Week AFTER Christmas

[crazygoalie39]

I know crowds are always high before christmas, but I was wondering what the crowds are like the week after Christmas. We are going from the 26th to Jan. 2nd. Thanks! :mickey:

[Iluvpooh]

I may be wrong here-But, I think that is the busiest week of the year. If not- it is second after 4th of July. I know that one of them is the busiest and one is the second busiest.

[DisneyPrincess21]

I may be wrong here-But, I think that is the busiest week of the year. If not- it is second after 4th of July. I know that one of them is the busiest and one is the second busiest.

Yep your right. From the weekend before Christmas until after new years is very crowded. One of the busiest times of the year, if not the busiest.

[Beast_fanatic]

Christmas to New Year's is the busiest week of the year. Parks are usually open extra hours though, and some people that attend at that time love it. Do expect it to be very, very crowded, and prepare to make good use of fastpass and extra magic hours (if staying on-site). If you are staying off-site, you are best served to pick a park and stay in it all day as parks (particularly the Magic Kingdom) frequently close to off-site guests early in the day.

[Mousefan29]

It's very busy. Pack your patience. A CM told me New Year's Eve was their busiest day of the year. I believe it! As others have said, if you get to the parks early, you'll get to experience more things, but, by lunchtime, you'd better have fastpasses or plan on doing shows/parades. Oh, and don't leave the park and expect to get back in on New Year's.

We prepared ourselves by listing one or two things we wanted to do in any park visit; anything else we did was an added bonus!

[elmjimmlm]

We did that week this past Dec. and if I had to do it all over again I would not go to MK on NYE...We overheard that there were 70-72,000 people in the park that day...
I have never seen so many people in one place and at times I felt very "closed in"...We had lunch at Liberty Tree and it was great and a good break from the outside...Make sure to get in the park of your choice very early on this day...
I will have to say that we did not have a hard time getting on rides and we took our time...
DHS was the worst park that week IMO...We waited to ride TSM for 1 1/2 hrs. but we waited because it was our first time to ride...My DS waited in single rider for RnR for 45 min. if that tells you anything...
Epcot was better but we could not even go up to the building where Soarin is because of all the people...The wait was 180 min. for that and several others...
AK was the easiest to get around but again long waits for everything...
It is great to see all of the decorations and if you can go to the CP...It was one of the best things that we did all week...The Osborne lights are so worth the wait and crowds...
Hope you have a great time...(the weather is great!!!)

[emmatink]

We went this week in 2005-2006 and vowed to never do it again...sorry :( We waited over 2 hours for the Safari ride at AK and that was only mid-morning. You definitely need lots of patience and just know that you will not get to do everything!

[MIKESMOM]

We were there this past Christmas from 12/22 -01/02. The crowds were manageable most days. The only day that was completely INSANE was NYE. We were in Epcot. Lots of very unhappy guest that had no idea just how packed the parks could get. We just did what we could & made the best of it.

[SamG]

We did it last year also (12/30-1/3). Never again. Having three kids (10, 5, 2) didn't help ease my stress level. Crowds were terrible. Lined up for Spectromagic 60 minutes beforehand and were 4-5 back. Wait times for the major attractions were at least 90 minutes, and most were 120+. Never got on TSM.

A couple things that helped (in addition to patience)...
1) Went to BB on NYE, didn't even bother with a "normal" park... very little wait for ANYTHING there.
2) Went to MK on 1/1, arrived about 30 minutes before opening, and crowds weren't too bad until early afternoon.
3) Took the DVC tour (took about 2-3 hours), but got "super FP" for the entire party. Each "SFP" had four FPs, and the return time was immediate. Didn't help us on TSM since FPs were gone, but SM, Soarin', BTMRR, (which all had 120min+ standby lines) we were able to walk on.

Bottom line, I'm not upset we did it (visited during that time), it was something to see, but "never again."

[Disney1977]

We went Christmas week in 1989, never again. The crowds in the parks were terrible. The best day we had was at Typhoon Lagoon.

If at all possible you should pick a different week.

Good luck.

[crazygoalie39]

Well i'm not too excited about all these horror stories. If it was my choice we'd be going this March during my spring break for college but my mom's a teacher and my step-dad works for UPS so the only time they both can get time off work is this week. :(

[Brer_Daddy]

If that is the only time you can go I am sure you will enjoy it. We have visited the last two Christmas's and the week between Christmas and New Years is crazy. Having said that, with a little planning and alot of patience you can have a great time. We spent NYE at the MK both times and while it was crowed it was magical! Just plan on doing little and scope out a seat for the fireworks early! As far as I am concerned, Christmas is the most wonderful time to be at Disney.

[mom2morgan]

Well i'm not too excited about all these horror stories. If it was my choice we'd be going this March during my spring break for college but my mom's a teacher and my step-dad works for UPS so the only time they both can get time off work is this week. :(
If it's any consolation, Spring Break can be awfully busy too. Now, let me say that although I'm kind of a recluse and really like "low crowd" vacations, the REASON it is so packed between Christmas and New Years is because so many people ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT at that time!! The decorations are up everywhere and they are fabulous - so gorgeous and magickal. It is the Christmas season, so people tend to be in good moods and on their best behaviour. There is so much energy and excitement and "buzz" in the air that you really feel like you are a part of something special. I don't know where you live, but if you are in a cold climate, just enjoying the Florida weather is a treat in December - often warm enough to swim during the day, and just need a sweater or long sleeved shirt at night. With a little extra planning, you can still get to all the rides and shows (but this is NOT the time of year to wander around aimlessly and hope for the best - I don't know if I'm allowed to mention it here, but I'm a bit fan of the "touring plans" in the Unofficial Guide to Disney World - it can help you really maximize what you get to see and do). Make sure you have dinner reservations well in advance, and give yourself a little extra time to get from one place to another. And you will have a WONDERFUL time and never regret going at that time of year!! :minnie: