Is Disney World crowded on Christmas Day?
Christmas Day at the Magic Kingdom is the busiest day at any park anywhere. Over 120,000 people will try to jam into the park. (Disney never publishes crowd sizes, but outside estimates reach 150,000.
Expect moderate to high crowd levels. Still worse than the two weeks before it, but not bonkers. However, if you have the choice to visit any of the first three weeks of December, definitely choose one of the first two.
According to another website I checked, the least crowded park on Christmas Eve is expected to be Epcot, and on Christmas Day, Epcot and MGM. Of course, "least crowded" is almost a joke during Christmas week, as every park will reach capacity or near-capacity.
We're here to tell you: you can have a great trip at Christmas. It will be different from a trip in the off-season, and the crowds will be huge, but there are some nice compensations, like lots of shows and holiday parades, special fireworks displays, longer park hours and beautiful decorations.
Walt Disney World at Christmas time includes magical entertainment along Main Street USA. Dapper Dans Barbershop Quartet showcase holiday tunes with a little comedy thrown in too. They perform regular 20 minute a cappella shows throughout the day. The Main Street Trolley Show gets a Holiday makeover.
- 13 – Valentine's Day: February 14th. ...
- 12 – Presidents Day Weekend: 3rd Monday in February. ...
- 10 – Easter: Varies in March or April. ...
- 9 – Memorial Weekend: Last weekend in May. ...
- 7 – Labor Day Weekend: First weekend in September. ...
- 6 – Magic Kingdom / Epcot's Birthdays: October 1st.
As of 2022, Walt Disney World is at full operations and not putting in any capacity restrictions due to COVID-19.
The first two weeks of December are a fantastic time to visit Walt Disney World. You'll have moderate crowds are the holiday season in full swing. The rest of the month…well you get what you expect—holiday magic, crowds, and high prices.
In fact, many are saying that Walt Disney World is operating its attendance on a pre-pandemic level, but we now have confirmation that is not true. Although the Parks are crowded, the Parks are still operating under a reduced capacity.
Walt Disney World's parks are typically least crowded: January 2nd until just prior to Presidents' Day week (third Monday in February) The week after Labor Day until just prior to Thanksgiving week. The week following Thanksgiving weekend until the week prior to Christmas.
What should you not miss at Disney World at Christmas?
- Attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. ...
- See the Candlelight Processional at Epcot. ...
- Admire the Christmas Trees and Decorations. ...
- Take a Ride on the Jingle Cruise. ...
- Stroll Around the Epcot World Showcase. ...
- Enjoy Holiday Desserts. ...
- Experience the “Snow”
September is the best overall month to visit Disney World. Other than Labor Day, there are no holidays to bring in crowds and most families have returned home for the school year. This is therefore the least crowded time of year to visit Disney World.
Magic Kingdom at Christmas 2022. All of the parks have a beautiful charm to them in Disney during Christmas. While the other parks really do a great job with celebrating the holidays, a Magic Kingdom Christmas is unlike any other. It is our favorite and the best park at Christmas.
The weather at Disney World in December is fairly dry with warmer days and chilly nights making it a great time of the year to visit. The average high for Orlando in December is 73 degrees with the average low being 50 degrees.
While the Christmas / New Years' week is thought to be the most crowded, the Thanksgiving crowds are three times larger.
The Christmas holidays in the U.S. are one of the busiest times of the year for Florida's theme parks. After living in Orlando for more than a decade, I can tell you firsthand that Christmas is one of the most crowded weeks at the theme parks and in all of Orlando!
If you're only going to visit during one of the two seasons, it should absolutely be Christmas. Unless you're a huge Halloween enthusiast, Walt Disney World has a lot more to offer during the Christmas season.
As previously mentioned, the winter holidays are one of the most expensive times of year to visit Disney World, and the week of Christmas and New Year's is typically the priciest period to visit. July Fourth, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and other federal holidays are also going to be more crowded and expensive.
For those looking to avoid crowds, Disney's Animal Kingdom is the park to do just that. Animal Kingdom tends to have the lowest crowds and wait times every day of the week and is also not an extremely sought after park on holidays either.
That leaves Tuesday. Tuesdays typically, not always, but typically, Tuesdays is the best day of the week to visit the Magic Kingdom. It's just the day when the last week crowds, the weekend crowds are gone. The next week crowds come in on Wednesday.
Which Disney parks can be done in half a day?
Disney's Hollywood Studios has a reputation as a half-day park: a place you visit for a few hours before going to one of the real parks.
Disneyland Resort in California reopened on April 30, 2021 with limited capacity at Disneyland park and Disney California Adventure park. Those wanting to visit need to purchase tickets in advance via a new online reservation system. All three of the California Disney resort's hotels are open.
Will there be a capacity limit at Disney World due to the coronavirus? Yes. During the early phases of reopening there was a 35% capacity limit which has since been increased but to an unspecified number. Guests will need a reservation as well as a valid ticket for the day that they want to visit the parks.
McCarthy was asked: “What does full capacity mean looking forward?” The first thing we learned is that the Disney parks are NOT currently at 100% capacity.
As far as crowd levels go, Disney World in December is divided. The first half of the month sees low to neutral crowd levels, but beware, the second half of the month sees the highest crowds of the entire year!
Can you visit the happiest place on earth on one of the happiest days of the year? The answer is yes, Disney World is open on Christmas Day! All four parks and at least one of the water parks are all open for visitors on Christmas. In fact, Walt Disney World is open 365 days a year, on all holidays.
Luckily, there is a solution! Disney has a “Park Hopping Hotline” that allows you to make a quick call and check on the current capacity of any park you wish to visit. The number is 407-560-5000. When you call the line, we received an automated voice message that said “Greetings from Walt Disney World Resort.
Recommended for Guests who are not fully vaccinated in indoor locations and enclosed transportation. Face coverings are optional for Guests in both outdoor and indoor locations, as well as Disney transportation.
The capacity shown here is Guests Per Day. Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney World's smallest park, Magic Kingdom is 142 acres and accommodates 90,000 people.
If either attraction has a wait time of 13 minutes for the standby line, get in line! 13 minutes is a 'code' for no wait time at all. In the case of these two attractions, number 13 happens to be a lucky number! ( Photo Credit Meeko)
What is the cheapest month to go to Disney?
Disney World Ticket Cheapest Seasons
Those low seasons are about January 7 through February 3 and August 22 to September 22, with increases or spikes around major holidays. Historically, ticket prices somewhat follow hotel prices, so these patterns aren't surprising.
- Rise of the Resistance.
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
- End of Line for Toy Story Mania.
- Gran Fiesta Tour.
- Na'vi River Journey.
While shoes must be worn, there is no specific footwear requirement for attractions within Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, although skates or shoes with wheels are prohibited. I have seen Guests wearing everything from basic flip-flops to stilettos. (Though I do not recommend either of those options!)
Attire that is not appropriate for the parks includes (but is not limited to): Costumes and masks worn by guests age 14 or over. Clothing with obscene language or graphics. Excessively torn clothing.
If we throw out data from 2020 due to the pandemic, and focus on just 2019 and 2021, we can see that September is typically the slowest month of the year in terms of average wait times – and it's not really close.
- Sunday is the busiest day at every Walt Disney World Park.
- Saturday the second busiest.
- Monday the third busiest.
- Friday the fourth busiest.
The Park Prodigy's Los Angeles Crowd Calendar is the best tool to see how busy each theme park will be during a specific month, week, and day. It's the perfect resource for families to rely on as they begin to plan their vacation at Disneyland and/or Universal Studios Hollywood.
- Vienna, Austria. ...
- Prague, Czech Republic. ...
- Strasbourg, France. ...
- Rovaniemi - Lapland, Finland. ...
- Woodstock, Vermont. ...
- Nuremberg, Germany. ...
- Tallinn, Estonia. ...
- Bruges, Belgium.
Epcot will be crowded on Christmas so rides would not be a big priority but I am curious about the holiday version of the new Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ride. At this time, you can try to get into the free virtual queue or purchase an Individual Lightning Lane reservation.
This is the time of the year to put away those tank tops and break out your favorite Disney short sleeve shirts and long sleeve shirts. It's an important thing to make sure you'll be comfortable on your trip! Consider bringing comfortable clothes when deciding what to wear to Disney World in December!
Is it too cold to swim at Disney in December?
Swimming In December
Even though it may be too cold to swim in December where you live, at Disney World the pools are heated which means even if the air is a bit chilly, the pools are still a comfortable temperature.
The thermometer may often say 85 degrees in Central Florida during the holiday months, but it still snows during the holidays thanks to Disney magic. While celebrating Christmas at Disney World, make time to play in the snow on Main Street USA and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood Studios.
We're here to tell you: you can have a great trip at Christmas. It will be different from a trip in the off-season, and the crowds will be huge, but there are some nice compensations, like lots of shows and holiday parades, special fireworks displays, longer park hours and beautiful decorations.
Christmas Day at the Magic Kingdom is the busiest day at any park anywhere. Over 120,000 people will try to jam into the park.
According to another website I checked, the least crowded park on Christmas Eve is expected to be Epcot, and on Christmas Day, Epcot and MGM. Of course, "least crowded" is almost a joke during Christmas week, as every park will reach capacity or near-capacity.
While the Christmas / New Years' week is thought to be the most crowded, the Thanksgiving crowds are three times larger.
The Christmas holidays in the U.S. are one of the busiest times of the year for Florida's theme parks. After living in Orlando for more than a decade, I can tell you firsthand that Christmas is one of the most crowded weeks at the theme parks and in all of Orlando!
Go During Off-Season
Let's get specific—the least crowded times of the year to visit Walt Disney World, based on previous years, are as follows: – Mid-November through mid-December. This is with the exception of Thanksgiving week, which WILL be crowded as many workers/students have those days off on holiday.
September is the best overall month to visit Disney World. Other than Labor Day, there are no holidays to bring in crowds and most families have returned home for the school year. This is therefore the least crowded time of year to visit Disney World.
- September 6-30 (light to moderate crowds)
- November 15-18 (light to moderate crowds, holiday decorations available)
- November 28-30 (light to moderate crowds, holiday decorations available)
- December 1-9 (light to moderate crowds, holiday decorations available)
Is it worth going to Disney World in December?
The first two weeks of December are a fantastic time to visit Walt Disney World. You'll have moderate crowds are the holiday season in full swing. The rest of the month…well you get what you expect—holiday magic, crowds, and high prices.
As previously mentioned, the winter holidays are one of the most expensive times of year to visit Disney World, and the week of Christmas and New Year's is typically the priciest period to visit. July Fourth, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and other federal holidays are also going to be more crowded and expensive.
Xmas week is the #1 busiest time of the year in Orlando and crowds are everywhere, including restaurants, roads, and malls. All the theme parks close midday during Xmas week due to reaching over capacity.
