December 21 Update: Hollywood Studios close extended to 9pm and Magic Kingdom’s to 12am on December 21.
December 20 Update: Magic Kingdom’s close extended to 1am on December 20th. Hollywood Studios’ close extended to 9pm and Animal Kingdom’s extended to 8pm also on the 20th.
December 8 Update: Magic Kingdom hours extended on 12/8/11 to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm.
November 25 Update: Crowd Calendar updated with the operating schedule changes listed here: http://www.easywdw.com/news/changes-to-december-2011-disney-world-operating-schedule/. The crowd levels may have gone up or down one point on certain days. Hollywood Studios is now recommended on December 2nd. The recommendations are otherwise unchanged, though I added a bit to the “daily analysis” and cleaned up some of the sentence structure and grammar. I’m sure doing that caused additional errors in sentence structure and grammar.
October 18 Update: Crowd Calendar updated with the operating schedule changes listed here: http://www.easywdw.com/news/december-2011-disney-world-operating-schedule-changes/. Only the first three days were changed. I’m expecting more updates as we move through October and one significant update on or around November 18th.
September 28 Update: Animal Kingdom operating hours extended on select dates throughout the month. See the full list here: http://www.easywdw.com/news/changes-to-the-december-2011-disney-world-operating-schedule/. The recommended Parks did not change due to the fact that there will be a bigger batch of changes coming over the next three months. Look for a major update to the other theme parks and evening entertainment around November 18th.
September 6 Update: Fantasmic added to every date that didn’t previous have Fantasmic scheduled except for December 8th. See this post: http://www.easywdw.com/news/fantasmic-to-return-to-nightly-schedule-refurbishment-to-begin-january-9th/ for a general idea about how Fantasmic changes the recommended Parks.
July 24 Update: Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade replaces Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade at Animal Kingdom through January 3rd.
June 6 Update: Fantasmic moved from December 8th to 9th and the Studios is now scheduled to close at 5pm on the 8th. The recommendations on the 8th and 9th have changed.
This is the Free December 2011 Disney World Crowd Calendar that shows the Recommended Parks to Visit, Overall Crowd Level Estimation, Cost, Historic High/Low Temperature, Historic Chance of Precipitation, Extra Magic Hours Schedule, Fantasmic Show Times, Holidays, and Special Events.
Make sure you first read my month-by-month overview of visiting Disney World, located here. The overview will give you an idea of what to expect in terms of cost, crowds, weather, and special events on a broader scale. Once you figure out when you would like to visit, you can move on to this more detailed look.
Here’s a quick explanation of how to read the calendar and what the numbers mean. It may seem like it’s a little long, but you’ll only need to read the explanation once.
- The first line in each box is the date.
- The second line shows the cost to book a room at a Disney-owned resort. $ = Value Season, $$ = Regular Season, $$$ = Summer Season, $$$$ = Peak Season, and $$$$$ = Holiday Season. Occasionally there will be a + or – after the $$$ to show that the cost is slightly higher or lower than usual, but not by enough to raise it another $ notch.
- The third line is the average high and low temperature and the chance of precipitation. All data is based on the last 15 years. I wouldn’t read too much into the precipitation percentages for each day because just one or two additional days of rain in the last 15 years can raise the percentage substantially. I included it so you can look at the precipitation trends throughout the month(s) and take it into consideration when deciding when to book your vacation. For a broader overview of the month, read the month-by-month overview I linked to above.
- The fourth line is an estimation of the overall crowd level. A “5″ refers to average crowds. Numbers above 5 refer to a larger than average overall crowd level and numbers below 5 refer to lower than average overall crowds. A day with an overall crowd level of “1″ means that the crowds are expected to be the absolute lowest of the year and a “10″ means crowds are expected to be at their largest of the year. In other words, the overall crowd level estimation will give you an idea of how many people are in the entire Disney World complex, including the four major theme parks, water parks, Downtown Disney, golf courses, resorts, etc. Individual theme parks can have smaller or larger crowds than the overall estimation, which is where the theme park recommendations come in.
- The fifth line shows the theme parks I recommend visiting in green and the theme parks I recommend avoiding in red. There is also a | sign that splits up the recommended and not recommended Parks for the color blind or those printing in black and white (the Parks to the left of the | sign are recommended). I use the usual abbreviations for the Parks; AK is the Animal Kingdom, EP is Epcot, HS is Hollywood Studios, and MK is the Magic Kingdom. In addition to the colors, the Park on the far left is the most recommended Park to visit that day. The Park second to the left is the second most recommended and so on. For example, if the line reads AK EP | HS MK then the Animal Kingdom is the most recommended and Epcot is the second most recommended. On the other side of the | sign, Hollywood Studios is not recommended and the Magic Kingdom is expressly not recommended even more. If possible, I would strongly recommend you visit the Park that is most recommended each day. Please read below the calendar for an overview of how I’ve selected the recommended Parks and also a day-by-day explanation.
- The sixth line lists which Parks have Extra Magic Hours and at what time they start. Morning Extra Magic Hour lasts one hour and usually starts at 8am. Evening Extra Magic Hours last three hours from the start time. For example, if you see AK:8am EP:9pm, that means the Animal Kingdom has a morning Extra Magic Hour from 8am-9am and Epcot has evening Extra Magic Hours from 9pm-12am.
- The seventh line lists the Fantasmic show times at the Hollywood Studios.
- The eighth line lists the start time of Main Street Electrical Parade (MSEP:) and Wishes Fireworks at Magic Kingdom(W:). For example, if you see, MSEP: 9pm & 11pm W: 10pm, it would mean that Main Street Electrical Parade begins at 9pm and 11pm and Wishes begins at 10pm.
The Calendar is also available in an easy to view and print PDF file, Here.
Click the image to enlarge it.
Thursday December 1, 2011
Animal Kingdom (Recommended): 9am – 6pm
Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot (Most Recommended): 9am-9:30pm
Illuminations: 9:30pm
Hollywood Studios (Highly Recommended): 9am-8pm
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm and 8pm
Magic Kingdom (Not Recommended): 9am – 9pm
Possible ABC Christmas Parade Concert Taping in Morning
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 7pm, Wishes Fireworks: 8pm
Animal Kingdom is recommended. Disney resort guests are more likely to visit the Magic Kingdom for morning Extra Magic Hour, Main Street Electrical Parade, and slightly longer hours of operation than other days this week. We’re also coming off a more popular day at Animal Kingdom yesterday with the morning Extra Magic Hour that will draw a significant number of Disney resort guests. Take advantage by arriving prior to Park opening and heading straight for Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest (or follow a touring plan). You should have no problem riding both multiple times during the day, especially with the help of FASTPASS in the late morning and afternoon. If you don’t arrive early in the morning, use FASTPASS and/or head to the headliners you missed or would like to ride again after 5pm. A lot of people leave after the 3:45pm Parade, which lowers waits at just about every attraction until close. After you complete your itinerary, you might consider Park Hopping over to Epcot for dinner and Illuminations, Hollywood Studios for the 8pm Fantasmic, or Magic Kingdom for a few evening attractions, Main Street Electrical Parade, and Wishes. Without Park Hopper, consider transferring to the Animal Kingdom Lodge for dinner at one of their three excellent restaurants – Boma, Sanaa, or Jiko. The resort is amazing and there is a fun and free public observatory where you can look at the same private savannas that many guests are paying a premium to have right outside their rooms. Nighttime trips to Downtown Disney and the BoardWalk are also popular and both have great dining and shopping “opportunities.” You may also wish to hop on a Disney resort bus to Magic Kingdom and take the Resort Monorail around to the Contemporary, Polynesian, and Grand Floridian resorts to check out their holiday decorations. You can easily take the Resort Monorail back to the Magic Kingdom and then hop on a bus back to your Disney Resort.
Epcot is the most recommended Park. Disney resort guests are much more likely to visit tomorrow for evening Extra Magic Hours. On-site and off-site visitors alike will be headed to Magic Kingdom today for the slightly longer hours of operation and rare evening entertainment. We also have Hollywood Studios’ continuing to be a decent draw with Fantasmic, Osborne Lights, and an 8pm close. Take full advantage of the low crowds by arriving prior to Park open and head straight for the headlining attractions or whatever you deem most important on your itinerary. See the touring plans section for more tips. It’s also a great night to stay for dinner, IllumiNations, and the Candlelight Processional.
Hollywood Studios is highly recommended Park now that Fantasmic has been added to every day this week. This makes Fantasmic’s effect on crowds similar to IllumiNations at Epcot in that it’s available every night and isn’t a major draw in and of itself. This makes each specific show less enticing. People are more likely to visit the Studios when it has Extra Magic Hours or will default to it when they aren’t attracted to other Parks for one reason or another. While Hollywood Studios won’t be far and away less crowded than other days this week, it’s the second best day of the week because Magic Kingdom will be so popular and pull so many people away. The only problems are that it’s later in the week, which means some people on a weeklong vacation will have already visited the other Parks earlier in the week and they’ll be in the mood for Hollywood Studios. We also only have one specific Park attracting people because both morning Extra Magic Hour and the evening spectaculars will draw people to Magic Kingdom. This past Monday was the best day of the week to visit the Studios. Even with the recommendation, you’ll still have the most success if you arrive prior to Park opening and head straight for Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours first thing in the morning. After you get through those attractions, it’s just a matter of hitting the various stage shows that run on a set schedule, getting to the character meet and greets, and visiting the other high capacity attractions. You may also want to fit popular characters like Phineas & Ferb or Sorcerer Mickey into the early morning if you have young kids interested in meeting the characters. Tower of Terror and Star Tours will be easy to FASTPASS later in the morning and afternoon. Toy Story Mania and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster remain the top morning priorities should you wish to experience them. For Fantasmic, I always recommend the Fantasmic Dining Package, which guarantees everyone on the reservation a seat in the reserved section of the Fantasmic theater if you’re interested in the 6:30pm show. While it still requires you to arrive at least 30 minutes early, it’s better than the 60+ minutes you’re looking at without the Package. On the Disney Dining Plan, you can book the Fantasmic Dining Package for one table service credit at Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano or Hollywood & Vine and for two table service credits at Hollywood Brown Derby, which is the same cost as it would be otherwise. It also includes the appetizer, which is a nice bonus. If you’re not interested in the Dining Package or it’s sold out, I highly recommend waiting to see the second Fantasmic. It will be considerably less crowded than the first show, won’t require as long of a wait, and you won’t have to deal with two large sections roped off for Dining Package users. For Osborne Lights, I recommend arriving right at 7:45pm if you’re not interested in the 8pm Fantasmic. Disney will keep the Lights on and dancing for at least 30 minutes after official Park close. Because few people know this, the Lights are considerably less crowded than earlier in the evening. If you are planning to do Fantasmic at 8pm, I recommend arriving for the Lights at 5:45pm. There will be a short Lighting Ceremony in the middle of the Streets of America where the toy soldiers and presents are located in front of a large Christmas Tree. Mickey Mouse will show up along with a special “family of the day” who will officially flip the switch to turn the Lights on for all to enjoy. The Streets of America will be busy, but you’ve got the 6:30pm Fantasmic pulling about 9,000 people away. Come 7:00pm, a huge wave of people will arrive from Fantasmic, keeping crowds heavy for another 45 minutes. Overall, it’s a great day to visit the Studios, see Fantasmic, and enjoy the Osborne Lights, but arriving early and touring efficiently is more important than picking the “right day.”
Magic Kingdom is going to be busy because of the morning Extra Magic Hour that will attract a lot of Disney resort guests and the Main Street Electrical Parade which will attract a lot of off-site guests as well. The Main Street Electrical Parade is extremely popular and it’s only offered on a few nights this week. If you would like to see the Parade, your best bet is always an evening Park Hop to Magic Kingdom after spending the majority of your day at a recommended Park. This way, you spend most of your day in a Park with low crowds and short lines and you’ll still be able to enjoy Magic Kingdom’s nighttime spectaculars. For Parade viewing, the least crowded areas are located along the Parade route in Frontierland and Liberty Square and the most crowded spots are along Main Street. Depending on crowds, you may still want to scope out a spot about 20 minutes early. Thursdays are preferable to either Mondays or Saturdays for Electrical Parade viewing because nighttime crowds will be slightly lower. The morning Extra Magic Hour is a viable time to tour, but only if you actually arrive by 7:45am to take full advantage of it by visiting the Fantasyland attractions and headliners that are open. If you don’t arrive until later, you’ll find yourself in a Park that is getting progressively busier as more and more Disney resort guests arrive. By the time 1pm rolls around, the Park will be more crowded than during a recommended day and lines will be long enough that it will likely erase any benefit from the morning Extra Magic Hour. Unless you’re planning to arrive by 7:45am, take a break around 2pm, and return around 5pm for dinner, Wishes, and Main Street Electrical Parade, you’re better off visiting on a recommended day. However, this is the best day of the week to see the Electrical Parade – that just isn’t saying much when your other two choices are a busy Monday and an even busier Saturday. Finally, Disney may elect to film segments of the ABC Christmas Day Parade today as they will be over the next two days. Portions of Main Street around Cinderella Castle may be closed down in the morning from 9am to around 4pm. This causes additional difficulty moving around the Park and may lead to other delays and a limited entertainment schedule.
Friday December 2, 2011
Animal Kingdom (Most Recommended): 9am – 6pm
Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot (Not Recommended): 9am-9:30pm
Evening Extra Magic Hours: 9:30pm – 12:30am
Illuminations: 9:30pm
Hollywood Studios (Recommended): 9am-8pm
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm and 8pm
Magic Kingdom (Not Recommended): 8am – 7pm
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
ABC Christmas Morning Parade Taping
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 5pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: none, Wishes Fireworks: none
Animal Kingdom is our best Park to visit today due to some complications at Magic Kingdom. Epcot, with its evening Extra Magic Hours luring a ton of Disney resort guests, will also help pull people away from the Animal Kingdom. To take full advantage of the relatively low crowd level, arrive as early in the morning as possible and head to Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest first thing. After that, head to DinoLand USA for Primeval Whirl/DINOSAUR or to one of the major stage shows and you won’t have anything to worry about for the rest of the day. You may also want to schedule the popular characters at Camp Minnie-Mickey. Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Chip, and Dale will all be dressed up for the holidays and you can usually find other “normal” characters with short waits as well. Use FASTPASS throughout the day to ride the headliners in the afternoon when waits will be longer. If you can’t get to Animal Kingdom early, stay through 6pm. A lot of people leave soon after the 3:45pm Parade and the major attractions have much shorter lines in the last hour of operation. The 5pm-6pm hour will be a great time to return to Expedition Everest, DINOSAUR, and others. Check your Times Guide to see when Kilimanjaro Safaris closes – it may be earlier than the rest of the Park. Check out the touring plans section for additional tips.
We’ll want to avoid Epcot. Its evening Extra Magic Hours will lure the majority of Disney resort guests, which will lengthen waits times at the attractions for the entire afternoon and evening. Epcot is almost always at its busiest and lines are the longest when it hosts evening Extra Magic Hours. This is due to the fact that many Disney resort guests head to whichever Park has Extra Magic Hours, even if they don’t plan to take advantage of them. Without Park Hopper, Disney resort guests must stay in the Park with Extra Magic Hours for the entire day. The increased crowds lead to longer lines, heavier congestion in common areas, and an overall less pleasant touring experience. I would urge you to visit a different Park. In addition, the short hours and lack of evening entertainment at the Magic Kingdom will cause a lot of off-site visitors to head to Epcot, which is open longer than the other Parks and at least features IllumiNations every night. If you want to head to Epcot today, despite my strong objections, your best chance to ride the headlining rides is from 9am-11am. Most Disney resort guests will sleep in and arrive around lunch in anticipation of staying until 10-11pm. The morning will be a decent time to tour Epcot, but you’ll probably want to Park Hop elsewhere after lunch or you’ll be stuck in significantly larger-than-usual crowds. You might also consider an afternoon break from 2pm-6pm when crowds will be at their largest. You could then return in the early evening for dinner and Extra Magic Hours. Alternatively, you could also Park Hop over in the evening for Extra Magic Hours, provided you’re aware of how busy it will be. The last hour of Extra Magic Hours is always the least crowded, so plan to stay until 12:30am and head back to Mission: Space, Test Track, and Soarin’ (in that order) from 11:30pm-12:30am. Skip Illuminations if you’ll be here on another night because it will be more crowded than usual. Overall, there’s no reason to visit Epcot today because crowds will be higher than any other day during the week and waits at Soarin’ and Test Track will be just as long as they were during the day until 11pm or later.
Hollywood Studios is recommended. While yesterday and next Monday would both be better, today is better than either of the next two days. Tomorrow will be quite busy with the 10pm close, two Fantasmic shows, and morning Extra Magic Hour. Sunday will also be busier with the more popular evening Extra Magic Hours that will attract a ton of Disney resort guests and the two Fantasmic shows. Today, you’ll want to arrive prior to Park opening and take care of Toy Story Mania and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster first thing in the morning. Toy Story Mania routinely has afternoon waits that exceed 60 minutes and waits may intermittently go even higher. FASTPASSes usually run out by noon and return times will already be into the late afternoon by 10:30am. Your other morning priority is Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, which will also have decent afternoon waits and FASTPASSes that usually run out sometime in the late afternoon. If you’re not interested in the popular characters, you’ll want to take care of Tower of Terror and Star Tours next. Luckily, both of these attractions have higher capacities and move through more people during the day. Still, they can see 30 minute waits in the afternoon and should be ridden in the morning or with FASTPASS. FASTPASS return times are generally just 40 minutes in the future, making Star Tours and/or Tower of Terror easy to FASTPASS later in the day. If you’re interested in character meet and greets, Phineas and Ferb near Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano, Toy Story characters across from Toy Story Mania in Pixar Place, and Sorcerer Mickey in the Animation Building usually have the longest waits. Check your Times Guide to see when they are appearing and try to arrive just before their set begins. Long lines generally don’t form until the characters appear or nearby attractions get popular. You’ll also find characters near the Sorcerer’s Hat early in the morning that won’t be available in the afternoon or evening. They generally include Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, Friends of Winnie the Pooh, Chip and Dale, and Pluto, but no specific character is guaranteed. For Fantasmic, I recommend attending the 8pm show unless you’re planning to take advantage of the Fantasmic Dining Package that guarantees everyone on the reservation a seat in the reserved section for the 6:30pm show. You may want to consider this if it’s available and you’re either on the Disney Dining Plan or you can’t make it to the 8pm show. The cost of the Fantasmic Dining Package is the same one credit you would use at Mama Melrose or Hollywood & Vine and two table service credits at Hollywood Brown Derby. The Package includes the appetizer, which you wouldn’t normally receive on the Dining Plan, and the tickets to the reserved section of the Theater. You’ll still need to arrive about 30 minutes to secure decent seats and be sure that Disney doesn’t open the reserved seating section up to the general population, but it’s better than the 60+ minute wait you’re looking without the Package. Otherwise, plan to see the 8pm show because it will be much less crowded than the first. Even so, you’ll want to arrive 30 minutes early to secure good seats. If you don’t care where you sit, arriving 10 or 15 minutes early should get you seats somewhere for the 8pm Fantasmic. Finally, there are two good times to visit the Osborne Lights in the Streets of America. The best is after 7:45pm. Disney will keep the Lights on for at least 30 minutes after close. Because most people don’t know this and instinctively head to the exit, the area is much less crowded. The second best time is from 5:45pm to 6:30pm. You’ll also have the opportunity to see the Lighting Ceremony featuring Mickey Mouse at 6pm. This takes place in the middle of the Streets of America where you see the stage, presents, and toy soldiers and Christmas Trees that aren’t yet lit up. While the Lighting Ceremony is crowded, the 6:30pm Fantasmic does help pull a bunch of people away. Once 7pm hits and Fantasmic is over, thousands of people that just finished watching the show will descend on the area. Overall, it’s a decent day to visit the Studios, but you’ll want to arrive early and tour efficiently. Toy Story Mania and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster in particular will see long waits from 10:30am through close.
Magic Kingdom is not recommended today because it is the first major day of the ABC Christmas Day Parade taping. Yes, the Parade you see on ABC on Christmas Day is not live – it’s taped over the course of several days in early December. Today, they will most likely be taping the concert performances and some floats. While it might sound fun to attend such an event, it isn’t in most scenarios. They never run the Parade straight through and it’s usually several hours of monotonous floats rolling by over and over again as Disney photographers angle for the best shots. On top of that, the Parade shuts down Main Street completely to foot traffic and makes moving about the Park difficult. In years past, guests have walked behind Main Street through a special entrance into Tomorrowland. Because of these complications, I can’t recommend Magic Kingdom. You can have success if you can get through Tomorrowland and up into Frontierland and Adventureland early in the morning, but Tomorrowland will be even busier than usual because that’s where everyone walks through first and all of the delays can be a hassle to deal with over the course of the day. If possible, enter the Park and immediately get on the Walt Disney World Railroad at the Main Street station and ride it over to Frontierland. From here, you shouldn’t run into many problems or heavy crowds as long as you stay clear of Main Street. Try to save Fantasyland and Tomorrowland for the end of the night because they will clear out after 5pm. In addition, Main Street should reopen after they conclude taping, which is usually around 4pm. Overall, this past Tuesday and Wednesday would have been better days to tour and Sunday should be better as well, provided the weather is clear today and tomorrow. In past years, Sunday was used as a backup day for Parade taping in case the weather was bad on Friday and Saturday.
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