Are we nuts???? Christmas in WDW????

[tpsh007]

I have been there before for Dec 21-28 few years ago.
My experience was that Dec 21-24 was not crowded, and we went to 3 different parks. All hell broke loose after that, especially Dec 26.

 

[1stvisit0909]

Having experienced WDW during the Christmas of 2010, I will never, ever, ever go to WDW during the week between Christmas and New Years, even if the trip were free.

We were there CE to NYE 2012. Not only would I go again if it were free, in fact we just booked for this year, with arrival on the 20th.

We had a blast! Our trip report is in my siggy.

 

[DisneyGuy]

We went during Christmas week two years ago - and loved it. We knew it would be crazy busy, and there was a possibility we wouldn't be able to do all of our favorites, however, to counter those thoughts, we thought how great it would be to celebrate Christmas in Disney World and to just take in the sights and
at"mouse"phere.

Well, we went from the 19th-26th and it was one of our best trips - and here's why:

We have been to WDW many times and are experienced when it comes to navigating the parks and transportation - this accounts for A LOT. Many newcomers need to take their time finding where attractions/transportation is located - for this reason alone I'd NEVER tell someone to take their first trip at this time of year.

We never did rope drop and we never made it a point to do EVERYTHING - we went thinking whatever we were able to ride and experience would be acceptable - were all adults and we knew we'd go back again - the ride isn't going anywhere.

During the holiday's there is SO much more to do than just rides. There was ALWAYS something going on in each park for the holidays - some extra magic (the Santa Clauses in the world showcase, for example). I've never seen so many extras in the parks during any other trip - this alone made it pretty special even without attractions.

As I said, we never did rope drop or went crazy, and somehow managed to do all of our favorites and then some...multiple times with only a few crazy wait times - I don't know how we did it - but we did.

We also made plenty of reservations well in advance for dinner's and lunches. We typically sit down for dinner every night, and lunch as well on a few occassions during our trips, so we did the same routine easily. The only issue we had was La Celier on Christmas day - we had a reservation and still had over an hour wait for our table. We had a GREAT Christmas Eve breakfast at the Captain's Grille at the Yacht Club - very nice, quiet and relaxing.

Yes, it was crowded, yes there were a few moments of OMG I need to get out of this crowd (shoulder to shoulder in a few spots at night - especially in Epcot near the Candlelight Processional - walking by was scary but once we made it past there it was OK).

So, I say go but expect nothing and hope for the best. Also, do the Christmas party - lighter crowds at least for one night in MK - yes, I know they do the same parade/fireworks the whole Christmas week, but the party is still a lot of fun and we did it the second to last night they were offering it. The snow on Main Street is awesome!

Oh, and yes it feels like Christmas - there are so many decorations and Christmas tree's - you really don't need your own but of course you can have a fake one in your room if you need it. Disney goes all out for the holiday's - the only thing for us is that it was warm out and not freezing - still had snow though - haha....and not the kind you have to shovel out of!

 

[mrstaylorparker]

We went 12/29-1/6 of this year and it was 9 days of awesomeness! I was a nervous wreck from reading everyone's post about this time of year but me and my DH loved it! Some tips would be do rope drop! The parks are even empty at this time of year during rope drop and we did so much! Pictures were awesome during this time and also taking in all the Christmas decor was fun! Plan 2 TS a day! We enjoyed relaxing with two meals a day. Some ppl would disagree but it beat standing in line and finding somewhere to sit! Plan your days using easywdw! And then plan out your day! This helped a ton! We did everything, saw everything and then more because I took the time and research and mapped out days! Enjoy your family and your time there! It was awesome! I would go back durin this time for sure! Oh, and schedule for fast passes to be in the afternoon! You'll beat the lines!

 

[airforcemomof2]

DO IT!! We went in December 2012 (19 - 28) and I was so nervous because so many people were SOOO negative about it. We had a BLAST!! MVMCP was amazing, the decorations, just everything was so extra magical at Christmas. Was it crowded? Oh heck yeah, but I had done my homework and my touring plans were flawless We got FD while we were there also. Don't worry, you won't regret it!

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

It is crowded, but a wonderful time! : If you plan right, it is quite doable.

 

[Coach81]

1. The crowds are crazy.
2. All of Disney is decked out in Christmas themes.. and beautiful!
3. We decided that we were going for the sights and sounds.. we were not as worried about rides.. we had a truly magical experience.. talking about going back this coming Christmas!!!

 

[pad406]

It is crowded, but a wonderful time! : If you plan right, it is quite doable.

Totally 100% agree with this

 

[Brian Noble]

Any advice? We could go at the end of October but it would mean coming up with money faster, taking time of off work, school and activities. I would prefer it, but so far I'm out-voted.

Will it still be fun to go at Christmas even with all the people? Does it even FEEL like Christmas waking up without a tree in Orlando?? Does having Mickey around make it worthwhile...? Please help this mixed up traveler come to terms with a VERY different kind of Disney trip. Tia!

We're doing something very similar, and for similar reasons. My kids are 15 and 13 as well, and our "family vacation" window is very rapidly closing. In two short years, my oldest will be in college---and depending on where she is and what she does with her summers, she might not have the ability to join us for many vacations at all. For the remaining time we all have together, classes, sports, orchestra/band, and just general "life", means that getting away during the school year isn't really an option for us. Heck, even the last month of summer before school starts is packed with band/orchestra camp, fall sports preseason practices, and the like. There are also other places we really want to go with the kids besides Disney, so there just aren't many opportunities left.

At the same time, my wife and I have always really wanted to see WDW during the Holiday season, because it seems like it would be so different from our "usual" trips. Many of those trips have been for President's Week or Spring Break, and we've also done mid-July, so we've seen crowds, but nothing quite like the winter Holiday weeks.

But, a few weeks ago, a 2BR came up at Bonnet Creek for a really good deal via RCI, so we're going from the 19th through the 26th. Our plan is to focus on the holiday stuff, not the "usual" things we do, so really as much for the atmosphere as anything. It might be harder to do if we were still gung-ho about getting on All The Rides A Bunch Of Times, but that's not really the plan.