Most people know that Disney is the busiest at Christmas. Yet do not underestimate the week of New Year’s or Thanksgiving. Sometimes you may have a couple days break between New Year’s and Race Weekend. That is why planning at Disney for this time of the year is so important!!
What is race weekend you ask? The first full weekend after New Year’s is race weekend. This will have a 5K on Thursday, 10K on Friday, 1/2 Marathon on Saturday and Full Marathon on Sunday-and yes, some people do run all of them. If they do they get a special bling called the “Dopey”-self explanatory. In 2017 their were like 125,000 runners, yes you read that right. Now, think of all the family and friends they bring with them. Now think of how long the races go and that means parks may be opening late and/or the roads are closed longer. This definitely slows up traffic. These are definitely things to think about when traveling to Disney.
Generally, when people are at Disney at Christmas time they want to spend Christmas at Magic Kingdom, I mean who wouldn’t?? Well, not me and due to the park regularly closing to new people coming in as it is a capacity. I have been in a park when it was at capacity-it was not fun. That does not mean that you can’t go and have a great time. You certainly can. You have to arrive early and not leave the parks so you will need to plan on some relax/quiet time in the parks. Make sure to have some sit down dining reservations to relax at. It is very important to set the right expectations for your visit. What I mean by this is that you won’t be able to do as much as you would say the end of January. Yes, the crowds are there so you need to work around them.
Another big thing that people do is get their kids up on Christmas morning or even a couple days before and once they wake them they tell them they are going to Disney. It is great watching some of the videos out on social media:) The faces are priceless! How do you tell you kids you are going to Disney??? How far in advance do you tell them??
Also, many people are given Disney vacations or tickets as Christmas gifts-talk about a magical memory. I think this is great! Next would be the planning of the trip, this is where I come in. Keep this magical memory going, from when you get the tickets (trip) to when you are in the parks. Having a great whole experience makes for the best memories-YOUR memories.
Don’t underestimate the crowds for Halloween! You get the amazing Not So Scary Halloween party-I mean, who doesn’t want to dress up in costume (especially your favorite Disney character). Then you get Hallowishes Fireworks and the Boo to You Parade as well as the amazing amount of candy from trick or treating. This is a hard ticket event but certainly worth it!
Lastly, I wanted to mention “holiday” for 3 day weekends. PLEASE do not underestimate a three day weekend. They get very busy and kind of surprise you. Remember the word holiday when thinking of when to go to Disney.
Thank you and enjoy!! #disneyplanning, #disneyworld, #disneyvacations
