Talk to me about mid-December...

[Penguinempress]

I've been to Disney several times over the past 5 years but never close to Christmas. I'd love to see the parks decked out for the holidays but am wondering what to expect in terms of crowds.

The best flight deals would be for a Dec 13th to 17th trip. I know that Christmas to New Years is crazy busy but should I also expect chaos during these dates? We'd stay off site and probably do 2 park days - HS to see Toy Story Land and one day at MK. I don't think we'd do the Xmas party so that would probably mean doing MK on the Saturday to avoid a party day early closure. The other day would probably be spent at Universal. Just wondering if crowds will be manageable or if I should spend more on airfare and look at going late November instead (and if so, will all the Xmas stuff even be up then?) Would appreciate any advice, thanks!

 

[DCLPrincess]

We usually go the second week of December and crowds are pretty low. Just avoid the first week. And the closer it gets to Christmas the busier it gets.

 

[Tksolomom]

You should be fine. It does get busier the closer you get to Christmas. MK will have the Christmas stuff up. I don’t know if HS or Epcot will be decorated before Thanksgiving though.

 

[NH-to-FL]

Before becoming snowbirds we made many trips to WDW in mid December. It is a very nice time to go. All of the Christmas decorations are up.

The last couple of days of your trip will start to see crowds increase but will not be anything like the holiday week. The Gold Annual Pass blackout starts on Dec 20th this year so Disney expects the crowds to be growing by then.

Certainly the last week of November, after Thanksgiving, will be quieter but you will have to decide if that is worth the cost.

 

[RolloTomasi]

Our dates last year were 12/9-16, so roughly comparable to yours. My experience was that crowds were mostly manageable, but noticeably picked up as the week went on, and Friday/Saturday were very busy with locals and weekenders coming in for a quick trip and MVMCP. Again, manageable, but the crowds definitely increased by a lot.

FWIW, a couple of years ago we went after Thanksgiving, arriving the Saturday after, and it was wonderful. Weather was gorgeous and crowds were light (for Disney, lol).

 

[VTNuke]

It's a good time to go. The weather is usually in the 60's to 70's, although one year it got down to 35 at night. The crowds are light most days. I will say you need to plan accordingly on which park you do which day. The Christmas party can be a really great morning and early afternoon at MK, but if the party sells out, it will start getting packed by 4 or so. If we aren't going to the party, we usually either try to split that day with another park in the evening or just avoid MK altogether.

The drawbacks are the firework shows at MK and HS are both different than usual. Both are good, but if you wanted to see the Star Wars fireworks at HS, they may be replaced with a Christmas show staring the Disney Elves. The Star Wars fireworks are excellent by the way.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

We always go the two weeks after TG and it’s great. It’s cheaper then normal, less crowded, and all the Holiday decorations and offerings are in full swing. Weather is great too. Best time to go IMO.

 

[Penguinempress]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Sounds like it will be a good time to go. I'm not too concerned about the weather (I'm in Canada so no matter how cold it gets in Orlando, it'll be better than December here!) and as long as there aren't wall-to-wall crowds like Christmas week, I'll be good. I'm so excited to see all the holiday decor!!!

 

[a742246]

You will have a great time!

 

[Penguinempress]

You will have a great time!

Thanks! Also, love your profile pic!

 

[PolyRob]

I went 12/16 - 12/19 in 2017 and had a great time. Crowds were very manageable! Weather was also great. It did not get super cold. Although I was informed that there was a frosting the prior week when I checked-in to my resort.

 

[CynBeth]

Just a suggestion Epcot is not to miss with the storytellers and Candlelight Processional.

 

[RolloTomasi]

I went 12/16 - 12/19 in 2017 and had a great time. Crowds were very manageable! Weather was also great. It did not get super cold. Although I was informed that there was a frosting the prior week when I checked-in to my resort.

As someone who was there the week before, it was COLD lol. We drove down from New York and on a whim I brought my winter coat just in case we came back in cold weather. I used my winter coat in Disney. I was so mad when it was in the seventies the day we left.

 

[intertile]

Christmas decorations go up resort wide around November 16th.

 

[Mrjoshua]

Just curious, what makes the first week of December so bad? Is it all the teens there for cheerleading and football? Or is it that it used to be a slow week, and it no longer is?

I've read recent opinions on the first week of December, and each seems to go in a different direction.

 

[PolyRob]

Just curious, what makes the first week of December so bad? Is it all the teens there for cheerleading and football? Or is it that it used to be a slow week, and it no longer is?

I've read recent opinions on the first week of December, and each seems to go in a different direction.

The Pop Warner Cheering and Dance competition can affect first week travelers, but I think it is blown out of proportion and it mostly affects nights in MK and the Pop and possibly AoA resorts (common areas, dining, transportation, etc). The parks are large and there are large groups/tours all the time.

Early December had historically seen low crowds. Disney's DVC points chart even reflects this and it is a very popular timeshare time since contracts can be maximized. More recently, crowds have picked up between Thanksgiving and December since guests want to partake in all the holiday festivities without the higher crowds and prices.

 

[HollyJoy]

We've gone the first week of December many times and have always found crowd levels pretty low, or at least manageable. Have only seen the cheerleaders once, though haven't stayed at the values. This year, we are returning the first week in December and staying at Pop.. we might have a different story to tell after this trip! lol Honestly, I would advise to go earlier, rather than later, in December.

 

[Penguinempress]

Thanks for all the feedback! I went ahead and booked the flights - so excited! I was able to get an early morning flight on the 13th so we'll have the day to check out decorations at the resorts - I'd really like to see the Grand Floridian and Wilderness Lodge.