Will the Slow economy lighten the Christmas Crowd?

[Jim&AngieMarriner]

I was sitting here wondering. Has there been any talk of the crowds being thinner around Christmas due to the economy being rather poor??
We are going to be there and while I am looking forward to being there, I am NOT looking forward to fighting the crowd.

[BigRedDad]

Most likely not. The people that are or should be going to WDW are either not affected by the economy yet or are affluent enough to not be impacted at all.

[Meteora]

It might have a bit of an effect--people from all walks of life have to cut back--but my guess is that
1) It would affect the planning of future trips more than trips that have already been planned--and I'm guessing most Christmas trips have been planned for awhile, and
2) Christmas crowds are so heavy that a number of people choosing not to go because of the economy isn't going to make a gigantic difference.

So I guess the bottom line is maybe, but I wouldn't count on it. Be prepared to fight those crowds this Christmas!

[thumperbug]

Meteora is correct. WDW trips are usually planned long in advance so the effects on the economy in regards to the parks probably won't be seen as much until next year.

My Feb 09 trip was planned in July. Granted as DVC members we are not paying the expense of our accomodations but we did pay for the airline tickets (one was a free one) and bought our park passes (with no expiration just in case). I have been squirreling away some $$ weekly for the trip so when it comes we don't suddenly have to hit up our bank account hard.

[HoosierDisneyFan]

Local / FL residents / one day trips should be less but not sure if that will dramatically reduce the crowd.

[Tinkerbellfan]

Focus group of one family here but we haven't cut back our trip. But, we have cut back our spending plans for the trip. For instance, we are staying at the WL woods view vs courtyard view and we have decided against trying Victoria & Albert this trip since a $400 meal seems over the top considering the current economy!

[goofysbabe]

I myself was wondering the same thing. We too will be going for the first time at Christmas - our trip is paid for, but if it wasn't we would not be going. I'm like the other poster - I think that the Christmas trips have all been planned for a while, so even though I would love for the crowds to be thinner I just don't think thats going to happen - however, we can pray!! :) Enjoy your trip

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

We will be there at Christmas and I paid in full at the beginning of the year....my mom said if we hadn't paid in advance, she may have reconsidered due to the economy....I'm guessing 2009 will be affected more than 2008....we plan on avoiding MK Christmas Day and Christmas Eve to avoid the worst of the crowds...having said that we know it will be busy but there is just no time I'd rather go to DisneyWorld

[DDuck66]

Local / FL residents / one day trips should be less but not sure if that will dramatically reduce the crowd.
I do not think that this will effect the locals at all..in fact you might see bigger local crowds because of not wanting to spend money for longer trips that are further away. In fact we have trips planned for November 28-30th. The weekend of December 6th, and possibly on Christmas Day. Most locals have AP's so the only thing we have to pay for is gas and food.

[doodleboy]

Focus group of one family here but we haven't cut back our trip. But, we have cut back our spending plans for the trip. For instance, we are staying at the WL woods view vs courtyard view and we have decided against trying Victoria & Albert this trip since a $400 meal seems over the top considering the current economy!

Same situation here. We are going for Halloween and are still doing MNSSHP, but cut our trip short by one day. We also are not doing as many TS meals, and chose standard view at AK over Safari. The trip will still be as great as ever, and we go twice a year so I don't feel like we are missing out that much. The point is we are still going. :party::party:

[Grumpy's Daughter]

The only thing that might cut back on the locals for the holidays is that it is considered part of the "black out" time for their passes. We are going at Christmas, and a friend of mine in Orlando can't come to the parks with us due to the black out dates on her pass.

[Diznee4Me]

Another family planner who has cut back some of the "extras" on our upcoming trip.

Like most posters said the trips are planned so far in advance that the parks themselves won't feel any impact.

Also, many people may be cutting back on the extras while in the parks but the capacity in the parks shouldn't feel the impact.

Go and have a great time.:mickey: