Christmas Crowds Compared To Aprils Crowd

[TINKTWINS]

WE WERE IN WDW FOR APRIL VACATION. IT WAS PRETTY CROWDED. IM TRYING TO PLAN OUR NEXT TRIP AND WAS THINKING OF CHRISTMAS. HOW BAD ARE THE CROWDS. I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM ANYONE WHO LIKES TO GO AT THAT TIME OF YEAR. ALSO WE ARE AP HOLDERS, WHAT KIND OF DISCOUNTS COULD I EXPECT TO SEE FOR ROOMS AT THAT TIME. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY FEEDBACK. THANKS

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

I haven't been in December, but have read in a few guides that the weeks around Christmas and New Year's have the highest attendance all year.

Lori

 

[TINKTWINS]

THANKS LORI

THATS NOT SO GOOD!! APRIL VACATION WAS REALLY CROWDED, ID LIKE TO GO WHEN ITS A BIT SLOWER. BUT I HAVE KIDS IN JR. AND HIGH SCHOOL AND TAKING THEM OUT IS NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE!!! THEY MISS SO MUCH AND THE TEACHERS GO NUTS. MY OPTIONS ARE LIMITED. MAYBE THANKSGIVING: confused:

 

[MeMeMouse]

Anytime at Disney is a great time but those months are crowded! I have gone to WDW both in Dec and April! Both times are very crowded! We are vacation clubs members and have seen the parks many time so we decided to stay by the pools during our Dec and April vacations. So if you are thinking of doing the parks in Dec. expect to wait and fight the crowds! Now we go during the summer and the crowds are much less.

 

[disneyfan551]

...we were there in April and I'm considering going back in Dec. The Value Season (per disney!) is 11/3-12/19, therefore, I would believe that this is a slow time for them. The week after Christmas is Holiday Season, which is the most expensive and probably the busiest! From what I've read on the other boards, the perfect time to go is between Thanksgiving and Christmas! So, I think that I'm going to try it out! Can't wait!

 

[twinz]

We were in WDW over the first two weeks of December in 2001. We had a great time. It was not busy AT ALL (except when we were in MGM on Walt's actual B-day---which we did not know at the time when we chose to go to MGM on that day). I'll give you some examples of wait times...Space Mountian...5 minutes, we walked RIGHT up to the part when the line splits, and then walked up to the row closest to the place where you get on the ride.), Splash Mt...no wait AT ALL, we litterly walked onto the ride, Haunted Mansion, again NO WAIT, ToT no wait, we went on 10 times in a row!
We also went to SeaWorld, and at times felt like we had the place to ourselves--eg walking around the park, with no one in front of us, or behind us.
At US, we rode Men In Black over 15 times in a row (thanks to a great employee who let us go through baby swap, even though we didn't have a baby!). It was also very strange to see all the characters dresses in their "holiday" clothes...being from Canada we kind of expect not to wear shorts in December. It was a great time. The weather was GREAT (high 80's for the whole two weeks, and no rain!
BTW I think the busiest time in MK was when we went to MVMCP.
We would definately go at that time of year again.
Have fun!

 

[TINKTWINS]

Thanks Twinz

Im aiming for the first week in Dec. it sounds to me like it might be a good time!

BTW are you a mom of twins too?

 

[MELSMICE]

We used to go at off peak times & now always go at Easter becausae of our children's schooling. Last year we took them out for a few days & went the first week of December. While it was crowded it was nowhere near as crowded as Easter - especially this Easter.

We got to enjoy the Osborne lights & all the Christmas decorations. It was very pretty. The parks are not open late, but that gave us a chance to do other things in the evening. My kids loved swimming at night.

We are going the 2nd week of Nov. this year. I've heard it's Jersey week, but we'll see how the crowds are. We have fun no matter what.

As far as school, I'm not to excited about taking my kids out either. Luckily my kids are good students & we work with them so they always catch up. I know the schools don't like it, but all to soon they will be off to college & having their own lives & not want or be able to vacation with us (I can't imagine they would ever NOT want to go to Disney), so we take them out of school & enjoy them all to ourselves during that time & we have a blast.

P.S. I am a mom of twins also!!!! One singleton, 1 set of twins - all girls!

 

[TINKTWINS]

melsmice

You found the first week of Dec. a little crowded? How bad would you say? When we were there in April it was really rough. We went to Epcot our last day and the wait time for fast pass on Test Track was about 4 hours! We did get on though, right before we left for the airport!! I think ive made up my mind not to worry about taking them out of school. I wouldnt do this as a rule but once in a while isnt to bad. My 16yo DS wont be going, high school is much worse when it comes to missed days. Then we have DS 13 and DS 11. They're pretty good. DS 13 will be in 8th grade, they might be a little miffed but hes a good student.

My twins are 2 yo, DS and and one DARLING PRINCESS finally!!

 

[MELSMICE]

Tinktwins -

I don't think anything compared to the crowds this last Easter. I guess Dec. was more crowded than we anticipated, after 9-11. I think a lot of people took advantage of any specials they had on tickets, etc.

It seemed to us that Epcot was the most crowded, but Future World was closing at 7 p.m. We never did Test Track that time, but had done it before & knew we would be back in March/April.

It was funny because some attractions were very crowded, while others we walked on (not a four hour wait for anything though!!!)

We did MVMCP & DID NOT enjoy it. In fact we went to City Hall & got a refund. We would not do that again, but on these boards there are many that love it & continue to go back. The decorations were beautiful, the weather was very warm (which I guess can be iffy that time of year) & we had a great time.

I really think any time you go it's just what you make of it. We are fortunate enough to have been there many times & already have 2 more trips planned so we try to avoid giant crowds. We put a time limit on how long we will wait for attractions & we really try to relax & enjoy ourselves.

My oldest DD will be 13 & in 8th grade & my DD twins will be 10 & in 5th grade, so I know they will have a lot to make up for the 4 days they miss this time (1 day is a holiday), but we'll work hard & get everything done.

I think you will enjoy going the first week of Dec. Have you ever seen the Osborne lights - if not, don't miss them. They are beautiful.

 

[Diznyqt]

Christmas is my favorite time to go! I highly recommend it. As far as the crowds go, the week of Thanksgiving is brutal, but then it calms down a bit until about the 22nd. Then, it's pretty good & packed through New Year's. I wouldn't set foor there for New Year's Eve if THEY paid ME! Absolute best week to go...Dec. 15-22.

 

[TINKTWINS]

I kinda figured the week of Thanksgiving would be a little busy. Im thinking of flying in on Thanksgiving, and staying 10 days. That gives us plenty of time to do stuff if its crowded that first weekend. We noticed the weekends were pretty busy when we were there. Id like to get to the outlets this time, I didnt get a chance in April. I absolutly CANNOT wait to see the Christmas decorations!!
I have to say, having the annual pass takes the pressure off where to go and when. Id reccomend it to everyone. Its well worth the money. Of course it does push you to take another trip!!

 

[MELSMICE]

I agree about the AP's. I think it makes the vacation 100X more enjoyable, because you are not worrying about getting your money's worth with a one day or a hopper pass when you go in the parks. You can be so flexible. We have even gone in to Epcot just to get dessert in France & take it back to our hotel. We have also gone to the MK, gotten fastpasses for something, gone back to swim at the CR (when we stayed there) & walked back to MK when it was time for our fastpasses. What an awesome thing to be able to do!!!!! We got an ice cream on the way out & enjoyed the walk back to the resort. It was a great day & my kids loved it.

Like you said, though, it does make you take that extra trip usually, but that's okay with me. I'd go tomorrow if someone said they had a trip for me.

 

[TINKTWINS]

tell me about it !!!

I was just looking at the airfares again. I havent purchased them yet. I look everyday. I can get them right now for 189. RT from boston. Which is a decent price. But Im just not sure if I should wait to see if they go down a little bit more since im not planning on going till the end of november. It looks like people are buy them now for their Thanksgiving holiday. And I want a direct flight, we connected last time and I dont want to do that again. We also flew American, and I did not like the planes we were on. I need to make a decision