Why is the 1st December week high season

[marcus.ka]

According to the German brochure the last three weeks in November and the two weeks before Christmas are low season (except for the weekends of course) but only the first week of December is peak season.
3rd-4th December is mid season and 5th-9th December is even peak season!
But I can't see why. There are no school holidays in France, UK or Germany. And there is also no bank holiday in these 3 countries. Or did I overlook something?

Has anyone been during the first week in December of the last years? Was the resort very crowded?

 

[SandraVB79]

I was there last year from December 10-12 and it was CRAZY! The average line for a ride was about 2 hours, no way you could shop, because boutiques were completely full, heck, it was even about impossible to just walk through the park!

So I think that might have influenced their decision?

In Belgium, the Christmas "exams" for the kids only start the week after their peak season. Which means that during those two weeks, parents can't go to DLP because kids have to be in school/ study. And of course, on December 6th, it is "Sinterklaas", at least in Belgium and the Netherlands, no idea about other countries, but maybe parents give a DLP-visit to their kids as the Sinterklaas-gift?

 

[MazdaUK]

6 December is St Nicholas day - the night before all European children put out their boots and St Nicholas fills them with sweets and treats if they've been good and sticks if they've been naughty. This is the origin of our Christmas stockings, and as important as Christmas day for us (they actually celebrate on Christmas Eve there, Christmas Day is for recovering )

Check out the thread on French holidays - I've beent here in May BH week and it was not that busy EXCEPT for the French national holiday when it was PACKED

 

[marcus.ka]

I have checked all school holidays for France, UK and Germany. And there are no Bank Holidays or School holidays in the first week of December. But the 6th is also "Nikolaus" in Germany. But this is also no bank holiday. It is a usual school day for children. That's why I am wondering why the first week is peak season.

But maybe you both are right and many parents take their children who are not in the school-age to DLRP?

Could someone from the UK please tell me if the first week in December is also peak season at their brochures?

Sandra: 10-12 December last year was the second week of December. And this week is according to the German brochure low season this year.

Anyone else has been in the last years during the first December week?

 

[SandraVB79]

Well, December 10-12 wasn't peak season last year either, but hotels were about all booked solid (NPB was completely full when we tried to make reservations about a month before)

Maybe there is a big congress going on => many rooms sold to people attending congress and thus other rooms sold to a way higher price?

 

[Melanie1965]

Sinterklaas is on the 5th December in The Netherlands but not a bank holiday

 

[A Small World]

Could someone from the UK please tell me if the first week in December is also peak season at their brochures?
QUOTE]

Yes 5th-8th Dec is peak season in Uk brochure as well.

 

[bavaria]

I have checked all school holidays for France, UK and Germany. And there are no Bank Holidays or School holidays in the first week of December. But the 6th is also "Nikolaus" in Germany. But this is also no bank holiday. It is a usual school day for children. That's why I am wondering why the first week is peak season.

But maybe you both are right and many parents take their children who are not in the school-age to DLRP?

Could someone from the UK please tell me if the first week in December is also peak season at their brochures?

Sandra: 10-12 December last year was the second week of December. And this week is according to the German brochure low season this year.

Anyone else has been in the last years during the first December week?

I was there for Nikolaus last year (actually the Sun-Wed) and it wasn't busy. The weekends in Nov were busy, but not those dates.

and by the way, I was HIGHLY disappointed with the patisserie Paul that day as they did not make any Krapfen as they were busy making Puhmann. (I didn't need one of those; no matter where I am in the world on December 6th my mother keeps a Puhmann for my return home )

 

[marcus.ka]

Thank you Bavaria and A Small World. But I'm still not sure which week to choose for a Christmas trip. In November POTC is closed for two weeks and Fantillusion is only on weekends and the first week of December is peak season and would cost us a lot more than in November. This is not easy.

 

[Orion33]

I don't know about peak season it wasn't anymore expensive last year (I went first week and got 3 for two deal) but i must say it was madness, never seen it so crowded to be quite frank it was so busy you couldn't do anything it really wasn't a fun experience

I am going back this year 21st-24th december and i have a feeling it will be hectic bt praying not as hellish as it was last year!!!

We wondered to be honest if there was something special at the start of december becuase like i say the crowds in the park were silly.

 

[cstokell]

I don't know about peak season it wasn't anymore expensive last year (I went first week and got 3 for two deal) but i must say it was madness, never seen it so crowded to be quite frank it was so busy you couldn't do anything it really wasn't a fun experience.

Sorry!! but I have to disagree, may be we were there at slightly different times

We were there 3rd to 6th December last year and it did not seem that busy, other than the Sunday afternoon we arrived. On average we had to queue about 20 minutes for POTC we always managed to get FP for BTM, the queues for PM & IASW were about 5-10 minutes and we had to wait about 15 minutes for Buzz Lightyear. But the prices for that week were higher than either the weeks before or the two weeks after and I queried it with Disney as I was wondering if it was a mistake in the brouchure. They did not know the reason but said that it was correct!!!!

 

[scald]

I have to say that I think its simply that this is the most favourable week for us travellers. We went from 2nd-6th and found the park quite busy. In my mind the decision was simple...I wanted to go and see the Christmas Season, but I did not want to travel very close to Christmas with two small kids as airport are crazy then and there is simply too much to do in preparation for Christmas. So this week was ideal in terms of hitting the season at a very convenient time and allowing the excitement of what we experienced there build up over the next fortnight to a great Christmas Day.

 

[Orion33]

We went out 30th November to 3rd December and I have never seen anything like it!

I am really hoping it's not that busy again as on the 1st december which was a friday it was fine, quite quiet but that weekend it got so busy you were almost walking round the park in single file we got knackered fighting the crowds!

I should post the video on here you have never seen anything like it!

 

[cstokell]

but that weekend it got so busy......

It was very busy on the Sunday we arrived, that's we why we are going from the Monday this year and steering well clear of the weekends. It was however, also very wet last year and this may also have kept the crowds down

 

[marcus.ka]

We went out 30th November to 3rd December and I have never seen anything like it!

I should post the video on here you have never seen anything like it!

Was only the weekend that busy or also Thursday and Friday?

Can you remember some of the waiting times? Was BTM more than 100 minutes and POTC more than 60 minutes?

And I still wonder why there are so many guests from the last November days throughout the first December week as there are no school holidays or bank holidays in Europe.

And please post the video.

 

[Orion33]

the friday was was nice actually not too busy and waiting time for rides minimal we were able to do several rides more than once, it was just the saturday and sunday that were madness and the sunday was also a really foul day very windy and very wet!!!

Despite this we still had lots of fun though!!! Its only looking back at the pics do you think-oh it was raining??? (We did inventive stuff like grabbing lunch at the pirate ship kiosk and then eating it in the caves under skull rock-it was like a picnic and despite the rain it all felt a bit Enid Blytony and i have some lovely pics of us sat munching on our hotdogs in the caves!!! ha only in disneyland!

On the sunday we got a FP for Buzz Lightyear and we still waited 45 minutes with the FP the POTC line was out the entrance to the ride by the banner everytime we looked and the waiting time was 100 minutes-BTM was set at 110, like i say it was crazy!

But this was on the first weekend in December, and as we had the friday there we had at least been able to do all the rides friday so didn't feel too cheated not being able to do them over the weekend!!

(although on the sunday we waited an hour to get on the train in Frontierland!)

 

[Orion33]

bear with me here...........

"waiting for the train"
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"Lunching in the cave!
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People everywhere!!!(the sunday)
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[marcus.ka]

Is the last pic right after the parade?

 

[Ware Bears]

I love the piccy of you picnicing in the cave.

 

[bavaria]

And I am adding MY photos from the first week of Dec last year....