Is Christmas week unmanageable...

[Royal Consort]

We're flying from Australia as our borders are about to open and the US are opening too. We are Disneyland vets usually travelling annually 1st week of Nov. Since we haven't been on vacation for 2 years due to the pandemic, we are desperate to get back and so have booked Christmas week at the Disneyland Hotel for 8 nights. This ties into our Christmas leave. We decided to book just in case there is a new variant and our borders close next year again knowing the time of Xmas week isn't ideal.

After reading threads here, it seems we will be visiting a very very different Disneyland to what we are used to. With crowds, dining reservation issues, and it being Xmas week I am feeling intimidated.

Any advice for a returning Disneyland vet? What do I need to know? Should we bother coming?

I was even looking at upgrading to club level at the DLH to have an extra space to go to if the parks are too intense. Worth it?

 

[Congo Queen]

Well I am a Dland vet and went back in September for first time since pandemic. It was an OBB weekend and so it was much busier than I expected, and some things were more challenging, but many things were as wonderful and magical as they always were. We stayed at GCH. That helped a ton with quick access to the room for long midday rest. Its good you have DLH reservations. With 8 days you will have a good long time so you don't need to make sure to do everything in a day or two. Pace yourselves. It may be that you are arriving after the Genie+ app is launched, and you would get to see how that effects your experience - it is supposed to make it more pleasurable and efficient or so they promise! Regarding food, that was the most out of wack of any element. It is just a pain - long,long lines and hard to get a table at walk up or buffeteria. If you can, make a few sit down reservations for lunch or dinner as soon as they are available (which is not on any reliable date - they kind of dribble into the reservation app). Then fill in around those with mobile orders (placed EARLY in the day for when you want the item later). Shopping was really really crowded at end of day so avoid that if you can. (I waited in a 40 min line to buy English Toffee at the Candy Palace at 11pm.) Other than that, we had a grand time.

 

[cruisehopeful]

I was even looking at upgrading to club level at the DLH to have an extra space to go to if the parks are too intense. Worth it?

If there's any possible way for you to do that, it is worth it. My daughter and I just did that and looking back over the weekend, we would have had a bad time if we didn't have club level, but we had a great time. Having that area to snack or have a meal without waiting in line and without any competition to get a reservation makes a huge difference. Even just having it quieter than anywhere else to eat on property was great. After doing that, she would rather go much less and only stay club level.

You should be able to use Genie + when you visit and that will hopefully make a big difference. It's been insane lately because there aren't any shows or big parades for people to gather at, making all the lines for everything that much longer. Some places will only offer mobile order. For example, we wanted a soft serve from Cozy Cone and the CM said they were mobile order only and that since there was no one ahead of me to just do the mobile order right then and pick it up. That was ridiculous, but we did it.

That last couple years before Covid, people who visited the days leading up to Christmas said the parks were empty compared to normal. Once Christmas day hit, it got busier and busier each day. It's a different time now, so not sure what it will be like, but you'll be able to make it fun. And stay club level to make sure you get something good/healthy to eat easily.

 

[Epicnemesis]

In the past it’s been a nightmare. We went once between Christmas and New Years, left after 2 hours and said “never again”

All bets are off this year though.

Historically the first week of Jan is pretty manageable and they still have Christmas decorations up. If you can stretch your dates until then I think it’ll be a more enjoyable experience.

 

[smeg3030]

I've decided to go a few days before Christmas, I don't know if I'm crazy or just really wanting to go to Disneyland....

In 2020, we went the days following New Years and crowds weren't crazy.

I'm really hoping to hear the starting dates of Genie + because without that I'm definitely not going.

 

[sjmac42]

Christmas 2019 we were there from the 21st to 26th and the crowds were very manageable, Christmas Day was a ghost town. Crowds didn’t hit until the 27th when the parks reached capacity mid morning for a few hours. Christmas is on a weekend this year so that may make the 24th and 26th busier but if you have a day or 2 before then they should be manageable.

 

[StormyCA]

Honestly, I think with the reservations system vis a vis capacity and crowds trying to predict what Xmas will be like at DL this first year post-Covid closure is well nigh impossible. Throw in Genie+, LL and LL+ passes and it's anybody's guess. It could be a hellacious free for all or it could be a well managed but busy time.

You pays your money and you takes your chances.

 

[longboard55]

In general the busiest week of the year is the week after chirstmas, but they do have limits now on attendance so it might not be that different