Is the UT crowd calendar updated frequently?

[MomtothreeEs]

I had been debating whether to take a trip after Thanksgiving, in January, or wait until late spring. After looking at the crowd calendars and taking activities into consideration, I finally bit the bullet and bought a package to go after Thanksgiving. However, I swear some of the days were in green "low crowds" when I booked, and now they're yellow "average crowds". But my head spins most days, so maybe i'm confusing the weeks I was looking at? I totally accept the fact I could be dismembering things.

I'm just wondering if the crowd calendar is changing? Like if the crowd expectations are getting worse? Looks like most of the Disney hotels are full, and I'm struggling to get dining reservations. I'm a bit nervous that it will just be too crowded for me. I thought Disney at Christmastime would be pretty and fun, but I can always move my trip to the spring if it's going to be too bad.

 

[matheke]

The crowd calendars do change. How often is up to the people that run them. There are many so while one may rate a time Green another may rate it Yellow depending on what they are using to make these predictions.

It would help to know when you are going to give you the best info we can. After Thanksgiving there are various things going on that control the crowd levels. While having the hotels booked would seem that there would be big crowds, that is not always the fact. Dining reservations have been open for almost three months so if there are not a lot of prime restaurants available, that should be expected.

We have traveled to WDW in December at least 20 of the last 25 years. If you have any question feel free to contact me.

 

[MomtothreeEs]

The crowd calendars do change. How often is up to the people that run them. There are many so while one may rate a time Green another may rate it Yellow depending on what they are using to make these predictions.

It would help to know when you are going to give you the best info we can. After Thanksgiving there are various things going on that control the crowd levels. While having the hotels booked would seem that there would be big crowds, that is not always the fact. Dining reservations have been open for almost three months so if there are not a lot of prime restaurants available, that should be expected.

We have traveled to WDW in December at least 20 of the last 25 years. If you have any question feel free to contact me.

Thanks! We're planning to go down November 28th-December 4th.. I thought I had read that the week after Thanksgiving was calmer. There were warnings about the cheer competition affecting some of the value resorts, but I didn't think it was supposed to affect the parks. As far as resorts, I was looking at AoA and FW cabins. Right now we're off site, but I'd be open to switching if something opens up.

I definitely did not get the 180 days out for ADRs. I knew it wouldn't be easy. However, last time we took a trip for Mother's Day. I only had about 90 days out to plan that, and I feel like ADRs were less busy than they are for our holiday dates.

I'm really not super worried about WHEN we go. I just want to take a trip this school year. I'm okay with average crowds, but if it's going to be crazy, I'd rather go some other time. I thought I had done okay with the crowd calendars and reading advice on "when to visit", but now after trying to book ADRs and on-site rooms I'm worried I may have picked a bad week.

 

[matheke]

The crowds will be calmer then. The Sunday after Thanksgiving most of the people have cleared out and it won't get "Crazy" until Christmas break starts for the schools.

December is different for ADR's as a good block of the EPCOT restaurants are held for Candlelight Processional packages.

There is also Pop Warner Championships that eats up a lot of the Value and usually one of the Moderate resort rooms.

There is so much to see and do during December, it is like no other time of the year.

 

[100acreHiker]

It won't be crazy like over Thanksgiving, but the week after Thanksgiving is no longer a "calm" time. We've been going that week for 5-6 years. That week is now included in the free dining promo and people are motivated to go then due to hearing it's always been "slow" and see the holiday decorations. The last two years were very busy--surprisingly so and I will say it was more crowded then when we went at the end of last April. We had maybe one day that was not busy, but it was the Monday right after Thanksgiving, and then every day after that was busier and busier. If lower crowds are your priority, end of January or last week of April/first week of May are better than week after Thanksgiving, in my experience.