Just how bad is Christmas week?

[DrewJB]

I went with extended family the week of Christmas in 2012. There were 13 of us. We had an absolutely fantastic time - did everything - and never waited in a line for more than 15 minutes for anything, BUT that was the last Christmas with the old fast passes. I could never do what I did that time again now. I had us there well before rope drop every day, used the crowd calendar, had a plan in place for rides, and I ran (well - jogged) across parks many times to collect fast passes for the group (which I always enjoyed). I could still get 7 or more fast passes per day sticking to the schedule even with us typically leaving for the middle of the day. The change in fast passes really took an advantage away from the most serious planners and die-hards. I wouldn't attempt any of that again. I did a lot of planning and running around, but the experience for the group wasn't really any different than if we had gone in September. I still miss the old fastpass system and have enjoyed it a lot any time I've gotten back to Disneyland the past few years.

Funny - the only time we ended up in a line that was going to take more than 15 minutes was for Spaceship Earth of all rides. I think the line was about 25 or 30 minutes posted, but we decided to wait it out. My nephew, having grown used to not having any lines started complaining - "We have to wait in a line?". My sister tells me - "see, you've spoiled him now." Just then a CM unhooks the rope in the line and tells us "come with me" and guides us in through the back entrance and through some employee only hallways to the boarding area to board immediately. I'm not sure my nephew learned a very valuable lesson from that, but it was pretty cool.

 

[mlbrv]

i think what some people are not taking into account when they advise that you should pick another time to go is that for many many people school holidays like the xmas break are the only time they can go...

last year was the 1st vacation in 10 years where i could no longer take my kids out of school to go somewhere when it's less expensive/ less quiet....

we picked disney world for thanksgiving and i will say that 50 different people told me it was going to be terrible and way too crowded.
since it was our 1st time i had no basis of comparison but i will say it felt pretty darn crowded.....that said, we had an amazing trip. we got on almost all the rides we wanted. we sucked up the addl costs for the hotel just knowing it "was what it was" and there's just not much you can do about the prices during those peak times.

if it's a choice between going and being crowded or not going at all, i think i pick going!

i researched these boards heavily to get the best tips and strategies i could from the wonderful people here who have great advice!

enjoy!

 

[PirateD]

I went with extended family the week of Christmas in 2012. There were 13 of us. We had an absolutely fantastic time - did everything - and never waited in a line for more than 15 minutes for anything, BUT that was the last Christmas with the old fast passes. I could never do what I did that time again now. I had us there well before rope drop every day, used the crowd calendar, had a plan in place for rides, and I ran (well - jogged) across parks many times to collect fast passes for the group (which I always enjoyed). I could still get 7 or more fast passes per day sticking to the schedule even with us typically leaving for the middle of the day. The change in fast passes really took an advantage away from the most serious planners and die-hards. I wouldn't attempt any of that again. I did a lot of planning and running around, but the experience for the group wasn't really any different than if we had gone in September. I still miss the old fastpass system and have enjoyed it a lot any time I've gotten back to Disneyland the past few years.

Funny - the only time we ended up in a line that was going to take more than 15 minutes was for Spaceship Earth of all rides. I think the line was about 25 or 30 minutes posted, but we decided to wait it out. My nephew, having grown used to not having any lines started complaining - "We have to wait in a line?". My sister tells me - "see, you've spoiled him now." Just then a CM unhooks the rope in the line and tells us "come with me" and guides us in through the back entrance and through some employee only hallways to the boarding area to board immediately. I'm not sure my nephew learned a very valuable lesson from that, but it was pretty cool.

I love your Spaceship Earth story!

We found the same to be true when we were there for Christmas pre-FP+. We didn't even do rope drop but we did stay late. I know most would find it hard to believe that we were successful in avoiding long lines, but we had a pretty good strategy utilizing FP and filling in with those high capacity, fast loading attractions (that now seem to have 50 minute waits ).

This will be our first trip with FP+, and we are a little nervous about it. We are onsite this time around though so hopefully those 7 AM EMHs will help. I don't think it will be as good as it once was, but we'll try to make the best of it!

 

[kathy884]

Insane crowds. If you have a choice I'd go another time. // The week before is much better than Christmas week in terms of crowds and quite doable. After New Year's Day things calm down too. The time between Christmas and New Year's day have the heaviest crowds as everyone and their brother seems to have that time off. // If I'm the planner, I'm not going to go down then. I've been there during that crazy week five different times, and it's really just too many people. Resorts are fine, though, as everyone is at the parks. Driving around dinner time offsite is crazy too. // Early -- the first two hours the parks are open is pretty good, but it's all downhill from there IMHO.

 

[larryz]

I'm sensing that some people want to go over Christmas/NYE just to say they've done it, like climbing Everest or wintering over in Antarctica...

 

[Angel Ariel]

i think what some people are not taking into account when they advise that you should pick another time to go is that for many many people school holidays like the xmas break are the only time they can go...

last year was the 1st vacation in 10 years where i could no longer take my kids out of school to go somewhere when it's less expensive/ less quiet....

we picked disney world for thanksgiving and i will say that 50 different people told me it was going to be terrible and way too crowded.
since it was our 1st time i had no basis of comparison but i will say it felt pretty darn crowded.....that said, we had an amazing trip. we got on almost all the rides we wanted. we sucked up the addl costs for the hotel just knowing it "was what it was" and there's just not much you can do about the prices during those peak times.

if it's a choice between going and being crowded or not going at all, i think i pick going!

i researched these boards heavily to get the best tips and strategies i could from the wonderful people here who have great advice!

enjoy!

I can't speak for anyone else, but I fully understand limitations on when you can vacation. If I could only travel to WDW over the summer or over the week between Christmas and New Years' , I would choose summer hands down every time. I have no desire to experience park closing capacity level crowds, nor would it be a good experience for my daughter.

 

[PirateD]

I'm glad not everyone wants to go at Christmas. I would hate for more people to come and make it even more crowded.

I would love to go at a different time of the year but with two teachers and three kids in school on different school/district schedules, it's one of the few times we can all meet there. Summer does not work for my mom because of health concerns which are made worse with extreme heat. So if we want my parents to join us, Christmas works best. As one of the teachers in the family, I always feel guilty that my family has to go this time of the year mainly because of peak pricing. It is expensive! My dream is to go when the weather is pleasant, it's not peak pricing, and the crowd level is not a 10. Is that even possible? Maybe some day we will find out. Until then I will just have to be happy that we have been blessed with another opportunity to go to WDW together. As Lou Mongello says, "The best time to go is when you can!"

 

[Paigesmom2013]

I just found out my husband's colleague is planning to go this week--with no reservations, adrs, anything yet. I wrote up a little email for this person about planning the trip, assuming they were going next summer. I feel like I should warn them. But on the other hand, it's their choice. I said Christmas was a bad time to go...

 

[happymommy]

I've done it twice. We stay ON site, enjoy the resort, do very little in the parks, and plan ahead!

I'm sorry for your husband's colleague - hope they got your message about the crowds. It is insane. It can be lots of fun, but I wouldn't recommend it ever for a first trip!

It is the most crowded week of the year - New Years Eve at Epcot was simply unbelievable. I was glad we had an Illuminations cruise on Breathless! We got away from the crowds, had champagne onboard, and then took a taxi from the Yacht Club back to AKL (where we were staying concierge level). Best $300 ever spent!

 

[mshanson3121]

I'm glad not everyone wants to go at Christmas. I would hate for more people to come and make it even more crowded.

I would love to go at a different time of the year but with two teachers and three kids in school on different school/district schedules, it's one of the few times we can all meet there. Summer does not work for my mom because of health concerns which are made worse with extreme heat. So if we want my parents to join us, Christmas works best. As one of the teachers in the family, I always feel guilty that my family has to go this time of the year mainly because of peak pricing. It is expensive! My dream is to go when the weather is pleasant, it's not peak pricing, and the crowd level is not a 10. Is that even possible? Maybe some day we will find out. Until then I will just have to be happy that we have been blessed with another opportunity to go to WDW together. As Lou Mongello says, "The best time to go is when you can!"

As far as the price peaking, is it just flights/lodging that peak, because that's a non-issue for us. We would be staying off site and the cost is the same year-round, and we drive down. But, does Disney jack their prices with meals etc?

 

[ohboyx3]

We will be there 12/30-1/7. I'm nervous about the NYE crowds... but we are just going to go with it and hope for the best. That said, my boys are all teens/tweens now. Youngest is 11, and we can all hang until well after midnight. No stroller to worry about, diapers to change etc. I don't think I would ever consider it if I had littles with me. At least now if we get separated they have cell phones! Lol. There are perks to having older kids and paying those adult prices. Sigh.

 

[aprincessatlast]

As far as the price peaking, is it just flights/lodging that peak, because that's a non-issue for us. We would be staying off site and the cost is the same year-round, and we drive down. But, does Disney jack their prices with meals etc?

Yes they have holiday pricing on different meals in particular character meals. I am not sure about QS locations.

Are you staying at a time share? I found that even off site, all the hotel prices just outside of Disney also increased heavily. Just between the week of christmas vs the week of New years many hotels had risen substantially if not doubled and that is if they had any availabiltity at all. I was surprised by that.

 

[mshanson3121]

Yes they have holiday pricing on different meals in particular character meals. I am not sure about QS locations.

Are you staying at a time share? I found that even off site, all the hotel prices just outside of Disney also increased heavily. Just between the week of christmas vs the week of New years many hotels had risen substantially if not doubled and that is if they had any availabiltity at all. I was surprised by that.

No, it's a private rental home. Oh I knew the hotels jacked their prices, pretty well all hotels do over any holiday.

 

[happymommy]

If going at that time period, I would highly recommend doing anything possible to stay at a Disney resort. The traffic can be super heavy, and the parks close to capacity during the day.

If staying off site, I'd plan on getting to a park before opening time, and not leaving unless you won't return that day.

 

[PirateD]

As far as the price peaking, is it just flights/lodging that peak, because that's a non-issue for us. We would be staying off site and the cost is the same year-round, and we drive down. But, does Disney jack their prices with meals etc?

It is mainly flights and lodging for us. Some of us are coming from the Northwest so flights are a big expense especially at Christmas or Spring Break. The rest live in Florida, though, so if we want to spend Christmas together, someone has to pay for the flight. It's great that you can drive!

As aprincessatlast mentioned, some meals also cost more. I believe it's mainly TS meals such as character meals, buffets, and places that serve family style meals--anywhere that has a per person charge. I do not think that TS with prices per entree or QS restaurants see any increases. There are also blackout dates for TIW at some restaurants.

I also agree with lodging being about double the price. We were lucky to get FD this year because we are checking in just before the cutoff. Room only discounts obviously are not an option. We looked at offsite as well, but found it to be more expensive this time of year too. FD was our best option to save some money.

 

[mshanson3121]

If going at that time period, I would highly recommend doing anything possible to stay at a Disney resort. The traffic can be super heavy, and the parks close to capacity during the day.

If staying off site, I'd plan on getting to a park before opening time, and not leaving unless you won't return that day.

I really don't think we will, just because of how crowded it is, but yes, that's what I figured we'd have to do. There's no way we'll stay on site, prices don't even begin to compare. We get a 4 bedroom private home with a 24' pool for a fraction of what a basic Disney hotel room costs, and the drive is simple and straight forward, though as you said, traffic that time of year I'm sure will be worse. IF we went, we would very likely be doing RD and then just stay till sometime in the afternoon and leave.

Do ALL days during Christmas break reach capacity, or just the big days like Christmas, NYE, NYD?

 

[mshanson3121]

On a side-note, why are they doing away with the Osborne lights? Because of the HS construction?

 

[PirateD]

I really don't think we will, just because of how crowded it is, but yes, that's what I figured we'd have to do. There's no way we'll stay on site, prices don't even begin to compare. We get a 4 bedroom private home with a 24' pool for a fraction of what a basic Disney hotel room costs, and the drive is simple and straight forward, though as you said, traffic that time of year I'm sure will be worse. IF we went, we would very likely be doing RD and then just stay till sometime in the afternoon and leave.

Do ALL days during Christmas break reach capacity, or just the big days like Christmas, NYE, NYD?

It sounds like you got a great deal and have a good plan! I'm sure you will have a great time.

As for closures, I don't think it is everyday, but I also couldn't predict which parks and days.

 

[elaine amj]

We were there last year for Christmas week. We only did 2 park days - Dec 27 and 28. It was amazing and much more manageable than I would have expected. We had my Dad with us (his first visit since he took me when I was 14!) and he moves slower so we couldn't race from one thing to another.

On top of that, it was a last minute trip. I didn't book until October, my Dad didn't confirm joining us until mid-November - we still managed to get everything we wanted (even ADRs - although I cheated and used an ADR alert service for an Ohana ressie I really, really, really wanted).

That said...I planned, planned, and planned some more. I joined the Dec 2015 FB group and the thread here on the Dis and they helped me stay up to date on things I needed to know. Also, while I wanted my dad to get a highlight of the parks, he didn't have a massive number of must-dos and was fine skipping a lot of stuff. My own family was also fine skipping a lot of things. There were times we waited in much longer lines than I expected (like Little Mermaid late at night) but overall we did great. I was also bummed we had to skip Spaceship Earth since lines were crazy all day (we did Test Track at RD and that pretty much killed everything else since our FP+ that day was for a different park). We did pack patience and since my Dad had no concept of going to a park and not waiting in lines...he didn't know the difference

The atmosphere at Christmas and the special shows were amazing. Osborne Lights and the Candlelight Processional were HUGE highlights for us (almost worth the price of admission). With FP+ and Rope Drop, we did a ton of rides (and we moved slow with lots of stops for snacks/shopping/arcades). Moving around was sometimes a bit of a challenge (the worst was World Showcase around 6ish) but still, Christmas week was SO much more manageable than I thought.

We did MK at RD one morning and then moved on to AK for the afternoon. I believe MK hit capacity at some point that afternoon. But it was no problem by the time we returned after dinner for the fireworks.

I would totally do it again. Especially since we have very little flexibility over vacation dates.

 

[happymommy]

I really don't think we will, just because of how crowded it is, but yes, that's what I figured we'd have to do. There's no way we'll stay on site, prices don't even begin to compare. We get a 4 bedroom private home with a 24' pool for a fraction of what a basic Disney hotel room costs, and the drive is simple and straight forward, though as you said, traffic that time of year I'm sure will be worse. IF we went, we would very likely be doing RD and then just stay till sometime in the afternoon and leave.

Do ALL days during Christmas break reach capacity, or just the big days like Christmas, NYE, NYD?

You'll likely find starting Dec. 24th on, the parks get busier. The 25th actually wasn't too terrible, but then it gets worse day by day until Jan. 1st. After then, it gets so much more manageable!

We were supposed to go home one time on the 1st, but got "stranded" as our flight home was cancelled. The Northeast was having a bad snowstorm, so the planes couldn't make it to Florida. There were folks literally sleeping at the airport in the terminals, but we got lucky and right away snagged two connecting rooms at the airport Renaissance hotel (thankful for Marriott Platinum!). My husband was able to get home the next day, but it took the kids and me another 3 days. We just added days to our tickets, and we drove back over to the parks for more fun! The crowds were minimal from what I recall by then.