Christmas Strategies

[Redarrow5150]

You can also send a package to your resort with breakfast items; Pop Tarts, donuts or cereal to help save with food costs or even order on-line with Garden Grocer. Rope Drops are a must and be ride hounds when gates open up and then use FP+ for later times.

 

[vatali]

One more thing I forgot. This is the busiest time of the year, and the parks will be crowded. Usually they show up the weekend before, but because Christmas falls in the middle of the week this year, you have a good opportunity to have slow days leading up to Christmas, which is why I said 19-24 should be your "must do's"

Starting on the 25th the place gets crazy. like unexplainable crazy. On the 25th MK is amazing. BUT, its overcrowded. We usually do Epcot that day and do the princesses breakfast to be in the park before the lines out front go insane. We have done MK on the 25th before, but it is really just to much. Epcot goes at a much better pace.

Now, the thing I forgot. On the 25th everyone is in the spirit, and while lines are long, it takes forever to get anywhere, and the wait for food and restrooms can be longer than some rides, everyone is good with it.

On the 26th the Christmas euphoria is still around, the lines are still as long, but people are OK with it.

Come the 27-30, everyone has had 3-5 days of these lines, the kids are grumpy, expectations are not met because a lot of people came down thinking it wouldn't be that busy, people get pushy around the end of the day and strollers and automatic carts become things you need to dodge or get ankles hit.

On the 31st the place is as bad as the 25th as far as crowds, and everyone there is going to stay from open to close, because they want to ring in the new year at Disney. This means kids who wanted to ride or nap or whatever are spouting, but the adults are generally in a very good mood because its a holiday again. The busses back after midnight this day are the worst I've been on any day I've ever gone, and specifically why we stayed at the contemporary last time. most people are finally done and the happy is all happied out of them.

If you can manage the expectations of everyone, and remember that you are in Disney, and with the family and its a great place to be, it really is a great time to be there. But if you go down thinking its going to be September and rides wont be that bad, you will set it up to be very disappointed.

Finally, spend time walking around Epcot world showcase. They have individual santas from each country, they have some theming, it really is a good 2-3 hours of something that only happens around this time of year, and a lot of people pass it by because its not a ride. This is usually our getaway day, and we have a great time just walking, listening , and looking.

Hope this helps

Vat

 

[disney*mom*82]

We did Christmas and New Years a few years ago and are doing it again this year with our family of 6 (2 ad, 17, 15, 7, & 5). I did all the research I could for Christmas time when we went and I knew to expect huge crowds, long waits, little ride experiences, etc. I had all my ADRs booked according to the parks that have late EMHs, we love the late hours and this is how we always do WDW.

So we got to Magic Kingdom early Christmas morning, the place was not busy looking at all, we went straight to get my daughters hair done at the barber shop and then to the Castle for breakfast. The park still wasnt crazy busy after breakfast, but it was the craziest later in the evening. I called it "butthole to butthole traffic. You moved an inch every few minutes when going down Main Street. We didnt let that scare us off, we stuck around and by the time late EMH hit, it wasnt that bad.

So, this year we are trying the same thing, we will be at MK all day, we will not leave for a break, we will eat breakfast in Cinderellas Castle! I expect crazyiness, way too many people and a lack of personal space there.

Are you staying on property? You keep saying your cabin, wondering if you mean the Wilderness Cabins or elsewhere? If you are on property and you said how expensive it is to feed teenagers...have you looked into the free DDP while there? We did it that way last time and also have it this time. It is saving us a lot of money. Just a thought!

Best of luck to you!

 

[Toadlover]

Use of booking 3 FP+ prior to trip is a must for Christmas. On-site guests, 60D & offsite guests, 30D prior to arrival day. Here is the thread on all things FP+. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3143281

Also, check out the links in mesaboy2's signature (above thread/website/link), green & blue links. Great info on My Magic+ & Magic Bands.

Thanks that link is very helpful!

 

[Toadlover]

We did Christmas and New Years a few years ago and are doing it again this year with our family of 6 (2 ad, 17, 15, 7, & 5). I did all the research I could for Christmas time when we went and I knew to expect huge crowds, long waits, little ride experiences, etc. I had all my ADRs booked according to the parks that have late EMHs, we love the late hours and this is how we always do WDW.

So we got to Magic Kingdom early Christmas morning, the place was not busy looking at all, we went straight to get my daughters hair done at the barber shop and then to the Castle for breakfast. The park still wasnt crazy busy after breakfast, but it was the craziest later in the evening. I called it "butthole to butthole traffic. You moved an inch every few minutes when going down Main Street. We didnt let that scare us off, we stuck around and by the time late EMH hit, it wasnt that bad.

So, this year we are trying the same thing, we will be at MK all day, we will not leave for a break, we will eat breakfast in Cinderellas Castle! I expect crazyiness, way too many people and a lack of personal space there.

Are you staying on property? You keep saying your cabin, wondering if you mean the Wilderness Cabins or elsewhere? If you are on property and you said how expensive it is to feed teenagers...have you looked into the free DDP while there? We did it that way last time and also have it this time. It is saving us a lot of money. Just a thought!

Best of luck to you!

Yes wilderness cabins. What is the free DDP? I'm not up with most of the abreviations here yet.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

Yes wilderness cabins. What is the free DDP? I'm not up with most of the abreviations here yet.

DD = deluxe dining plan. Occasionally Disney offers free dining. You really need to look at the restaurants you want to go to and decide if free dining is a better deal than a room discount. For example, if you are fine with only a couple sit down meals and quick service for the others, a 30% off discount on a deluxe room would probably save you more money.

 

[Crl1817]

Yes wilderness cabins. What is the free DDP? I'm not up with most of the abreviations here yet.

DDP= disney dining plan. There are different levels and at some times of year you can get it "free" when you book a package (hotel, tickets and DDP). I believe this can be available to the general public, or through a special pin code sent via email or regular mail. We booked for Christmas using a pin code at a resort that was not available in the general public offerings. Either way, the number of rooms available with free dining can be limited. Usually I think the level of the free plan is tied to the level of the resort you book, deluxe resort gets a higher level plan with more food.

 

[Toadlover]

DD = deluxe dining plan. Occasionally Disney offers free dining. You really need to look at the restaurants you want to go to and decide if free dining is a better deal than a room discount. For example, if you are fine with only a couple sit down meals and quick service for the others, a 30% off discount on a deluxe room would probably save you more money.

What we've usually done is buy groceries off site and eat one meal at the cabin or RV and then bring a sack lunch with us. Poptarts for breakfast as we go out the door. We will eat a sitdown meal a few times at the parks, too, like El Pirato Perico (however you spell that) near Pirates of the Caribbean.

 

[Toadlover]

DD = deluxe dining plan. Occasionally Disney offers free dining. You really need to look at the restaurants you want to go to and decide if free dining is a better deal than a room discount. For example, if you are fine with only a couple sit down meals and quick service for the others, a 30% off discount on a deluxe room would probably save you more money.

What is this room discount? We know a cast member that could get us half off but since is the holidays we can't do that.

 

[Toadlover]

DD = deluxe dining plan. Occasionally Disney offers free dining. You really need to look at the restaurants you want to go to and decide if free dining is a better deal than a room discount. For example, if you are fine with only a couple sit down meals and quick service for the others, a 30% off discount on a deluxe room would probably save you more money.

We booked our cabin and RV site months ago.

 

[Toadlover]

Is there an abbreviations thread?

 

[disney*mom*82]

We booked our cabin and RV site months ago.

It doesnt matter when you booked, you can call and check availability. I know the cabins are a part of the free dining plan deal. With this type of deal you get your room at regular price and tickets at regular price, but each person gets the dining plan for free! It gives each person 1 table service, 1 quick service and 1 snack per day and a free refill mug good at your resort.

I suggest you look into it, I just checked for availability checking in Dec 19th and it was available, but Im not sure of ages and sleeping arrangements. Here is the link https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/

Ide be happy to help you if you need any help, feel free to private message me.

 

[monique5]

Is there an abbreviations thread?

http://www.wdwinfo.com/abbreviations.htm

Also, Disney is offering Free Dining with stay @ select onsite resorts through December 23rd. Type of free dining plan based on resort category. You can still book free dining offer. Also, can change current package if booked through Disney or travel agency.

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2014/05/02/news-2014-disney-world-free-dining-offer-details/

 

[practicallyperfect77]

Is there an abbreviations thread?

Yes - here is the thread on commonly used abbreviations: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1660743

I believe A&E aren't on there and that refers to Anna&Elsa. That is a very common one used around here these days especially when talking about fast passes.

Regarding your question on room discounts.....I might have misled you. What I meant is that it is common for Disney to offer room discounts during the same time the free dining promotion is going on too. They will only allow you to have one discount tied to your reservation at a time. There are some folks that swear free dining (FD) is the best way and others that say you're better off with a room only (RO) discount. In my opinion, there isn't one best way for everyone. You have to do the math to see what works for you. My next trip is in Oct with my sis and her family. We are getting 2 rooms at Pop Century (POP). We could have gotten a 15% discount which would have amounted to about $39/night on the 2 rooms. I know the 6 of us would spend way more than that on food in the parks so we went with the FD promo instead and even paid the extra to upgrade our dining plan. This allows us to have 1 table service a day and we're using it on character meals. I figure we have to eat and this way we aren't spending time in lines waiting to meet character. But really, to each their own.

Here is a link to historical promotions and when they were released.

http://www.mousesavers.com/historical-information-on-walt-disney-world-resort-discounts/#2014

I apologize if some of this is repeated as I haven't read the whole thread. I can't really comment about specific strategies for Christmas time as I have not been there during that time frame. I would totally LOVE to though. New Year's Eve at Magic Kingdom (MK) is on my bucket list. However, I would say that arriving to the park prior to rope drop (RD) and touring the first couple hours or staying late for the extra magic hours (EMH) will be the best. I have also used this site to help pick which park I want to do on each day: http://www.easywdw.com/

Josh goes through and states why he recommends certain parks on the various days which is nice. The one thing to remember is the park that has EMH will generally be busier than the other parks. There are lots of folks that avoid EMH parks altogether. However, if you have hoppers, you can definitely make good use of them by going to a different park during the non EMH hours. However, and this is a big however, I am not sure how this works during the busy times of Christmas - New Years as I know it is common for the parks to close due to capacity issues.

 

[Toadlover]

Yes - here is the thread on commonly used abbreviations: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1660743

I believe A&E aren't on there and that refers to Anna&Elsa. That is a very common one used around here these days especially when talking about fast passes.

Regarding your question on room discounts.....I might have misled you. What I meant is that it is common for Disney to offer room discounts during the same time the free dining promotion is going on too. They will only allow you to have one discount tied to your reservation at a time. There are some folks that swear free dining (FD) is the best way and others that say you're better off with a room only (RO) discount. In my opinion, there isn't one best way for everyone. You have to do the math to see what works for you. My next trip is in Oct with my sis and her family. We are getting 2 rooms at Pop Century (POP). We could have gotten a 15% discount which would have amounted to about $39/night on the 2 rooms. I know the 6 of us would spend way more than that on food in the parks so we went with the FD promo instead and even paid the extra to upgrade our dining plan. This allows us to have 1 table service a day and we're using it on character meals. I figure we have to eat and this way we aren't spending time in lines waiting to meet character. But really, to each their own.

Here is a link to historical promotions and when they were released.

http://www.mousesavers.com/historical-information-on-walt-disney-world-resort-discounts/#2014

I apologize if some of this is repeated as I haven't read the whole thread. I can't really comment about specific strategies for Christmas time as I have not been there during that time frame. I would totally LOVE to though. New Year's Eve at Magic Kingdom (MK) is on my bucket list. However, I would say that arriving to the park prior to rope drop (RD) and touring the first couple hours or staying late for the extra magic hours (EMH) will be the best. I have also used this site to help pick which park I want to do on each day: http://www.easywdw.com/

Josh goes through and states why he recommends certain parks on the various days which is nice. The one thing to remember is the park that has EMH will generally be busier than the other parks. There are lots of folks that avoid EMH parks altogether. However, if you have hoppers, you can definitely make good use of them by going to a different park during the non EMH hours. However, and this is a big however, I am not sure how this works during the busy times of Christmas - New Years as I know it is common for the parks to close due to capacity issues.

How do I find these discounts by disney for the meals or hotel?

 

[practicallyperfect77]

How do I find these discounts by disney for the meals or hotel?

If you click on the Mousavers link you'll see the free dining promo is going on during your visit. You would have to call disney and see if that discount can be added to your reservation. I don't want.to get.your hopes up, but chances are good it is sold out. I say this b/c I'm going at end of Oct which is a less busy time than Dec and.tried adding 2 nights to my stay and it was sold out. There.does not appear to be room discount available during the time you are there. I have a disney visa thru chase so I get emails on the discounts as they are released. I'm sure others stalk these boards to find out when they are released. =)

 

[Toadlover]

I will check that out, thanks.

 

[1stvisit0909]

When I was 10 years old, my family of about 20 went to Disney World- Magic Kingdom and Epcot then. (EPCOT had just opened two months before!) It was right at Christmas time. I remember the crowds and the long waits. Now, we are planning another Christmas trip, though with 11 of us this time. (We leave the 19th and get back a few weeks later.) We've been many times before, but we need some Christmas-time pointers. We've never been with the new wristband system, for example. How can we work this to our advantage? I understand that no matter what we do we are in for peak times. (As evidenced in how much our hotel will cost for one thing!) I just want some pointers to soften and make an even more magical time at the parks a little easier. Thanks!

We had a GREAT christmas eve to NYE trip in 2012. It was crowded at times INSANELY crowded, but morning Extra magic hours and late evening hours were very good times to ride rides. We had a blast.

We are going back this Dec, but arriving a few days before Christmas and leaving on the 26th. We did it this way because we could take advantage of the free disney dining plan - room rates were going to be jacked up regardless, might as well head down a few days early and get some "Free" food.

My 2012 trip report is in my signature.

 

[Toadlover]

We had a GREAT christmas eve to NYE trip in 2012. It was crowded at times INSANELY crowded, but morning Extra magic hours and late evening hours were very good times to ride rides. We had a blast.

We are going back this Dec, but arriving a few days before Christmas and leaving on the 26th. We did it this way because we could take advantage of the free disney dining plan - room rates were going to be jacked up regardless, might as well head down a few days early and get some "Free" food.

My 2012 trip report is in my signature.

Tell me what I need to do to take part in the free dining plan, please.

 

[practicallyperfect77]

Tell me what I need to do to take part in the free dining plan, please.

You have to call Disney and see if there are any rooms left. It's my understanding they block out a number of rooms for the FD promo....just b/c you have a room booked doesn't necessarily mean you can add the FD to your ressie. Sorry I do not know the number off the top of my head. I'm sure it's 407- WDW- something though. I do doubt there are FD rooms left but it never hurts to try either. FD promo came out in May I believe and they released all fall dates at that time.