Any and all Info about Christmas Time

[doll1502]

We have finally made the decision to take the family to WDW at Christmas time, 12/24 - 1/1 and I am excited and nervous at the same time. While I thought I knew everything that I needed to know to make the trip fun and enjoyable, I'm finding that I don't know anything and need lots of help and advice.

What I would like to know is when is the parade on Christmas day and what time is the best time to get there? Also would like to hit the Candlelight Processional on Christmas eve, absolutely loved it when we were there in early December a couple of years ago, but is it better to do a dinner with it?

Even though our trip is 168 days away, , the time will fly and I will be all nervous if I don't know how to make this trip the best trip the family has ever had in WDW. Since it's the only present my DD's (16/14) will get, my plan is to make it Spectacular.

I appreciate any help anyone would care to give. THANKS!!

WDW: 1996, '97, '98, '01, '04

 

[dogodisney]

This Dec. will be our first time spending Christmas at WDW. I have been reading on here about this time of year since Jan. when I made our ressies. From what I have read, if you plan on being in MK on Christmas Day, your best bet is to be there at rope drop and stay there until you are done for the day. Many people have stated that MK reaches capacity on Christmas Day and will have a level 4 closure. So if you leave the park or get there later in the day, you may not be able to get in.
Also from reading; if you want to see the Candlelight Processional Christmas Eve, you will probably need to have the dinner package. You will want to make sure you make this ressie at your 90 day mark.

 

[djblu883]

Christmas Day is one of the BUSIEST days of the year and if you plan on getting into the park ( MK) you had best plan on getting there EARLY!!! It fills up and yes they DO close admittance when it gets too full! You couldn't pay me to be there that day...Same for the Christmas Eve Processional. If you don't do the meal to guarantee you a seat you might not get a seat but can hear it and even possibly see it by sitting outside the American eatery there across from the outdoor pavillion! Have a great trip! I prefer to go 2nd week in Dec. to avoid the crowds...its still busy but not insane!AND..wear good shoes...your feet will get stepped on many times on days like that....the voice of experience!

 

[ktlm]

When you say "when is the Parade on Christmas day", I just want to be sure you realize that the one they show on TV on Christmas day with all the stars is actually filmed the first week in December. I've heard a lot of people don't realize that and then they are unhappy when they get to WDW for Christmas and find that out. They will have a Christmas parade on Christmas day, but it will be the normal one that runs every day during the season. I'm not sure what time they usually have it that day.

 

[btcrane]

With proper planning and the right expectations you will have a truly magical time. Take it from someone who wishes every trip could be in the "off" season (which doesn't really seem to exist anymore, anyway, with Free Dining). We went Christmas 2008 and I felt the same way you did. First, I told everyone not to have high expectations of going on all the rides, we were there for the "experience" and the magic of Disney at Christmas. Then I made ressies, did NOT go to a park on Christmas Day, and were at rope drop (or close thereafter) when we did visit parks. We also always took advantage of early morning hours--whichever park offered them, that's where we went. We were able to do everything we wanted by 1:00 or so, and if the parks got too bad, we'd just leave. I remember Animal Kingdom (my favorite park) as the worst, and we just left and did other fun things. But we were able to get all the rides in we'd wanted before leaving.

Plan ahead, have realistic exectations, and HAVE FUN!!!

 

[Disney_Lover06]

I do have to add on about the theme parks closing due to crowds. I highly recommend not hopping parks on the 24th,25th, and 31st. My friend is a cast member and last year Magic Kingdom was full by 1pm on the 24th and the 31st. It also closed admittance on Christmas by 10am. Other parks closed admittance on Chirstmas but it was later in the day.

The Candlelight Processional on Christmas Eve is great. I love going but I recommend the dinner package because it does get full and very crowded.

 

[Pixieflip]

We are going that week, too! Sounds like your plan ahead attitude will help. Add in some awareness of the need to just roll with things, too, and you can have a trip of a lifetime. Keep an eye out for the narrator list for CP, you might find someone really exciting. We've heard John Stamous (my kids could NOT believe Uncle Jesse was there!) and Steven Curtis Chapman. Keep reading so you know what your important things will be!

 

[darkkskyzz]

I thought I had seen somewhere a schedule that showed which parks would be open early on what days, open late on what days...
Or am I making it up?

We are going 12/25-1/1 and would like to be able to plan to take advantage of the perks of staying in the park...but do I have to wait until check in to find out the schedule?

 

[doll1502]

dogodisney, have a great time at Universal. We've been there twice in between our disney trips and have always had a blast. We like to stay at the Hard Rock and this last time we stayed on the Concierge level which was absolutely amazing and saved us alot of money on food. Hope you enjoy your December WDW vacation too and thanks for the advice.

 

[doll1502]

KTLM, thanks for the info on the parade. I had heard that about the parade before but wasn't sure if it was true or not. I'm ok with a regular christmas parade. We will hopefuly be in warmer weather than Ohio and can just enjoy being in Disney. We know it's going to be busy and I've explained to my DD that they may not get to ride everything and we need to practice patience. I've been overly excited since Jan. when I made my reservations. THe next 5 months are going to be brutal. LOL

 

[jbdisneymom13]

Hey fellow Ohioan! Our family has been to the World two times during Christmas week - 2003 and 2008. Yes, it will be very crowded, but we have really enjoyed each trip just as much as we have enjoyed our trips at other times of year. We found that going to the parks first thing in the morning for a few hours, taking a long break and then returning for the evening with the parks staying open late helped a lot. (Obviously not advice for Dec 24 or 31 though.) This past year we arrived at WDW in the afternoon on Dec 27 and went straight to MK. We had the best evening we've ever had at MK - Holiday Wishes was spectacular! Be sure to see the Osborne Lights at the Studios - really worth the trip!! We also enjoyed non-park stuff like going to see the decorations at the resorts. You have a great attitude with realistic expectations which is sure to make your trip a good one. Our rule was for each of us to choose one attraction as a "must see" in each park. We focused on getting those done - using fastpasses which really helps when it is so busy - and then anything else we got to do we saw as a bonus! I think that all of the holiday spirit, decorations, extra character sightings, etc. make it worth dealing with the crowds. Enjoy planning for your trip!

 

[ktlm]

We were there Dec 26 - Jan 1 1999-2000 (figured if the world blew up at Y2K we might as well be at WDW), and yes it was VERY busy, but it was still GREAT! There is nothing like WDW at Christmastime. We made full use of the fast pass system and were very lucky in guessing which park the crowd would try to go that day and going to a different park. Getting there at park opening was also a big help as a lot of people don't get moving that early. I think I would probably invest in Tour Guide Mike for his park recommendations for that time of year. We used it in May, and we thought his crowd predictions and park recommendations were pretty accurate. Have a wonderful time!

 

[hanutedmansionmomma]

we were in Epcot xmas day, MK xmas eve. We picked Epcot because it is larger - not sure where I heard to do that, but it worked out...

We had Tutto Italia ressies, and as we walked out of dinner, we saw people lining up and asked what it was for - turned out to be candlelight processional! It was impressive and lovely, but I think the sit was a bit long for the kidlets.

There were also people standing on the sidewalk watching (we waited in line to sit on benches). I wouldn't hurt yourself trying to make sure you get in!

 

[MARCIAKAZ]

We aren't early morning people, so we made use of the EMH late nights, and the crowds thinned quite a bit. Though I thought I knew what to expect, I was still quite shocked at how VERY crowded Epcot was on New Year's Eve... Something I'm sorry we missed was catching the Epcot tree lighting, which I had heard about in advance (right here--where else?). We did see the Osborne Lights--very cool! One evening we made a quick stop to see the Grand Floridian's Christmas decorations, and found they had a playhouse-sized gingerbread house from which they sold gingerbread houses. Loved it, had to buy one of course!

 

[Minniekins]

Anyone know how long the Osbourn lights are shown into Jan? We plan on going Saturday, Jan 2 so I was hoping they'd be up for a couple of days at least. Is it likely we will have any luck at seeing them early in the trip? I know that last year they didn't start Osbourn lights until after Thanksgiving, a few weeks later than the previous two years at least. So, we were very sad to miss out on those.

Also, same for the Xmas parade at MK. Does that go into Jan at all or is it done on Xmas? We've been to MVMCP the last three years in Nov, but can't go till Jan now so was hoping maybe the parade carried over a bit, though I wouldn't be surprised if this parade doesn't. Another Jan time the other park parades were on that first weekend but don't know if that still holds. Frustrating with no park hours yet to try to figure things out, lol! So anyone know any info about how they usually do things? TIA

 

[RMulieri]

Anyone know how long the Osbourn lights are shown into Jan? We plan on going Saturday, Jan 2 so I was hoping they'd be up for a couple of days at least. Is it likely we will have any luck at seeing them early in the trip? I know that last year they didn't start Osbourn lights until after Thanksgiving, a few weeks later than the previous two years at least. So, we were very sad to miss out on those.

Also, same for the Xmas parade at MK. Does that go into Jan at all or is it done on Xmas? We've been to MVMCP the last three years in Nov, but can't go till Jan now so was hoping maybe the parade carried over a bit, though I wouldn't be surprised if this parade doesn't. Another Jan time the other park parades were on that first weekend but don't know if that still holds. Frustrating with no park hours yet to try to figure things out, lol! So anyone know any info about how they usually do things? TIA

This year the last night is Jan 3,2010

 

[ennisb]

Add us to the list of visitors for Christmas 12/24/09-01/02/2010 and very exited about the trip. I think this could be the last great Disney vacation as a full family as my son is 20 but you never know.

Crowds bring then on, now how to get ADR's is what I am very concerned about.

 

[clutter]

We were there last year 12/26 to 1/1, and were able to get decent (not Le Cellier ) ADRs when we booked in November!

The BEST hint I can tell you is to go to MK on the night of the 30th to see the practice fireworks then. It was empty (relatively) and wonderful. We were then able to go to DHS for NYE instead. Very fun. We watched the fireworks at the corner of Sunset and were in our room by 1am.

I agree with the early EMHs. We've never done them before, but boy did they make a difference. Parks were full by 11am (not at capacity, but long lines). We never heard of any parks closing when we were there. I'm sure they closed, but they don't get the word out.

 

[Minniekins]

This year the last night is Jan 3,2010

Well, thank you very much! I thought this would probably be this last weekend for them, so at least we will get to see them on that Sat or Sun night! Now, just to find the hours for those nights! Anyone know what they were, say this past Jan for that weekend? I know it may be different but an idea is still helpful. Hmmm, I like to do MK our first day, which is the 2nd, but to do lights then would mean park hoppers which I was sort of hoping to save money on as we usually only hop one day if we have them, maybe two, but no more. Last we didn't didn't get hoppers and it worked just great.

So, if you know that(how do you know that already, lol?), do you know about the holiday parades or park hours at all? Okay, thanks very much, I appreciate knowing about the osbourn lights!

 

[Happydog]

Glad someone started a thread about these topics! We are headed to WDW Dec 20 - 27... I am more nervous about getting ADRs for that week than anything else! Hope everyone has a magical Christmas with Mickey!