Hey Jennifer,
Welcome back to planDisney! I’m glad you’re back with this great question. Can I just share that Christmas is my
favorite time of year at Walt Disney World? Christmas is my favorite holiday, but there’s something really special about Disney at Christmastime that can’t be denied. Maybe it’s the holiday decor or the festive lights you’ll find throughout the resort. Perhaps it’s the holiday celebrations that you can take part in during your visit, or even the special attraction overlays and holiday themed shows and spectaculars to be seen. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there’s definitely a special feeling when you visit during the holidays.
Because of how special the holidays are at Disney World, crowds are heaviest during this time of year without a doubt. My secret to figuring out how crowded the parks are expected to be is reviewing the
Ticket Pricing Calendar. Reviewing the dates and ticket prices available can give you a solid hint regarding expected crowd levels - the higher the ticket price, the larger the crowds expected. At this time the pricing during the week before Christmas is slightly lower than Christmas week. This likely means exactly the same thing for crowds. Pricing is subject to change, but it is usually a good crowd indicator.
Despite crowds being high during that week, I have a few suggestions to help keep your visit magical and manageable. First, consider purchasing
Lightning Lane passes 7 days prior to your arrival date if you’ll be staying at a
Disney resort hotel. This will help you secure your must-do attractions in advance and will help on your park days by allowing you to skip the traditional standby queue when there’s Lightning Lane availability. Next, consider purchasing tickets for
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party instead of having a Magic Kingdom park day. During this party you’ll not only experience shorter attraction queues thanks to the limited ticket availability, but you will also enjoy special holiday treats (some are even complimentary!), rare character meet & greet opportunities and special entertainment like Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade and Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks. It’s a spectacular way to visit Magic Kingdom during the holidays while experiencing lower crowds. You can have a similar experience at
Disney Jollywood Nights over at Hollywood Studios. Then you can spend those two park days relaxing by the pool until it’s time to head to the parties. Tickets for these parties are usually available starting in the summer. Keep an eye on the
Disney Parks Blog for announcements.
Jennifer, I hope this information is helpful. If you need any additional help with planning,
come on back and see us here at planDisney. We’ll see ya real soon!
Sakinah