Is Disneyland Crowded on Christmas?

The holidays are an amazing time to visit the Disneyland Resort, but they can also be pretty busy.

The holiday season at Disneyland tends to draw crowds — and for good reason. The parks are packed with limited-time offerings like tasty treats, popular ride overlays, seasonal entertainment, and gorgeous decor. Unsurprisingly, people flock to Disneyland at the end of the year. But just how busy, exactly, is Disneyland on Christmas?

The simplest answer here is: it gets pretty crowded on Christmas at Disneyland. However, it’s a bit more nuanced than you’d think. There are variables that change just how busy the parks actually get on December 24th and 25th.

Let’s start with what kind of guests you should expect to see at the resort. It’s mostly going to be tourists visiting the parks on Christmas.

The holiday season is popular for travel in general, not just at Disneyland. School is on break and families will do quite a bit of traveling during this time. A warmer climate like Southern California is also appealing for families that live in very cold areas who are looking to get away. During this time of the year, Southern California is colder than usually, but we’re still talking high 40s all the way to low 80s in Fahrenheit.

Additionally, Magic Key holders of all four tiers are blocked out from making park reservations the entire week of Christmas. While some may opt to buy tickets, the biggest demographic you’ll see on Christmas at the parks will be tourists by default.

The problem with the influx of tourists is that, for many, they’re green to the parks and that can slow down foot traffic.  Disneyland has a huge reliance on locals but during this part of the year, tourists come in droves and they don’t always know the ins and outs super well. Put that together with the abundance of “oohs and aahhs” that are bound to happen and you’ll just get a slower experience, which leads to more crowded areas and heavy traffic getting from A to B.

As of this writing, we’re still, we’re seeing general reservations still open for Disney California Adventure on December 25th, but Disneyland Park is unavailable for new general reservations, so expect that particular park to be slammed on Christmas Day. Both parks are currently available for reservations on Christmas Eve, December 24th, however.

You can expect plenty of foot traffic, but what about the ride waits — will they be long? In our experience and looking at the data, the answer to that is yes, but not alarmingly so.

The median waits are about 30 minutes, which can be more than an average park day, but it’s not super far off from the standard. You’re looking at wait times between 30 minutes to an hour, but, of course, that’s always subject to change. Predicting waits can be impossible when you factor in things like ride breakdowns and weather.

E-ticket attractions, of course, will still garner long waits and there’s no real work around that without Lightning Lane Multi, Single, or Premier Pass, but for the most part, the queue process shouldn’t be that much out of the ordinary.

The most trouble you’ll find will be with dining. The trick is to get your advanced dining reservations set up as early as possible or be punctual when it comes to getting your name on a waitlist. Be flexible with your dining options if you don’t have a reservation. When in doubt, check the Disneyland app to explore all of your options.

So, yes, Disneyland is crowded on Christmas, but it’s probably not going to be the madhouse you’d expect. Depending on who you talk to, the Christmas at Disneyland experience varies. If you’re there to dine, sightsee, or take in some shows and fireworks, expect heavy crowds and slow foot traffic. If you’re there for the rides, it might just be business as usual.

All in all, the best advice we can give is be prepared for heavy crowds and have a willingness to practice patience and you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised.

What are some tips you have for navigating Christmas at Disneyland crowds? Let us know and continue to follow us at AllEars for all the latest Disneyland tips, updates, reviews, and more!

Check Out Disney’s NEW Holiday Scavenger Hunt!

Have you visited Disneyland on Christmas? Share your experience in the comments below!