Which is bussier at WDW...during Xmas holiday/NYE or Easter week?

[*Fantasia*]

I have never been to WDW during Xmas/NYE, but have been during Easter (just got back).

I am getting mix thoughts here. Isn't Easter the most busiest...the peek season for WDW?? Or is it Christmas week through New Year's Eve?? Which one?

 

[kdibattista]

I don't know for sure (would never dare to go either of those times) but from what I have read... Christmas week is definitely the busiest.

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

I've been there NYE week, and it WAS busy! But, I did love it! (Contemporary Tower, MK view! Awesome!)

 

[*Fantasia*]

That's kewl Cali! I am thinking maybe next year to do Xmas through NYE at WDW.

So Xmas and Easter are during Peak rate?

 

[CamColt]

I believe Christmas-New Years is considered "Holiday" season, and the prices are a bit higher than peak season.

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Easter is Peak Season, while Christmas/New Year is Holiday Season. Just to warn you, holiday season prices aren't pretty.

 

[mafibisha]

Just returned sunday and had no problem seeing and doing all we planned to do. The operative word here is 'planned'....as it made a HUGE difference....as you ALL know.

Getting up early and using fast passes allowed us to do everything at least once, and the R & R Coaster several times in one day! We had a blast and will return next Easter again, even if it IS peak.

 

[grimgrinnin]

That's like asking 'Will I get wetter in the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean?'


I've been both times (Wife is a school teacher), and both times were absolutely mobbed. Of course, We still had a blast!



grim

 

[Plan Man]

What does mobbed mean and what is packed?

We have been in Summer, spring and fall and I thought it was busy during the summer but we did everything we wanted with good planning.

We are going from 12/27 to 1/4. We will go to all of the parks - usually we go at early entry or extra magic hour and then break around lunch and return for dinner and the evening. We usually go crazy fast in the morning trying to get as much as possible in before it gets busy and then we are very relaxed in the evening and do more wondering than anything.

Will this be possible during our stay. Will it be so busy t won't be fun with long long waits for everything?? we never wait for anything if the time is 25 minutes or more??

As you can tell I am getting a little nervous about the crowds. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[PrincessAli]

Since we have AP's and visit WDW at least 3 times a year, we usually plan our trips for the least busy times, but this past year we decided to try the Holiday seasons. We will NEVER again go during EASTER!!! Not only did we have the Easter holiday, but Spring breaks and and school vacation weeks as well. It seemed to be the busiest time yet at the world--all 4 parks closed early in the day. Luckly for us, we go so often that we were able to enjoy our stay-just by being there and not trying to fight the crowds in the lines to see the attractions. We were also there this past Christmas from December 21st til Jan 6th and saw a much smaller crowd, it was still busier than another time of the year, but much more managable , the only park that closed to guests during the day was MK. We were even able to leave EPCOT on NYE about noon and return at 4:30 without a problem! Have fun in what ever you decide.

 

[Synonymous]

We went the week before Easter this year for our first ever "peak" trip. We spoke to many CMs about the crowds, and they all seemed to agree that Xmas season is much busier than Easter season.

We were pretty nervous about the trip, since we were used to slower times, but we didn't have any problems at all. Wouldn't hesitate to go back at Easter time, and I'd even consider Xmas now.

 

[travelbug]

PlanMan, don't panic about going over the Christmas/NY holidays. We went this past Dec. 28-Jan. 4, and will return for the same dates this coming Christmas.

The crowds are definitely large, but I believe that they can be managed. Sounds like you plan to do the right things to make it manageable. We made full use of early entry mornings, fast passes, and the extended nighttime hours. We always took the afternoon off to go back to the resort for swimming, napping, down time, whatever. That helped us to be fortified for the evening back in the parks. We also saved time by carrying lots of snacks to graze on while in the parks so that we could do without meals in the parks until we were in our room. (Stayed in BWV studio, so had use of the kitchenette) We did our eating out on non-park days.

We also decided to make Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 our non-park days. We didn't feel like being shoulder to shoulder on NYE. Instead we enjoyed the Boardwalk area, the pool, DD, and we did a little resort hopping to see the Christmas decorations too.

So that's how we managed our time. We saw and did everything we wanted to, and even went on some of the super headliner attractions/rides 2 or 3 or 4 times. I've also been to WDW numerous times during Easter week over the years. Holiday times are workable if you're ready to manage the situation and make use of the early morning time in the parks.

Good luck! Maybe I'll see you among the crowds down there this Christmas.

 

[CindyAnn]

PlanMan - We went to WDW last year for our first Christmas Holiday trip (December 29th - January 3rd) and I was pleasantly surprised at how uncrowded things were. We chose to go to AK on New Year's Eve, because it closed early and we were staying out of the parks that evening in any case, and it was very manageable. We managed to end our day with 5 consecutive trips on Kali River Rapids without having to even get off our raft. New Year's Day at Epcot was also just fine, but make sure you grab a fastpass for Test Track as soon as you arrive. It was definitely an advantage to have at least 1 PS for each day to be sure of getting a sit-down meal in a reasonable time-frame.

The only park that was significantly worse than usual was Magic Kingdom. Again, we fared quite well by using early entry one of the two days we were there and fastpass for everything. However, at one memorable point when both Splash and Big Thunder broke down at the same time, and thousands of people were leaving the area against an even greater mass trying to enter the area, things were a bit grim. The crowds at MK did make our two MK days seem more tiring, though we certainly did everything we wanted to do. Another big bonus was that Carousel of Progress and Timekeeper were both open during our visit.

I would definitley consider returning at the same time on our next trip to see all the special Christmas decorations and enjoy the holiday time at Disney.

 

[Ted and Holly]

With tourism being down for various reasons, I guess the week between Christmas and NYE is better than it has been. We went December 2000 and it was absolutely FULL. Three our of the 4 days leading up to and including NYE, the parks filled to capacity by 9:30am. Even AK saw record crowds. We went the Easter before that, it was not nearly as bad.

We avoided all parks on NYE when we were there.

Add the crowds to the 50 degree highs for the week and it was a less than ideal trip. It was 32 on NYE when we were at PI.

Ted

 

[nee]

I have just got back from a two week trip and did not find the crowds at all that bad except one day at MGM when it was quite crowded. MK stayed open till 11 or 12pm most of the time and the park was nearly empty after the fireworks and before the last parade.
The other parks did not seem crowded at all. I was really expecting the place to be mobbed as it was easter but it was about the same as presidents week when we have been before.
I prefer the parks to be fairly busy anyway as I have been in epcot when it was almost empty and the park seemed lifeless and had no atmosphere if you know what I mean.

 

[jel0511]

I've never been at Easter, thinking about next year though, but Christmas is AWFUL!! I don't think we'll ever go again. It was WALL TO WALL people and we were there in 2001 when most people were staying home due to 9/11. Most of the parks were at capacity that week and it was just so darn cold. So if we had to leave a park because it go too crowded for us ( and we usually go in the summer!) we really didn't have much to do since the highs were in the 50's. Couldn't swim, it was just a nightmare!! I love downtime at a resort, and using the pool is one of those fav things to do. I go at Easter just for the nicer weather, since Christmas can be a crap shoot at best when it comes to the weather.

 

[Plan Man]

What happens when the parks close??

We are PAP holders and will be staying at the SWAN.

Will we be able to get in if the parks close??

Now I have one more thing to worry about!!

I am just kidding.

 

[MickeyisanNDfan]

Every one on this board always writes of parks closing at capacity. I have been at Christmas, New Years and Easter and while the parks were crowded I have never been turned away, I have only heard through the grape vine that a park was closed. For instance, while at EPCOT on NYE we heard that the MK was closed at capacity, Some one here said this Easter MK was closed while I walked in at 11am. I am curious if any one has ever actually seen the occurance of them closing the park at capacity first hand or been turned away?