Crowds change every year. It seems like just when we know what to expect, something changes to throw off everything we thought we knew. This year we have Star Wars Land opening in Hollywood Studios and date based ticket pricing- but we also have an amazing Christmas Deal from Disney. What does it all mean? What can we expect this year?
Everything I’ve come across paints an image of Christmas Day at Walt Disney World being a nightmare. A little further investigation shows that by “Disney World” they mean Magic Kingdom- and it’s true, we know Magic Kingdom typically hits max capacity, usually well before noon.
However, that is just one park of FOUR. What are the other parks like?
I turned to the Savears for answers, based on their experiences.
Group consensus is that Magic Kingdom and Epcot are the most crowded parks to visit on Christmas Day. How Hollywood Studios will change with the opening of Star Wars is anybody’s guess, which seems to indicate to me that Animal Kingdom is the safest choice for “lower crowds”. Let’s all take a minute to laugh and laugh. Lower crowds. Ha!
I think trying to visit the parks is very much a “what fits your family” situation. Get to Epcot or Magic Kingdom at rope drop if you want to visit these two parks. That’s really not bad advice for any of the parks on Christmas Day, but especially those two. I’ve heard from several people that Christmas Day even at Magic Kingdom is very crowded but doable as far as in park experiences- while December 26th to January 1st made them miserable.
If you don’t want to spend your day at a park, or you’re looking for something to do after sneaking into the parks for a few hours and leaving when you get uncomfortable, it’s time to think outside the box.
- Resort Hop! There are such incredible decorations, especially at Grand Floridian and The Contemporary- but don’t count out the gorgeous gingerbread carousel at Beach Club. I also recommend going to Animal Kingdom Lodge to see the animals from special viewing areas and checking out their massive Christmas tree.
- Consider grabbing a special meal in one of the resorts- there are several character meals to choose from, if you want to go that route. Or, keep it breezy and just check out the quick service places while you browse the resort.
- Spend the day in the pool! THE POOL, y’all. In December! Take it easy, watch tv at the resort. Maybe you’ve brought gifts to open. Make this a truly chill day to spend with your family.
- If you want something a little more fast paced than your resort pool, Typhoon Lagoon is open from 10am-5pm on Christmas Day!
- Book a horse drawn “sleigh” ride! There will be competition for this one! Booking opens 180 days out, so get on the phone ASAP if you want to score this special event for Christmas.
- Take a trip out to Winter Summerland Mini Golf– the course Santa himself designed!
- Visit Disney Springs! Here you can grab a special treat from one of the bakeries and wander the Christmas Tree Trail. You may even see it snow, wink wink!
Most of all, the most important thing to remember… it’s Christmas, you guys. While you may get frustrated with crowds, there are thousands of cast members away from their families to make your vacation incredible. Pack your patience. Smile- at your family and others. Remember that you are at the Most Magical Place On Earth on a special day with people you love- whether they are your family, or the family you’ve chosen. It’s going to be crowded. Disney is always crowded. Don’t let crowds rob you of your joy!