11/26/12 Update: Morning Extra Magic Hour at Magic Kingdom re-added on December 6th. No change in recommendation since it was not recommended due to the Fantasyland opening.
11/17/12 Update: Crowd Calendar updated with the changes listed here.
10/20/12 Update: Crowd Calendar updated with the changes listed here.
6/12/12 Update: Epcot hours extended to 9am to 10:30pm on December 26, 27, 28, 29, and 30. Hollywood Studios close moved from 8pm to 7pm on December 5th. Note that it’s possible Disney will move the close to 5pm or 6pm, which may mean no Osborne Lights or Fantasmic. If those shows are important and you can’t Park Hop on another day to see them, then you may want to schedule the Studios on another night. It’s expected that the Studios will host the Pop Warner Party on the 5th. Last year, Hollywood Studios closed at 5pm to accommodate it, which is obviously too early for Fantasmic or Osborne Lights.
5/30/12 Update: Added daily analysis for December 23- 31 and updated the Crowd Calendar image.
5/26/12 Update: Added daily analysis for December 16 – 22.
5/21/12 Update: Added daily analysis for December 1 – 15.
This is the Free December 2012 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.
Saturday December 1
Animal Kingdom: 9am – 7pm (Recommended)
Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9:30pm (Most Recommended)
Illuminations: 9:30pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 9pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 8am – 9am
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm and 8pm
Magic Kingdom: 9am – 1am (Not Recommended)
Christmas Day Parade Taping
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 5pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 9pm and 11pm, Wishes Fireworks: 10pm
Animal Kingdom comes recommended. We don’t have Extra Magic Hours or special events to attract Disney vacationers of any sort. Magic Kingdom will be attracting significant crowds with its long hours of operation and both nighttime spectaculars and Hollywood Studios will be popular with the morning Extra Magic Hour and Fantasmic. We also had two morning Extra Magic Hours earlier in the week and another on Monday to appeal to the sizable Disney resort contingent. To take full advantage of the low crowd level, arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Kilimanjaro Safaris and Expedition Everest. Get those two attractions out of the way early and the only real concerns are getting to Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo the Musical. You would be in the best shape if you could get to the first or last show of the day as well as over to DinoLand USA before 10:30am when lines begin to build at DINOSAUR and Primeval Whirl. You may also want to prioritize the Character Greeting Trails at Camp Minnie-Mickey. Here, you’ll find Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Chip, and Dale dressed up in their holiday finest along with Pocahontas and possibly other characters as well. Use FASTPASS throughout the day and you should have no trouble experiencing just about everything Animal Kingdom has to offer in just one day. Finally, keep in mind that crowds disperse shortly after the 3:45pm Parade and it’s usually a great time to return to the major attractions from 5:45pm through close.
Epcot is our best Park to visit. Last night’s evening Extra Magic Hours will have been wildly popular with Disney resort guests and they will be nowhere near Epcot today, especially in the morning. Take full advantage by arriving early and head straight to Soarin’, followed by Test Track, Sum of All Thrills, and Mission: Space or follow a touring plan. It’s also an excellent day to stay for IllumiNations and enjoy the World Showcase in the afternoon. To have the most success, move up through World Showcase beginning around 11am. That will put you well ahead of the crowds until at least 3pm and you’ll be among the first people to enter each of the World Showcase Pavilions, until you make it to the American Adventure.
Hollywood Studios is not recommended. While the addition of Fantasmic to every night this week makes each show less appealing, it also makes today’s morning Extra Magic Hour more attractive to Disney resort guests because they’ll also have the opportunity to see Fantasmic and enjoy longer hours than most other days during the week. Because most Disney resort guests will be arriving later in the morning, you can still have success if you are Extra Magic Hours eligible, arrive by 7:20am, and head straight to Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours. However, you’re in trouble if you arrive at 10am with everyone else. Make full use of the morning and you can do well, but it’s going to be busier than recommended days in the afternoon and you’ll likely want to take a sizeable afternoon break from 1pm to 5pm or so to rest up for Fantasmic, after arriving early in the morning. Luckily, Magic Kingdom will be attracting a lot of people and Epcot will be more popular with locals, so it won’t be a terrible day. Still, this coming Monday would be better.
Are you familiar with the Disney World Christmas Parade that’s shown on ABC Christmas morning? That Parade is primarily taped today. If you’re looking to maximize your time in the Magic Kingdom by riding the rides and seeing the attractions with the shortest lines possible, today is a day you will want to avoid. Saturdays are naturally the busiest day of the week at the Magic Kingdom and the filming of the parade will lead to even larger crowds of interested people and a lot of roped off areas and delays in the movement of foot traffic. Also, the Magic Kingdom closes at 8pm or earlier every other day this week, which will make today attractive to visitors who decide which Park to visit based on the total number of hours its open. All of this leads to a more stressful day of touring that will be marred by delays and significant crowds. On the other hand, if you aren’t so much concerned about the rides, then today will be a lot more interesting than most days at the Magic Kingdom. You will get a chance to see the Christmas Parade live as well as have an opportunity to see various celebrities and parade floats up close. It can be a fun and unique way to experience the Magic Kingdom, provided you aren’t trying to ride all the headliners in one day. In most situations, you’ll want to casually observe the Parade rather than attend for the entire day. The Parade does not run straight through like a “normal” Disney Parade and the directors and staff are constantly re-running the same floats and acts to get everything “just right.” Keep in mind that Main Street Electrical Parade and Wishes will be crowded this evening. When Disney does extend the hours, you could have success from 8am – 11am and 9pm – 1am, but the middle of the day is going to be busy.
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