Advice please - what to expect Christmas week?

[goofydadeo]

This will be our first visit to the parks just after Christmas. What can we expect in terms of crowds, etc? We are AP holders and we aren't going to try and do everything, just have a leisurely few days enjoying some of the special things that are part of the Christmas season. Any advise of what to see/do would be sincerely appreciated!

 

[sunny04]

Well, we've been at Christmas twice in the last 3 years, so here's my input.

What to Expect:Expect big crowds, especially at MK. Expect it to get more crowded the closer you get to Christmas. If you go to a park other than MK on Christmas, it will seem empty, but MK is usually packed to capacity.

Advice and suggestions -
*check out each park and the decorations, they each have their own specific style
*go to the deluxe resorts and see the decorations, they have life-size gingerbread houses, carousels made from gingerbread and sugar and things like that which are AMAZING, lots of fun to check out
*consider taking the Yuletide Fantasy Tour to see the various park decorations - this is a really great tour
*If you go to the Osbourne Lights, dont' go for the opening of the day - it will be packed when they turn the lights on for the night, but if you wait a little while to go, the crowds will move through with no problem
*If you want to see the Candlelight Processional, get the package. Around Christmas, it gets crazy popular and the standby line is REALLY long, even hours before the show. But with the package, you can just walk in a sit at the time for the show with little to no wait.
*Check out the Santas in each country at Epcot
*Make sure you pack for any weather - last Christmas, it was below freezing some nights, high in the 30s to 40 one day, and 70 other days. Just be prepared with coats, jackets, and lighter clothes as well...you never know in Florida!
*Have lots of fun and just enjoy the atmosphere!

 

[kadaten]

Well, the top 3 things you should pack are patience, patience, and MORE patience!

WDW is truly spectacular during the Christmas season, but the week after Christmas can challenge even the patience of Job! That you are AP holders and not bent on doing/seeing every attraction is GREAT! Make some time to do the Christmas only things that you can't experience any other time of year. We're going the week before Christmas (which will also be BUSY, but not as bad as the week after!) and here are some things we'll do:

--Storytelling around the countries in Epcot
--The Christmas parades in each park
--Tree lightings in each park
--Candlelight Processional at Epcot
--Make time to go to as many different resorts as possible to see their decorations! Most of them have entertainment (choral groups, bands, etc) in their lobbies a few days a week, so try to see some of those. Arrive early to get some snacks, walk around and see the decorations, and enjoy the evening music! Steve Soares site http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/ has a fantastic guide to live entertainment all around WDW....
--Shopping at Downtown Disney....lots of good decorations there, too!
--We will ask DS and DD to pick one or two "must-do" rides, and will do everything we can to do them, but the rest of the time will be spent enjoying the Christmas festivities. If we find a ride with a "short-ish" line, we'll of course jump in, but we're not really planning on doing many.....we'd rather walk around and enjoy the sights/sounds of the season than stand in line for something we've done numerous times!

Hope you have a fantastic trip!

 

[krdisneybound]

Thanks for the "reminders". We'll be there the Monday after Christmas Day and plan on taking it easy and just enjoying what we want to do at the moment. Not staying on property this time, as we have a family privately owned home we are staying in. Can't wait for the change this time.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you want to make sure you get into the park, get there early. If you wait until later in the morning, you might not get in. If you are a WDW resort guest, you will be allowed to enter one of the parks, but not the closed one. If you are an offsite guest, you might not be able to enter any of the parks.

So get there early.