1st time visit @ Christmas time - advice needed!

[Daniella_t]

Hi guys!

I'll be going to Disney from Dec. 14th and leaving on the 18th. I've never been during the Christmas season so I'm a bit overwhelmed. I'll be traveling with a group of 5 adults (my parents, and the rest of us "kids", late 20s haha). We've all been to Disney before and we're staying at the Dolphin. We want to do as much as we can during this time. I have a few questions:

- We were thinking of doing AK After Hours the first day (Saturday) and watching Rivers of Light. Is it worth it? We all enjoy the idea of walking around the park at night with minimal line ups.
- In regards to Galaxy's Edge, has anyone been? If we can't get a reservation for let's say...the Droid Depot and Oga's Cantina, is it possible at all to line up and walk in? Or are the line ups huge? I can't find any availability for either attraction for the date we have planned.
- Our last night we were thinking of doing the Very Merry Christmas Party. Again, none of us have been to that. Would a group of adults enjoy it? I think we would...I'm just looking for a few tips to fit in as much as we can during our time here over the holidays.

Thanks!!!

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

I think the time you are going will be great! We have done the first week of December and Christmas week last year. It gets more crowded the closer you get to Christmas. Rivers of light is great the first time so you will enjoy it, not sure on the After Hours event since we have only done MK and HS. MVMCP is awesome! I say it's a must do. I can't say anything about SW:GE since we have not been yet.

I took this photo Christmas week 2018. And yes we are going back this Christmas. We love the crowds!

 

[Damfresh]

I’ll be there that week as well. Have no clue what I’m getting into yet. I definitely love doing AK at night.

 

[Atrain13]

I think the time you are going will be great! We have done the first week of December and Christmas week last year. It gets more crowded the closer you get to Christmas. Rivers of light is great the first time so you will enjoy it, not sure on the After Hours event since we have only done MK and HS. MVMCP is awesome! I say it's a must do. I can't say anything about SW:GE since we have not been yet.

I took this photo Christmas week 2018. And yes we are going back this Christmas. We love the crowds!
View attachment 438754

Just wondering, what do you mean when you say that you love the crowds?

 

[Nancyg56]

Just wondering, what do you mean when you say that you love the crowds?

That week used to be quiet, and was a favorite of mine to visit. It still is, and I will be there from 10 to 17, however the visitors have increased. Be prepared for busy evenings in DHS, MK and Epcot becuase there is special Holiday evening entertainment in those parks, and in Epcot the Hilodays are in full swing in the World Showcase all day.

In the Magic Kingdom the CHristmas Parties take up 4 of the 7 nights so there is only 3 nights open for evening entertainment. MK is very busy on those days and nights. DHS is a small park really, and has bumped up it's Holiday celebrations, so evening the streets are tight. It's worth it though, those decorations and "show" is ell worth the visit.

In Epcot Illuminations Forever is going on, and no one knows if there will be a Holiday layover at teh end. There is also the Storytellers throughout the World Showcase, the Candlelight Processional in the American Pavilion, Holiday Kitchens set up, and various entertainment in Future World. So much fun! But busy.

The Holiday Season is my favorite time to visit and I choose it often. I think that focusing on the holiday extras can make it easier to plan the trip. FOr instance, look at the CP and decide if you want to invest the time to see it. I like it and usually do, but not everyone would. The Christmas Party is a lot of fun, but again, be prepared for a lot of people. Disney used to limit the tickets, and probably stilll does to some extent, but there are usually a lot of people. It is still worth it to ye, but you seem concerned about crowds. It is a lot of money if you are not prepared for them.

I am not sure about the extras in SWGE so I will leave that to someone else, hunt I do knwo that the vintage decorations in DHS are lovely and are among my favorites. There is the JBJB show in the eveing that I understand is noce, and the show on the Tower of Terror, which is really fun.

WE also always make time to resort hop during the Holidays. The monorail resorts, WIlderness Lodge and the Epcot resorts are all gussied up in their Holiday finest, and are fun to visit.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Hi guys!

I'll be going to Disney from Dec. 14th and leaving on the 18th. I've never been during the Christmas season so I'm a bit overwhelmed. I'll be traveling with a group of 5 adults (my parents, and the rest of us "kids", late 20s haha). We've all been to Disney before and we're staying at the Dolphin. We want to do as much as we can during this time. I have a few questions:

- We were thinking of doing AK After Hours the first day (Saturday) and watching Rivers of Light. Is it worth it? We all enjoy the idea of walking around the park at night with minimal line ups.
- In regards to Galaxy's Edge, has anyone been? If we can't get a reservation for let's say...the Droid Depot and Oga's Cantina, is it possible at all to line up and walk in? Or are the line ups huge? I can't find any availability for either attraction for the date we have planned.
- Our last night we were thinking of doing the Very Merry Christmas Party. Again, none of us have been to that. Would a group of adults enjoy it? I think we would...I'm just looking for a few tips to fit in as much as we can during our time here over the holidays.

Thanks!!!

I cannot answer the Star War's question or AK after hours but I have heard the AK after hours is amazing. A friend that did it basically said it's like having the park to yourself. She said at some points when they walked to Expedition Everest, they only saw cast members.

But I will say, they said the negative was trying to squeeze in a second ride.

As far as the MVMCP, it's awesome. I love it as an adult, my husband did as well. It's a great way to enjoy lighter ride waits and unique character meet ups. We liked the treats and enjoyed that aspect of the party too. Try to do weeknights for the party as weekend nights are usually more crowded but that time of year, I feel like they'll all be crowded anyways.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

As far as the MVMCP, it's awesome. I love it as an adult, my husband did as well.

I second this, it *is* awesome. My sister and I did the MVMCP on our last trip and we loved it! The parade was extremely enjoyable, and sampling the different drinks and treats was so much fun. I say go for it-you won't be disappointed.

 

[nancipants]

There have been no lineups to get into Galaxy's Edge after opening day. However, the big ride is opening on December 5 so that might affect crowd levels in the land. If they do reach capacity, they will use a virtual queue on the app to get into the land.

 

[mrd7896]

i don't think that time is bad to go. maybe it is because my family has traveled directly on other holidays before so going prior to Christmas was a pleasant surprise for us.
i think AK at night will be enjoyable so i say go for it.

in regards to MVMCP, my family is 5 adults-two parents and three children in their twenties..we really enjoyed it!
I said it in a previous post, but that was our first party too-december of 2017.
We really liked the free snacks and drinks they gave out and weren't expecting to receive so much/as much as we want. the lines for the free treats were the longest thing we had to wait for. we ate a full dinner too at the crystal palace before the party started which if we ever did the party again we would probably avoid so we can just get some sugary snacks for free when the party is going on and maybe have a small QS for dinner..to save some money.
We don't watch parades but we did line up for the fireworks with a little bit of time and got a great viewing point.

I remember vividly riding splash mountain two times in a row with not a single person in line (i have a video of my brothers and i being idiots and running through the queue because of how empty it was)
we did PoTC walk on, space walk on, SDMT with almost a walk on, literally everything we wanted.
This was also on a friday night i believe it was the 22nd of december

i say go for it!

 

[sharadoc]

We usually go at holiday time every other year, sometimes Thanksgiving. This year we'll be there for 10 days in December. If you've been there before, then I also suggest concentrating on the holiday special stuff.

MK is beautifully decorated but unless you go to the party, there is really nothing extra other than the Jingle Cruise I think (correct me folks if I'm wrong). If cost is not an issue, the MVMCP is fantastic just for the parade with the toy soldiers. It's beautiful at night during the party too. Lots of projections, snow, etc.

Epcot is really the place to be for the holidays. Between the music, storytellers, food and Candlelight Processional, you could spend a week there. We've never done the CP because of the time spent waiting around even with the dining package that guarantees you a seat. You'll pay twice the cost for the meal, then still have to get in line an hour ahead to get a close seat. That's too much for us. We enjoy walking by and stopping and watching/listening from the walkway or the American courtyard.

We plan to do DHS a couple days and are spending one night doing the dessert party. I've heard the Jingle Bell/Jingle Bam show is not so great, but we've never seen it so we'll try it. Plus there is a great projection show on the Tower of Terror every 15 minutes and snow on Sunset Blvd.

We haven't been to AK since they got rid of the Jingle Jungle parade. We plan to go there for a late day/evening because they've added a lot of holiday decorations this year. The after hours even sounds great there too.

Don't forget to add in some time to explore the resorts. You can take the monorail to GF/Poly/CR and the boat or walk over to Yacht/Beach/Boardwalk. They are all beautifully decorated in their lobbies and all around the grounds and all have great Christmas Trees and other displays like a train, carousel, very cool stuff. I've heard the Swan and Dolphin look amazing as well, never seen it. A sleigh ride of golf cart rental at Fort Wilderness is also great if you have time in the evening. The campers decorate their sites to the max!

It's fun to go miniature golf at Winter/Summerland to get in the holiday spirit. Makes for some great pictures too.

Also, bring some Christmas clothes and something to decorate your room. It's a great way to kick off the holiday celebration!!!

 

[Shellyred8]

AK at night is usually a little less crowded, so you might not need to do the after hours thing. If budget is a concern, I would leave this out. But if budget is not an issue, I would probably go for it.
If you have never done the MVMCP, I would recommend it. If your group likes Christmas, you will enjoy this party. I especially enjoyed the parade!
Since all of you have been to Disney before, and it may not be as critical to you to do all of the rides, I would make some time to go check out the deluxe resorts lobby Christmas decorations. Since you will be staying in the boardwalk area, it will be an easy walk to go see all of those. You can do a monorail trip to see those three resorts. It's also worth it to go to Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge to see their decorations. Disney Springs also has some fun stuff up for Christmas, so if you have some time one evening, it would be worth a trip over there.

Have a great trip!!!

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

Hi guys!

I'll be going to Disney from Dec. 14th and leaving on the 18th. I've never been during the Christmas season so I'm a bit overwhelmed. I'll be traveling with a group of 5 adults (my parents, and the rest of us "kids", late 20s haha). We've all been to Disney before and we're staying at the Dolphin. We want to do as much as we can during this time. I have a few questions:

- We were thinking of doing AK After Hours the first day (Saturday) and watching Rivers of Light. Is it worth it? We all enjoy the idea of walking around the park at night with minimal line ups.
- In regards to Galaxy's Edge, has anyone been? If we can't get a reservation for let's say...the Droid Depot and Oga's Cantina, is it possible at all to line up and walk in? Or are the line ups huge? I can't find any availability for either attraction for the date we have planned.
- Our last night we were thinking of doing the Very Merry Christmas Party. Again, none of us have been to that. Would a group of adults enjoy it? I think we would...I'm just looking for a few tips to fit in as much as we can during our time here over the holidays.

Thanks!!!

-I've been to Animal Kingdom After Hours. Bear in mind only 4 major rides (Everest, the two Pandora Rides, and Dinosaurs) are open. It's great if you want to ride these multiple times (got two goes on each, except Na'vi, which I only did once) and complimentary mickey bars & popcorn. Otherwise if there's other parts of AK you want to see and have at least one day at that specific park, you can comfortably see most stuff during that day.

-Take this with a grain of salt but, I have heard there is a walk up line for Droid Depot. Oga's and Savi's are a crap shoot. However, keep checking. There wasn't any availability for Oga's after I missed the reservation announcements for my dates. However about a week later I was able to snag a reservation. After I decided I wanted to build a droid, there was nothing available. But when i checked the other day, some morning times popped up so I grabbed it. Also note regarding dining reservations, Disney's system doesn't like odd numbers. You can see what happens when you try for a reservation for 6. As long as at least one person shows you shouldn't get charged for the no-show fee.

-My dad (71) and I (35) are going to the MVMCP twice. This will be our first time going as well. We made this decision because the parties tend to be crowded and I want to watch the unique shows and meet rare characters. There's plenty for all to enjoy, but from what I understand you'll really have to pick and choose what you want to experience like any normal park day. That said, I've heard the days the MVMCP occurs is less crowded before the party.

 

[KevinW]

Subscribing to thread with interest! We will be there for the party Nov 8 (all adults). 1st time at a paid party, so it's good to hear adults enjoying the party. We plan on having a light dinner before going into MK as well!

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

Just wondering, what do you mean when you say that you love the crowds?

I mean exactly what I said. We Love the crowds! We were there during Irma. The parks were empty (see link in my signature) I mean it was a ghost town! We were able to ride everything over and over with no wait. We rode 7DMT at least 10 times in a row walk on. Same for everything else. Then we decided to go Christmas knowing it would be crowded but vowed to do early parks then afternoons at the pool. After our trip we (me, the wife and our 2 girls) all agreed we liked a crowded park during Christmas better than an empty one. Something about the crowds made the parks seem more alive.