07, so it is not fair to compare it to that. I don't think we got a single fast pass on that trip.

Have a great trip!

 

[VLee]

My mom and I arrived Dec 16 and departed Dec 20. Crowds were not bad. I was plesantly surprised. We did not ride a lot of "rides"...mainly did the shows and other attractions, like Philharmagic, etc.
We took our time walking...not like I usually do when I am alone or with the kids.

 

[Cruiser1969]

Hi SleepyKeith !!! Doesn't matter how crowded, as long as I'm with you !!!

That is soooo sweet!!! Love can conquer all . . . even crowded theme parks! I hope you guys have a blast together

 

[reelmom]

OK...Now I'm scared to go. We are going the 18th-23rd. However, that is the only time we can go this year so I guess I shouldn't worry. Crowded Disney vs. No Disney, I will definitely take the crowds.

 

[blessedby3]

We were there the 16-23 of Dec. 2006. I thought it was very crowded except for maybe the first couple of days. It got worse and worse as it was closer to Christmas. I guess it all depends on what you compare it to. We went the week after Thanksgiving in 2005 and there was NO ONE there!! We loved this week and didnt even have to get off of rides at times because no one was waiting to get on. Now thats the kind of vacation I like!!