Why I’m Braving the Crowds to Travel This Holiday Season

There are so many fun things to look forward to during the holiday season!

At Disney World, you’ve got extravagant gingerbread houses to admire, delicious snacks to eat, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom, and the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays. There’s another factor to think about when you travel around the holidays that is not so enjoyable — crowds.

It’s not just at Disney World either — holiday crowds are some of the worst you’ll see all year. So we asked YOU, our readers, on the AllEars Facebook page if you were braving the crowds to travel this holiday season! Readers were pretty split, so here’s what you all had to say.

Yes!

There were a good amount of “yes” and “no”, but overall we noticed a lot of our readers are traveling this holiday season! And surprise, surprise — many of our readers are heading to Disney World.

We noticed there were several readers taking long trips to Disney World with big groups. One reader said “11 of us are going to Disney/Universal for 17 days.” Talk about a long trip! During this time, there will be a lot of crowds in the parks which can get overwhelming with a big group. Luckily, we’ve got plenty of tips on how to have the best trip with a large group!

A few of our readers are going on a Disney cruise this holiday season on the Disney Wish cruise ship! This is Disney’s newest cruise ship and has quickly become a popular ship for Disney fans. We were able to go on the ship’s maiden voyage and you can check out tours of the rooms, look at the food, and see if it’s worth it!

One of the readers going on a cruise this holiday season said “the parks are just too expensive now and without a food package like they used to have it cost even more.” This is referring to the Disney Dining Plan (a plan that allows you to prepay for your food) which has not returned since the parks closed down in 2020. Disney did confirm that the Dining Plan will return, but did not indicate when.

Some of our readers are not going to Disney World, but just visiting family that lives out of town.

Absolutely Not

Several of our readers that are not traveling for the holidays this year say it’s because their family is already nearby. Driving to a family member’s house in the same town is certainly easier than flying across the country!

Another reason for not traveling this holiday season is the cost. One reader said “gas prices are still too high.” We’ve been watching the Florida gas prices and they have been pretty steady, but some other parts of the country still have pretty high gas prices.

Several readers said they “can’t afford it” or that they just returned from a Disney World trip and can’t afford to go back “yet.”

That reader also said “Covid/Flu season is rapidly approaching.” Experts have said a COVID-19 surge could be coming this winter, which could be a big reason people do not travel this year. Although it is no longer a pandemic, the virus is still around and a major factor to some travelers.

Our readers were pretty split when it came to if they were traveling or not!

How to Handle the Crowds

If you are traveling during the holidays, there are a few things you can do to handle the crowds. For anyone flying to their destination, the airports are likely going to be PACKED. Make sure you get there early so you have plenty of time to get through security and find a spot to relax for a bit before your flight.

If you are headed to Disney World, the parks will be crowded. A few holidays have already sold out for some parks when it comes to park pass reservations, so make sure you book those as soon as possible. Dining reservations are also available on and after Christmas Day, so you’ll also want to grab those as soon as possible.

Crowds can get overwhelming, but they don’t have to be! Take plenty of breaks and pace yourself — you can also read up on our best tips of how to deal with Disney World crowds.

Whether you are or are not traveling in the next couple of months, we hope you have a great holiday season! Keep following AllEars for more tips and travel information.

Air Travel Could Be Better During the Holidays This Year — Here’s Why

What about you? Are you traveling this holiday season? Let us know in the comments!

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