How Crowded Is Disney World in December?

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We deliver strollers and mobility scooters across Orlando right through the holidays, to resorts in Lake Buena Vista, hotels on International Drive and vacation homes in Kissimmee and Celebration. December is the month where two families can have opposite experiences and both be describing the same park, and the only variable is the date on the booking.

How crowded is Disney World in December?

Early December is quiet and late December is extremely busy, and the change is fast rather than gradual. The first fortnight feels like a well kept secret: the holiday decorations and entertainment are already running, the air is cool, and the paths move.

Then, within a few days, the schools break up and it turns into the heaviest fortnight of the Disney World year. Queues lengthen, the walkways slow to a shuffle, and the parks fill from opening rather than building through the morning.

When is the best time to visit Disney World in December?

The first two weeks, comfortably. You get the entire holiday atmosphere without the holiday crowd, and the weather in Orlando in early December is about as good as Florida gets, mild in the day and genuinely cool at night.

If your dates are set by school terms and the second half is your only option, it is still very doable. It just has to be planned as a crowded trip rather than a normal one: shorter park days, earlier starts, and a real rest in the middle of each day.

What is different about a December park day?

The days run late, and that is the part families underestimate. December evenings are the best part of the month, with the lights and the entertainment after dark, which means the day does not end at six the way a hot August day does.

So the shape of the day changes. You are out longer, often from morning until well after dark, and the final few hours are the ones that decide whether the trip is remembered fondly. That is a long stretch for a small child who has already walked 8 to 12 miles, which we cover in how many miles you walk at Disney World.

It is also colder than people pack for. Orlando in late December can drop into genuinely cold evenings, and families arriving from warm places are frequently caught out. Bring layers you can put on at four in the afternoon, and somewhere to put them when it warms up again.

Do you still need a stroller if it is not hot?

Yes, and the reason changes with the season. In summer the stroller is about heat and naps. In December it is about the night.

The last three hours are when a stroller earns the booking: somewhere for a tired child to sit, wrapped in a blanket, while the adults watch the evening show, and somewhere for them to sleep on the long walk back. Without it, the family that came for the December evenings ends up leaving before them.

For one child the City Mini GT2 Single reclines deeply enough for a real sleep. For two, the City Mini GT2 Double seats them side by side, and the Summit X3 is the all terrain option with bigger wheels. Every one clears Disney's limit of 31 inches wide and 52 inches long, and none of them is a wagon, which Disney does not permit at any size. The full rules are in our guide to stroller rules at every Orlando park.

If someone in the group cannot manage long days on their feet, a mobility scooter matters more in December than in most months, precisely because the days are longer. The GoGo Sport covers a full park day for most riders, the Elite Traveller about half, and the Pride Victory handles the longest days.

What should you book before December?

Anything finite, and earlier than feels necessary. The second half of December is the hardest stretch of the year to get hold of a stroller or a scooter in Orlando, ours included. We hold a set number of each model and that fortnight closes the calendar.

A short list:

• Strollers and mobility scooters for the whole stay, reserved before you fly
• Sit down meals, especially anything in the week between Christmas and New Year
• Your park days, with the quietest plan on the days closest to the holidays
• Warm layers, which sounds absurd for Florida until the sun goes down

We deliver free to your hotel, resort or vacation home across Orlando, Kissimmee, Lake Buena Vista, Celebration, Davenport and Winter Garden, and everything stays with you for the whole trip. That includes Disney Springs in the evening and the walk back to the room afterwards, which is exactly where a park rental stops being any use. If you are travelling with young children, our Orlando toddler tips cover the rest.

Disney World in December, Frequently Asked Questions

How crowded is Disney World in December?

It depends entirely on which half. Early December is one of the quietest and most pleasant stretches of the year. From roughly the week before Christmas through New Year it is the busiest period Disney World has.

When is the best time to visit Disney World in December?

The first two weeks. The decorations are already up, the weather is mild, and the crowds have not arrived yet, which is the combination families are actually hoping for when they book December.

Do the parks close when they reach capacity at Christmas?

Disney can and does restrict entry on the busiest days between Christmas and New Year. Arriving early matters more that week than at any other time of year.

Is a stroller worth it in December when it is cooler?

Yes, and for a different reason than in summer. December days run late for the evening entertainment, so the stroller is mostly about the night: somewhere warm for a tired child during the last few hours.