December 2020 - keep or cancel?

[discott71]

We haven't been home since Aug 2015. In between that time we have been to DL (2017) and HH (2018). We were supposed to go last Christmas but plans changed so we were so excited to book this trip for Christmas 2020 back in January! This is our first time going the week between Christmas and New Year's. I purchased 9 day PH tickets back in February, have all my dining booked, and flights ready to go. Kids are older now - 21, 18, and 15. We've seen and done a lot, but obviously a lot has changed since 2015 (Toy Story Land & Star Wars).

As my kids got older they hated to rope drop and were sick of the parades and waiting an hour or more for fireworks. In some ways the limited entertainment and later morning hours are exactly what my kids are looking for, but I am struggling with this. Additionally, we had fast passes down to a science so we never waited long in lines. For these reasons, I am somewhat on the fence about keeping our December trip. We have been during Thanksgiving and felt it wasn't bad because we had FPs and planning down pat! Not sure what to expect this year! I like to be in control . Earlier this year I thought for sure we would be in a different place with COVID and more of Disney would open up, but it sure doesn't appear so.

I was wondering what my fellow DVC friends are doing? I know everyone has different situations/reasons, but I would love to hear them. Have you kept or canceled and what is your reason for doing so? I only have a few more weeks to make our decision and would love to hear your thoughts!

Thanks in advance for sharing!

 

[DeeBee3]

Hopping on to hear feedback. I think it also depends on where you are traveling from - here in NY the travel restrictions will surely deter some from traveling. We are still up in the air about our trip.

 

[discott71]

We are also from New York (Western NY)! We plan on quarantining when we return. It looks like we also have an option to test out, but I'm not sure I want to worry about getting tested in Disney before we leave.

 

[drjackal31]

I'm from WNY too! We cancelled because I just don't have the vacation time to take a full trip and do the three day quarantine and testing. Otherwise we would go!

We moved our trip to May and I told my office we are going, no, matter, what! Whether that is the rules have changed by then or I will just take off enough time all at once to do it. It's all a very tough choice. We only jumped on May because boardwalk rooms were available.

 

[Sandisw]

I am going on a solo trip first week in December if all goes as planned. Just got back 2 weeks ago,

Honestly, I’d go and just enjoy what you can. Being there, and being around the magic...even if it is different.l.just reminded me that life can and will go on.

Now, I have never been during Xmas, but my DD 24 and I went in to the last trip with let’s just enjoy and if we don’t like the crowds we’d relax at the resort because we knew we’d be back..

To be fair, we didn’t end up doing rides and only did Epcot, I will be hitting MK this time and will do some rides, and just go with the flow.

 

[LSchrow]

We're from Long Island, have been there twice (2 weeks each) since they reopened........and going back 12/1. The safety precautions at the airports (ISP & MCO), on the planes (SWA), and at the parks & resort were up to our high standards (with very, very few exceptions).
This will be our first ever Christmastime trip, and I am over the moon excited to see the World all dressed up (yes, we know resort displays are a no-go, the castle will be different, etc, but every little miss will be nothing compared to the garland decorating Main Street, CMs in red & green, Gingermen dancing, trees dripping with ornaments, Christmas treats, Gertie the dino all decked out....and joyous Christmas music playing in the background ).
Add in that we are finally staying at Riviera, & I'll be heartbroken if we don't go (I can quarantine, DH is essential so would need to be tested anyway).

 

[LadybugsMum]

We're going in early Jan as my company is allowing us to rollover more vacation than usual because of the pandemic. My kids are tracked out for most of Jan and I work remotely already; so we can just hang out at home when we get back as quarantine time (my area doesn't require it though).

 

[RoseGold]

I just canceled February. My family worked hard to stay safe and flying+theme park doesn’t meet out quarantine standards. I don’t see anything changing before then.

Maybe your family had different standards or a Different crystal ball

 

[Jack_Sparrow_NJ]

We cancelled out early January trip.
So much of what normally takes place during Christmas has been cancelled. We have stayed safe this entire time. No point in taking a big risk at this point.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We are driving down from NJ and so far we plan to go.

 

[CarolMN]

We're waiting until next Fall and then going- planning to go in October and Decemberr both. I am very much missing our cancelled trips this year for last month and next month . I also recently cancelled a January trip.

But we don't feel it's safe for us to travel as we are older and both have underlying conditions that make getting COVID more risky. Hoping by next Fall, there will be a widely available vaccine and Disney will be much closer to normal.

I am looking forward to the return of the evening fireworks, entertainment and park hopping.

 

[DebLovesPooh]

The only reason I would hesitate is the unknown about the crowds and the lines. For some families, long lines can ruin a trip. Without your fast passes and no ability to park hop to a less crowded park, would your family still enjoy your trip? I booked BCV for April because if the parks feel like too much, we will just come back and enjoy the pool and local attractions. For us, it’s still much better than New England in April!

 

[discott71]

I just canceled February. My family worked hard to stay safe and flying+theme park doesn’t meet out quarantine standards. I don’t see anything changing before then.

Maybe your family had different standards or a Different crystal ball

No crystal ball here!! It seems Disney has a good handle on safety protocols so while that is always a concern, our family feels they are taking the right precautions. We considered moving to June, but who is to say things will be better then and the thought of wearing a mask in the June heat wouldn't be our preference.

 

[discott71]

I am going on a solo trip first week in December if all goes as planned. Just got back 2 weeks ago,

Honestly, I’d go and just enjoy what you can. Being there, and being around the magic...even if it is different.l.just reminded me that life can and will go on.

Now, I have never been during Xmas, but my DD 24 and I went in to the last trip with let’s just enjoy and if we don’t like the crowds we’d relax at the resort because we knew we’d be back..

To be fair, we didn’t end up doing rides and only did Epcot, I will be hitting MK this time and will do some rides, and just go with the flow.

How fun!! I hope you have a wonderful trip!!

 

[discott71]

We're waiting until next Fall and then going- planning to go in October and Decemberr both. I am very much missing our cancelled trips this year for last month and next month . I also recently cancelled a January trip.

But we don't feel it's safe for us to travel as we are older and both have underlying conditions that make getting COVID more risky. Hoping by next Fall, there will be a widely available vaccine and Disney will be much closer to normal.

I am looking forward to the return of the evening fireworks, entertainment and park hopping.

You will have a lot to look forward to next year!! I do hope things are much closer to normal by then!

 

[discott71]

The only reason I would hesitate is the unknown about the crowds and the lines. For some families, long lines can ruin a trip. Without your fast passes and no ability to park hop to a less crowded park, would your family still enjoy your trip? I booked BCV for April because if the parks feel like too much, we will just come back and enjoy the pool and local attractions. For us, it’s still much better than New England in April!

I get it! We are from Western NY so a crappy day in Disney is better than a wintery day here!! My kids can take or leave the pool so that won't be a deciding factor. They have stressed that masks in December would be easier than masks in June (another option for us). We are limited to when we can go due to different high school/college schedules.

 

[LoveMugsNPins]

We are driving down from NJ and so far we plan to go.

How long does it take you to drive? And do you do it in one shot or stay the night half way?

 

[bobbiwoz]

How long does it take you to drive? And do you do it in one shot or stay the night half way?

We have a stop in HHI. We haven’t done it yet from Cape May! We will always stop for a night.

 

[CarolynFH]

After planning and coordinating for 2 years, we booked our big family trip last January for the week leading into Christmas. And at this point, all systems are GO! Christmas wasn’t our first choice, Spring Break in March 2021 was, but the dates for different schools didn’t line up (and now one SB has been cancelled due to Covid-19). We didn’t want to push it to SB 2022 because oldest grandchild will be HS senior then and we were afraid we’d lose him to job or other obligations.

We know it won’t be the same, but WDW will still be beautiful and we will still have fun! We’re all fine with masks and other appropriate precautions.

 

[cruisin5]

We're driving from near Saratoga in a couple of weeks. Staying over 2 nights because we can't leave here until about 3pm.