December 18th-23rd CROWDS??

[Tinkermom]

We go to WDW quite a bit but have never been during the holidays. Could someone tell me what to expect as far as crowds December 18-23rd? We are leaving before Christmas so as not to deal with the craziness. But I am wondering just how much craziness to expect while we are there. Will the parks reach capacity by 10 or 11am like is to be expected on Christmas eve/Christmas and throughout the week until New Year's? What kind of waits should we expect for the rides/attractions? I just want to be sure we are prepared.:mickey: Any thoughts/advice appreciated!:thumbsup:


EDITED TO ADD-***I just booked the dinner package for the Candlelight Processional on 12/22 (Steven Curtis Chapman as narrator- how cool is that??!!). Our dinner is at 5:05pm at the Garden Grill and we are going to the 8:15 show. Do you all think we should get to EPCOT in the morning and stay there all day or do you think we would be ok to head over in early afternoon. I just don't want the park to be closed when we get there!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

:party: Are you getting to do the MVMCP? I hear its always busy. You'll have a lot of fun regardless.



Dec. 20-30, 2008 Pop Century for us

[big blue and hairy]

The closer you are to Christmas, the more crowded it gets. The 18th might not be bad, but I'm betting the 23rd will be a zoo. I assume from your screen name that you have kids in school, so this might not work. If you could come one or even two weeks earlier, it will be just as festive, but it'll be a lot less crowded. Plus, the hotels are in value season.

:sulley:

[Tinkermom]

The closer you are to Christmas, the more crowded it gets. The 18th might not be bad, but I'm betting the 23rd will be a zoo. I assume from your screen name that you have kids in school, so this might not work. If you could come one or even two weeks earlier, it will be just as festive, but it'll be a lot less crowded. Plus, the hotels are in value season.

:sulley:

Yea, kids are in school. Their last day before break is 12/18 so we are just pulling them out for that day. I wish we could come earlier. We are flying out on 12/23 in the afternoon so we may just stroll around DTD that morning instead of trying to get into a park that day.

So, what do you think the 19th-22nd will be like?

[Tinkermom]

:party: Are you getting to do the MVMCP? I hear its always busy. You'll have a lot of fun regardless.



Dec. 20-30, 2008 Pop Century for us

We are going to try to do the MVMCP and also the Candlelight Processional with the dinner package. I am calling WDW today to get our ADR's and dinner package and hopefully MVMCP tickets. Not sure if I can get those yet though.

[CaptainDisney]

I think it depends partly on the calendar. With Christmas on a Thursday this year, it likely won't get crazy the weekend before. Plenty of people will do what you're doing, I think, but not nearly as many as will come the following week.

I was at WDW throughout the entire holiday season of 2007, and there was a really noticable difference from the 23rd to 24th, then from 24th to 25th. And oh wow, it's really a zoo by the 26th. That's when the monorail queue at TTC snaked through the entire plaza...by 8 AM.

Don't expect capacity crowds before Christmas and have a great time!

[KineGirl]

Ive been there during that time (18-27th, '06) and while it does get crazier the closer to Christmas the dates get - its crazy the whole time. In fact its the craziest time of the year. Expect long waits, expect parks (especially MK) reaching capacity by the 22/23rd - and if they dont then just consider yourself lucky, expect a LOT of ppl on buses. When we were there it was wall to wall ppl in MK and we only rode a few rides due to waits.

That being said there really is nothing like Christmastime in the World! :cloud9: The decorations, the Osborne lights, the resorts, the shows, the park Christmas trees (AK is my fave)... As long as you dont go expecting short lines and the ability to do everything but rather more a "strolling" tour of the World you will have a great time. I would def do it again in a few years!

It sounds crazy but it really is so much fun!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Ive been there during that time (18-27th, '06) and while it does get crazier the closer to Christmas the dates get - its crazy the whole time. In fact its the craziest time of the year. Expect long waits, expect parks (especially MK) reaching capacity by the 22/23rd - and if they dont then just consider yourself lucky, expect a LOT of ppl on buses. When we were there it was wall to wall ppl in MK and we only rode a few rides due to waits.

That being said there really is nothing like Christmastime in the World! :cloud9: The decorations, the Osborne lights, the resorts, the shows, the park Christmas trees (AK is my fave)... As long as you dont go expecting short lines and the ability to do everything but rather more a "strolling" tour of the World you will have a great time. I would def do it again in a few years!

It sounds crazy but it really is so much fun!


:ditto: Its the best and only time we go!:santa3:

[Donald]

I agree with KineGirl, expect it to be crazy! We were there Dec. 2005-the week before you expect to be there- and it was quiet until the last weekend. Lines for everything! MK even met capacity on our last day! To be safe, I would probably stick to Epcot on the day of your Candelight processional. Unlike MVMCP, where your ticket gets you in reguardless, who knows about meeting capacity. Besides, it is easy to spend an entire day (or two) at Epcot! Good Luck and have a great time!:mickey:

[ibrowse17]

We were there 17-23 Dec this past Christmas, and had a great time. There were no lines at our resort (POFQ) check in or bus stop when we first arrived. The park crowds were on the light side the fist couple of days also. We did the MVMCP, and really enjoyed it. Bt the 21st, the crowds really started to grow. The check in area was getting packed, as were the bus stops lines. The park crowds were much larger each day from our third day on. By the time we left on the 23rd, the crowds had really swelled from when we arrived. All in all, we had a great time, and would go again during that time period. Have a great trip:thumbsup:

[Tinkermom]

We were there 17-23 Dec this past Christmas, and had a great time. There were no lines at our resort (POFQ) check in or bus stop when we first arrived. The park crowds were on the light side the fist couple of days also. We did the MVMCP, and really enjoyed it. Bt the 21st, the crowds really started to grow. The check in area was getting packed, as were the bus stops lines. The park crowds were much larger each day from our third day on. By the time we left on the 23rd, the crowds had really swelled from when we arrived. All in all, we had a great time, and would go again during that time period. Have a great trip:thumbsup:

Thanks! It is great to hear from someone who was there at the same time we will be! I guess we will try to get as much done as possible in the first couple of days.:thumbsup:

[Faver]

DH and I will be there on the same dates!!!! :thumbsup: Christmas is the only time we go to Disney (I don't do heat well). This will actually be our 6th time there at Christmas time.

There are loads of people, but if you plan your time, start early in the day, take a mid day break, you'll see all you want to see.... guaranteed. It's always worked for us.....:mickey:

[fairies*n*fireflies]

I am glad to have found this thread. We are going to be at WDW the week of Christmas also (20-27). Our first Christmas trip. I have been wondering what the crowds will be like.

When you all talk about the parks reaching max capacity, how does that affect those that have resort reservations? What if you get there and it has reached max capacity and you have ADR's in that park? We did schedule MK the first 2 days we are there and Epcot for Christmas eve and I believe we are doing Hollywood Studios for Christmas Day.

Tinkermom~ We are doing the Candlelight Processional too! I was so psyched to see that our narrator is going to be Steven Curtis Chapman!

[KineGirl]

When you all talk about the parks reaching max capacity, how does that affect those that have resort reservations? What if you get there and it has reached max capacity and you have ADR's in that park? We did schedule MK the first 2 days we are there and Epcot for Christmas eve and I believe we are doing Hollywood Studios for Christmas Day.


The parks maxes out in phases (4) and I believe (if Im wrong someone will correct me Im sure) that resort guests are last to be phased/maxed out. Having ADRs at an already-at-capacity park will not get you in unfortunately. When I went during Christmastime I think only MK ever reached capacity.

Hollywood Studios on Christmas Day seeing Osbourne Family Lights walking in the snow drinking hot cocoa :cloud9:

[RAIDER]

In a word ... CHAOS ...

I went a few years ago and it was horrible ...
Thats why i stick to the first 2 weeks in Dec now :thumbsup:

[Giselle]

I went that exact week last year. The crowds were great, but it was a little cold. You still had to wait in lines, but they were short and the streets weren't too crowded. We went to the MVMCP and it was about the same crowd as during the day. The crowd got a little heavier on the 23rd as more people come in for Christmas. Bring a jacket!:santa3:

[Nascfan]

We were there about that same time frame in 2005. My info may be a little dated being almost 3 years old, but yeah, it will start not *too* crowded, and by the 22nd/23rd it will be packed.

My advice: get as much done with the big attractions as you can the first few days. Utilize fastpass as much as possible. Get to the parks early and take advantage of those that sleep in by getting more done in the first couple hours, then stroll. Slow down, take in the atmosphere. Enjoy the decorations, the special things they have going on. Tour the bigger resorts, especially Grand Floridian and the gingerbread house.
Finally, to echo Giselle, bring a jacket. Sweatshirts. Whatever it takes. Don't count on Florida to be tropical that time of year. It can be C-O-L-D! On the flip side, bring shorts and t-shirts too. Because it can be H-O-T! You kind of have to be prepared for any weather.

[pixiesmimi]

I would think that on the busiest days you would want to get there early in the morning and just stay so that you wouldn't have problems with it being maxed out. People are constantly coming and going though so the wait to get in after it is maxed shouldn't be that long should it? Has anyone here ever been turned away during a busy day or had to wait to get in? Also, if you had ADRS, I would think they would have to let you in for them just like they do when you have ADRS before the park opens.

[CaptainJessicaSparrow]

I would think that on the busiest days you would want to get there early in the morning and just stay so that you wouldn't have problems with it being maxed out. People are constantly coming and going though so the wait to get in after it is maxed shouldn't be that long should it? Has anyone here ever been turned away during a busy day or had to wait to get in? Also, if you had ADRS, I would think they would have to let you in for them just like they do when you have ADRS before the park opens.

Rusty could probably answer this better than me, but I believe that they don't let people in even as people leave until it reaches a certain point. Then they let people back in. Think about it, a family of 4 leaves but you have a family of 6. Are you going to leave 2 people out? I think they need to wait until like 1000, or 1500 people leave, then let people in. On busy days, you could be waiting a long time too.

Also, if you have an ADR, they will not let you in the park if it's at a Phase 4 closing.

[fairies*n*fireflies]

Thanks everyone for the great feedback to my question. I am glad that we scheduled MK for the first part of the week. From what I am gathering we should be okay if we go to HS on Christmas Day and Epcot on Christmas Eve? We do have one down day to just go explore DTD and the resorts and check out the spectacular decorations. Can't wait to see the Gingerbread House at Grand Floridian!:cloud9:

It also sounds like if we make sure we get to the parks early and take advantage of early hours that we should be okay also. (I hope..:fingers:)

Still, I am so excited to actually be there during Christmas I can't stand it!:joy:

I don't look forward to packing for different weather though.... Although I do know I have to. I went as a chaperone with our youth group down there in January one year and we were told by someone who grew up in Orlando that "it should be in the 60's-70's" so all of the kids took warmer clothes. OF COURSE, that would be the weekend that it was 30 degrees with a windchill factor of probably the 20's and the kids were freezing. Most were scrambling to buy sweatshirts. I took along a coat and warmer clothes just in case, but some of the kids spent most of the time camped out in one of the restaurants in Tommorrowland and missed so much fun!

[pixiesmimi]

Being from LA (lower Alabama) I would never be surprised about the changes in the weather. The "Norm" doesn't always hold out. It is Christmas after all. It might be 90 degrees on Christmas Day or 30 degrees. Just always pack for both this time of year. I even do a little of that in the summer (take a jacket) in case a rainy day turns cool.

I am just so jealous of you all who are getting to go at Christmas :( that I wouldn't care what the crowds were just to be there and see the lights and decorations. :cloud9: Sounds like if you plan well and remember the crowds, all will work out. Just take your time and enjoy and don't get upset at the long lines. Work around them as much as possible. Remember it is a vacation, not a marathon. :)

By the way, Jessica, catch that water snake for me and get rid of it before I go back. :) We saw one swimming along side the boat last time we were there. :scared: :D

[McGoofy]

Your dates are almost the exact same time frame that I went last year. I was looking back at my trip reports that I wrote. Days 1 and 2 (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=122645) are in this link. On day two, we hit Epcot. If you look at the photos linked into the report, there is hardly anybody there. The crowds increased daily and had definitely picked up by time we left on Saturday, December 22. However, it hadn't reached that "crazy busy" point yet. This was our second time going in that time frame. We are planning another trip for this year which will actually be the same dates as you, except we are leaving a little bit sooner. We are going from 12/18-12/22. If it was horrible, we wouldn't have made three trips in the same time frame!;) I was disappointed that Steven Curtis Chapman wasn't doing the Candlelight Processional until 12/22. I really wanted to be there when he was, but that is the day that we have to go home. I am glad that you were able to catch him. I hope you have a wonderful time.

[fairies*n*fireflies]

Tara, thank you so much for the links to your first 2 days. I really enjoyed reading them and looking at your pictures. They make me even more excited:cloud9: to be going at Christmas! I can't wait to take our free day to just enjoy the different resorts. Are the rest of your trip reports and pictures posted on here? I would really enjoy reading and seeing more!:thumbsup:

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

:snowman: We're going for Dec. 20-30 and we will avoid MK Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and visit it on the 21st, 26th and 29th.....we have been during December and January and I would advise bringing clothes that are easy to layer....jeans or capris, short sleeve shirts and hoodies that can be tied around the waist as the day warms up....we did need jackets and hats during one trip but only for Nighttime activities....so it was easy to run back to the hotel grab jackets and come back for Illuminations, Wishes etc...so we didn't have to carry them all day....

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Your dates are almost the exact same time frame that I went last year. I was looking back at my trip reports that I wrote. Days 1 and 2 (http://www.intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=122645) are in this link. On day two, we hit Epcot. If you look at the photos linked into the report, there is hardly anybody there. The crowds increased daily and had definitely picked up by time we left on Saturday, December 22. However, it hadn't reached that "crazy busy" point yet. This was our second time going in that time frame. We are planning another trip for this year which will actually be the same dates as you, except we are leaving a little bit sooner. We are going from 12/18-12/22. If it was horrible, we wouldn't have made three trips in the same time frame!;) I was disappointed that Steven Curtis Chapman wasn't doing the Candlelight Processional until 12/22. I really wanted to be there when he was, but that is the day that we have to go home. I am glad that you were able to catch him. I hope you have a wonderful time.


:thumbsup: Fabulous pics and trip reports

[McGoofy]

:thumbsup: Fabulous pics and trip reports

Thanks! You are too sweet! Yes, the rest of the trip with Christmas pictures for each of the days are posted as well. I didn't put the links because I didn't want to hijack the thread. I just put the first day because I had written about the crowds being low on that first day in the parks, and you can see in our pictures at Epcot, that there's hardly anybody there. I will post the other links for my trip reports. You can definitely get an idea for things that you can do during that time of year!:mickey: Here are the links:
Report Two (http://intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=122668)--MK and MGM photos
Report Three (http://intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=122670)--AK photos

[fairies*n*fireflies]

Thanks Tara! I loved your pictures and I have the Disney fever even more! I am off to read your other posts now!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Thanks! You are too sweet! Yes, the rest of the trip with Christmas pictures for each of the days are posted as well. I didn't put the links because I didn't want to hijack the thread. I just put the first day because I had written about the crowds being low on that first day in the parks, and you can see in our pictures at Epcot, that there's hardly anybody there. I will post the other links for my trip reports. You can definitely get an idea for things that you can do during that time of year!:mickey: Here are the links:
Report Two (http://intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=122668)--MK and MGM photos
Report Three (http://intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=122670)--AK photos

:DThanks so much, I showed my mom your other pics last night and she is soo excited and can' wait for our trip...She adores Christmas and loves Christmas decorations.