So is December going to be packed?

[DebbieB]

I was there the first weekend in December and they closed the parking lot at DHS....so yup, thats my definition of crowded

Was that 2016 or 2015? 2015 was the last year of Osborne Lights.

 

[MaC410]

We're going November 30 - December 9. Not too worried about the Pop Warner crowd. Everything I've read says that yes you have them there but you are only really negatively impacted if you happen to be at the same resort as them.

 

[dprincessmom]

I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the week you're going. A lot of schools aren't getting out until the 20th or even after, so by the time they get there, you'll be gone. The first part of your trip will be the best, but I'm betting even your last day won't be near Christmas week busy, and closer to just regular busy.

I will be there the week of your trip and think it will be ok until the tail end of the week - My DD gets out of school at noon on the 15th so it really depends on what school zone/area you live in. We are going to pack as much as we can in the early part of the trip and then do repeat favorites or lower priority (for us) things towards the end of the week that way we should be good to go.

Set the expectation that it will be busy and then if the crowds are lower, enjoy the perk!

 

[KimBean]

I am really starting to worry that December is going to be wall to wall people!! Our dates are the 16th - 21st and I was hoping that we would miss the biggest part of the rush because Christmas falls on a Monday this year.

Last time we were there it was 12/12-21. It was only super crowded the last two days. The day at MK with fireworks was crowded because everyone is limited when to go with the parties.

Don't sweat it too much. Have a good plan. Get more done early in your trip.

 

[Aurora0427]

We went 12/11-12/18 in 2014. The crowds noticeably grew by 12/17, so yes. It'll be crowded. But go with a good plan and it'll be great. Christmas at Disney is seriously the most magical thing on earth!

 

[jvz82]

We went almost those exact same dates in December 2016 and I found it pretty manageable. It didn't seem much worse than other times that we've gone (keeping in mind that we usually go during school breaks) and nowhere near as bad as when we've been to the parks between Christmas and New Years.

Make use of EMH in the morning if you can! MK was open at 7 am pretty much every day that week and you can get a LOT done between 7-10. I had a very detailed plan from 7-10 every morning and got fast passes for 10, 11, and 12 (approximately). Then we took afternoon breaks when it started getting crowded and came back closer to dinner time. Evenings were much more crowded so I usually had a pretty flexible evening plan. We just hit rides that had lower wait times like Mickey's Philharmonic and the Carousel.

 

[sharonabe]

We went almost those exact same dates in December 2016 and I found it pretty manageable. It didn't seem much worse than other times that we've gone (keeping in mind that we usually go during school breaks) and nowhere near as bad as when we've been to the parks between Christmas and New Years.

Make use of EMH in the morning if you can! MK was open at 7 am pretty much every day that week and you can get a LOT done between 7-10. I had a very detailed plan from 7-10 every morning and got fast passes for 10, 11, and 12 (approximately). Then we took afternoon breaks when it started getting crowded and came back closer to dinner time. Evenings were much more crowded so I usually had a pretty flexible evening plan. We just hit rides that had lower wait times like Mickey's Philharmonic and the Carousel.

7 am early EMH at MK probably won't start until the 24th. They are usually only during the actual week of Christmas to New Years, which is on a Monday this year.

 

[portcityw]

We go every year at this time. Will be there 13-20 this year. Like everyone has said, each day closer gets more busy. We have learned to hit MK first. Besides that, we go with the flow. If a park is really crowded, we will leave and try another

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Its going to be wall to wall people....the days of slow times at Disney are a thing of the past....but the month between thanksgiving and Christmas is packed....especially since they blacked out Christmas week on regular annual passes

I find the week directly after Thanksgiving to be pretty decent, actually. Went for a few days in 2015, the Saturday - Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

 

[tlmadden73]

I worry every trip that it is going to be "wall to wall" people. You look at crowd calendars and hear reports and just worry "Why did I pick this time?"

Guess what? You can't really predict how packed it will be. One park could be super packed and another (on the same day) will seem empty.
I end up going and it is not as crowded as I thought (or my plan was good enough that crowds didn't matter) and I have an enjoyable time. Never have anyone in our groups complained about the "crowds" .. (but we also purposely avoid the known busy times).

DHS will "feel" crowded simply due to only have FOUR rides that you wait in a queue for and the lack of walkable space in the park.

 

[jvz82]

7 am early EMH at MK probably won't start until the 24th. They are usually only during the actual week of Christmas to New Years, which is on a Monday this year.

We were there on December 20th and December 22nd of 2016 and it was 7 am both days. It was 7 am almost every day that week. That was a Tuesday and Thursday, Christmas was the following Sunday.

 

[kathy884]

You have chosen wisely to go this week rather than Christmas week. Your week will be busy, but significantly less busy than Christmas week. Think spring break type crowd levels other than Easter and popular summer week crowds vs. 10s (Christmas week).

This is still a good time to get FPs ahead of time, hit rope drop, and make any Disney dining reservations way in advance. I consider the week you are going quite manageable, especially if you have a good touring plan. Some schools get out early. Christmas week when everyone is off is super crazy.

I have done the week before Christmas many times. More recently it has felt a little less crowded than spring break which seems to be getting to be more and more popular

 

[gmboy95]

I find the week directly after Thanksgiving to be pretty decent, actually. Went for a few days in 2015, the Saturday - Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

Im am going to find out for sure as we will be spending 3 nights the week directly after thanksgiving

 

[gmboy95]

You have chosen wisely to go this week rather than Christmas week. Your week will be busy, but significantly less busy than Christmas week. Think spring break type crowd levels other than Easter and popular summer week crowds vs. 10s (Christmas week).

This is still a good time to get FPs ahead of time, hit rope drop, and make any Disney dining reservations way in advance. I consider the week you are going quite manageable, especially if you have a good touring plan. Some schools get out early. Christmas week when everyone is off is super crazy.

I have done the week before Christmas many times. More recently it has felt a little less crowded than spring break which seems to be getting to be more and more popular

I totally agree....Christmas week is a whole other animal....That requires a game plan each day to avoid possible park entrance shutdowns, and the huge crowds midday

 

[Christy702]

We haven't booked anything yet but my mom and I wanted to go around Dec 15th-23rd ish. We've been to the world A LOT but never around Christmas. I know it's probably going to be more crowded than we're used to but I'm most excited to see all the decorations, explore the parks and resorts, etc, as opposed to trying to ride as many attractions as possible. We'll be there on Saturday and we're waiting to take advantage of the current bounce back offer

 

[disravenlaur]

We are going the 7th through the 16th and have never been in December before. So excited

 

[Skallywag Steph]

Each day i see multiple people saying this year is their first year going in December so I'm guessing it's not going to be slow. Hopefully not packed but it feels as if a lot of people are moving from summer trips to December.

 

[rangerxenos]

We're going November 30 - December 9. Not too worried about the Pop Warner crowd. Everything I've read says that yes you have them there but you are only really negatively impacted if you happen to be at the same resort as them.

I've been down there several times, once at the same resort some were staying at (CSR), and we've never really noticed any difference at the parks.

 

[rangerxenos]

We haven't booked anything yet but my mom and I wanted to go around Dec 15th-23rd ish. We've been to the world A LOT but never around Christmas. I know it's probably going to be more crowded than we're used to but I'm most excited to see all the decorations, explore the parks and resorts, etc, as opposed to trying to ride as many attractions as possible. We'll be there on Saturday and we're waiting to take advantage of the current bounce back offer

If you're looking at this year, I think you're going to be surprised, most resorts have been booked for a month. I'm trying to change resorts for the beginning of my trip on the 4th, and there isn't much left.

 

[Christy702]

If you're looking at this year, I think you're going to be surprised, most resorts have been booked for a month. I'm trying to change resorts for the beginning of my trip on the 4th, and there isn't much left.

I've been playing around with it and have been able to find a decent selection for the dates we're looking at, so hopefully by the end of this week there's still some left