December 2015 Help Thread - What To See & Do (Crowd Calendar Added)

[rlduvall]

Thanks for the great thread Maleficent Dragon. I have been going around the first week of December since 2008, but it is still nice to see everything consolidated. I always do the Candlelight Processional using the dinner package and I am actually thinking about passing this year. The dinner package is just getting beyond expensive.

 

[lovndisney12]

Thanks for the great thread Maleficent Dragon. I have been going around the first week of December since 2008, but it is still nice to see everything consolidated. I always do the Candlelight Processional using the dinner package and I am actually thinking about passing this year. The dinner package is just getting beyond expensive.

With the package - how long to you line up in advance? The point of doing the package would be to avoid a long wait but have seen some posts about not getting to sit together if they went to the line 5 or 10 minutes in advance.

 

[rlduvall]

With the package - how long to you line up in advance? The point of doing the package would be to avoid a long wait but have seen some posts about not getting to sit together if they went to the line 5 or 10 minutes in advance.

Based on the popularity of the narrator, generally you should begin lining up about 30 minutes before. There are alot of dining packages sold and even when I get in line 30 minutes before I am usually as far back as Morocco. Definitely NOT only 5-10 minutes in advance.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

December Park Hours Have Been Released.


http://media.disneywebcontent.com/staticfiles/parkhours/wdwtravelagent_december.pdf

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

Thanks for the great thread Maleficent Dragon. I have been going around the first week of December since 2008, but it is still nice to see everything consolidated. I always do the Candlelight Processional using the dinner package and I am actually thinking about passing this year. The dinner package is just getting beyond expensive.

You are so welcome. I am glad it is helping people.

We are skipping the Candlelight Processional this year, too. I love Christmas, I love everything about CP, but I can listen to it on CD, watch it on YouTube and eat the same meal without the sticker price. We usually stand outside the theater and listen to a few songs anyhow.

 

[PirateD]

Yes! Thank you for this thread and for posting December hours! Now the real planning can begin!!

 

[Doug M]

Hope Josh gets his crowd calendar done for Dec soon so I can start putting the pieces in place. Disney site doesnt show hours yet, but i hear they update their website rather slow.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Hope Josh gets his crowd calendar done for Dec soon so I can start putting the pieces in place. Disney site doesnt show hours yet, but i hear they update their website rather slow.

Initial run.

http://www.easywdw.com/news/december-2015-walt-disney-world-operating-schedule-available/

 

[luvallprincesses]

December Park Hours Have Been Released.


http://media.disneywebcontent.com/staticfiles/parkhours/wdwtravelagent_december.pdf

Why aren't Wishes and MSEP times being released with calendar hours?

Edit: I see them now.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

Yes! Thank you for this thread and for posting December hours! Now the real planning can begin!!

Haha, that is what I said this morning.

 

[PirateD]

I think I spoke too soon though because it looks like they haven't finalized the hours for Christmas week yet. I would expect 7 AM EMH at MK that week at the very least. I wonder when they will release those updates.

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

Crowd Calendar Added to First Post


Merry Christmas!!

 

[Sherrkel]

Thanks so much for this wonderful thread, this will be our first time visiting the world during the holiday season and I'm beyond excited!!! It's almost like we will be there for first time; I'm really looking forward to seeing how all my favorite places look decked out for the holidays.

2015 Party Dates

November: 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 29, 2015
December: 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 2015
Event time: 7:00 pm - 12:00 am (Historically, you can get in at 4 PM with your party ticket)


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Disney website dates from today:
Held from 7:00 PM to 12:00 AM at Magic Kingdom park, this annual yuletide event will take place in 2015 on the following dates:

• November 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20 and 29
• December 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 18

I know you indicated you are still finalizing all your information, but just wondering about the party dates: Disney site indicated two additional dates that the party is being held, I guess that means more time to visit MK for us aswe will be there Dec 1st -YAY!

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

Thanks so much for this wonderful thread, this will be our first time visiting the world during the holiday season and I'm beyond excited!!! It's almost like we will be there for first time; I'm really looking forward to seeing how all my favorite places look decked out for the holidays.

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Disney website dates from today:
Held from 7:00 PM to 12:00 AM at Magic Kingdom park, this annual yuletide event will take place in 2015 on the following dates:

• November 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20 and 29
• December 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 18

I know you indicated you are still finalizing all your information, but just wondering about the party dates: Disney site indicated two additional dates that the party is being held, I guess that means more time to visit MK for us aswe will be there Dec 1st -YAY!

Thank you very much for your post. I have corrected the dates to match the current park hours and the dates from Disney's site.

 

[Mousin' Around]

December Park Hours Can Be Found HERE!



Least Crowded Park/Crowd Calendar
Suggested Park(s)

**Please note that Disney WILL change things up. Some parks will open earlier, some will stay open later, some EMHs might be moved around, etc. When I am alerted to those changes, I will make them here as well.

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How much do you expect this to change? I guess anybody's guess is as good as anybody else's? I think with the bonus I got I am taking my family in December. Shh. They have no idea.

 

[LvsTnk]

Thank you for this thread! I guess i better get planning

 

[Akess]

Would it be worth it to go to Magic Kingdom on arrival day if we would only be there from around 2:00-6:30 pm since they close at 7:00 pm for MVMCP? I'm trying to figure out what to do on our arrival day (we would be coming from the WL). I see the anticipated crowd level is very low this day, but I don't know if it would be worth it to go into the park for 4 hours or not? On an anticipated high crowd level I wouldn't even consider it.

 

[squeegee]

Would it be worth it to go to Magic Kingdom on arrival day if we would only be there from around 2:00-6:30 pm since they close at 7:00 pm for MVMCP? I'm trying to figure out what to do on our arrival day (we would be coming from the WL). I see the anticipated crowd level is very low this day, but I don't know if it would be worth it to go into the park for 4 hours or not? On an anticipated high crowd level I wouldn't even consider it.

We're not planning on heading to a park on arrival day, just because we'd rather have the time to rest and recoup, but our trip is a long one, so we have 3.5 other MK days scheduled.

"Worth" would depend on what your cost is to add the ticket day and how many other days you've got going there, IMO.

We'd debated dropping one day off the ticket and not going to a park on departure day, too, but at that point, the extra day is roughly $10/person, so it's worth it to us to have, just in case.

There is more than enough to keep ya occupied at the resort or at DTD, I think, if the cost of the extra park day isn't worth it for a few hours to you, or if you'd like to start off at a more leisurely pace.

 

[Akess]

We're not planning on heading to a park on arrival day, just because we'd rather have the time to rest and recoup, but our trip is a long one, so we have 3.5 other MK days scheduled.

"Worth" would depend on what your cost is to add the ticket day and how many other days you've got going there, IMO.

We'd debated dropping one day off the ticket and not going to a park on departure day, too, but at that point, the extra day is roughly $10/person, so it's worth it to us to have, just in case.

There is more than enough to keep ya occupied at the resort or at DTD, I think, if the cost of the extra park day isn't worth it for a few hours to you, or if you'd like to start off at a more leisurely pace.

I surely agree with everything you have mentioned. We will be there Dec.15-27 at the Wilderness Lodge. We have never visited close to Christmas before or even December, but have visited during Thanksgiving week twice. I am just getting nervous that we'll be overwhelmed with the crowds on the other days we plan to visit MK and we won't feel like we did or seen enough. We are planning MK days on Dec. 17 (rope drop until 6:30), Dec. 18 (MVMCP), Dec. 23 (evening EMH 9:00 pm-2am), and then Dec. 26 (rope drop until afternoon, then back in the evening for Wishes and Electrical Parade). We will be coming in from a flight that departed our airport in Detroit at around 7:50 am, which means we will have left our home at around 4:00 am. Relaxing at the resort would be ideal, I'm just don't want to be foolish when the crowd levels will only creep up on us as the days go on. Like I said, we have never visited around Christmas before.

I'm not really concerned about the cost of the ticket difference because right now I think I have 8 days with the park hopping option saved. As much as the trip as a whole is costing, the difference of adding a day or two on is peanuts in comparison.

 

[squeegee]

I surely agree with everything you have mentioned. We will be there Dec.15-27 at the Wilderness Lodge. We have never visited close to Christmas before or even December, but have visited during Thanksgiving week twice. I am just getting nervous that we'll be overwhelmed with the crowds on the other days we plan to visit MK and we won't feel like we did or seen enough. We are planning MK days on Dec. 17 (rope drop until 6:30), Dec. 18 (MVMCP), Dec. 23 (evening EMH 9:00 pm-2am), and then Dec. 26 (rope drop until afternoon, then back in the evening for Wishes and Electrical Parade). We will be coming in from a flight that departed our airport in Detroit at around 7:50 am, which means we will have left our home at around 4:00 am. Relaxing at the resort would be ideal, I'm just don't want to be foolish when the crowd levels will only creep up on us as the days go on. Like I said, we have never visited around Christmas before.

I'm not really concerned about the cost of the ticket difference because right now I think I have 8 days with the park hopping option saved. As much as the trip as a whole is costing, the difference of adding a day or two on is peanuts in comparison.

That sounds like a good long trip to me - but even then, one must accept that it is impossible to see and do everything. You know he saying about planning and laughing, I'm sure.

Arrival day sounds like a very long day, with an early flight, and IMO, you might end up with cranky pants folks on your hands if you push to do too much that first day.

I think if you make a list of things that are absolutely "must-do" things, and can take a few deep breaths and realize the rest is gravy, everything will go great. There's a spreadsheet in my PTR linked in my signature if you want to see how I've done it. There are always trade-offs, but I'm generally at peace with my 11,374th spreadsheet revision. LOL