Really, What to expect week before Christmas

[magical4us4]

Really, what to expect week before Christmas. I was sent to a sight that said from 1-10 the parks will be a 2 the first week before Christmas. I just talked to a friend that was there last year at this time and she said it was busy. I am sooo confused. I would like to visit again, since we were there a week after Easter and it was really too busy to enjoy. Can anyone help?

 

[magical4us4]

I am shocked that no one can help me! Please, please, any information will be so appreciated!!

 

[zurgswife]

Not sure why the UG would list it as a 2. We were there for the week before Christmas and the week thru new year's in 2003 and at best the parks would be a 5-6 in my opinion...Actually it would be a little higher I think but at minimum. It is very crowded. We left the MK prior to 12pm and it was wall to wall people by 12pm.

 

[ccgegg]

I was sent to a sight that said from 1-10 the parks will be a 2 the first week before Christmas. I just talked to a friend that was there last year at this time and she said it was busy.

I assume you're referring to UOG's scale. They do not show the entire week before Christmas as a "2". Sun and Mon are 2, then it progressively increases up to a 7 by Friday. Christmas is Sunday-- a 10.

If you can go earlier in December, I think you'll find less crowds. (at least that's what I've read from others)

Side note: People have a VERY vast interpretation of "busy". Some think "busy" is sharing an elevator. Others think a 70 minute wait for Space Mtn isn't busy at all-- because what they fail to tell you is that they're comparing it to their previous summer trips. If you want an unbiased interpretation of "busy", UOG is your best bet.

 

[rapriebe]

We were at WDW last year from December 10-21. The parks were definately only a 2 right up to the weekend of the 18-19th. They were very crowded on the weekend but on Monday the crowds thinned out again and were very low on Monday and Tuesday (20-21). With Christmas on Sunday this year, it's going to be harder to predict what the week before will be like. Depends on when the schools are getting out for the Holidays.

 

[MICKEEP]

Sorry for this question but what is UOG. I did a search and came up with University of Guam

 

[ccgegg]

Sorry for this question but what is UOG. I did a search and came up with University of Guam

That's correct... the University of Guam does extensive research on Disney crowds.
OK, OK, it stands for Unofficial Guide-- one of the Disney bibles. Maybe you've heard Len Testa's name mentioned on these boards.

 

[ECU Pirates]

We were at the World from December 17 - 24 last year. The closer that we got to Christmas the bigger that the crowds got, but they were never unmanagable.

In 2001 we were there the week between Christmas and New Year's and the place was packed.

The week before Christmas is not nearly as bad as the week after.

 

[tlbwriter]

My first ever trip to WDW was the week before Christmas last year, and I was pleasantly surprised at the crowd levels. I can't tell you how long I stood in line, because I simply refuse to stand in line for a long time - I get a Fast Pass and do something else. But the only time it really felt crowded was our afternoon in the Magic Kingdom.

 

[VickiVM]

We were at the World from December 17 - 24 last year. The closer that we got to Christmas the bigger that the crowds got, but they were never unmanagable.

In 2001 we were there the week between Christmas and New Year's and the place was packed.

The week before Christmas is not nearly as bad as the week after.

That's exactly what we experienced in 2003. We arrived on the 20th (a Sat) and departed on the 26th (a Fri). Wait times at the beginning of the week were minimal. Our best day was on Tuesday at MK where we spent all morning, lunched at LTT, spent mid-day in resort and returned in the evening for a perfect day. Saw/rode everything we wanted to.

However, I don't think that would have been possible a couple of days later. My advice would be to get your 'must-do's out of the way earlier in the week and just go with the flow come Christmas Eve/Day. Also, make the PS's you want as soon as you're able to because they are simply not available (or times available are not reasonable) if you wait too long. Don't even attempt to walk up to the more popular sit-down restaurants. You'll be turned away.

Bottom line, it was much better than what I expected, but we also planned carefully.

 

[CinderellaIam]

We were there last year 12/18 - 12/23. Crowds were light early in the week (no more than a 15-20 minute wait) and were building day by day. Utilizing fast pass made everything manageable. We did and saw everything we wanted to and then some. We would definately go back at this time!

 

[disney-princess]

In 2003 I was there from the 13-17 and the crowds were very low in my opinion. This would be lines of about 10min. maybe a little longer for the most popular ones such as space mountain. However we did not ride a lot of the kiddie rides. We were mostly teenagers and adults, so I'm not sure how thoses line were. But we enjoyed ourselves so much we are heading back this Christmas 14-19th.

 

[magical4us4]

Thank you, thank you everyone who posted!!! I got great information and feel sooo much better. It looks like it will be pretty tolerable during the 15-21. I can't wait to go again!!