Hi folks, we're planning on spending 10 days over the Christmas holiday break at Orlando. How are the crowds? Is it less crowded than Summer or Spring break? Or is it so crowded that we should pick a different destination? Any guidance would be gratefully appreciated.

Try www.disboards.com the people there are all WDW experts. You may not get much help here at Fodor's. I only have 3 weeks until my trip to WDW!

It is crowded but if you use the fastpass and avoid the Magic Kindgom on xmas day you should be fine. It may be very cold though. Many times it does go below freezing at night here in Orlando that time of year. It could be 90F though. In December you never know.

We did our first and last Xmas holiday at Disney 4 years ago. It was awful. 3 hour wait at Splash Mountain, etc. Yes to the fast pass, etc...it was, IMO, more crowded than summer. Never been at Spring.

I went to Disney to do the WDW marathon with a couple of (running) girlfriends January 4-10th this year. On the down side the weather was grim, it even sort of snowed in that feeble Florida way that we northerners would not notice at home, but sure looked silly coming down on our bare shoulders! On the other hand, there were virtually no line-ups especially after 5 pm. We could make dinner reservaions anywhere we wanted and when the sun did come out (just as we were leaving) it was all charm and beauty.

Between Xmas and New Years it will be PACKED. You may want to choose elsewhere. However, early December has all the Christmas decorations and celebrations going on and it is a great time to visit. January 5 to February 10 is usually the slowest time of the year.

If you do go to Orlando, make sure you get the Fodor's book (check the library) with the scoop on the best way to do Disney. They have all kinds of hints on which rides to do when & how to avoid lines. ie. Go to all the rides with the biggest lines first thing in the morning, forget about trying to do it in order, because by 11 or 12 the place is full. This works with all the parks

We did WDW for 10 days this past Xmas and the crowds weren't that bad. The weather was very seasonal. Just avoid the Magic Kingdom on Xmas day. We did that. We got to Animal Kingdom on Xmas day when it opened and it was great. We could just walk up to every "big" ride for most of the day. I think our son rode the Dinosaur ride about 10 times and never had to wait in line. Just plan like we did (btw, this was our first time there) we did Magic Kingdom and Epcot (twice) a couple days before and a couple days after Xmas and the crowds wren't bad at all. Around Xmas we just did the other parks. Even did Blizzard the day after xmas and we owned the place. LOL
5 days before xmas, we went to downtown disney and found Disney Quest fairly empty. We were able to build 6 roller coasters and ride them immediately, that's how slow it was. Weather was in the 70's and 80's most days and the nights were around 50 to 60. It was quite seasonable for us coming from the Pac NW.

Luz, assuming you'll have a car, give yourself a break from the crowds and hype at WDW and head over to Bok Tower and Gardens(www.boktower.org). Very beautiful gardens and a wonderful place for contemplation and serenity. A nice reminder that central Florida isn't ALL about profit-oriented theme attractions and shopping centers.
Another place worth visiting is Mount Dora, a pleasant community nice for strolling and shopping. And for a superb Sunday brunch away from Disney World, try The Mission in Howey-in-the-Hills (love that name!).
BTilke

Thank you for all the valuable feedback. You've certainly enlightened me. I hope to be able to do the same for you some day.