Crazy for considering Christmas surprise?

[pooh4evr]

Never say never right? I never thought we would consider a trip right after Christmas, but because of school and activity schedules DH and I are tossing around giving the girls a trip for Christmas. Leave December 26, come home Jan 2. We've been plenty of times before so I am confident we could do rope drop each day, fastpass stuff late morning to early afternoon, leave, rest have a meal at a resort, and return for late evening stuff. The girls will be 16, 14 and turning 11 while we are there. We usually get 2 rooms at a value but I think this time we will squeeze into a room at CB. As a WDW vet will we be miserable? Hoping to see Avatarland for an evening and just enjoying the atmosphere and our last family trip before DD#1 heads to college. If you have been before, and had a good time please let me know, would you go again? I realize crowds will be epic! Thanks!!

 

[Klayfish]

Go for it!!! We were there Christmas 2015 and will be again for Christmas 2017 and can't wait! Sure, it's crowded, but with the exception of MK on Xmas Day itself, we didn't find any of the parks to be horrifyingly crowded. Even MK on Xmas Day, as nuts as it was, we got on 7 rides before lunch...without running around like crazy. The spirit was very festive and we had a blast. But yeah, that got insanely crowded. All the other parks, and MK on any other day than Dec 25th, were quite manageable and lots of fun.

You'll have a great time!! I could never have our family of 5 stay in one hotel room, we'd kill each other.

 

[pooh4evr]

You'll have a great time!! I could never have our family of 5 stay in one hotel room, we'd kill each other.

yes, i'm a little worried about 1 room too. I haven't called yet to inquire about the price of 2.

 

[Klayfish]

Maybe not the most popular option on this forum, but consider staying offsite. You'll get all the space you need/want for literally 25% of the price of a family of 5 staying on site...or even less. We never stay on site, we love having 3 or 4 bedrooms, multiple bathrooms, family room, etc...

 

[katmatry]

It will be crowded but you"ll have a blast. We are a family of 5 (kids 18, 16, 12) and we stay in one room all the time. Never has been an issue for us. You may want to try POR, I think CB will still be under construction.

 

[marchingstar]

my first trip to the world was christmas/new years. it's busy. but if you're going into it knowing that, and knowing that it won't be the same as a trip at another point in the year, it's also pretty fantastic. it's especially important to book dining well in advance and to assume everything will take longer than expected (rides are longer, more people waiting for parades, restaurants are busier, buses are fuller). my trip was pre-FP+, but i imagine you should be prepared that you'll only have the 3 each day. it's also not always an option to leave for a midday break, because the parks hit capacity in the late mornings and stay full. the weather is much more bearable than some summer trips i've taken, so they also feel less necessary. but there's lots of ways to make it a fun trip still. bring some pictures or share stories about your past trips while you wait in line. take time in every part to do the less-popular attractions. make time to see the unique christmas decorations.

 

[Dakota731]

Try family suite onsite. Great for older kids with two bathrooms.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

As long as everyone goes with the right expectations, you can have a blast. We have also stayed 5 to a room at POR and CBR, both worked out fine, but we have boys. Not sure how 4 women will do sharing 1 bathroom in the morning.

Go - have fun!

 

[tyandskyesmom]

We were there over Christmas and New Years in 2015 for the first time. I was prepared for crazy crowded. We were ready for it though. ADRs in place for all meals. Fast Passes in place for late morning/early afternoon. We planned to NOT be anywhere near the Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day or New Year's Eve. We were pleasantly surprised. We had been tons of times before so if we didn't see everything, we were ok. Buit for the most part we did not feel like we missed anything. There were a couple of times we were directed back stage from Main Street towards Tomorrowland but other than that, not anywhere near as bad as I was expecting.

I would go back in a heartbeat. The cost, to me, was more prohibitive than the crowds at that time of year.

 

[marchingstar]

I would go back in a heartbeat. The cost, to me, was more prohibitive than the crowds at that time of year.

ah yes, good point. everything was more expensive at christmas. even some restaurants charge special "peak" rates. i was very fortunate to pay for relatively few expenses (we were traveling with my in-laws, who covered the major fees). i honestly can't imagine what they paid for our rooms. for seasoned visitors, the cost might be even more of an adjustment than crowds.

 

[mickeymom629]

Rope drop!!! And hours will be extended, so the park may open at 8 rather than 9, so rope drop is even earlier. We went one year during Christmas and stayed offsite and still managed to get to ropedrop for all the parks we were doing. We didn't take a break in the middle of the day.

 

[LuvDaisy&Minnie]

It's really, really crowded. And that's ok if you go in with realistic expectations. I have been in January, February, May, September, November, and December and the crowds during that period of time are like nothing I have seen before. Sometimes I felt like I was about to step on someone's heels just walking around the park. We were there each day before the park opened. I knew it was the busiest time of the year, but I didn't completely understand what that meant until we went. We had a great time, so I'm really not suggesting that you not go. Just know that everything will take longer. You probably won't get to ride your favorite rides as many times as you are used to riding them. Even the less popular rides will probably all have long waits. I would not go back during that time if I had the choice, but I would go back if that is the only time I could go. And if you have been many times, not being able to do some things because of crowds may not bother you. You will just need to decide beforehand not to be frustrated or the trip may be miserable. And can your other family members take the crowds? My husband was not a fan, and I don't think I could get him to go back that week.

 

[tyandskyesmom]

Rope drop!!! And hours will be extended, so the park may open at 8 rather than 9, so rope drop is even earlier. We went one year during Christmas and stayed offsite and still managed to get to ropedrop for all the parks we were doing. We didn't take a break in the middle of the day.

Oh yes...EMH was extremely helpful! As hard as it was to get up and going early, it was a must! Even at that time of the year, the first hour was almost empty...then the next 2-3 were gradually getting more busy. But they were very manageable. It was the first trip where we actually went back to the room during the middle of the day for pool time and naps ever!

MK opened at 7am every day I believe and other adjustments were made to the other parks also...use them!