Are we going to Disney at a Really Busy Time?

[4disneynuts]

We have been to Disney many times but this is our first trip in December. We are going the 12th to the 19th. We are going to celebrate our DD golden birthday on the 15th. Can anyone tell me if they have been there during this time and what crowds, weather, restaurants etc might be like? We are splurging this trip and are staying at the POLY. I am nervous that we are going too close to Christmas.

[#1donaldfan]

...actually, I think that's a very good Christmas week to visit....the weather for us was; shorts n t shirts during the day, and maybe a light jacket at night.....it was very, very nice and the decorations were beautiful...just do your normal 180 day ressies and go for it !!!

[Disney1977]

Hi,

We will be there the same week (Pincode Offer?). Yes, I have been at that time of year before and the crowds were low. Also, on another site the crowds are listed as 1-4 during the week. Wednesday is predicted to be the busiest day during the week. The crowds pick up on Saturday.

Have a great trip

[4disneynuts]

Thanks for the info. I feel better. We had a pin code discount this time to.

[forever a child]

We will be there during the same time too!

[Strmchsr]

Weather is extremely unpredictable in December. Check the historic weather conditions on the page in Info central and you'll see exact conditions for those dates over the last few years. That'll give you some idea of what to expect.

As for crowds, for some reason folks said mid-December in 2009 was much more crowded than previous years, but I can't vouch for that personally. I would say expect moderate crowds at the beginning (all of December has gotten busier) with crowds increasing at the end, but not too bad. Don't put any stock in the crowd calendars. Their accuracy has been iffy at best. I'd just say it won't be bad, but don't expect it to be empty, either.

[SurferStitch]

We've gone to WDW in December 4 times now. In 2008 we went the same time you did (actually we did 12 days, but left to go home on the 18th).

Crowds grew steadily the entire time we were there. By the 15th or so, the parks had pretty decent crowds. We even left DHS on day (the 16th I believe) because it was so busy.

But, not every single day was really busy. I would say the last 5 days of the trip were the most crowded. Your more popular rides had 45-90 min waits, but FP's took care of that...no problem.

We were just there this past December (12/2-12/14, 2009), and the crowds were higher than we had experienced in the past. Nothing too terrible, but again we saw long wait times for your more popular rides. Soarin' hit 120 minutes one day, as did TSM to name a couple. Again, utilize FP, and it makes it better. We just left the parks and headed back to the Poly or when to DtD when the crowds got too big for us.

We've always had wonderful weather. Many warm days, a few cool days, and very little rain. We've been pretty darn lucky. Good thing I over pack, because if I had listened to all of the weather forecasts, I never would have packed enough warm weather gear!

Have a great trip!

[faline]

We've been around that time frame in the past and have found the beginning of the trip to be quite nice with low crowds. By the end of the trip, however, crowds are definitely increasing and it found it quite crowded by our last day in the parks.

As Chris noted, and he's our resident weather expert, and as I can vouch for, from personal experience, weather at this time of year is quite unpredictable. You might have swimming weather and spend all your time in shorts and tees; you might have coolish weather and need jeans and sweatshirts; you might have cold weather and need winter coats and mittens; and you could get this entire range within a span of one trip so plan for all eventualities!

[eeyorepoohfan]

to everything mentioned! We went for our first time last December 10-15th. We saw the crowds growing a little bit each day. But we thought it was so manageable. Some rides were walk-ons to 15 minute waits. Large attractions could be upwards of 100 minutes, but again Fastpasses took care of that. Or we just made sure to hit those rides early in the day to have very little wait time and grab a Fast pass for later! It never felt difficult to navigate the crowds for us.

I did not prepare properly for the weather. The first couple days were cool and somewhat drizzly , needed light jackets and jeans. However, the rest of our trip we were breaking heat records with high humidity. I failed to pack shorts and had to roll by jeans up to my knees to keep from getting overheated. So remember to back layers!!!!!! You may likely need them!

I think it's a fantastic time to go! In fact, I am trying to plan a trip for me and my DH for this December again! I love the Christmas decorations!!

Have a great trip!

[Tigerinvestigator]

We've been that same week two of the last three years and have experienced very manageable crowds. The closer you get to Dec. 25, the bigger the crowds get but you should have a great trip that week.