It has been several years since we were at Epcot on Christmas Day and while it was very busy it was manageable. It has been our experience that for just about any holiday that Epcot or the Studios offers the best opportunity to manage the crowds. Part of that has to do with the size and layout of the various parks as well as the popularity of each park.
Epcot and the Studios are both large parks with wide open streets. We REALLY don't like Animal Kingdom on holidays because the streets, in keeping with the theme, are narrow and designed to evoke that feeling of say a crowded market street in a small African Village and the like. While the theme is neat, it really doesn't do much for making it easy to get around when it is extremely busy.
And, while the Magic Kingdom does have wider streets than Animal Kingdom, they are still much narrower than The Studios or Epcot. Plus since the parks are usually full of families at the holidays those families tend to head straight to the Magic Kingdom on the holiday.
I assume from the title of your thread that Epcot is either a done deal or you are looking at it strongly. In either case I would say you have either made a good decision or would make a good one by going to Epcot on Christmas.
We have lunch booked at the Coral Reef and Dinner and the Biergarten.
Yes, I chose EPCOT primarily because it is so big and likely to be slightly less busy than Magic Kingdom. This is our first actual chance to have Christmas day in WDW!!
We were at MK on New Year's day 2006. We had lunch and dinner booked (Tony's/Crystal Palace) and even did all three mountain rides that day with FastPasses! It was "mobbed" though and even had a contra-flow system feeding people one way around the park in the evening!
However, I'd like to try a different park on Christmas day and we also have a small child in a stroller this time and EPCOT seems a better choice! We can also enjoy some wine with our meals at EPCOT!
(I also expect that it will be "Christmas" for weeks in MK anyway so we won't miss out!)
P.S. Hollywood Studios "a big park" - really? I always see it as being the smallest?
45 years young, father of two and big kid from England.... lost count of trips every year now since 1999 and have 3 trips booked! HURRAY!
(I LOVE "MARRIED-2-WDW-NUT" (AND SPACESHIP EARTH! AND CAROUSEL OF PROGRESS! AND TOWER OF TERROR AND THE DISNEY CRUISE LINE!))
We are doing Epcot on Christmas day too. We are going to the Candlelight Processional that evening. We figured it would be a magical way to spend the day!
Maybe we'll see you there.
We are going to be at EPCOT on Christmas day as well. Also, like you we have reservations for the Biergarten for Dinner. Our reservation is for 5:25 and we have follow on reserved seats for the Candlelight processional. We are really looking forward to everything. This will be our first Christmas at WDW as well.
If your reservations are around the same time perhaps we can meet and say hi and such.
Im more nervous about Christmas Eve actually, thats when we are going to be at MK. I am looking forward to seeing everything there EXCPET the huge crowd.
1982 MK
1988 MK & Epcot
1989 MK & Epcot
2002 MK, Epcot and Disney MGM Studios
2006 DL
2008 MK, Epcot and DHS (Best trip EVER)
Booked- 5 year wedding aniv at Port Orleans Riverside April 20-22 2012
Planned Chirstmas 2012 offsite
Second Star to the right and straight on till morning.
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