Are the Christmas decorations worth it?

[GrammyJudy]

We are going 11/30-12/7 and it will be our first Christmas visit...I absolutely can't wait! We usually go the end of Jan so i figure the weather will be about the same. At least once we want to see Disney at Xmas.Hoping for FD again this year and cheap fares but we are going. Keep in mind that PopWarner is 12/7=-12/14 and there are no deals that week

 

[North of Mouse]

Planning a trip for 2013. Fairly flexible on when we can go. In a perfect world, all things being equal, I'd like to go the first week of December to see all the Christmas decorations and the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. I think I'd also appreciate the cooler temps (hoping it's not too cold though - kids will still want to swim).

HOWEVER, I just found some AMAZING roundtrip direct flights ($169/person taxes in) for September. Having been twice in September already though, I was looking forward to switching it up.

Other reasons to go again in September, crowds likely will be less and the chance of free dining or other discounts is likely higher. We'll be going with a friend and her kids who have never been before. She would ideally like to go in December as well but, being a single mom, she is also feeling the appeal of the cheaper pricing that September offers.

In your personal opinion, do the Christmas decorations and cooler weather of December outweigh the benefits of going in September?

Just be prepared for *any* weather. We went that week in 2010, nearly froze - 20's at night 40's some days with wind, so we were bundled up in coats, scarves, hats, gloves, and I still was cold. Also, a lot of plants froze and they kept a lot of them covered.

Just went the same time this past Dec. and the weather was absolutely perfect. So, be prepared that swimming might be "out". They even close down the water park (s) some days. You really can't plan ahead (even a week) as it changes *very* fast.

September is mostly *hot* and humid. I'm a southern girl and I know!

Good luck on your decision

 

[disrev]

Without a doubt worth it. Osborne followed by Fantasmic or vice versa my be my favorite evening in the parks, and that's saying a lot because we LOVE Wishes and Electrical Parade.
Resorts are awesome, and a trip to Fort Wilderness to see campsites decorated is a fun non-park evening.

 

[sissy1]

We went this past Dec. (second week of Dec.) The weather was wonderful and the crowds were very low. The decorations at the parks and especially at some of the resorts were amazing. And the Osbourne Lights...WOW!

 

[Stacy's a freak]

Wow! That was an overwhelming majority. December it is!

Thanks everyone!!

Another vote for December even after you have made up your mind September is HOTT (two Ts for extra emphasis) and likely to rain every day for at least a bit in the afternoon. The first week in December is my favorite time to go because of the cooler, mostly-dry weather, the decorations and the relatively low crowds. It used to be a ghost town in early December but not anymore - the secret is out. Rides won't be a walk-on, but the crowds will be significantly less than busy times.

If you are a music nut (and if your kids will enjoy it), I also recommend seeing the Candlelight Processional during your December trip. The music is fantastic! Have fun!!

 

[Mom2six]

Last year we went in mid-September, and then at the spur of the moment, we went for the first week of December. I loved both trips. I would definitely agree that since you have been in September, I would go for the Christmas decorations. The Osborne Lights were absolutely amazing. We went to MVMCP and had a blast. It was so much fun. The weather was cool - a bit chilly for swimming in the evenings, and that is the only thing I really missed about the September trip. On the other hand, it was nice walking around the parks without being hot /rained on!

 

[W.E.D.]

There are a bazillion other reasons to say "yes" to early December, but yes, the Christmas decorations are really nice!

 

[pickles]

sept is halloween and I prefer the halloween parties over the christmas one. and halloween decorations are really cool, but osborne lights with snow are amazing..you cant go wrong either way

also i got same airfares that first week as I did sept, so dont assume all fares are bad in dec

 

[Judyfun]

I too have been over 30 times, but last year we went in mid-November. PERFECT weather, low crowds, and Christmas was breaking out everywhere.

Loved it!
Judy

 

[bytheblood]

In the past I would have said yes without a 2nd thought, but with Disney scaling back so much over the last 11 years (since my first Dec visit), I am not sold on the "December is the best time ever to visit" idea anymore. September is wonderful, but December is too because there are things you can do/see in December that you cant an earlier time of the year. It really depends on how much you want to see the Christmas-themed shows, parties, etc.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

We've gone on 6 trips between the first full week after Thanksgiving and the first and second weeks of December. People that say the crowds are low, do you follow any touring plan? I ask because it seems when we were there for the two first full weeks of December in 2011 and the second week of December last year, the parks were pretty crowded and I'm wondering if maybe we're just hitting the parks on the wrong days? We got to Epcot around 11 a.m. one day and all the Fastpasses for Soarin' were gone and it was an 80-120 minute wait throughout the day. We waited 30+ minutes for Muppet Vision, Tower of Terror, and Rock 'n Rollercoaster and 70 minutes for Toy Story Mania another day.

We decided to go in late September this year since I went during that time in 2010 and found it to be much less crowded, but I would like to eventually get back to going when the Christmas decorations are up. Our trips in December 2001, 2005, and 2006 were very low crowds, usually no wait for anything, sometimes 5-10 minutes.

Now don't get me wrong, late November/early December has never been as bad crowd-level wise as mid-summer in the 90's, but I've been really surprised by the amounts of crowds the past two years and after reading this, I'm starting to think we're not planning right or something.

 

[siskaren]

We've gone on 6 trips between the first full week after Thanksgiving and the first and second weeks of December. People that say the crowds are low, do you follow any touring plan? I ask because it seems when we were there for the two first full weeks of December in 2011 and the second week of December last year, the parks were pretty crowded and I'm wondering if maybe we're just hitting the parks on the wrong days? We got to Epcot around 11 a.m. one day and all the Fastpasses for Soarin' were gone and it was an 80-120 minute wait throughout the day. We waited 30+ minutes for Muppet Vision, Tower of Terror, and Rock 'n Rollercoaster and 70 minutes for Toy Story Mania another day.

You really need to arrive at rope drop for the shortest waits for the most popular rides, regardless of what time of year you go, and Soarin' and Toy Story Mania in particular almost always have long waits. Muppet Vision is about 30 minutes total for both the pre-show and the show itself, so you must have hit it right when a showing had just started.

As for what park to go to on what day, I would highly recommend checking out easywdw.com.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

I have been trying to persuade myself for some years to go in the early fall to see the Halloween decor, merchandise and a MNSSHP, but keep losing the battle.

I thought I was getting really close, but then they starting putting up the castle lights. Oh. The. Castle. Lights. LOVE THEM.

Of course for me, another factor is the weather. Fall is our best season at home, and it is usually very hot in FL. I like the warmth, but not a lot of heat.

 

[joanchris]

YES! The decorations are definitely worth it! We just went for Christmas, and it was beautiful! There were days where it was warm enough to swim (from Christmas to New Years) as well as days where we were COLD. It was definitely better than our HOT October trip, and the decorations are amazing.