Can anyone out there answer a question for me? I just got back from WDW a few days ago. We went from 12/5 - 12/11. I have been there 6 times (the others were in the summertime). I thought that this time in December would be less crowded. It seemed like it was as crowded as when I went in the summertime months. Can anyone tell me if schools were out or what was the deal? I saw alot of kids there if schools were in. I am going back next November/December 11/29 - 12-6. Just wondering why it was so crowded at that time. Thanks!
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Why was in crowded in December?
- Thread starter tigerw9
- Start date
Why was it crowded in December?
Can anyone out there answer a question for me? I just got back from WDW a few days ago. We went from 12/5 - 12/11. I have been there 6 times (the others were in the summertime). I thought that this time in December would be less crowded. It seemed like it was as crowded as when I went in the summertime months. Can anyone tell me if schools were out or what was the deal? I saw alot of kids there if schools were in. I am going back next November/December 11/29 - 12-6. Just wondering why it was so crowded at that time. Thanks!
Can anyone out there answer a question for me? I just got back from WDW a few days ago. We went from 12/5 - 12/11. I have been there 6 times (the others were in the summertime). I thought that this time in December would be less crowded. It seemed like it was as crowded as when I went in the summertime months. Can anyone tell me if schools were out or what was the deal? I saw alot of kids there if schools were in. I am going back next November/December 11/29 - 12-6. Just wondering why it was so crowded at that time. Thanks!
TTFN-Tiggger
New Member
Yes - last week was Pop Warner week. I was there on 11/28-12/3 and the crowds were not bad at all. Just a head of them I believe. A change for me since I normally travel to WDW during spring break.
There are no more slow times at WDW.
Chances are may of your last 6 trips were in the wake of the tourism slump caused by 9-11. Park attendance dropped on the order of 50% overnight and stayed low for several years. Attendance at the parks is now greater than it was before 9-11 and is continuing to rise. I was there during the same time you were and while crowds were large they were far from unbearable. Just consider yourself lucky that you weren't there on Thanksgiving. Wait times for Soarin got as high as 210 minutes
Chances are may of your last 6 trips were in the wake of the tourism slump caused by 9-11. Park attendance dropped on the order of 50% overnight and stayed low for several years. Attendance at the parks is now greater than it was before 9-11 and is continuing to rise. I was there during the same time you were and while crowds were large they were far from unbearable. Just consider yourself lucky that you weren't there on Thanksgiving. Wait times for Soarin got as high as 210 minutes
We were there 11/28 - 12/6 and the crowds were pretty good. It did seem somewhat crowded, but the line queues were pretty short 10-15 min for Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain...etc. so that's pretty good. Soarin' varied from 30-45 min. Exp Everest was 30 min.
The crowds did seem to be picking up towards the end of our stay so it may have been some of the Pop Warner crowd. Your dates would coincide with the full Pop Warner "effect" as they tend to filter into the parks more towards the end of the week as teams are eliminated from the competition.
ClemsonTigger
Naturally Grumpy
ClemsonTigger
Naturally Grumpy
While there have historically been slow times of Sept./Oct., early Nov., early Dec. and Jan/Feb. Disney has done a fine job of providing additional attractions to attract more people during those times.
Food and Wine for Sept. through early Nov., MNSSHP Sept. and Oct., (unofficial) Jersey week, MVMCP assorted Christmas activities, Pop Warner and Cheerleading in Nov./early Dec., now the Pirates and Princesses special ticket in Jan. Feb.
Instead of vacant times, I think we'll now need to reclassify as super crowded, crowded and manageable.
Food and Wine for Sept. through early Nov., MNSSHP Sept. and Oct., (unofficial) Jersey week, MVMCP assorted Christmas activities, Pop Warner and Cheerleading in Nov./early Dec., now the Pirates and Princesses special ticket in Jan. Feb.
Instead of vacant times, I think we'll now need to reclassify as super crowded, crowded and manageable.
napnet
Active Member
No crowd problem for me!
We were there 12/2 - 12/7 and found that really only Saturday and Sunday were crowded (120/min for Soarin, 50-70 for Peter Pan) while the rest of the week was pretty light (20-45/min for Soarin, 10-30 for Peter Pan). We have been in times past and they were less crowded but i was happy with the crowds on the week days.
MVMCP on 12/4 was empty... walk on for Peter Pan, Splash and Space Mountain. We also got a spot right infront of the castle 10 minutes before the MVMCP fireworks.
We were there 12/2 - 12/7 and found that really only Saturday and Sunday were crowded (120/min for Soarin, 50-70 for Peter Pan) while the rest of the week was pretty light (20-45/min for Soarin, 10-30 for Peter Pan). We have been in times past and they were less crowded but i was happy with the crowds on the week days.
MVMCP on 12/4 was empty... walk on for Peter Pan, Splash and Space Mountain. We also got a spot right infront of the castle 10 minutes before the MVMCP fireworks.
RonAnnArbor
Well-Known Member
As to the kids there -- there are NO times that people don't yank their kids out of school and just go. My parents would never have thought of missing any school when I was a young'n...but the morals have changed in the US and people don't think twice about taking their kids out of school to go to WDW whenever they want.
There is actually a local school district here in Michigan that is starting to fine parents for taking their kids out of school to go on vacation during the school year, and the kids end up going to summer school. This could end up being a whole new trend in the coming years all over the country.
Still -- there are no times where WDW is crowd-free anymore. Yes, there are times where there are less people than others, but I have never been to WDW in the past few years no matter what time of year I have gone that there haven't been crowds of people...it is just the density of the crowds that changes.
There is actually a local school district here in Michigan that is starting to fine parents for taking their kids out of school to go on vacation during the school year, and the kids end up going to summer school. This could end up being a whole new trend in the coming years all over the country.
Still -- there are no times where WDW is crowd-free anymore. Yes, there are times where there are less people than others, but I have never been to WDW in the past few years no matter what time of year I have gone that there haven't been crowds of people...it is just the density of the crowds that changes.
Jessie&Buzz
Active Member
I actually felt guilty pulling my daughter out of school last week. Not enough to stay home though!
I also didn't think the crowds were that bad. We waited 70 minutes for Soaring but the fast pass time was much later than that and we wouldn't have been in that area of the park at that time. We also waited a long time for Peter Pan but again we wouldn't be in that part of the park when it was fast pass time. The worst day was dec 2 when the taping of the parade was going on. We only rode a few things before it was time for our dinner.
v_misses_epcot
Member
210 all the way down to ten minutes, I find a lot of guest not being patient. I was super excited to tell some guest that the wait time to soarin went down from a whopping 2 hours to just 20-30 minutes! They looked at me like I was crazy. ~_~
I was yelled at once for telling them that mission space was 10 minutes!
And it's so crowded because it's already the 2nd week of decemeber. If you pace yourself well, get there on time in the morning you'll be fine. I went to magic kingdom yesterday, fairly crowded and was able to most things. 1 hour after the park peter pan was down to 5 minutes so you see, you just need to know what to do.
And fair warning, I'm sure you all know that new years eve is the worse time of year to be here right? Well on that day, the parks will get filled up to their capacity before if not by 10 or 11!! So you better start picking what park you want to celebrate it at because there will be a good chance you won't be able to get to other parks.
coltow
Well-Known Member
This is pretty much us. The only time we can really travel is when the kids are in school. What we have done is limited the days out to a maximum of 2 and the kids are allowed a maximum of 1 C on their progress reports or report cards. On our last trip 12/9-12/11 our 13 year old did not measure up to the grade criteria and spent the weekend at her grandparents and went to school on Monday.
bobr0001
New Member
With all of the problems with broken families and neglected kids in the school system, it seems odd that a they would target a family that want's to briefly pull thier kids out to enjoy a time of family togetherness.
Talk about barking up the wrong tree!!
WaltzingMatilda
Member
That is hard core old-school - I like it. That's a great way to teach kids that education comes first - I'm sure your daughter was not pleased but the I'm positive the long term lesson will serve her well in the end. I also don't see anything wrong with kids missing a little school time, as long as their grades are up to snuff.
RonAnnArbor
Well-Known Member
Hey -- don't get me wrong for being the messenger -- I don't have any kids and I really don't care if people take their kids out of school or not -- I was just stating that is why it is always crowded, and that this trend has started over the past 5 years or so. We have many other forum topics here to discuss if that is appropriate or not. But that is why you are never going to see an "empty" WDW anymore.
davewasbaloo
New Member
I don't agree. My parents took me out of school 25 years ago to go on Disney trips, and I remember seeing others there too. The reason it is busier is Disney has added Value Resorts, Dining Plans and Special Events (Pop Warner, Food and Wine etc.) to entice people in the quiet season. It's working.
PhotoDave219
Well-Known Member
The internet geeks showed up at the end of your trip.
The week immediatly following Thanksgiving is usually pretty dead.
As my buddy Master Yoda put it, "There are no more slow times at WDW"