The week before Christmas - crowds???

[Piglet]

We are looking at a trip for December 2018. What would Sunday Dec 16 to Sunday Dec 23 look like in terms of crowds?

 

[sharonabe]

We are looking at a trip for December 2018. What would Sunday Dec 16 to Sunday Dec 23 look like in terms of crowds?

The beginning of the week would be pretty good and get increasingly worse with each passing day.

 

[msp2mco]

We've gone the week before Christmas for the last 3 years. It's busy but doable. I didn't find the parks hard to walk about in, but the lines for rides and attractions were long. I would say it is far better than going the week between Christmas and New Years.

 

[portcityw]

That's the time frame that we go each year. It gets progressively worse each day after arrival. As others have said though, busy but doable. We never realized how busy it was, as that was the only time that we had been. Last year, we took a quick October trip, and that put December into perspective for us. So, I guess it's all in what you are accustomed to.

 

[Steve11874]

We just did the same time frame last year and it did get a bit busier as the week progressed but we expected much worse. Busy but not awful by any means.

 

[Klayfish]

Crowded, but nowhere near as bad as the week after Xmas.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We've done this week both in 2016 and 2017 (after doing Christmas week in 2015) and it was BY FAR better than being there Christmas week. We went to MK on a MVMCP day (and stayed for the party) and it really wasn't bad at all. As long as you get there early and use your FP+ effectively, you can see and do a lot. DHS and EP were fine. They didn't feel crowded and we rode everything we wanted. AK felt the most crowded to us, but we were still able to do everything we wanted to do and even snagged some great extra FP+! Totally, totally doable!! We stayed at CCV this past year from Dec. 16 - 23 and went to Artist Point for dinner on our last night (Friday, Dec. 22). People were POURING into the resort. Bell service carts filled with luggage. Even Artist Point was packed (but fabulous!) which I've never seen before! I would do it, but even if you could adjust to one day earlier (Sat. to Sat. instead of Sun. to Sun.), I think you will see a big difference! We are doing it again this year (already have our room booked)!!!

 

[BriLovesDisney]

I was there in December from the 19-27. I found the crowds the 20-23 to be pretty good. 24 and up I definitely noticed more people but not unmanageable.

 

[philly_mcphillyface]

We just went for the 16th-23rd in 2017. The first two days were Saturday and Sunday, so they were very crowded (MK, AK) but still manageable. The rest of the week was slightly less bad... I guess some schools were still in session. There were a lot of people, but it wasn't anxiety-inducing and we had no major problems adding good "fourth" fastpasses or shifting dining reservations, etc. From what I hear the following week is bonkers, but I've never been.

We stayed at Bay Lake so being able to just walk back to hotel was a HUGE plus.

 

[ShadeDK]

As someone who goes that week before Christmas, I agree with many of the comments above. Crowds get worse as the week progresses, but still manageable.

One thing that works in your favor this coming year: Christmas falls on Tuesday and, unlike the past few years, many schools will not have the entire week (Dec 17 - 21) off before Christmas. Just a hunch, but I suspect it'll be a little less busy the beginning of that week than it has the past few years, with more noticeable shifts late week as schools start their winter breaks closer to Christmas.

 

[Hootenany]

We were there from December 16th through the 22nd this past year and we found MK and AK to be the most crowded. We did those parks early in the week. We normally go in September/October and were surprised by the crowds. We had things well planned out and avoided extra magic hours. We were able to accomplish what we wanted and the weather was perfect which made the lines that we encountered much more bearable. MVMCP was by far the best park experience that we had. It was sold out, but no way near as crowded as MK on a regular day. If we were to do it again, we would spend our time at the resorts (maybe rent a golf cart one night just to drive around Fort Wilderness Cabins to look at the decorations) and just go to MVMCP.

 

[CinderellaDream]

We've been during this week three times: 2012, 2016 and 2017. Honestly, it's one of my favorite times to go and we've been during all seasons. The weather can be hit or miss but 2017 weather was amazing - could not have been better! It's also fun to experience the decorations and holiday events that you otherwise don't see during the rest of the year. The crowds are heavy but not terrible like Christmas week. Crowds do build during the week but we had no problems with getting additional fastpasses each day.

 

[Tacomann]

If you can, try and see when the schools in that area go on break as well. I used to go on xmas eve every year and it was nutty. Most kids are off right around that time for holiday so the crowds usually are pretty thick that time of year

 

[catfan98]

As someone who goes that week before Christmas, I agree with many of the comments above. Crowds get worse as the week progresses, but still manageable.

One thing that works in your favor this coming year: Christmas falls on Tuesday and, unlike the past few years, many schools will not have the entire week (Dec 17 - 21) off before Christmas. Just a hunch, but I suspect it'll be a little less busy the beginning of that week than it has the past few years, with more noticeable shifts late week as schools start their winter breaks closer to Christmas.

I like your thinking, lol. I’m hoping for this scenario...more schools taking off later. We are going the 16-23!