Christmas Week: Heaven or Hell?

[vettechick99]

OK I went the few days after Christmas in 97 (before fastpass, but this was the 25th Anniversary of WDW, so the crowds were there) and the weekend of New Years of 00-01.

Crowds: Wow! Crazy crowds. But if you go in knowing how crowded it will be and you are willing to be flexible and not do a ton of stuff, you'll be ok. But if you are the commando type and you HAVE to do IASW, you might be in trouble.

Weather: Was pretty great. Chilly but not cold, although this is FL. I've been in January and it was so cold I needed gloves.

Decor: Amazing! Beautiful! Definitely worth seeing at least once. And with the Christmas crowds in the parks, you might get to see every resort!

The key to going in Christmas is how you prepare yourself. You know there'll be crowds so you can work around that. You know you might not get to do every ride, but that's ok, you'll be back. You have to treat your trip like a beach vacation and not a WDW vacation (you know, very relaxed, flexible and whatever goes).

If you really want to go for the experience of it all, I'd go. But for anyone who goes there for their "once in a lifetime" trip, they are definitely in for a rude awakening.

 

[luvmy2sams]

I voted "amazing", and we'll definitely be doing it again in the future.

DH and I went last year from December 28th-January 2nd for an anniversary celebration. We went with the attitude that we would not be able to do everything we'd done during our October visit. We thought we would be doing lots of people watching and hanging out at the resort. We were very surprised at the things we were able to do, though. MK in the evenings was amazing! One night we went back and forth between Splash and BTMRR for 2 hours, walking on each time. We did wait in some lines, but never for longer than 60 minutes (for my Splash & RNR fix). In the end, we rode everything we wanted to...multiple times...and visited every park at least once.

Make those ADR's and utilize fastpass and EMH for your must-do rides. Go with the attitude that not every single thing will be done, and you just might be surprised.

DS is only 2, but once we're past the stroller stage, we'll be making this trip as much as possible. There's nothing quite like ringing in the new year at Disney.

 

[Jen D]

Thanks for all your responses! You've given me a lot to think about. I think I'd be fine with it, but I don't know if the crowds would drive my dd and dh crazy.

We have a trip already planned for Feb 2006 and if we're going Christmas we're going to take the AP plunge, so I'm thinking about this stuff early. So early my husband looks at me like I'm crazy whenever I mention it. Yesterday I asked him what I thought about getting APs for this next trip so we could visit in Christmas 2006 and he smiled weakly and nodded at me like I was a lunatic blathering in another language.

As of now in the poll the "Nightmares" slightly edge out amazing, but if you throw in the "great to do just one time" then the polls definitely tips towards thumbs up for Christmas.

 

[disrailfan]

Dw and I are taking both DD's (14 and 18) the week between Christmas and New Years. We are doing it because we have never been there that time of year and we wanted to be there for New Years Eve for something different.

We are suprising the daughters on Christmas morning and we will leave out on the morning after Christmas Driving on the 26th. We will get there late that evening stay at the Holiday Inn Select in Clermont. We then get a good nights sleep and head over to Old Key West to check in and then head to the park.

This will be an experience that we never expected I am sure. But we have been to DW so many times that I am not worried about the long lines because we have literally seen everything.

We will have to see how this turns out.

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

I think it is much better to go before Christmas and see the holiday decorations but we went the last two years and are going again this year. We have kids with different spring vacations so this is the only time available. I voted that I would do it again BUT we don't spend alot of time at the parks. We go in to Epcot frequently because we can walk in and out easliy and I like to go into MK at least once. Last year we skipped AK ...way too crowded. We went to Osborne lights late in the evening. We enjoy the hotel and pools if warm enough and just relaxing. I also love to visit the different resorts.

We went in the summer and I WOULD NEVER EVER DO THAT AGAIN. Just can't take the crowds and heat.

 

[JoBird]

I've never responded to any of these before, so forgive my "newness"!!
I just had to put my two cents in on this because my family and I were in the MK last year on Dec. 27th for what we called a "quick" trip...(from hell, my husband now refers to it!)
When we got to Main Street, it was a sea of people...and that was at 10 AM!!! I must admit that had I been on this site and was "in the know", I probably would have waited until after New Year's to go which is what we are doing this year. The reason? 87,000 of our CLOSEST (and I do mean closest) friends and neighbors in the MK by 1:00 PM. In 10 hours, we rode 5 rides and my children decided that they hated disney, themselves, their parents and every person that looked at them for too long while standing in line for 2+ hours for each ride. We got a fast pass for BTR and were able to ride it--5 hours after we received it. The children actually said their favorite ride was the COP because we were doing something other than standing in line. With that being said, would I go again at Christmas, just to see the decorations? I'd say WHAT decorations? All I saw were People!!!!

 

[sandra9797]

Hi there well we went for christmas 2003 and the new year.I went with my husband and 3 children and we stayed at a villa,we arrived in orlando on the 15th of december and stayed until early january,we had an excellent time the weather was mid 70's most of the time the parks were not that busy except MGM which was packed.We had been 2 years previous in August and not only was it Hot Hot Hot but it was so busy and the kids found it so hard waiting to get on the rides in the hot weather.Anyway we enjoyed it so much we have booked again this year and leave on the 15th.By the way if you do go make sure you book to go to Mickeys Very Merry Christmas Party,it's fantastic.


Sandra

 

[DisneyaHolic23]

I feel like some kind of nut, but I've gone three times for the week between Christmas and New Year's, and never really thought it was THAT busy. Granted, Magic Kingdom is the most crowded, and it can be tough to get a seat for the parade. However, I really didn't notice much difference in MGM or especially Epcot. We did find New Year's Eve to be more crowded, but again, Epcot was better, and last year we chose to go to Jellyrolls instead of a park.

I've been in summer many times also, and prefer the cooler temps of Christmas. The temperature at Christmastime can still be quite nice, but not quite as humid as summer. Maybe it doesn't feel so crowded because the crowds don't feel so smothering to me, when it isn't as hot...

We will return for Christmas week for many years to come. One thought - if you can stay a day or two after the 1st, crowds are unbelievably light!!

 

[liamandcaili]

My parents surprised us children in 1986 with a Christmas Disney trip. I know this was a while ago, but it really ranks up with my favorite Disney memories. It was so magical. Usually now, people are completely sick of Christmas by the time the holiday actually comes because stores have been promoting it since September, kids have been whining since October, and chores have been multiplying since November. Being in Disney during the holidays revives the spirit and makes one remember the best things about the holidays. It may be crowded, but if you expect that and take things at your own pace, I think you will really enjoy Christmas week in Disney. In Disney time, I think it is the most special time of year. Even if you never do it again, it is worth the experience once. As Disney says, and is especially true at Christmas, Have a Magical Time!

 

[UrsulasShadow]

The "amazing" votes are winning now!

This is my 2nd Christmas trip, and probably won't be my last. The weather is terrific. And any time I can avoid the "holiday rounds" to ungrateful relatives over Christmas Eve/Day, well, that's a bonus.

 

[Jen D]

Usually now, people are completely sick of Christmas by the time the holiday actually comes because stores have been promoting it since September, kids have been whining since October, and chores have been multiplying since November.

This makes me really want to go! I remember when I used to love Christmas... before I became a matriarch... I used to adore Christmas but now it is all costs and hard work.... and the extended family expects us to host it all and do it all because we LOVE Christmas. Uh, I used to love Christmas.

A Disney trip might bring back that Disney feeling!

Thank you JoBird, for the contrarian post. There have been a lot of "nightmare" votes but not posts. Having a little cold water thrown on me helps too. And welcome to the DIS!!!

 

[Dana_Buckley]

I'm interested in anyone who has gone the few days right before Christmas? We are thinking of going in 2006 also, but from Dec 19th-23rd, then visiting family in OH.

So, are the crowds terribly horrible right before Christmas?

Thanks for any advice and have a great weekend!