Dec 8th to Dec 12th - Best place to stay

[Rich M]

I have to take a week off in December because of Federal requirements at my job. I booked the Boardwalk for these dates because my sister has always wanted to stay there. Is this a good spot for Christmas time? We could also book Contemporary for not much more. Any other recommendations of best place to stay during Christmas time?

Thanks in advance

 

[patty57]

The Boardwalk is a great place to stay before the holidays. There are beautiful decorations. That time of year is busy at Disney, so pretty sure my favorite Christmas resort, Wilderness Lodge, is booked solid.

 

[JennyDrake]

You MAY have to book *wherever* you can get a room. It is a VERY busy time of year. I'd go ahead and book something, somewhere and then keep checking back for cancellations.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Enjoy wherever u stay. Such an Extra Magical time of year. If you have the time... visit the resorts and see the decorations... simply Beautiful!

 

[Rich M]

You MAY have to book *wherever* you can get a room. It is a VERY busy time of year. I'd go ahead and book something, somewhere and then keep checking back for cancellations.

I have been during this time of year and usually it’s not as bad as the week after but I am worried with the second ride opening at SWGE. We booked a room at Boardwalk so far and will keep looking for other options but is the Boardwalk a great place for that time of year? We have stayed at CBR and FQ prior Christmas trips.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I would take a look at your park plans and choose a resort from there. If you will spend most of your time in MK, I would choose a resort in that area (Poly, GF, CR or WL). If you plan to visit EP/DHS the most, consider Boardwalk, YC or BC. WL and GF typically get the most votes in terms of best Christmas decorations, but Boardwalk is lovely as well and the chocolate carousel they set up at BC is extraordinary. No matter where you stay, consider touring the other resorts to see the decorations!

 

[focusondisney]

I have been during this time of year and usually it’s not as bad as the week after but I am worried with the second ride opening at SWGE. We booked a room at Boardwalk so far and will keep looking for other options but is the Boardwalk a great place for that time of year? We have stayed at CBR and FQ prior Christmas trips.

The Boardwalk has beautiful traditional decorations in the lobby for Christmas, plus a gingerbread display of a boardwalk. So it is very pretty. You can walk to Epcot, so it is convenient for time there. All the deluxe resorts are good to stay at over the holidays, IMO. As the pp said, decide where you will spend more time, MK or Epcot/ Disney Studios & decide from there.

As for the crowds that week or the week after, I personally think that week will be busier this year. Even before ROTR was announced, that week had very little room availability at most resort. That week is also Pop Warner football & cheerleading week. Many resorts have been fully booked for months. The week after has many room types available & discounted in almost every resort. We are going the 7th- 14th. I wish we had picked the week after.

 

[disneygolfer1985]

Personally, I love the BW over the holidays. I’m a DVC member there and love the ability to walk to Epcot and DHS. During that time, Epcot will have the most Christmas activities going on with the storytellers. Plus MK will probably have 3-4 nights with the party, so you would most likely be spending your evenings either at Epcot or DHS.

 

[Rich M]

The Boardwalk has beautiful traditional decorations in the lobby for Christmas, plus a gingerbread display of a boardwalk. So it is very pretty. You can walk to Epcot, so it is convenient for time there. All the deluxe resorts are good to stay at over the holidays, IMO. As the pp said, decide where you will spend more time, MK or Epcot/ Disney Studios & decide from there.

As for the crowds that week or the week after, I personally think that week will be busier this year. Even before ROTR was announced, that week had very little room availability at most resort. That week is also Pop Warner football & cheerleading week. Many resorts have been fully booked for months. The week after has many room types available & discounted in almost every resort. We are going the 7th- 14th. I wish we had picked the week after.

Thank you for that information. Maybe I will take a look at the week after instead

 

[Rich M]

That week is also Pop Warner football & cheerleading week.

Is the dates for this Dec 8th to 14th?

 

[focusondisney]

Is the dates for this Dec 8th to 14th?

Actually starts the 6th I believe but yes, it goes til the 14th.

 

[Rich M]

Actually starts the 6th I believe but yes, it goes til the 14th.

Bummer. These dates are the only ones that will work for us for my two jobs. I think if we stay deluxe we will avoid the groups there and if utilize our FP correctly we should be good. We have been fortunate enough to go many times so rides isn't our biggest priority. I want to resort hop and try more dining that we haven't gotten to yet. A trip with groups is better than know trip at all.

Side note - Beach Club is coming up with Free Dining for $10 less and you get a woods view over a Boardwalk Standard View. Is Beach Club better than BoardWalk?

 

[patty57]

Is Beach Club better than BoardWalk?

Each resort has it's fans. I like them both, and would usually stay at whichever was less expensive. SAB at BC is considered to be the best pool of the Disney Resorts, but that's subjective as well.

Edited to add that I have never noticed any impact from Pop Warner at all, and have gone to Disney quite a bit that week.

One more edit to say that I really like the Swan & Dolphin. The Grotto Pool is my personal favorite.

 

[patty57]

double post

 

[kiford]

Is Beach Club better than BoardWalk?

My favourite used to be Boardwalk with Beach Club a close second but BC has been edging out BWI for me recently. However, we are staying at YC next trip and then BWI the first week of December. We haven't stayed at BWI for some time whereas we've been to BC more recently so it's possible that it may once again edge out BC for favourite. Either way, they are both lovely. BC is slightly closer to Epcot but I find BWI is quieter and less busy.

I personally prefer Garden view at BWI - Standard can overlook the parking lot (although we've stayed Standard there before and not had parking lot view). I don't like Water view there because you'll generally be facing the Boardwalk which can be busy in the evenings so it's a bit noisy.

At BC, we used to get Water view but we did Garden view last year in December and we preferred it; I'm not sure if that's the same as woods view. Much quieter and a bit more sense of privacy. In both of our last two visits at BC we were on the ground floor (same wing, different view). The general location was great since you can go out an exit that's close to Epcot without having to go to the lobby but the Water view was close to the volleyball court which meant that a lot of people were passing close by the room. Last year with Garden view, we were placed at the back of the wing - still close to an exit that was closer to Epcot than having to go back to the lobby, but also close to the Marketplace which was good as we didn't generally have time for breakfast before going to the parks (up at 4 am on Christmas Day - ack!) so it was easy to nip down the hall in the evening and grab some yoghurt and berries to eat the next morning before heading out.

We finally stayed at CR in May of this year and we won't be back. It's a nice enough resort, but other than walking distance to MK it's not really that much more convenient for transportation than the Epcot resorts IMO, it's a very generic nice somewhat bland hotel you could find almost anywhere in the world with absolutely no real theme (I think they've done a better job with BLT), pool is decent but there's no shade, and the lobby is incredibly noisy and you can hear it through your door if you go close to it. And if I heard Mickey or Goofy announcing the floor in the elevator one more time, I was going to rip out the speaker. And the elevators were incredibly slow - it didn't seem like they were ever all running at the same time although I think that's just perception. We've not been there at Christmas so I don't know what it looks like but we love the Epcot resort decorations. And they're all so close to so many restaurants between YC/BC, BWI, Epcot, and S&D. More or less walking distance to HS and definitely walking distance to Epcot. We'll see how much busier the IG is once the Skyliner is up and running but that entrance is usually much less crowded.

 

[Rich M]

Each resort has it's fans. I like them both, and would usually stay at whichever was less expensive. SAB at BC is considered to be the best pool of the Disney Resorts, but that's subjective as well.

Edited to add that I have never noticed any impact from Pop Warner at all, and have gone to Disney quite a bit that week.

One more edit to say that I really like the Swan & Dolphin. The Grotto Pool is my personal favorite.

That is great. We are thinking of switching to BC because of the Freestyle Machines lol

 

[ashejen]

Are you eligible to stay at Shades of Green since you mentioned a federal job? I know that the Disney theming isn't there, but the holiday decorations are nice (not stunning, but still nice) and the hotel itself is fantastic for the price! It looks like it's booked up right now, but it's a good option.

 

[Rich M]

Are you eligible to stay at Shades of Green since you mentioned a federal job? I know that the Disney theming isn't there, but the holiday decorations are nice (not stunning, but still nice) and the hotel itself is fantastic for the price!

No I do not. But we are happy with the free dining offer for Beach Club. It was hard decision but the Freestyle Machine won over. We could stay at Riverside for $800 cheaper but I think that would be more of a hassle when we can just walk to Epcot and Hollywood studios and have boat options as well.

 

[Hi Pluto]

No I do not. But we are happy with the free dining offer for Beach Club. It was hard decision but the Freestyle Machine won over. We could stay at Riverside for $800 cheaper but I think that would be more of a hassle when we can just walk to Epcot and Hollywood studios and have boat options as well.

BC is a wonderful choice! And you'll love the gingerbread decorations in the lobby. Great for Christmas!

 

[JennyDrake]

I have been during this time of year and usually it’s not as bad as the week after but I am worried with the second ride opening at SWGE. We booked a room at Boardwalk so far and will keep looking for other options but is the Boardwalk a great place for that time of year? We have stayed at CBR and FQ prior Christmas trips.

ANY of the Boardwalk Resorts are a GREAT place that time of year (or any other!) Being able to walk to Epcot and DHS ( or take the boat) allows you easy access to all kinds of holiday magic! AND you can walk to see the other Crescent Lake resorts and their fabulous Christmas decorations!!