Advice for a family Christmas in Disney

[Irish Alocin]

Hi everyone,
Greetings from Ireland. Just wondering if anybody can help with tips for planning a family trip to Disney from Dec 15th to 22nd. We are traveling from Ireland with a 13 and 9 year old. It is our first trip so any tips will be gratefully received.

 

[coyandrew]

It's a great choice to go during the Christmas season, Disney is truly magical! We are going this Christmas again as well, and the time period you chose should not be too awfully crowded (the crowds will be coming as you are ready to leave most likely). We were at Disney this past Christmas as well and that was the case.

Tips
-Make your dining reservations as early as you can, they tend to fill up quickly that time of year
-go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas party on a weeknight, it isn't crowded and if you can stick around to the late parade, it is traditionally much less attended
-Take different types of clothing, temps can change quickly (this past year it was in the 80's upon arrival and highs were in the 50's when we left)

Hope you have a great time!

 

[striker3636]

Definitely plan ahead and book your ADRs! We did that, wanted to make a change while there and were unable to - everything was booked! We found Dec 15-21 very busy - perhaps it depends on your perspective. While it may not be as busy as the following week, be prepared for potentially long waits - use the fastpasses! We saw many standby lines of 50-120 minutes. I realize that we are comparing this as busy to our normal travel time in February, but we felt it was pretty busy.

Make sure you go to MVMCP! It is pricey, but to us, well worth the experience (some people go yearly). We went on a Tuesday and I have read that it isn't quite as busy during the week. The weekend parties had soldout signs posted. Try to get to Disney-MGM to see the Osborne Lights. Enjoy the Candlelight Processional at Epcot. Do a tour of a few of the resorts if you have time. We planned meals at the Grand Floridian and the Poly and were able to see their decorations. We stayed at Wilderness Lodge and loved it - Christmas decorations were wonderful.
It is great to see all the special touches Disney adds for the holidays and the huge trees.

Make sure you book some character meals, especially in Cinderella's Castle.

Enjoy!

 

[Perditamarie]

How fun. We went Dec 06 the 10-19 and it was perfect. Here are some hopefully helpful tips:

1. wrap any Christmas gifts BEFORE you leave so you are not freaking out when you return

2. Disney Christmas fun: Candlelight Processional, MVMCP, Osbourne Lights, Epcot Tree lighting, Santa stories in World Showcase in Epcot, Resort decorations (everything Gingerbread)

3. Your kids (heck, maybe even all of you) may enjoy wearing a funky Christmas hat while you are there -- there were many fun, clever hats, like Christmas tree w/blinking lights, snowman mickey hats, Stitch/Tigger Santa type hats, etc. If this sounds fun, plan to purchase when you arrive, so you can wear it your entire trip (when you get home, you will wonder what you were thinking).

4. Book ADRs, but not so many that your schedule becomes about being somewhere at a certain time just to eat.

5. Work in all of the other Disney fun stuff too, and don't forget to relax. Get a good guidebook to get a good background knowledge about the parks, resorts, downtown Disney, and all that they offer. I think the Unofficial Guidebook is very comprehensive and has accurate, concise ride descriptions.
Peruse these boards for great info.

You will have a wonderful time planning this trip. Is it a surprise?

 

[bnf2]

Hi everyone,
Greetings from Ireland. Just wondering if anybody can help with tips for planning a family trip to Disney from Dec 15th to 22nd. We are traveling from Ireland with a 13 and 9 year old. It is our first trip so any tips will be gratefully received.

Hi! We're going the same week! I agree with all the other posters... especially on making ADRs early (June 18 would be 180 days out!) Best of luck in planning your trip- have fun!

 

[Irish Alocin]

Hello, the suggestions are great. It is not going to be a surprise cos I could not keep that a secret for a whole 11 months. Do you all think that going for the package including the meals is good or should I just make reservations and pay as we go along?
I am very jealous of how often you have all been there. The flights from Dublin are working out about €2000 or 2500 dollars so I want to make sure I get it right
Thanks Irish Alocin

 

[Perditamarie]

Here are some considerations for the dining plan:

1. Great if you like to eat, as well as your kids -- I believe your entire family will be considered "adults" and charged $38 per day. That covers 1 table service, 1 counter service, 1 snack credit for the length of your stay, but use is flexible (ie: use 2 TS on 1 day, 2 CS the next, etc). The dining package is part of a resort/ticket package and is for the length of your stay for your entire party.

2. You want to devote that much time to dining daily. Part of the pleasure of WDW is dining, so that could be a really fun part of your trip to research and plan for. I bet your kids would love to put in their 2 cents as well. You will need to make ADRs for your TS meals.

3. It would be very convenient to have just about all of your dining expenses taken care of ahead of time. A lot of folks have a quick breakfast in the room - fruit, cereal, cereal bars, and even use snack credits to take care of breakfast. I have seen a decent sized box of donuts qualify as a snack.

4. Check out allearsnet.com for dining info (as well as this site) on participating restaurants, locations, menus, and dining reviews.

I think your family will have the time of your life planning this and then ultimately enjoying Christmastime at WDW. I hope you think about the hats!