VIDEOS: The CONFUSING Christmas Week Crowds in Disney World

Disney World crowds are NO joke around the holidays.

Crowds

We’ve seen some seriously big crowds in Disney World (particularly on popular event days, like the start of an EPCOT Festival). But sometimes crowds have been surprising — slightly less than what you might expect. So just what are the crowds like during the week leading up to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? We’re taking you with us to Disney World to give you an honest look at the crowds so you know what to prepare for!

December 19th, 2022

We’ll start our journey on December 19th (the Monday before Christmas). Over at Magic Kingdom, the crowds were in full force on Main Street U.S.A. The term “a sea of people” comes to mind. 😮

Well hello There Friends

Things were also getting PACKED at Splash Mountain. Holiday crowds combined with the ride’s upcoming permanent closure and re-theme (to a Princess and the Frog-themed ride) can lead to some seriously LONG wait times at this ride.

Want a tip? As temperatures drop in Florida these upcoming days, look for water rides (like Splash Mountain) to have shorter wait times. Not everyone loves getting wet in the cold, but if you bring a poncho and can stay (mostly) dry, it could be a great time to hop in line and get on this ride with a shorter wait.

On the 19th, there were some spots that felt less crowded, but other places felt VERY tight. Be aware that places that normally become bottlenecks (like this Fantasyland corridor) can feel especially crowded during the holidays. You’ll want to avoid those if you can or try to hit them earlier in the mornings or later at night when some of the crowds may have lessened.

Other popular rides had waits in excess of 1 hour — so these days might be the ones when you really need Genie+.

One problem to be prepared for on these busy days — if you need an ECV, be sure to get those early in the day as they can run out.

Be Prepared for This

At EPCOT, our morning started with a LONG parking line. If you’ll be driving your car to Disney World this week, make sure you leave enough time in your plans to get through these longer parking lines, into your parking spot, and all the way to the front of the park.

Be Prepared to Wait

Things were busy at the entrance to the park…

Crowds

…but other spots had a bit more breathing room.

More Space Over Here

At Spaceship Earth there was quite the line!

Crowded Here

A big reminder for the holidays is to remember that you may have to wait for little things too — like just getting a free sip of soda at Club Cool…

Club Cool

…or getting coffee at a Joffrey’s Coffee spot.

Longer Lines Can Pop Up

Some longer lines will pop up at popular rides too.

Test Track Line

But other parts of the park will be MUCH emptier — it can really just depend on where you are.

World Showcase areas were pretty busy on the 19th…

Pretty Packed

…so expect to be joined by LOTS of friends as you eat and drink your way around the countries.

Crowds Here Too

December 20th

December 20th brought some complications to the crowd situation. On our way into the World today, there were some cars around us but things weren’t too bad.

At Magic Kingdom, Main Street, U.S.A. was busy (as you might expect)…

Busy Here

…but things were much more relaxed over in Tomorrowland.

Emptier Here!

Our DFB team member who was in the park said that the crowds were fairly mellow and it didn’t really feel like a Christmas week in terms of crowd levels today! That’s a noticeable change compared to what we saw the day before. One thing to note, however, is that the 20th was a Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party night in Magic Kingdom, so the park’s early closure might have deterred guests from visiting.

In terms of wait times, at around 1:11PM, wait times ranged from just 5 minutes at Living with the Land…

©Disney

…to 175(!!) minutes over at Flight of Passage. 

Avatar Flight of Passage

But there were plenty of rides with wait times right in the middle range — around 45 minutes or less, including Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Journey of the Little Mermaid, and even Space Mountain (it was at a 35-minute wait when we checked!).

©Disney

So what does it all mean? Well, it means Christmas week crowds are…complicated! Things can be very busy on some days or in some areas, while they aren’t quite as bad on other days or in other spaces.

We’ll be in the parks during the upcoming days and we’ll keep an eye out for more information as to how these crowds fluctuate. Remember that bad weather and other factors can impact crowd levels too.

Want top tips for handling trips during the busy season? Click our links below:

Click here to get Genie+ tips for the most CROWDED days in Disney World


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