Enjoying Walt Disney World During Peak Season

I am often asked the best time to visit Walt Disney World.  There are many factors that affect when a person vacations; best time of year for their jobs and/or kids in school, preferred weather, etc.   Sometimes your only time available is to vacation during a Peak (or busy) time, such as Christmas/New Years.   A good rule of thumb - if school isn't in session or it's a holiday, chances are the parks will be busy, sometimes VERY busy.  But that doesn't mean you can't have a great trip!

This was taken about 8:30AM on December 30th - proof that morning = not so busy!
Check out the lack of people!

Here are my suggestions to getting the most out of your Peak Season vacation:

* Get up and at 'em early: Yes, you're on vacation and sometimes you want to sleep in.  I get it.  But I'm here to tell you, if you're at the parks at rope drop (another name for park opening) or very close to it, you will be able to see and do a LOT more than if you wait to wander into the parks at 10-11AM. For our most recent trip to Disney World, we were there the week between Christmas and New Years (their busiest time of the year) and getting there early allowed us to see and do a LOT before leaving for the day.  Case in point - we got to Animal Kingdom on December 31st, at 8AM, and there was only a 10 minute wait for the Kilimanjaro Safari.

* Have a plan of attack: The new MyDisneyExperience.com lets you schedule up to 3 FastPasses per day at a park of your choice, and you can do this before you leave home, so you can plan what attractions you for sure want to see! This was a GREAT thing for us.  We knew each morning what attractions we would hit and when, so we didn't waste time in lines or running back and forth, trying to decide what we wanted to do.  For example, we had a FastPass for the Lights, Motor, Action Speedway show at Hollywood Studios at 9:30AM, so when we got into the park we knew we had time to hit the Animation Academy and the shop at the Star Wars attraction store before we went to the show. You certainly don't need to create a minute-by-minute schedule but having a general plan helps you be efficient with your time in the parks.

* Plan on leaving the parks at lunch time, and then perhaps going back out at night: This is one of my favorite tips, especially when it's super busy and/or really hot outside.  Take a break in the middle of the day to go to Downtown Disney, to swim at your resort pool, or to just sit down a take a breather. You can always go back to the parks at night for fireworks and/or parades.  (This is also why it's great to stay at an on-property Disney resort - easy back & forth from your resort to the parks!)

* Do plan relaxing / sleep in / pool days:  This is a great tip for any Disney vacation, not just at Peak Season times. Try to build a day or two into your vacation where you sleep in, grab a late breakfast, maybe head to Downtown Disney, hang out at the hotel pool, etc.  You won't be able to see and do everything at Disney, so don't run yourself ragged by trying.  I have been to Disney World 13 times in the last 15 years and have yet to see and do everything.  It saves your feet, your emotions AND your sanity to take a day or two to just relax.

For those of you that have traveled to Disney during Peak Season, how do you make the most out of your trip?