By Amanda from Mouze Kateerz.com.
It may be hot right now, but summer is often the time people start planning those colder weather vacations. Everybody seems to want to visit Disney World during the Christmas holidays. Disney Christmas decorations are incredibly beautiful, and it’s a magical time to be in Orlando. Your kids are out of school, the weather is certainly more tolerable than summer, and the holiday spirit is in the air. You’ve been saving for this vacation for a long time. Is Christmas really the best time of year for you to visit Walt Disney World?
From Christmas Day to New Years is the absolute busiest time of year at WDW. I have been multiple times during this week, and crowd levels can feel absolutely insane, most especially mid-afternoon. Talk to anyone who has crossed the gates of any Disney theme park this time of year, and they will all use pretty much the same words…crowded, insane, magical! But if you can only take off time from work during this week, and thousands do, should you brave the holiday crowds? If you just need to be in the Disney parks after Christmas, get ready to stand in long lines and be surrounded by huge crowds everywhere you go.
- This photo is from December 27th of 2011. Can you feel the people surrounding you just by taking a look? Let that soak in a moment. It took me by surprise, and I’d planned this vacation 11 months earlier, knowing full well it would be busy. OK, I expected it to be busy, but since we’re in a recession, I thought maybe people wouldn’t have the money to travel to Disney.
- Here is another photo that shows I was indeed deluding myself into thinking people weren’t traveling last year. They did.
Just after I took the above Hollywood Studios crowd shot with thousands of my closest Disney friends on December 28th, this was about 10 in the morning, three of four Disney parks soon reached capacity. If you can calmly imagine standing shoulder to shoulder with up to 92,000 people in the Magic Kingdom at one time, then you must really want to be vacationing at Disney World. One to two hour waits without a Fastpass- yikes!
Speaking of Fastpass, I hope you know how to work the system.
I found our best option was to leave the parks around one p.m. and go back in around six or seven. It’s still busy- crazy busy– but people start to leave after the fireworks, and lines are more manageable, especially if they offer Extra Magic Hours and you stay in a Disney Resort. However, we can’t all afford to stay on property.
So make no mistake, the week after Christmas is totally packed-out and really only a last resort vacationing choice, if you just can’t schedule a Disney visit any other time of year. Thanksgiving weekend is also very busy, but there are other options.
I’ve stood on Main Street, U.S.A., as the clock struck midnight on Christmas Eve, ushering in a fantastic Christmas Day. The Disney snow was gently falling, the holiday lights were twinkling, and people walking around were extra-Disney-magically happy. Christmas carols were playing, and I was grinning, hugging my kids and taking their picture. (Cue the scary Snow White music here.) And thousands of people were waiting to descend upon the Disney parks the next day.
Do I recommend you go right at Christmas like we did? No. Would I go again at that time? Yes. Maybe. It all really depends on how just bad you want to feel that Disney magic.
What I can recommend with no hesitation is my all time favorite snack.
Lovin’ Some Disney Food: What is the Greatest $3.99 Snack You May Have Missed?
If you do go at Christmas, I want to wish you luck. I won’t see you there this year, because I am going the week after Thanksgiving, following my own advice on when to travel. This year anyway…
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You will also find her articles on Meet the Magic.com.
Dana says
We are going to WDW from Dec 9-14th is year. Do you all think this will be an okay time to go?
I really would love to miss all the crowds like showed above.
We went last May 28-June 4 and that was crowded but not bad at all I think. So I’m hopeing for even better than that trip.
I also was happy to see that both pics were very sunny!!! I’m excited
CIndy says
We went as a kid to EPCOT on New Years Eve one year (wanna say maybe 1987?) and it was so crowded we couldn’t walk. We went home at 9 because we were all just miserable there. Went back to the hotel and had a much better party. We never have been back that time of year. The closest we get is the week after Thanksgiving. All the CHristmas stuff is up and the crowds are down :) That and mid October is our favorite time to go.
Jamie says
I had the opportunity to work on the ABC Disney Christmas Parade for many years in the past the parade is usually shot the first weekend in December. This can be Awesome if your kids get excited to see some of their favorite Disney Stars however expect many closed off areas, and BIG crowds. Pass holders and vacation club members are often “invited” to be audience for these specific shots. (Also this event was kept pretty quiet in regard to celebrities/performances..so don’t expect guest services to help you out with this one)
Colleen says
My birthday is two weeks before Christmas and in 2010, we went to celebrate during my birthday. I have to say, it was one of the absolute best times to go!!! ALL the Disney Holiday magic and we left 1 week before Christmas – just in time to avoid many of the crowds. As usual, the weekends were pretty tough but honestly it wasn’t nearly like the pics shown. Time it right and you can have a spectacular time – and come home in a perfect holiday mood after being at Disney!
Gretchen says
I love Disney at Christmas! However, I try to go the first or second week before the Christmas rush sets in. We made our trip a week earlier this year in hopes of lower crowds.