Any Tips or strategies for visiting just after Xmas? Dec 26 - Jan 3

[tigger2on]

Hi all,
Just wondered what kind of advice those of you who visit Disney around Xmas had for 1st time holiday visitors?
)
Suzanne

 

[nativetxn]

I've never visited during that time frame. I understand it is the busiest time of the year. I'll just bump this back to page one for you so that some of our WDW veterans can offer you advice and information.

Katholyn

 

[XStAnt]

Be prepared for VERY LARGE CROWDS . On Xmas Day and New Year's Day the MK usually closes to new visitors by midmorning. That should give you an idea of how crowded it is.

Use Fast Pass!!!! Make sure you understand how to maximize it's use to be able to hold more than one FP at a time.

Get to the parks early. If you are onsite take advantage of early entry. You'd be amazed at how much you can accomplish in that hour. DW and I are not early risers, but we made sure we were at the parks by early entry opening time. Boy, are we glad we did that.

Make PS for meals. If you want to do any sit down meals, make your Priority Seatings as soon as you are allowed. Don't expect to be able to walk up to any sit down restaurant that week and get a table within 30 minutes.

Plan what you want to see in each park, and when to do it. I recommend using one of the many touring plans out there. You can modify them as you go along, if necessay, but they do help a lot. DW and I generally followed the plans in the Unofficial Guide and found them very useful.

Understand that you will not be able to see and do everything. You couldn't do everything even at the slowest time of the year. But at that time there will be a fair number of things you won't get to do. (That's why you should plan what you want to do in each park. This way you can make sure you do your "must dos.")

As long as you accept that there will be large crowds, long waits for some things, and you won't get to do everything you should have a fun time.

If you have any specific questions, just ask.

Have fun.

 

[DoeWDW]

We've been to WDW during the same timeframe - arriving just after Christmas and staying several days past New Years.

It will be CROWDED, but then you knew that already. I also agree with the advice to make PSs for any sit-down meals.

The one thing I haven't seen mentioned is - be prepared for COLD weather, just in case. One year they had a cold snap - temps in the 40s during the day and below freezing at night!! Take the heavy coat, hat & mittens - better warm than sorry! Granted, this is NOT the norm, but it can happen.

 

[CindyAnn]

Hi from a neighbour, Tigger2on! Last year was my 11th visit to WDW, but the very first one we'd attempted during the Christmas/New Year's season. We arrived on the 28th and left on the 4th of January. I have to admit I was really worried about the crowds before we left.

I decided that the worst days to manage would probably be NYE and NY day, so I worried about them first. We decided (with younger children) not to spend NYE evening in a park, so Animal Kingdom was a perfect choice for that day - not very crowded at all, and we were able to ride Kali River Rapids 5 times in a row during the last half hour the park was open. That evening we'd planned to see the Luau - BAD CHOICE! - since it got rained out and we had to scramble to find something, finally ending up at Maya Grill at 9:30 with my son falling asleep at the table. Moral of the Story: Do not choose outdoor entertainment for your New Year's Eve celebration!

We decided on Epcot for New Year's day, and that was another good choice. Epcot it just so big it can absorb a large crowd.

On the downside, though, MK was very crowded on both of the days we visited. They were both EE days, and I'm not sure to what extent that played a role. The crowds were huge, and became overwhelming as we walked into Frontierland and were met by a surging mass of bodies trying to exit the area (both Splash and Big Thunder had broken down at the same time). That was the only point at which I hung on to the children for dear life and felt like a human sardine.

We made a PS for every day, used fastpass a lot, and tried to get to the parks as early as possible. If you're staying on-site, it's worthwhile to make two reservations - one up to the 31st, and the other starting on January 1st, when the value season rates go into effect. CRO will link your two reservations so that it's very unlikely (though theoretically possible) you would have to move within the resort.

On the whole, it was a great experience, and as a matter of fact, we'll be heading down the I-75 on December 27th this year, too.

Have fun!

 

[swilphil]

The most important thing for this time of year is: STAY ON SITE.

You might even want to consider a resort next to either MK or Epcot/MGM. We went Christmas Week in 2000, and weren't able to go into certain parks when we wanted. Resort guests get to go in when it's overcrowded, but off site guests aren't. Plus the traffic is atrocious.

We went this summer and stayed at the Dolphin. We could walk or take a quick boat to Epcot and MGM. It sounds like the Poly and Contemporary are equally close to MK. You won't need to rent a car on site, so you might be able to afford the more expensive resorts. I think Christmas Week is a little pricier though.

 

[G's mommy]

We have arrived on New Year's Day the past three Januarys and have found the crowds to be manegable, gets less crowded every day past NY Day. The weather can be very cold this time of year, haven't worn shorts any day in 3 trips the first week of January. Nights were downright freezing at times, coats, hats, gloves, etc. This past January, the hours at MK were long up through Jan 2nd and there was an e-night, this helped a good bit with getting everything done at MK. The other parks were no problem.

 

[eleanor]

We have been at both C hristmas and New Years and it is very crowded.The crowds pour in on the 26th and just grow.If you are prepared for that and go with the flow ,you will have a good time.