Is it worth it to go during Christmas with the crowds?

[californiamomof4grls]

My Dd turns ninie on the 18th of December. I was thinking of surprising her and going up for the day (maybe Fri and Sat or Thurs. and Fri.) to see the park at Christmas time and because Dh and I are going for our Anniversery in March and I have guilt!

Do you think that it will be too crowded and we wont enjoy anthing? I don't do crazy crowds like people on the boards have been talking about from this Halloween season. So any thoughts or suggestions? Is it just as crazy or more crazy?

 

[PinkBudgie]

I think it is worth it at least once. We did it for just one day during the Christmas holidays last year. (Ok, actually I got two days in- one with my sister on New Years Day and the next day with my family. ) I have never seen it so crazy busy but I'm glad we tried it.

I'm not sure if it will be as busy that day as when we went, but it is still good to have a game plan in mind. If you do it, then this is what I suggest:

Get there early- this is not the day to sleep in. Even on those very busy days, the mornings were still very nice. The parks filled up sooner than usual but you can still get in some good ride time.

Know your priorities- Have a few must do rides picked out ahead of time. Don't imagine you will get on a lot of things. Anything above and beyond your priorities is just icing on the cake. For us, our main goal was to see HMH and IASWH. Of course we did get to do more than that, but not as much as normal.

Get FPs whenever you can because they will go fast. I believe it was around 1pm we got one more FP for HMH to return at 7pm.

When you need a break from the crowds, try Whitewater Snacks at GCH- just a short walk from DCA (great food!) or the Hungry Bear in DL. Food is not the best at HB, but we found it very uncrowded at dinner time and a nice place to sit.

I don't know how the days after NYE compare to the days right before Christmas but we have never seen it so crowded before and we always go in the summer. We didn't stay after our FP for HMH. We felt like we saw what we wanted to and it was just very crowded. I'm glad we went to see the all the decorations though. It will probably be a while before we go again at that time.

 

[oc_tony]

Good advice. My family and I also love going during Christmas, but use this as a trip to slow down and enjoy things you might not normally do so much. Walk around to see all the decorations, go shopping, sit and relax awhile when dining (make PS well ahead of time). Explore some of the less popular and less crowded rides that you might normally skip. Take in the shows (i.e. Billy Hill and the Hillbillies) and parades. You'll still have a great time, but expect big crowds and have a morning plan for your "must do" attractions.

 

[DLR29]

That weekend shouldn't be too bad, although it is the first weekend that a lot of kids have off for Christmas break. The crowds get much worse the following week as Christmas approaches, and then the week between Christmas and New Years Eve brings the crazy crowds packed wall to wall.

So. Cal Annual passes are blocked out on the Saturday and Sunday of that weekend, which means the crowds should actually be very manageable. Some are blocked out on Friday, but not both of them, so I wouldn't risk the high crowd level on Friday night.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

Do it!!! I agree with PP, go with specific things in mind to see. We are going to see Xmas at Disney, not "go to Disneyland". We want to see the holiday stuff and ride a few of our favorites. I totally forgot Emma and Nolan share a bday. We will be there 18-21.

As far as is it worth it? Absolutely if you go not expecting to rush and see everything in 2 days.

ETA: HOJOs has ET rate for the 17th!

 

[disneynerd420]

Can anyone tell me what it is like in early december?

 

[Kittyskyfish]

Can anyone tell me what it is like in early december?

This will be our 3rd year doing DL during the holiday season and we always go around the 10th, since my classes end right then. During the weekdays, it's pretty normal traffic in the morning and it builds up to heavier but not unreasonable in the afternoon and night.

However.

The weekends are HOOO-DOGGIE busy! Fast passes for Space Mountain and Indie can be 5 hours behind or more and during parade time, you get the 1-way human-herding going on at Main Street. Weekends are packed and not a good time to go if you only have one day to spend and need to do a lot of rides in that short bit of time.

We'll be in the park this year for 5 days straight and are doing it because the park is simply gorgeous during the holiday season. We'll never miss out - the beauty is addictive! The crowds aren't fun but with enough days to play, we can let ourselves go with the 'flow' without stressing out.

 

[FourOrchards]

We are going the week before Christmas. We went last year too. There are more visitors this time of the year but it's so festive.
We do most of what we want in the mornings and walk around in the evenings watching the parades and shop.
I wonder with the economy this year if it will be a little less crowded than years past...we'll see.

 

[goldies 5]

Disneynerd. We always go beginning of December. It is usually nice, warm and manageable. After the CP on Sunday night the park clears out and is very empty. The days of the cast member parties are great because even though DL closes early CA stays open until 9. We really like this time of year. The park is in full Christmas mode. Reindeer Roundup is fun too. Fridays and weekends are definetely busier.