Christmas Help Wanted!

I'm going to DW 12/21 - 12/27 with my husband, little girl (5), and stepson (21). Six nights and seven days at Carribean Beach Resort. ADRs booked. Candlelight Processional ADR check. Bippity Boppity Boutique on Main done.

I keep hearing everyone say: 1. Plan ahead. 2. Don't overplan. 3. It's crowded, be prepared to take it easy and be patient. 4. Take breaks. Take days off. Go see the resorts. 5. The parks can reach max capacity and you can't get in, so go early and don't ever leave. 6. Well, there's rules about max capacity, so don't freak out IF you are a resort guest or have an ADR or blah blah blah.

I want to have an awesome trip and not lose my mind. What are the things you WOULD NOT MISS AT CHRISTMAS?

Any thoughts about the conflicting Christmas messages I've been reading about?

How much can you (and should you) do in a day?

How long does it take to get to the parks? Leave? Can you do a "break"? Is it worth it?

How does the "max capacity" thing work and should I consider it in my planning?

What would YOU do in six nights and seven days over Christmas in DW?

And finally, um, Santa, Christmas Day? Any tips how to work that out?

What else am I missing?

Thank you for any advice or input.

Erinleehi said:

I'm going to DW 12/21 - 12/27 with my husband, little girl (5), and stepson (21). Six nights and seven days at Carribean Beach Resort. ADRs booked. Candlelight Processional ADR check. Bippity Boppity Boutique on Main done.

I keep hearing everyone say: 1. Plan ahead. 2. Don't overplan. 3. It's crowded, be prepared to take it easy and be patient. 4. Take breaks. Take days off. Go see the resorts. 5. The parks can reach max capacity and you can't get in, so go early and don't ever leave. 6. Well, there's rules about max capacity, so don't freak out IF you are a resort guest or have an ADR or blah blah blah.

I want to have an awesome trip and not lose my mind. What are the things you WOULD NOT MISS AT CHRISTMAS?

1. Any thoughts about the conflicting Christmas messages I've been reading about?

2. How much can you (and should you) do in a day?

3. How long does it take to get to the parks? Leave? Can you do a "break"? Is it worth it?

4. How does the "max capacity" thing work and should I consider it in my planning?

5. What would YOU do in six nights and seven days over Christmas in DW?

6. And finally, um, Santa, Christmas Day? Any tips how to work that out?

7. What else am I missing?

Thank you for any advice or input.

Click to expand...

1. Here's the thing, different strategies work for different people. You just have to figure out what works for you. I do think having a good touring plan is important, but keep in mind that it's a vacation, not a death march. The world won't end if the kids want to ride the Haunted Mansion 3 times in a row when you've only planned on riding it once. You just skip a couple of things on your plan for now and pick them up later if there's time. Having a plan helps you do the things you want to do without doing the whole "What do you want to do?" I don't know, what do you want to do?" thing.

2. That varies from family to family. We stay in the park from open to close every day. Other people don't.

3. Plan on an hour. It's usually closer to 30 minutes or so. You can do a break if you want. We find it to be a momentum killer.

4. Staged closures are common over Christmas. You can count on MK reaching stage 3 or 4 every day of your trip. The stages are:

Stage 0 - Due to limited available parking, Guests may be directed to alternate parking areas where they will use Resort transportation to travel to the park of their choice.

Stage 1 - At this stage each Guest in a vehicle must have a valid multi-day ticket. Also Guests with a Park Hopper or re-entering the Park, by showing a currently dated Parking Receipt, will be allowed in. Also, any Guests using Disney transportation are allowed.

Stage 2 - At this stage, Theme Park admission is limited to Disney Resort Guests*, Annual and Premium Annual Passholders, Guests with Park Hopper tickets crossing over from another Park, Guests re-entering this Park today. Guests with written confirmation of reservations for Dining or Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique or The Pirates League within one hour are also admitted. Guests using Walt Disney World Resort Transportation will be admitted. Guests not meeting the above criteria are told the Theme Park has reached capacity.

Stage 3 - At this stage, Theme Park admission is limited to Disney Resort Guests*, Annual and Premium Annual Passholders. Guests with written confirmation of reservations for Dining or Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique or The Pirates League within one hour are also admitted.

Stage 4 - Nobody is allowed in.

Also, if you are staying at a Disney owned and operated Resort and have a ticket, you are guaranteed entry into A park. Not necessarily the one you want (unless you want to go into AK). And if you have entered and left a park and do not have a hopper you may not get into anything.

*Guests of WDW Swan and Dolphin Hotels and Shades of Green at the Walt Disney World Resort are considered part of this group for Stages 2 and 3. In addition, Guests from Hotel Plaza Boulevard hotels arriving by bus are included.

Click to expand...

5.

6. No idea. If you're flying, wait until you're at WDW to wrap your gifts.

If your 5 yr old isn't too fussy, I'd skip the break. Some kids are great in the parks all day at that age, some are not. If they get over stimulated to the point of eventual frustration and exhaustion, take a break when you see the first sign of your little one tapping out. That said, I don't advise leaving any of the parks once you're admitted on Christmas day. Like the PP said, capacity is around a 3 or 4 during your visit and usually a definite, hardcore 4 Christmas day. Meaning: whether you're a resort guest, have an ADR, or are Mickey Mouse himself; you're not getting in if you aren't there around opening. So if you have ADR's, get there when the park opens, because you may not be admitted even with your ADR (it's rare, but it happens on Christmas Day. You wont be charged for not showing up/not cancelling in advance). I've been to MK Christmas day numerous times and honestly, unless it's your lifelong dream to be in THAT park on Christmas day, I'd skip it entirely that day. Try a different park that day, like Hollywood Studios where you get some of the same Christmas feels still. Or skip the parks all together and do something else. A sleigh ride or something else festive if you don't mind paying for some extras?

As for planning and over planning, well... Plan until you feel like it's becoming a chore, then stop. Make a list of must-do's, must-see's, must-eat's, then prioritize them since you likely wont get to enjoy them all. Have back-up ideas incase something falls through. Don't worry about a schedule that goes beyond your FP+ reservations and ADR's. You know your family well enough to anticipate what oddities might happen during the day that you need to prep for, like changes of clothes, meds, comfort items, etc. Plan for your arrival day when you're packing, i.e. don't pack things you'll need right away in luggage that most likely won't arrive at the resort when you do (you might make it onto a plane and your luggage might be sitting on the tarmac waiting for the next flight out, and luggage doesn't usually ride with you on the Magical Express unless you've gotten it from baggage claim and brought it with you to the coach). If you're using Disney transportation, expect to wait a bit longer than usual for buses, boats, monorails, etc. I plan for an hour and half from one destination to another when leaving a park. It sounds extreme, but you may wait a few cycles of buses before you can board. Especially at closing times. Prep yourself mentally and emotionally... cause if anything you planned goes exactly as planned it'd be a Disney Miracle. Remind yourself not to get frustrated. Even adults fall victim to Disney meltdowns sometimes when they realize things aren't going as they'd been planning for months or years on end... I really think Disney needs cast members that do nothing but hand out stickers and mini dole whips to adults they see on the verge of a meltdown.

For me, Christmas time mustdo's are The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at HS, the candlelight processional at Epcot (no matter who the narrator is, it's always touching but may not be that entertaining for younger kids), checking out some of the Holiday Storytellers around World Showcase. I also enjoy trying as many of the Christmas time treats as I can, and exploring other resorts to see their Christmas decorations. People want to get their money's worth at Disney so sometimes slower-paced, non-park related activities aren't considered. But if you're in the parks, miserably crammed in while trying to force in every attraction you can, then is it even worth it? For some, maybe. For me, I'm having a better time staring up at the awesome tree in the lobby of the Wilderness Lodge while it sprinkles pixie dust and Christmas spirit down on me... *Pixie dust and Christmas spirit sprinkles are probably absolutely imaginary*

As for Santa Claus leaving gifts on Christmas day... When I was little we lived in a chimney-less apartment in Europe. I asked my mom how Santa managed to get in to leave gifts since we had no chimney. She told me Santa has a magic key that fits every single door in the world that he can use just in case some kids don't have chimneys. I was satisfied with that. I'm not saying use that verbatim, something clever and creative is enough to satisfy most kiddos. Say it like you believe it, and they'll believe you! If they're worried Santa wont know where to bring the gifts since you're not at home, or you need to explain how/why Santa found you guys at WDW instead of your house, try having your kiddo write Santa a letter a couple weeks before you leave home. In the letter, have them tell Santa that you're going to be at WDW for Christmas and if it's not too much trouble, could he leave the gifts there with you all instead of at home. Or make some kind of nifty door decorations together and explain that it's so Santa knows where you guys are to leave gifts. Easy ways to avoid fumbling to answer an unexpected question about it later. As for how "Santa" mom and dad will plant gifts in the room while the kids are sleeping, I have no suggestions other than tucker them out all day and cross your fingers that they sleep deep enough to not hear you moving around. I suggest wrapping the gifts before you leave home since it might take more time than you'll be able to find amongst prying little eyes and your own Disney exhaustion, then add bows and tags when you there so they wouldn't be crumbled in the luggage....

Half of an idea: If you don't use a drawer or so in the room for your belongings, then you could hide the gifts in there while your kiddo is out of the room. Then that night maybe just pull the drawer open and leave it open with a tag or card hanging from the pull handle saying "To so and so, From Santa"... Not well thought out, but it's a start...

OP- we will be there the same time as you, at CBR, and have the big gaps in kids ages, 17, 14, and 2. After many, many trips to WDW, here is what works best for us.
-We tour the parks early until about 11am, get lunch, and then take a break. My six year old is the type that wants to push the 2 year old out of the stroller so she can rest, so she definitely needs a break. We take a stroller for her too!
-After all these years, we just started using a touring plan (google if you are unfamiliar) last year, and love that!
- We have been several times in December, but this is our first time over Christmas, with crowds of 10 each day. We are going in with very low expectations, and plan to primarily tour rides in the morning, and then enjoy our ADRs and the Christmas spirit.
- I wanted it to feel like Christmas morning too, so I booked a villa at AKL for a few days over Christmas, and am having a pull-up tree shipped there, and I think a few presents. This part is a surprise for the kids.
- Our six year old girl loves to dress in costumes, so we have quite a few outfits planned. We will do these as daily Christmas gifts, rather than a ton of gifts Christmas morning. For example, the bippity boppity boutique could be a gift one day. I'm still working on what we will do for the older kids for gifts?

It sounds like you are already in good shape, so enjoy an incredibly magical Christmas with your family!!

biim85 said:

If your 5 yr old isn't too fussy, I'd skip the break. Some kids are great in the parks all day at that age, some are not. If they get over stimulated to the point of eventual frustration and exhaustion, take a break when you see the first sign of your little one tapping out. That said, I don't advise leaving any of the parks once you're admitted on Christmas day. Like the PP said, capacity is around a 3 or 4 during your visit and usually a definite, hardcore 4 Christmas day. Meaning: whether you're a resort guest, have an ADR, or are Mickey Mouse himself; you're not getting in if you aren't there around opening. So if you have ADR's, get there when the park opens, because you may not be admitted even with your ADR (it's rare, but it happens on Christmas Day. You wont be charged for not showing up/not cancelling in advance). I've been to MK Christmas day numerous times and honestly, unless it's your lifelong dream to be in THAT park on Christmas day, I'd skip it entirely that day. Try a different park that day, like Hollywood Studios where you get some of the same Christmas feels still. Or skip the parks all together and do something else. A sleigh ride or something else festive if you don't mind paying for some extras?

As for planning and over planning, well... Plan until you feel like it's becoming a chore, then stop. Make a list of must-do's, must-see's, must-eat's, then prioritize them since you likely wont get to enjoy them all. Have back-up ideas incase something falls through. Don't worry about a schedule that goes beyond your FP+ reservations and ADR's. You know your family well enough to anticipate what oddities might happen during the day that you need to prep for, like changes of clothes, meds, comfort items, etc. Plan for your arrival day when you're packing, i.e. don't pack things you'll need right away in luggage that most likely won't arrive at the resort when you do (you might make it onto a plane and your luggage might be sitting on the tarmac waiting for the next flight out, and luggage doesn't usually ride with you on the Magical Express unless you've gotten it from baggage claim and brought it with you to the coach). If you're using Disney transportation, expect to wait a bit longer than usual for buses, boats, monorails, etc. I plan for an hour and half from one destination to another when leaving a park. It sounds extreme, but you may wait a few cycles of buses before you can board. Especially at closing times. Prep yourself mentally and emotionally... cause if anything you planned goes exactly as planned it'd be a Disney Miracle. Remind yourself not to get frustrated. Even adults fall victim to Disney meltdowns sometimes when they realize things aren't going as they'd been planning for months or years on end... I really think Disney needs cast members that do nothing but hand out stickers and mini dole whips to adults they see on the verge of a meltdown.

For me, Christmas time mustdo's are The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at HS, the candlelight processional at Epcot (no matter who the narrator is, it's always touching but may not be that entertaining for younger kids), checking out some of the Holiday Storytellers around World Showcase. I also enjoy trying as many of the Christmas time treats as I can, and exploring other resorts to see their Christmas decorations. People want to get their money's worth at Disney so sometimes slower-paced, non-park related activities aren't considered. But if you're in the parks, miserably crammed in while trying to force in every attraction you can, then is it even worth it? For some, maybe. For me, I'm having a better time staring up at the awesome tree in the lobby of the Wilderness Lodge while it sprinkles pixie dust and Christmas spirit down on me... *Pixie dust and Christmas spirit sprinkles are probably absolutely imaginary*


Half of an idea: If you don't use a drawer or so in the room for your belongings, then you could hide the gifts in there while your kiddo is out of the room. Then that night maybe just pull the drawer open and leave it open with a tag or card hanging from the pull handle saying "To so and so, From Santa"... Not well thought out, but it's a start...

Click to expand...

As much as I <3 the planning (it's how I get more out of the trip, all yr round haha), it's awesome and refreshing to see someone agree to not plan every second, or at least recommend it if it's not someone's idea of fun. Totally get some people plan everything...I just try to remember all I'd love to enjoy, but plan to not do it all.

Hi there we have done Christmas 3 times, coming from the uk Santa bought our boys wee gifts and left them dollars and my boys were absolutely fine it didn't bother them one bit.

For planning we didn't we went with the flow jumped on the first bus that came we saw everything we wanted etc
Christmas was mental at magic kingdom! So the following years we avoided that park.

the only thing we planned was: pirates league, sleigh ride,mickey's Xmas party

A couple of tips from someone who's done Christmas a few times: The parks don't get seriously crowded until about 12/23. Go to MK on the 21st or 22nd, then go again on the 26th or 27th so you can see the Christmas parade (runs until 12/30 or 12/31). Get there as early as possible and stay until dinnertime. Crowds can get scary in the evening when it's dark and visibility is limited, so unless you have evening plans like a late dinner in a park, go back to your hotel and have an early bedtime so you can make rope drop the next day. If you want to do things in the evening, use that time to tour resorts (try the boat from MK to GF to see the gingerbread house, or MK to WL for the giant tree and fireplaces). DO NOT go to MK on Christmas Day. We tried that our first year, waited 45 minutes to get breakfast at what was then Main Street Bake Shop, and were told by a manager-type cast member to expect that would be the shortest line we waited in all day. We hopped a bus to the Studios and had a great time; crowded but not impossibly so. Good luck!