Maybe booking dec26th-jan 7th help please

[macca77]

Hi
We are thinking I've going over these dates but can anyone tell me how crazy busy Disney is, we would be spending one week on site one week off site.
What are the best plans for New Years eve?? We have a 2 yr old and an 8yr old. Some good prices but have never been over this period and trying to get some decent reviews, before we go ahead.
Thank you.

 

[Elise79]

MK usually shuts to capacity some days the week between Xmas & new year to give you an idea.

We go in December but fly home on the 23rd and we watch the crowds grow in the last few days to by the time we are leaving on the last day it's usual packed! More people arriving at MCO than leaving when we get there too!!

Saying that we still plan to stay for Xmas and New Years one time but I wouldn't plan it as park trip to do rides more just to take in the atmosphere etc and see the fireworks

 

[wayneg]

It is crazy busy, we once arrived at MCO to find no cars available at Alamo. I tried every other company, not one car available.
As Tracy says parks shut, full to capacity.
10 min car journeys take 20-30 mins.
See pics below I took for ride line times.

Saying all that its an amazing time of year to visit, we have done it 5 times.

 

[macca77]

that does sound very busy I think we will be going Disney 30th to 6th parks wise and being on site these days. With the fast pass system we will have to make full use off this id imagine to maximise our time.
Is universal busy aswell??

Also Wayne thinking off first 4 nites at clarion lake buena vista without a car is their enough restaurants walking distance?? Think you've stayed their before but I could be wrong.

Thank you.

 

[wayneg]

that does sound very busy I think we will be going Disney 30th to 6th parks wise and being on site these days. With the fast pass system we will have to make full use off this id imagine to maximise our time.
Is universal busy aswell??

Also Wayne thinking off first 4 nites at clarion lake buena vista without a car is their enough restaurants walking distance?? Think you've stayed their before but I could be wrong.

Thank you.

Use fast pass system, get into parks early and you can do some rides but go in to enjoy the decs, visit the resorts to see them all trimmed up, great time to visit just amazingly busy.

Yes, stayed at the Clarion a couple of times, its not our fave place but its a reasonable budget hotel. Plenty of places you can walk around LBV.

 

[macca77]

Use fast pass system, get into parks early and you can do some rides but go in to enjoy the decs, visit the resorts to see them all trimmed up, great time to visit just amazingly busy.

Yes, stayed at the Clarion a couple of times, its not our fave place but its a reasonable budget hotel. Plenty of places you can walk around LBV.

Ok that sounds good thinking off not hiring a car this time and use the free shuttle for universal and then just Disney transport at Disney. I just wasn't sure if restaurants were far apart in lake buena vista as we haven't stayed their before.

The early starts should be ok with the girls but got to think what's best to do New Years eve with them.
Any ideas??

 

[wayneg]

All 5 times we have been there for NYE have been in EPCOT, if we went again we would do the same but never tried anything else.

We have always had a car so not tried walking but that time of year is cooler so you should be OK.

 

[macca77]

Ok thanks Wayne, the parks being so busy is my main concern with the girls not being able to ride so many rides, with it not being a cheap holiday but would also be nice to see all the decoration and other things.
Tough decision.

 

[scoobydooby]

From January 1st the crowds will thin dramatically. The week of Christmas to New Year is bonkers but if you get up for rope drop and use FPP wisely you will be fine up till lunch time. MK opens at 7am Christmas week very often. Most people can't get up. If you can, you win. Discovery Cove is a good call for Christmas Day as you are paying for crowd control.

 

[wayneg]

From January 1st the crowds will thin dramatically. The week of Christmas to New Year is bonkers but if you get up for rope drop and use FPP wisely you will be fine up till lunch time. MK opens at 7am Christmas week very often. Most people can't get up. If you can, you win. Discovery Cove is a good call for Christmas Day as you are paying for crowd control.

With Jan 1st being a Friday I would expect the crowds to continue over the weekend this time, quieten down from Mon 4th.

 

[dixonsontour]

There are lots of restaurants on same side of the road as the clarion, you are just down from crossroads. I'd recommend perkins, steak and shake, giordanos and fuddruckers.

Have only been once over xmas - just did Universal which was very busy as you would expect. I can remember queuing for hour plus to get out of parking garage on NYE.

That said would love to go back at xmas time. The decorations are beautiful. Remember seaworld being lovely too.

 

[scoobydooby]

With Jan 1st being a Friday I would expect the crowds to continue over the weekend this time, quieten down from Mon 4th.

Yes this is probably accurate. I hadn't looked at the time NYE fell specifically.

 

[macca77]

Thanks everyone for the help so far, I think we may just do it. Spend 8 nights on site and use that all for Disney to enjoy and hopefully get on rides we need with use off fast pass. Nye is a little scarey with a 2 year old in tow of the crowds are really bad but we will have to see that as it goes.
I think universal we will just have to get their early and make the best off it as we can as I'm not spending the extra to stay their.

 

[PrincessLou]

I was there last Christmas, NYE is the busiest say of the year and there were huge lines even to leave!

We went to Epcot around midday and had a fantastic time we just did our fast passes and then soaked up the entertainment for the rest of the day. I would recommend trying to get an ADR anywhere on NYE just for a sit down and bit of respite. Magic Kingdom was closed to capacity on NYE by 9am so that is something to bear in mind.

 

[PrincessLou]

Ps: Universal was not as busy as Disney (although I was not there NYE) it is a lot more relaxed and you can easily get walk up restaurant access.

We found early morning and arond dinner time ride times were lower. You can also buy an express line pass to walk on most rides of you only had a day there to get more done.

 

[macca77]

Thank you for that, I think we may go Epcot or Hollywood studios on nye and attempt mk 30th dec. use fastpass and then try to just keep booking a fastpass for different rides after we use the first 3 to maximise this. Not sure where to eat nye yet but hopefully get somewhere nice.

 

[scoobydooby]

It will book fast but the Rose and Crown would be good on NYE at a time when you can also view Illuminations in relative comfort from the crowds.

 

[macca77]

I did consider this, just pot luck if we can get an outside table that was my only concern and looking at some pictures last year it looked gridlocked walking around.

 

[mackay_j]

Its is also very weather dependent. We go most xmas/new years and some are very busy, however if the temps take a dive it can be pretty cold - they can fall dramatically one year they were so low for 2 days that the major roller coasters (we were at sea world and Busch) were unable to operate, my youngest dropped a drink at our doorway and due to late home early starts, we never saw it defrosted in the 4 days we had there. Another year, we were still cold even with gloves/ hats / scarfs on we felt so sorry for the visitors that thought it would be hot and were wondering about with blankets over them. It can be up in the 70's but also can be in the 20's (below freeing in C) with horrid wind chills. The biggest fall we saw was in 2000-2001 78C on the 27th dec to 24C by the 29th we had a day in discovery cove but the sand was so cold it made my girls cry trying to walk on it - we had to give up after there swim and go home as they were turning blue. That year we scrapped the car of ice for 4 days in a row. In 2008 and 2010 the iguanas were going into cold comas and falling out of the trees and the manetees needed rescued as the water temps were too low ( google frozen iguanas fall out of trees in florida). The Floridians also do not like the cold so the upside is the parks are very quite when these snaps happen, but rides may be off until later in the day until temps rise (or all day if its an extreme cold snap)

 

[wayneg]

2000-2001 was our 1st Xmas, we had to de-ice the car windscreen almost every morning. Ended up buying hats, gloves, fleeces etc. sooo cold that year.