If you\u2019re planning a Walt Disney World journey for 2023 or 2024, you clearly can’t rely on these actual numbers holding up. However, that\u2019s fairly in step with what we\u2019ve seen in regular years for the final decade or so. Typically, crowds fall off a cliff the Sunday after Thanksgiving, plateau for every week or so, after which steadily rise within the lead-up to Christmas.<\/p>\n
All bets are off as soon as winter breaks begin, with the interval between Christmas and New Year\u2019s Eve being one of many worst weeks of the yr, and issues not likely letting up till faculties return into session and Marathon Weekend concludes.<\/p>\n
Dining Availability<\/strong> \u2013 We have been capable of eat in every single place we needed (with the necessary caveat that many of the locations we favor aren\u2019t essentially the most highly-coveted Advance Dining Reservations), and sometimes discovered same-day ADRs or availability through walk-up waitlist. This included actually no watch for Nomad Lounge and Steakhouse 71, in addition to discovering same-day ADRs for numerous eating places (and even Fantasmic and Candlelight Processional eating packages).<\/p>\nGiven that we each favor extra spontaneity, this positive beats visiting in the course of the peak vacation weeks. Guests doing journeys then needed to be up early to make ADRs 60+ days prematurely, and a few possible nonetheless didn\u2019t get the whole lot they needed. Waits for Mobile Order and Walk-Up Waitlist are additionally a lot worse when it\u2019s busier.<\/p>\n
Genie+ Pricing & Availability<\/strong> \u2013 During my go to for Christmas, I purchased Genie+ on three separate days for analysis (I wrote in regards to the DHS day right here, however as a result of an absence of curiosity, I\u2019ll confine the others to updates of present posts), if this have been my first and solely expertise with Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, I\u2019d most likely marvel what the entire fuss is about. Genie+ was additionally \u201conly\u201d $16 after tax each single day of my keep, which was good (and reflective of the decreased demand).<\/p>\nSarah had issues even higher, with a part of her go to overlapping the \u2018game-changing\u2019 Genie+ modify button. Conversely, crowds have been barely greater and Genie+ value extra most days, however the potential to switch arguably made it simpler and higher on stability.<\/p>\n
Either manner, our experiences have been (and are) a stark distinction to the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year\u2019s Eve, when Lightning Lane availability was or can be far more restricted as a result of elevated \u201ccompetition\u201d ensuing from extra folks shopping for the paid FastPass service. Worse crowds solely compound that, with greater wait occasions and extra congestion in between Lightning Lane return occasions.<\/p>\n
Weather<\/strong> \u2013 One factor I\u2019ve realized over the previous few years is that I used to be not \u201cbuilt\u201d for Florida warmth and humidity. To ensure, we had traveled to Walt Disney World in each month and week of the yr beforehand, so we knew what we have been getting ourselves into. Nevertheless, lots of our transplant associates reassured us that it\u2019s not so dangerous and also you get used to it. That by no means occurred for us, and we discovered ourselves spending far an excessive amount of time indoors 8 months of the yr.<\/p>\nWhile some folks go to Florida for the limitless summer time sunshine and heat temperatures, that\u2019s positively not the case for us. Our \u2018sweet spot\u2019 for Florida climate is from round November till February. I’ll take having to put on a coat over sweating by my shirt any day of the week. You can all the time add layers, however there are solely so many you may subtract earlier than safety says, \u201csir, you can\u2019t take off your shirt here and this Miss Piggy fountain is not a water play area.\u201d (Buzzkills.)<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s not all the time excellent, we\u2019ve discovered that 90% of the time, the climate in late November and early December is at the least temperate. As a lot as I really like late August and September for low crowds, I\u2019ll fortunately take care of barely elevated attendance for considerably higher climate. It\u2019s a simple commerce off for us.<\/p>\n
Outfits <\/strong>\u2013 I’m not what you\u2019d name a trendy man in any conventional sense of the time period. GQ won’t be ringing me anytime quickly, asking the place I get my moisture wicking polos, quick-drying shorts, or bucket hats. In the summer time, my outfit rotation is fairly easy and restricted. Unlike Sarah, who all the time appears to be like good irrespective of the season or climate, I appear like a doofus who simply emerged from the sauna throughout Florida\u2019s three seasons of summer time.<\/p>\nHowever, roughly 75% of my wardrobe is sweaters and flannel shirts. It\u2019s gotten to the purpose that I\u2019ve been \u201cbanned\u201d from shopping for extra blue plaid, as \u2018that looks like a half-dozen shirts you already own and can\u2019t put on 10 months of the yr.\u2019 It ought to go with out saying, however these should not the optimum outfits for Florida.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an offshoot of climate, however one of many issues I like about this time of yr at Walt Disney World is that I don\u2019t have to decorate in utilitarian clothes that appears like I\u2019m about to go fishing. I can bust out my formidable sweater assortment or huge array of blue plaid shirts. In the grand scheme of issues, it\u2019s minor, but it surely\u2019s good to have pictures of us the place we each look presentable and have enjoyable outfits.<\/p>\n
Mickey\u2019s Very Merry Christmas Party<\/strong> \u2013 For years, we\u2019ve executed the primary Mickey\u2019s Not So Scary Halloween Party in early August and the primary Mickey\u2019s Very Merry Christmas Party in early November. While I can go from 0 to 60 in the case of entering into the vacation spirit, the identical isn\u2019t true of everybody else.<\/p>\nNot solely is the climate (normally) higher for the December events, however the power is sort of all the time higher. Way extra friends are wearing ugly Christmas sweaters, truthful isle onesies, vacation Spirit Jerseys, and so forth. Just because the MNSSHP is best in October, so too is Mickey\u2019s Very Merry Christmas Party nearer to Christmas. The occasion itself is an identical, and but, higher.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s powerful to clarify how, however in case you\u2019ve executed the primary evening of MVMCP and in addition one of many December dates, . (We have additionally been rained out\u00a0manner too many occasions\u00a0<\/em>on the first MVMCP previously, and that will\u2019ve occurred once more had we attended this yr. Knock on wooden, however that hasn\u2019t occurred to us in ages in the course of the December dates of Mickey\u2019s Very Merry Christmas Party.)<\/p>\nCandlelight Processional<\/strong> \u2013 I\u2019m a sucker for Candlelight Processional. The pageantry of all of it, stunning music, and energy put into the spectacle by so many expert and passionate Cast Members. Suffice to say, Candlelight Processional is one thing particular. From the choir to the orchestra to the conductor to the ASL interpreter, I really like watching these gifted performers give it their all. It\u2019s an excellent custom\u2013one began by Walt Disney at Disneyland and imported to EPCOT a lot later\u2013and one thing I hope by no means ends.<\/p>\nI\u2019m not significantly \u2018big\u2019 on celebrities, so the narrator issues much less to me. (If something, I favor a few of the much less well-liked ones as they draw smaller crowds of their followers.) With that mentioned, there are some I take pleasure in greater than others. I don\u2019t need to \u2018name names\u2019 and disparage anybody (or alienate their followers), however I\u2019m not significantly eager on the narrators who regularly seem throughout this window. Perhaps it\u2019s simply my notion, but it surely looks like Walt Disney World books the most effective narrators in mid-to-late December.<\/p>\n
The upside to that is low crowds for Candlelight Processional. I managed to snag seats twice with no eating bundle and no wait in line. Sure, I used to be in direction of the again, however I\u2019ve seen it sufficient that I\u2019m completely happy with solely an okay view. Not having to purchase a eating bundle (to not point out the stress of attempting to attain ADRs) or wait in an extended line is a greater than truthful tradeoff, from my perspective.<\/p>\n
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Holiday Remix<\/strong> \u2013 While I hope this isn’t related to anybody planning a 2023 Walt Disney World trip in the course of the vacation season, the digital queue for Cosmic Rewind was exceedingly simple to enter within the afternoon. On a number of events, I joined after 2 pm Park Hopping started. My newest entry time was after 4 pm! (Above is a photograph of a nearly-empty queue taken a kind of nights when the attraction was a literal walk-on to the pre-show.)<\/p>\nAlthough the digital queue will hopefully be retired for Cosmic Rewind in Winter 2023, there\u2019s a powerful likelihood it gained\u2019t die out fully. Instead, count on TRON Lightcycle Run to change into the brand new VQ experience. In which case, it needs to be the same story\u2013a lot simpler to enter the digital queue within the couple weeks after Thanksgiving than throughout peak vacation weeks when it nonetheless fills up in seconds.<\/p>\n
Speaking of issues that I hope should not related subsequent yr, there\u2019s the Holiday Remix \u201coverlay\u201d of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. To every their very own, however neither of us cared for this. It\u2019s under no circumstances by any means built-in into the attraction, so the Christmas track simply comes out of nowhere. Even with that, the experience doesn\u2019t really feel in the least festive as a result of actually nothing else was executed to make it a cohesive or complete Christmas overlay.<\/p>\n
The track itself isn’t superb, and really\u00a0diminishes\u00a0<\/em>the experience itself. Cosmic Rewind has incredible move and fluidity\u2013due to the music and the movement, it usually looks like dancing in curler coaster type. That\u2019s not the case for Holiday Remix, which underscores simply how a lot track choice issues. Here\u2019s hoping that this can be a one and executed.<\/p>\nUltimately, it needs to be simple to see why that is our favourite week (or weeks?) of the yr at Walt Disney World. Even although wait occasions\u00a0 for sure headliners are nonetheless excessive, the decrease congestion ranges as in comparison with Thanksgiving week made a large <\/em>distinction for us by way of general consolation degree\u2013and the climate additionally helped there. The solely time and place we ever noticed crowding was within the hub and Main Street throughout Mickey\u2019s Very Merry Christmas Party, however that\u2019s about par for the course.<\/p>\nIf you\u2019re trying ahead to subsequent yr, our suggestion could be to make November 26, 2023 your first day within the parks, leaving by December 2, 2023. That\u2019ll virtually definitely be the candy spot for the most effective of crowds, wait occasions, climate, seasonal spirit, and so forth. With that mentioned, if we had to decide on a next-best set of dates from a qualitative perspective, I\u2019m not inclined to decide on December 3-9, 2023 over November 12-17, 2023 (that\u2019d be my third selection).<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the same story for the next yr. While it\u2019s untimely to set any dates in stone as lots can change between every now and then, I\u2019m inclined to pencil in December 1-7, 2024 as my first selection and December 8-14, 2024 as my second selection. I\u2019m much less assured about that second week, because it\u2019s nearer to Christmas than the identical timeframe this yr or in 2023. Regardless, some potential journey dates to contemplate to your future journeys to Walt Disney World!<\/p>\n
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Learn about lodges on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews<\/a> web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews<\/a>. To lower your expenses on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets<\/a> submit. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips<\/a> submit takes a novel take a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides<\/a> will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to start out is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide<\/strong><\/a> for the whole lot it is advisable know!<\/p>\nYOUR THOUGHTS<\/h2>\n If you probably did Walt Disney World post-Thanksgiving this yr, what was your expertise? If you\u2019ve visited this identical week in prior years, how do you suppose this yr compares? Thoughts about anything lined right here? If you\u2019re a frequent customer throughout this timeframe, what\u2019s your tackle crowds, wait occasions, seasonal spirit, climate, and so forth? Agree or disagree with our evaluation of those two weeks as the most effective time in the course of the vacation season? Any questions we may help you reply? Hearing your suggestions is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!<\/p>\n