Christmas week, people who love it

[NJlauren]

I was thinking about future trips, and at some point we are going to end up with school breaks as the only time we can visit WDW. I was wondering if people can share times they went Christmas week or spring break and had a great time.

I feel like all we hear is don't go it's so busy, but I think (maybe I'm wrong) I would rather busy in December then busy in July? But maybe not.....

I have been Christmas week but not in a lot of years..... (20 or more)

 

[pookybean]

I love Christmas week, but only because we have been to Disney before and most surely will go again. If it is a first time/once in a lifetime trip no way would I recommend it to anyone.

It is super busy, but you know that. You also know your favorites and must do's and can plan accordingly. You know all the magic that is there to be soaked up if only you take a breather and look for it.

Candlelight Processional, to me, is worth the Christmas crowds alone. Then there are the the Epcot storytellers, snow on Main St. The incredible ginger bread houses at the resorts. We have been twice over Christmas week and on Christmas day and the day after never went into a park. Ohana for Christmas dinner (family!) then touring the resorts for the rest of the day.

I love Christmas at Disney. It wouldn't be my first choice (Halloween or early May is) but if it is between Christmas or spring break....Christmas all the way. I can do crowds or heat, but I'm a little leery of them together!

 

[Spunky946]

I've been both Christmas week and in the summer and I much prefer the summer. Yes it's hot, but it's less crowded then the week of Christmas.

 

[jimbostacks]

We have been to Disney a ton of times. We have a good time anytime of the year, but recently due to the kids in high school and college - forced to go during the peak periods. What I have found in the peak times, is that we have to plan more - you can still be spontaneous - but can bite you later. Rope drop is good at all of the parks - with animal Kingdom and fast passes - you can actually not do rope drop potentially. The week after Christmas is much more busy than the week before, decorations and music are crazy great. Unfortunately the Osbourne lights are done and was always a good time at Hollywood. The parks do a lot of extra music and events to help spread out crowds. We are planning on hitting Magic Kingdom this year between Christmas and new years...doing rope drop, and then fast passes for afternoon and we like to waste one on the castle show and fireworks - just less stress for us. Easter we have found depends on date - the later in April the better, and the week after Easter seems less busy. Weather for Easter break is great - Christmas has been great - but could be cooler. Plus the resorts at Christmas are awesome too to do a side visit. If going at Christmas - just need to plan earlier...like right now think about which resterants you want to visit if any. Of course now the costs are much higher at peak too...something else to consider....

 

[disneygolfer1985]

We almost always go either during Christmas or thanksgiving. As previously stated, it should not be a first time trip. We are DVC members, so we know we will always be back. That helps in planning and not trying to do everything. Personally, I live in Houston and I prefer the holiday weather more. The heat and humidity is not fun. Also, as previously stated, Epcot has a lot to do over the holidays, which could take a fair amount of time seeing everything. I highly recommend going over Christmas.

 

[toolmanjan]

We fulfilled our Christmas at WDW bucket list in 12/13 We arrived on Saturday the 21st, left for home on the 30th Christmas day was on Wednesday. 2BR villa BWV

1- On the days leading up to Christmas park attendance was much lighter than expected.

2- Christmas Eve (late night) My DD and myself felt like we were alone in the MK. What a great time we had!

3- Nothing prepared us for the MK crowds from Christmas Day on. Double what we expected or ever experianced. We had breakfast at the CP Christmas day. Walked out of the CP at about 10:30 and were greeted by a wall of people walking up main street. Looked at my DW and DKids and said we're out of here.

4- Bring your patience and plan ahead armed with fastpasses and ADRs.

5- Tour the resorts there are lots of great decorations. Santa was at the Contemporary resort. The WL is always done up nice.

6- Book your ADR's in Disney Springs for early evening or late afternoon the crowds were off the hook after 6pm.

7- The weather is unpredictable. First half of the week was warm and swimmable second half cool in the 60's. Although there were still people swimming. We actually had warmer weather in
January that year (1/13-1/20/13)

8- Reading before hand we didn't expect to get any of our dining discounts (DVC, TIW or AP) on 12/24 or 12/25 they did give us our discount where ever we ate on those days.

9- Look to do WDW things in your bucket list. Like hit every Starbucks in WDW! (last time My DD and I had a Kitchen Sink at beaches And Cream. Next time no peanut butter)

10- Decorate you room window or balcony.

11- Candlelight Processional is worth seeing ( I'm not as passionate about it as the PP. I would take lower crowds anytime) But you should'nt miss it!



We will be there this year 12/15-12/26 OKW
Looking forward to our "tradition" of Christmas breakfast at the CP. Christmas dinner at The Turf Club in SSR (one of WDW's hidden secrets)
A low impact touring plan (hoping for low crowds early on expecting heavy Crowds on the 23rd, 24th & 25th)

 

[CinderellaElla]

You can have a great time in Disney no matter when you go. For me, it's all just about realizing that when you go during peak seasons like Christmas or spring break, that there are going to be big crowds and longer wait lines. Also, potentially hotter than usual weather. It's what you expect. It all comes down to anticipating and planning for the crowd levels and weather when you go.

 

[Jestocost]

If you are smart, Christmas at its worst is manageable and you'll have no problem getting in just about everything you want. What's more, weather can be a bit iffy (it can be 80 or it can be 40) and with locals making up a big part of the mobs during the holidays a cold snap can mean that the parks are empty. We were there several years ago for Thanksgiving, for example, and Thanksgiving Day itself was 80 degrees and sunny, and the most crowded I have EVER seen Epcot. Fast forward to Saturday with temperatures in the 40s after a cold front rolled through, and the only line we stood in at DHS all day was for the one place that was selling hot chocolate.

 

[FastPasser]

.

 

[clm10308]

We have only done it once so far, but we liked it enough to plan for another visit this Christmas.
My kids are older though, and we stayed in MK until 2am on night. That was the best experience ever. The crowds were very low after 11pm. What normally would take 2 days we got through in just a few hours. We did intentionally avoid going to any parks on Christmas Day. We had brunch at one hotel and spent the day visiting others.

 

[disneygolfer1985]

Based on some of the previous comments, I will attest that the weather can be iffy. Last year for Christmas, it was 85 during the day and 75 at night. Almost too hot. The year before for thanksgiving, it was cold and rainy in the 60s. The biggest tip I can give is to pack layers.

 

[monique5]

Christmas! Go with a plan. Nothing like MK on Christmas morning, just plan to leave by noon. Deluxe resorts decorated beautifully. Gingerbread House @ GF is a must. EPCOT & CP was wonderful during the holidays. Holiday Carriage Ride is cool too.

 

[jvz82]

My mom is a teacher and husband and sister are teachers so we've always done holidays (but never summer). I think Christmas week is fun! I love the decorations and the crowds are kind of fun to me, kind of exciting. You need to go early and really make use of your mornings, and certain days are just really bad. Christmas day and New Years Eve day are ridiculous. But you can still enjoy yourself as long as you're aware of that and plan to go with the flow of the crowds.

We're checking in on December 18th this year.

 

[jtopp]

Christmas at Disney. Crowded? Beyond your wildest dreams. Park capacity by noon. Weather? Never sure what you get. Hot enough to swim, cool enough for a sweater. Dining? Hope you have reservations in advance, you will never walk in to a full service restaurant that week. The only time your family can all plan together? Probably, which is why so many people do this again and again. Is it all worth it? YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[GPC0321]

We did Spring/Easter Break (Good Friday through the Wednesday after Easter) for our big return to WDW after a 17 year hiatus (and that last time was in January with very low crowds). Was it crowded? Sure! But we still had a blast. My mother and I don't mind crowds (we are weirdos that go Black Friday shopping at the big mall 2 hours away not for the deals but for the fun of seeing the crowds and decorations, LOL). The weather was warm/humid, but not terrible. The pool felt good and it was actually a bit chilly to get out.
We're heading back next December. It won't be Christmas week, but the week before (actually just three nights around the 18-21st). Crowds will probably be more manageable than Christmas week, and perhaps even better than our Easter trip, but even if they aren't, we're not worried. This trip is all about the Christmasy stuff, so MVMCP tickets, Candlelight Processional dining package, seeing the storytellers in the World Showcase, doing the Jingle Cruise, shopping, and eating some good food are the priorities for us.

 

[GlendaO]

I have four days in the parks. If you had to choose, would your last day be Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? Or does it really matter

 

[ajenks22]

My mom is a teacher and husband and sister are teachers so we've always done holidays (but never summer). I think Christmas week is fun! I love the decorations and the crowds are kind of fun to me, kind of exciting. You need to go early and really make use of your mornings, and certain days are just really bad. Christmas day and New Years Eve day are ridiculous. But you can still enjoy yourself as long as you're aware of that and plan to go with the flow of the crowds.

We're checking in on December 18th this year.

My husband and I are educators as well, so we've always gone at Christmas. I love it so much! The decorations, the weather, all of it. Even when it was freezing in 2010, we had a fabulous time. I will take a jacket and gloves over sweat and heat any day! Being there at Christmas helped us to actually slow down a bit. We took time to enjoy the decorations and Christmas extras, and not just enjoy the rides.

Yes, get there early, early, early, and have a plan!! If you do those two things, you will barely be impacted by the crowds.

 

[PirateD]

Add me to the list of someone who loves to go at Christmas! We have two educators and three school-aged children in the family, so we always have to work around school schedules. My first choice is Christmas, then Spring Break, and then summer. Summer crowds are better but I prefer the weather for Christmas or Spring Break. The key is to adopt an early or late schedule and use EMH to your advantage. This is especially true for MK. In the past, we have stayed late in the parks, but this past Christmas we went with the 7 AM EMH in MK and it was awesome. We were able to ride so many attractions during those first three hours. Then we slowed down the pace and hit the high capacity rides, holiday entertainment, and used our FP+. It worked really well! We toured AK on Christmas Eve day and the crowds were not bad at all. By 3 PM, we had done everything we wanted to do and went back to the hotel for swimming, dinner, pictures with Santa in the resort lobby, and family time. We also had a low key day on Christmas and enjoyed a late breakfast at 1900 Park Fare, saw the Gingerbread House at the GF, enjoyed an afternoon resting at the hotel and touring the WS at EP. We hopped over to see the Osborne Lights (no longer there) that evening. It was a very memorable Christmas!

I love all of the holiday decorations and special touches for that time of year. My favorites are the Christmas parade, Holiday Wishes, the Holiday Storytellers, snow on Main Street, the castle lighting, all of the Christmas trees at the different parks and resorts, and the gingerbread house at the GF. I just booked flights for this year at Thanksgiving and hope to catch a few of those things like the gingerbread house and holiday storytellers that weekend!

 

[anniemae]

I have ALWAYS wanted to spend Christmas at Disney but can't convince the fan! LOL! I would not care about crowds, everything seems so amazing, the decorations, the weather, having Christmas dinner at DISNEY etc. Ahhhhhh someday I'll convince them.

 

[johnnyr]

We have been many times during Christmas week and yes it is crazy busy. You have to be flexible and a go with the flow type of person. We have never had a problem getting to do everything we planned. Plan in advance and have patience. You will still have a great time. It's Disney World! I like to experience things myself instead of relying on everything I read. I say go and have a great time!