Need advice on when to go around Christmas

[kellymouse]

We are trying to plan a trip but can’t decide when it’s best to go to DL and I need your help!
We are going on a CA vacation Dec 21-Jan 1. We are trying to figure out if we should go to DL at the beginning, middle, or end of our trip. My husband really doesn’t want to do middle because it would be more driving for him, but if it would be less crowds etc. he may do it. The beginning of our trip would be good because it will be right before X-mas and that would be so exciting and fun, but crowded. The end of the trip X-mas would be over, but still decorated, and possibly less crowds but not sure because it’s right before NYE. We will probably go to DL for 3 days/nights. We need to make our reservations but are really struggling with this!
Please help us decide!
TIA
Kellymouse

 

[Malcon10t]

Your crowds will be considerably worse after Dec 26. For crowds, your best bet is the 21st-25th. It will be crowded, but the crowds are MUCH worse from the 26th on. We will be there Dec 22-Jan 4th (we are every year.)

 

[kellymouse]

Your crowds will be considerably worse after Dec 26. For crowds, your best bet is the 21st-25th. It will be crowded, but the crowds are MUCH worse from the 26th on. We will be there Dec 22-Jan 4th (we are every year.)

Ok great! Thanks for the response.
How are the crowds on Christmas Day?

 

[Malcon10t]

Ok great! Thanks for the response.
How are the crowds on Christmas Day?

It starts slow, and builds. It does get busy, but nothing like it will be the 26th. Make table reservations early if you want table service. There won't be any walk ups available.

 

[GenGen22]

Your crowds will be considerably worse after Dec 26. For crowds, your best bet is the 21st-25th. It will be crowded, but the crowds are MUCH worse from the 26th on.

I completely agree with this. The earlier the better.

 

[Malcon10t]

I completely agree with this. The earlier the better.

I joke that Christmas Day always feels very busy, then you enter the parks on the 26th and go "Where the heck did all these people come from??????"

 

[lizardlife]

I agree with the previous recommendations that earlier in your trip is better. But regardless, be prepared for heavy crowds.

In my experience, Christmas week at DLR has only gotten more and more crazy. I don't agree with the previous posts talking about getting into the parks early on Dec 25 as I have experienced several years in a row when trying enter later in the day means not entering at all. Generally speaking, that week between Dec 25 and Jan 1 has consistently been at full capacity well before noon.

 

[Malcon10t]

I agree with the previous recommendations that earlier in your trip is better. But regardless, be prepared for heavy crowds.

In my experience, Christmas week at DLR has only gotten more and more crazy. I don't agree with the previous posts talking about getting into the parks early on Dec 25 as I have experienced several years in a row when trying enter later in the day means not entering at all. Generally speaking, that week between Dec 25 and Jan 1 has consistently been at full capacity well before noon.

I haven't experienced this in the last 20 years. A few times the park will hit capacity, however, within an hour or so, it will be open again (as soon as a couple hundred leave the park, Fire Marshal will allow people to trickle in.) And it has always reopened after the first parade. I have never seen it hard closed after 5pm in 20+ years (exception is New Years Eve.) Only day it has sometimes not reopened has been NYE.

We are there every year from about Dec 22 - Jan 4th. (Except last year, we were there Dec 22-26, then headed for our first and only trip to wDW, Dec 29-Jan 9th.)

 

[lizardlife]

The openings and closings of the parks fluctuate based on the numbers. There are three stages for this and entry can depend on what you've done for the day: if you are going into the parks for the first time that day or if you are re-entering. It's rare for the parks to deny all entry until, as you say New Year's. However, it is not rare for Disneyland specifically to be "booked out" at noon for the entire week of Christmas. In other words: no new entries into the park until numbers clear. Only re-entries, but as it's difficult to judge re-entries vs people who leave the park, it can take a while for fresh new entries to be allowed back in.

As you say, things can fluctuate and if the main entrance CMs see a big drop at any given time, they will reopen the gates again, but as a CM who has worked that week before and been confronted with lots and lots of people have been turned away at the gates, I can tell you that it does happen and the number of it happening has increased a lot in the last 10 years.

 

[Malcon10t]

As you say, things can fluctuate and if the main entrance CMs see a big drop at any given time, they will reopen the gates again, but as a CM who has worked that week before and been confronted with lots and lots of people have been turned away at the gates, I can tell you that it does happen and the number of it happening has increased a lot in the last 10 years.

Nice, then you know there are really 5 levels. And that main entrance CMs don't make the closure calls, the fire marshal does. We had a great time learning about it all about 15 years ago. I tell friends if you see the green tape out in the esplanade, you know they expect gate closures that day. We had some issue back in 2003, and got to know the Main Gate VP pretty well. Due to "issues" we were introduced to him (he loved my daughter's service dog) and we had to learn the levels and what to expect. We had been going at this time of year for 8+ years, but we had a new issue, and he was great in explaining it all to us and making sure we could keep our party together. We have never been locked out during this time. We know it will be open after the second parade, and we often leave to go have dinner and return (not NYE!)

And even if you arrive to find Disneyland not accepting new entries, just go across the way to DCA....

Also, they may stop gate entry that has nothing to do with capacity, and everything to do with temporary congestion on Main St due to a parade or something going on. In that case, the turnstiles remain open, you just wait in a holding pattern.

Oh, if it is raining? Gates aren't going to hit capacity.

 

[DLfan4]

We have a similar question. is there a big difference in crowd capacity between goring to parks on December 27-28 or instead going January 3-4.

 

[Malcon10t]

We have a similar question. is there a big difference in crowd capacity between goring to parks on December 27-28 or instead going January 3-4.

Jan 3-4.... Most of the Rose Bowl stuff is gone by then.

 

[lizardlife]

Nice, then you know there are really 5 levels. And that main entrance CMs don't make the closure calls, the fire marshal does. We had a great time learning about it all about 15 years ago. I tell friends if you see the green tape out in the esplanade, you know they expect gate closures that day. We had some issue back in 2003, and got to know the Main Gate VP pretty well. Due to "issues" we were introduced to him (he loved my daughter's service dog) and we had to learn the levels and what to expect. We had been going at this time of year for 8+ years, but we had a new issue, and he was great in explaining it all to us and making sure we could keep our party together. We have never been locked out during this time. We know it will be open after the second parade, and we often leave to go have dinner and return (not NYE!)

And even if you arrive to find Disneyland not accepting new entries, just go across the way to DCA....

Also, they may stop gate entry that has nothing to do with capacity, and everything to do with temporary congestion on Main St due to a parade or something going on. In that case, the turnstiles remain open, you just wait in a holding pattern.

Oh, if it is raining? Gates aren't going to hit capacity.

I think our experiences are just a bit different. As a CM, I do have very clear memories of the constant alerts during this week about what stage crowds are and when they close off entries. The numbers change very quickly and its possible the gates will only be closed, 5, 15, 30 minutes before reopening again.

Also I'm not here to argue or compare. I'm only here to offer my experience. Yes, my statement was probably inaccurate as I haven't worked in the Parks for 5 years and never visit during the Holiday season and I also don't ask my friends about any specific Christmas procedures. And yes, there are multiple stages and 5 is probably the right number. And yes, the fire marshals are the ones who make the ultimate call and my department would hear it from Main Entrance since not everyone in our area has a radio.

My only intention here is mainly to emphasize that any visitors who are arriving during that week should be aware that it is a busy time. The busiest time of the year, in fact, and that the gates will fluctuate between opening and closing depending on how many entrances they see and what kind of entrances. Closing hours in DLR have also changed from when they changed the 9pm closing on Christmas Day (in 2008) to a 12am closing, which, for me, is just an indication that the numbers have only increased over the years.

I guess the only thing that I really meant to say, and I probably should have just stuck with that, is that Disneyland numbers specifically will fluctuate around full capacity all week. Whether the numbers boil over to closures or not is kind of irrelevant. Disneyland will be crowded. DCA will also be crowded but it holds less people so it might be less noticeable.

And yes, NYE's is by far the worst day annually.

 

[Malcon10t]

Actually, the info below was the calendar produced 12/14/2008

12/23/2008

DL: 8a-12a

DCA: 10a-10p

SL/SC/DX
MM
12/24/2008
DL: 8a-12a

DCA: 10a-10p

SL/SC/DX

TT

12/25/2008
DL: 8a-12a

DCA: 10a-10p

SL/SC/DX

MM / TT


And we do agree, it will be very busy that week, it will very likely have gate closures (more likely on the 26 and 27th). I just don't want to scare someone off from park hopping or leaving to take a break. They will get back in (exception is NYE.) Even on NYE, in 2007, my son did not join us until almost 5pm, and had no issue getting in.

And I do miss when Disneyland closed on Christmas Eve at 9pm (the last year was 2007.) 2008 screwed me up because I was so used to it, but they did bring the characters out in PJs at 9pm, even though the park was open 3 more hours. We had always made it a habit to be there for the characters to be in their pajamas and say good night Christmas eve.

All of that said, with more and more APs being blocked during the 2 weeks, while it is over the top busy, it can be fun if you hold your expectations. It is also a time that can be a little harder as you have a LOT of people not knowing where things are, where to eat, etc.... We nicknamed it Newbie week". Very few Aps. We really enjoy that time ourselves, but we do go in with low expectations for rides and for us, it is more just time to relax.

 

[felice]

New Year's Eve is seriously very busy at the parks. Even at night when you might have thought that things may quieten down a bit, they tend not to.

If you do go to the parks at NYE, then please do prepare for them being very busy, with people quite literally everywhere. Very congested, but I guess you can understand it, given the time of year.

 

[Malcon10t]

New Year's Eve is seriously very busy at the parks. Even at night when you might have thought that things may quieten down a bit, they tend not to.

If you do go to the parks at NYE, then please do prepare for them being very busy, with people quite literally everywhere. Very congested, but I guess you can understand it, given the time of year.

So very true. People start staking out their spots for fireworks by noon! But it is also so much fun!