Tell me how bad Christmas week really is.

[NH-to-FL]

As others have noted, Christmas week is the busiest of the year at WDW. I second the recommendation to be there for rope drop. If you are staying on site I would plan on taking advantage of the morning Extra Magic Hour and do as much as possible before the crowds build. It will require getting up very early but it will be the time of the lowest crowds. If (when) the crowds grow too overwhelming, head back to your resort to relax and decompress.
Wishing you a visit!

 

[anomamatt]

There are absolutely great reasons to visit -- and why my family loves it.

The main topic is re: crowds, but in addition to crowds some things we don't love about Christmas time are many fewer uncharge events (no EMM, many fewer tours (non-private VIP tours don't run, etc)). Dessert parties do happen, but like all dining, they are more expensive during Christmas week.

In general, we love it. That said, I would never recommend Christmas week for anyone who doesn't go often (once a year or more often) -- or has specific crowd issues like the OP's child. You have to go into it knowing you won't get as much done and that would be too hard if you don't go often. But for the environment, weather, and all around Christmas awesomeness, we love it.

 

[BigB0882]

We are traveling to Walt Disney World Dec 21-31 for the first time. We have made several trips over Thanksgiving week and one trip the week leading up to Easter. Will this trip be more crowded? I have a son with sensory issues and crowds can become overwhelming for him. Thanks for any input.

Do not worry. You are obviously not new to this. Plan your fastpasses for early in the day and then take whatever fastpasses you can snag after using your last one. That is the key to avoiding the long lines. You can't avoid the crowds but you can at least avoid standing in line for hours. We went over Christmas last year and the longest we waited in line was around 25-30 minutes for PP without a FP and that was because the ride broke down for a while. Otherwise, every line we got in was with a FP or was a very short line.

Easter week was far far worse than Christmas. That was a nightmare with people but even then, didn't have issues waiting in lines because we know how to use FP.

 

[StacyStrong]

If your son has sensory issues, I would seriously reconsider. You know him best though.

For the most part, it seems like everyone here who is saying that the crowds are awful, but manageable if you have a plan could be right. However, I don't know if that's something you'll be able to plan with your son. I don't have experience with that, but you know him best. Do you think a plan will be good enough to alleviate any sensory issues he may have?

 

[SeeDisney]

For your son's sake, I would reconsider Christmas week.....

 

[BigB0882]

I skipped right over the part about your son having sensory issues. If crowds are an issue then you are going during one of the worst times. The 21-24 should be OK but from Christmas onward it gets really really crowded. However, you said you have been during Thanksgiving and Easter which are the other busiest times of the year. If he did OK with that then Christmas may not be too much worse. I swear Easter was way worse for us this year than it was at Christmas. Maybe we just picked the wrong parks on the wrong days but it was awfully crowded. EPCOT was a nightmare at Easter compared to Christmas.

 

[ErinsMommy]

My DD has sensory and ADHD as well, and her birthday falls 5 days prior to Xmas. She's been begging us to take her for her birthday, well we went and left Christmas morning and was thankful we did. Crowds days leading up weren't HORRIBLE, busy yes, but they didn't overwhelm her until Christmas Eve and the later in the day it got, the busier it got, and she started to get overwhelmed by the crowds pushing around her and she started to lean into me more and more as the day progressed and I could see she was starting to get panicky. Christmas Day when we were leaving at 9:00 a.m. we were told by CMs at our resort (CR) that the parks were already packed and there was just no way she would've done well in that.

 

[Annalise H.]

Christmas time is usually when we go cause of school schedules and the fact that I simply cannot do another hot summer in Orlando. We go around December 20th-December 26th and have never had to wait more than maybe 30 mins for a ride. We rope drop at the parks, use fast passes in late morning, have lunch before the crowds rush to the dining locations, then head back to the resort for swimming or naps. We head back to the parks in the evening using whatever fast passes we can score (cause we used our first three that morning) or whatever attractions have a reasonable wait time. Avoid the MK on Christmas day for sure but for us, it works. As long as you have a plan and a bit of patience, it will be fine.

 

[revdon64]

Just do a google image search for "Christmas crowds at Walt Disney World." It'll give you an idea of what you're in for. Then you can at least gauge whether your son could handle that.

Personally, I couldn't handle it but I'm notoriously bad with big crowds. I once got out of the car and sat on a bench near the gate when we were waiting in a long line of cars to park at the Philadelphia Zoo. Christmas crowds for me are a great big NOPE!

 

[JustCallMeMommy]

Almost everything is manageable with patience and realistic expectations, so you'll want to evaluate your DS's needs realistically. The parks will be running extended hours and rides will run at full capacity. Staff will be managing restaurant traffic and seating. Very few people will have free dining (just those who arrived on the last day or two of the promotion), so the crowds in the restaurants thin out a bit. You can get plenty done - it just takes twice the time.

It is very crowded, and I even took one of pictures with the really, really insane numbers of people. BUT, I took it where people were waiting for a parade to pass, so the crowd wasn't moving freely. There was only one time when the crowds were a real problem for us, and that was when we needed to get through the hub at MK while crowds were waiting for parades or fireworks.

I am also a fan of paying to get out of crowds - more ADRs, dessert parties, etc.

 

[bryanb]

The Walt Disney Company would unofficially prefer that fewer people would choose that week to visit. They've set up the Gold Annual Pass specifically to keep locals away. They've cranked up prices during that week (not just on tickets but in buffets, hotels, etc.). They've even stated publicly (albeit to analysts and not visitors) that it's not a great guest experience to have demand so concentrated.

If it's a choice between going that week and not going at all, I'd go. With the right expectations, it can be a lot of fun for people. Especially if you can perceive a crowded place as one that's brimming with energy (instead of just crowded). The question about sensory issues makes me pause a little bit, even though I'm no expert. There won't be so many quiet spaces. And with walkways, roads, and transportation filled to capacity, it's harder to make a quick exit if you find you just need to get away from the situation.

 

[AngiTN]

It's incredibly crowded -- by far the most crowded week of the year. But we love that week, 2018 will be our 3rd year of going over Christmas. My daughter has sensory issues (sensory processing disorder, anxiety, etc) as well. She's four and OK in the crowds if she is in a stroller, but would not be happy (at all) in the choke points of the park otherwise. Without a stroller, both of my kids would not enjoy Xmas/Disney. You know your son best, but if he cannot deal with crowds, Christmas is totally the wrong time to go.

Waiting in the long standby lines are a bigger problem for my daughter, so when the parks are very crowded, we stick to our pre-booked FPs and make 1-2 rides via DAS (assuming we get one).

The bold is a good point. OP doesn't mention the age of the child with sensory and crowd issues. If he can be in a stroller then that could help manage things.

 

[isabellea]

All the posts are mostly about MK. What about the other parks?

 

[Alesia]

All the posts are mostly about MK. What about the other parks?

Equally crowded

 

[djc9699]

We went last year in Dec for the first time. We were there from Dec 16-28. It was crowded but not nearly as bad as we anticipated. We hit every park early the entire time we were there, riding rides in the morning, having a table service lunch reserved between 11:30 and 12:30, FP after that and took in lesser attractions and shows in the late afternoon and early evening. We did MK from 7:00 am to closing on Christmas Eve and went to HS on Christmas Day arriving around 10:00 am with FP starting at 10:45 and lunch at 1:00. We had a ball. We were able to do every attraction in FL and TL (except 7DMT, ETWB, and Stitch) before 11:00 on Christmas Eve. We got several extra fast passes both days. We rode RNR 4 times on Christmas Day and TSMM 3 times. We had so much fun, we are going back again this year.

If you get to the parks early and have a lunch scheduled around 11:00-11:30 and then leave you should be able to avoid the bulk of the crowds. If you plan on watching HEA, I would highly recommend the desert party, as main street will be packed with no wiggle room. If your son gets overwhelmed with crowds I would not have him in the middle of that, for sure. We did the plaza desert party on Christmas Eve and had room to stretch out to watch the show. I would try to watch the Christmas parade from Frontierland if you plan on watching it as that will be less crowded than main street. Epcot world showcase is a good place to be in the early afternoon. The Liberty singers are great to watch and the Storytellers are a nice way to spend some time that is not overwhelmingly crowded or hurried. We also love watching the Chinese acrobats, although that little area does get a bit crowded.

Last year HS was probably the least crowded for Christmas Day. I don't know if Toy Story Land will change that this year or not, but we plan on that being our Christmas Day park this year as well. It felt and looked more Christmasy to us than the other parks. We had a definite idea of the Christmas stuff we wanted to do and made sure we loosely scheduled it in. There is so much holiday stuff to see that as long as you are not only interested in rides, it can be a wonderful time to be there. My daughter and I decided that this is going to be the time we go every year.

 

[DisneyRunner2009]

Last Christmas we had 16 people at Disney, four were teenagers, two in their twenties and an infant under one. We went to MK on December 23. Everyone got there at rope drop, 7 am, and left after the noon parade. We met back up around 6 o'clock and stayed for the fireworks. The morning was fine, got in used the FPs and left. Prior to the fireworks, Disney made an announcement that everyone should stay where they are, Main Street is full. The entire group was split up. I was with my sister and niece in the hub and we were crushed. My immediate family watched from the dessert party area. That evening wasn't the best. On Christmas Day we went to AK. Again, teenagers and all were up for rope drop at 7. Used FPs and left the park around noon. Went back for ROL and the kids got back in line for FOP until park close. Each of them will say that was the best time. My suggestion is get in as close to rope drop and leave around noon. That worked slick and I would do it again.

 

[TinkSassy]

It is the worst of the crowds. We love it as it is a great way to spend the holiday - but really manage expectations. You will not get as much done. We found rope drop a necessity because people still didn't get out of bed, so mornings were pretty easy. By 11 - we were always touching the people around us. So we did longer breaks which really helped.

Christmas day we planned for MK (this was a must for us!) but we ate at 1900 Park got in the gate by 9am found a place to sit and stayed there through the castle stage show and a parade and then left. By the first parade you could not see an inch of walkway - it is that full.

 

[anomamatt]

All the posts are mostly about MK. What about the other parks?

All of them are more crowded than any other time. Last year, we found DHS to be crowded to the point of hard to navigate almost anywhere. Epcot and animal kingdom are more spread out and didn’t see as awful, except in places. But again, I love Christmas at Disney. Who doesn’t want to go around the world and see holiday traditions on Christmas?!

 

[FastPasser.]

I will be as far away from WDW as I can be. It's not for me.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We were there Christmas week 2015 and then opted to do the week before Christmas in 2016 and 2017. We will be there Christmas week again this year because my DS's school schedule just changed. He, too, has sensory issues and a lot of anxiety. You don't mention where you are staying, but, if your budget can handle it, I would stay as close to the park or parks you will visit the most. We stayed at BWI during Christmas week and it, literally, saved our trip. Being able to walk to two parks, a ton of restaurants and mini-golf and not have to rely on any Disney transportation was the best. The buses, boats and monorail will be incredibly crowded and the traffic is really bad that week, so bus transport times are longer than usual. Book your three FP+, if your DS has used a DAS in the past, get it renewed or consider asking for one if you haven't used one before. Go to the parks at RD and consider leaving after lunch and finding alternative activities. We did Wild Africa Trek that week because it was a way to visit AK and completely avoid the crowds. It certainly wasn't cheap, but we didn't even know how crowded the park was because we were on the safari the whole time. DHS wasn't bad, but that may change because of Toy Story Land. EP was fine. My biggest suggestion for EP is to avoid World Showcase whenever the Candlelight Processional is being performed (I would probably avoid it about an hour prior to the first show as well as the gigantic lines will start to form). It was nearly impossible to walk through the center of WS during CP that year. Future World, on the other hand, was absolutely fine during CP performances. IMHO, if you go to MK, go at RD and get out near or right after lunchtime. We went on Dec. 26 and by 10 am it was a mob scene. We did our 3 FP+, got out and never went back that week. We will not go to MK at all when we go this Christmas. Consider touring the deluxe resorts to see the decorations. We also did HDDR and visited Ft. W on our trip as an alternative to the parks and that was a lot of fun. If your DS likes Star Wars, maybe consider the Void experience at DS one morning (I would only do DS in the morning as it gets really crowded in the evenings that week). I would really try to think outside of the parks box for that week.