Universal vs WDW Crowds - Overall and Xmas?

[jrt1176]

I have been to Universal once when it first open or was at least in it's early days...

My niece is 11 and once to go, so I was thinking around Xmas.

I have been to WDW at Xmas several times and I know it's crazy. She has been to WDW twice for a week each time, so she has just about done everything several times. I have no problem going to WDW for a couple of days and with FP+ we will be able to do the big attractions and enjoy the atmosphere.

But, how is Universal? I'm sure it's at it's peak crowds as well, but how do the Universal crowds compare to WDW peak crowds?

We will be staying on-site, so we will have the front of the line passes. I'm sure that helps overall, but I imagine there will still be waits, etc.

Part of me dislikes the idea of going at such a crowded time for her first visit to Universal, but I would like to go away for Christmas and I wouldn't mind squeezing in a few WDW days as well!

Thanks for any insight!

 

[macraven]

UO will be packed Christmas period to NYE

Use the early entry for hotel guests as the crowds will grow as the hours go on each day

Use the ep lines as regular line wait will be long

It is always possible for parks to close when occupancy level is reached


If your trip is prior to Christmas, it will still have crowds but nothing like what it will be after 12/25

 

[captaindavidhook]

I was thinking of going solo the day after christmas. Is it even worth it with all those crowds ?

 

[macraven]

Like sardines in a can after the 25 th

 

[gotomu212]

For me (and everyone's tolerance may vary) with express pass the crowds don't bother me with the exception of the Harry Potter areas which are too packed to comfortable walk during the day (early entry and later in the afternoon/early evening are better). I think the longest wait rides for express pass we experienced was 20 minutes, but it was the one time I felt like we did need meal reservations (still booked only 2 weeks ahead).

So if that's the time you have to visit, get express passes, but it's still doable.

 

[kohlby]

I was in the parks on December 30th this year. High crowds does not come close to explaining how crazy it was. There were single rider lines that there 200 minutes! There were express lines of an hour. It was impossible to walk near the HP areas. They had extra TM's to funnel us all in. I was solo that day so I figured I could handle the crowds - but it was crazy even that way. I ended up leaving and checking out the hotels I hadn't been to. That was a lot more enjoyable than being mashed up against strangers. If you must go over Christmas break, do before Christmas. That will still have very high crowds but not insanely high.

 

[gzmtlock]

For me (and everyone's tolerance may vary) with express pass the crowds don't bother me with the exception of the Harry Potter areas which are too packed to comfortable walk during the day (early entry and later in the afternoon/early evening are better). I think the longest wait rides for express pass we experienced was 20 minutes, but it was the one time I felt like we did need meal reservations (still booked only 2 weeks ahead).

So if that's the time you have to visit, get express passes, but it's still doable.

This is similar to our experience. We stayed at PBH this past Dec 24-28. We got up early, were at parks for rope drop, left about 11 am to avoid the crowds. (EE is 7 am that week, so we had 4 hours in the parks before bugging out.) Spent the afternoon poolside or napping (or napping poolside!); we were fortunate to have beautiful weather. Returned to parks in the evening to enjoy them with lessening crowds.

For us, EE/EP made it doable. When it got to feeling too crowded, we left. Would we have preferred to be there in, say, February? Sure. But once the kids hit college, we didn't feel we could "pull them out of school" for a week. LOL. So we went when we could and made the best of it. It was a great vacation!

Oh, and I echo the recommendation for restaurant reservations; we did wait about 45 minutes for Mythos one day, which was longer than we would have preferred.

 

[captaindavidhook]

Thank you everybody for all this wonderful information. It's just that the day after Christmas since the score at Workforce close I would be using no vacation time. But seeing that the crowds sound crazy and even though I would be solo doesn't seem like would be to my advantage. I have a friend it was going in early December for five days maybe I should just be part of that idea. Supposedly from what she told me that the package they gave her last night was for only $888 staying at Cabana Bay. Sounds like a pretty much better package than I got for the day after Christmas considering that everything went for $1,300 and then some. Thanks again and if anybody has any more information they want to give me for the day after Christmas please don't hesitate or advice I could sure use it thank you

 

[kohlby]

Early December is a great time to go! Crowds should be low or moderate so easy to tour.

 

[captaindavidhook]

Early December is a great time to go! Crowds should be low or moderate so easy to tour.

a friend of mine is going in early December from the 4th to the 8th. She keeps telling me its a good time to go. Like is aid before, I work for a school and the day after CMAS school in closed and I wouldn't have to use vacation time. If I go in early December I would have to use vac time and I will be coming back to Orlando area in april for star wars run 10k. This is my dilemma you could say.

 

[captaindavidhook]

Would a express pass help me around cmas time for the rides. Even thou the crowds would be high.

 

[macraven]

Yes

 

[tinkerpea]

We're going to be at Disney and universal from 14th December to 1St Jan.
We're hoping to g wet alot done in the first wk,amd second wk. So that the last one we can mainly chill on.