December 2nd-13th Disney World Vacation...First Timers!

[jubeeanne]

Hello All! My family and I are planning a VERY long-awaited trip to WDW this coming December. It is a lifelong dream for us to travel to Orlando, so we have set aside two weeks. I am hoping those of you who are Orlando veterans could be of some help as I am completely inexperienced in Orlando touring. I would appreciate a little advice as to the time frame I have allocated regarding parks. We will be available for touring from December 2nd-13th. We will not be staying on Disney property so do not have access to EMH. I have four children ages 17, 14, 12, and 9...all of which are Disney and Harry Potter fanatics. My rough agenda is as follows:

WDW:
MK- 3 days
Epcot-2 days
AK-1 day
HS-1 day

Discovery Cove- 1 day

Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure- 3 days

Kennedy Space Center-1 day

My current questions include:
1. Are there any other "Must do" parks/tours I might be missing?
2. Are three days in Universal overkill?
3. December is cooler weather so am I taking a risk by including Discovery Cove?
4. Given I am staying in WDW for 7 days is a Park Hopper going to be helpful?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Accident]

Because it's your first trip and winter holiday is in full swing, skip tours, do the Xmas party and earlier that day tour some resorts with ginger bread houses and decorations. The parks are nice but it's a tiny part of wdw.

Unless you live in the desert it's not that cold. Just be ready for light jackets and maybe no shorts when the sun goes down.

The rest looks great to me. Watch blogs, the first week/weekend Of dec is usually when they film the Xmas parade for TV on Main Street, mk

 

[Disney Khaleesi]

I personally wouldn't do park hoppers and just dedicate each day to a single park. Park-to-park transportation can be time consuming, however that's just my perfect opinion. As the schedule you listed stands, it sounds like the perfect amount of time for everything. I would maybe bring a light jacket and a couple pairs of pants to change into as needed, but the weather won't be bad. Discovery Cove might be a little chilly but I can't imagine it being a detriment to your experience.

Some posters may say 3 days is a little much at Universal Studios but I only had one day last time and I could've used three days. I legit spent nearly the entire day at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and still felt like I was missing out on things.

I hope you have an amazing trip!

 

[scoobygrl79]

Hi there and congrats on your first trip. Very exciting! To answer:

1) If you can fit it in, try to visit WDW Deluxe resorts. They all have fascinating Xmas decor that is totally vacation trip/pics worthy. If you try to wiggle that in around the time you will be at the coordinating parks, then it is not a hassle one bit.

2) Not at all, 3 days is just fine. Esp since you have older children who might appreciate those attractions more so than WDW for thrill factors.

3) I'm always there during December and it is very true that it can be a mixed bag. I wouldn't necessarily say its worth changing your plans, but maybe do keep an open mind to the possibility of chilly weather during your DC visit. I know it will be hard to not be disappointed as I know it sure ain't cheap! However, as long as you know it can happen, you will probably deal better. We have had some Dec visits that had to be 100% swim free and my little kids did not take it too well. It was just too cold the entire time. We still had a blast.

4) Since its the first visit, and you are spending ample time in each park, I really do not think Park Hoppers are helpful or even worth it.

I hope your trip is fantastic!

 

[MommyMeNDisney]

Following

 

[TravelingTotMom]

I think the amount of days you have allotted for each park is perfect.

If your children love Harry Potter, you will definitely fill three days at Universal/Islands of Adventure. Make sure you get two-park passes though, because that is the only way you can ride Hogwarts Express between the two parks.

Due to your kids ages, I'm actually going to recommend Disney park hoppers if they are in your budget. While HS really is a one-day park, your older kids might decide towards the end of the week that they want to go back and redo some of the thrill rides there, and it also gives you the option to have more dining options, like dinner at Epcot. Plus, you've got the Candlelight Processional happening at Epcot and the Osborne lights at HS, which you may decide you want to experience more than one. With a whole week, it just gives you more flexibility.

 

[jacknsally19]

Do your kids ride thrill rides? If so, I think 3 days at Universal is good. If not, you may want to reduce the number of days.

Personally, I used to always get park hoppers before I had kids. But having kids and the amount of planning required for parks these days, I think it makes a lot of sense to forgo the park hoppers. It adds a lot of money on to the ticket price especially with 6 people. You can easily plan to see it all without hopping. That being said, if you get down there and decide you do want to hop - you can always add it on.

I go every December and I have always been able to swim a few days. But it will certainly be a mixed bag on weather. I think you will have to be flexible for the day that you goto Discovery Cove.

Make sure you schedule some down time, you have a lot going on! When we do a week long trip, I usually have at least 1 day off and 1/2 day (which you can probably do for you AK & HS days). As much fun as it is down there, it can be pretty exhausting being on your feet so much.

 

[jubeeanne]

Because it's your first trip and winter holiday is in full swing, skip tours, do the Xmas party and earlier that day tour some resorts with ginger bread houses and decorations. The parks are nice but it's a tiny part of wdw.

Unless you live in the desert it's not that cold. Just be ready for light jackets and maybe no shorts when the sun goes down.

The rest looks great to me. Watch blogs, the first week/weekend Of dec is usually when they film the Xmas parade for TV on Main Street, mk

Thank you for the heads up on the parade...I had not even considered that! Tours of the resorts is a great idea, thanks!

 

[jubeeanne]

Hi there and congrats on your first trip. Very exciting! To answer:

1) If you can fit it in, try to visit WDW Deluxe resorts. They all have fascinating Xmas decor that is totally vacation trip/pics worthy. If you try to wiggle that in around the time you will be at the coordinating parks, then it is not a hassle one bit.

2) Not at all, 3 days is just fine. Esp since you have older children who might appreciate those attractions more so than WDW for thrill factors.

3) I'm always there during December and it is very true that it can be a mixed bag. I wouldn't necessarily say its worth changing your plans, but maybe do keep an open mind to the possibility of chilly weather during your DC visit. I know it will be hard to not be disappointed as I know it sure ain't cheap! However, as long as you know it can happen, you will probably deal better. We have had some Dec visits that had to be 100% swim free and my little kids did not take it too well. It was just too cold the entire time. We still had a blast.

4) Since its the first visit, and you are spending ample time in each park, I really do not think Park Hoppers are helpful or even worth it.

I hope your trip is fantastic!

Thank you for the great advice!

 

[jubeeanne]

Do your kids ride thrill rides? If so, I think 3 days at Universal is good. If not, you may want to reduce the number of days.

Personally, I used to always get park hoppers before I had kids. But having kids and the amount of planning required for parks these days, I think it makes a lot of sense to forgo the park hoppers. It adds a lot of money on to the ticket price especially with 6 people. You can easily plan to see it all without hopping. That being said, if you get down there and decide you do want to hop - you can always add it on.

I go every December and I have always been able to swim a few days. But it will certainly be a mixed bag on weather. I think you will have to be flexible for the day that you goto Discovery Cove.

Make sure you schedule some down time, you have a lot going on! When we do a week long trip, I usually have at least 1 day off and 1/2 day (which you can probably do for you AK & HS days). As much fun as it is down there, it can be pretty exhausting being on your feet so much.

My kids love thrill rides...so I think we will definitely keep it to three days at Universal. Thanks for the reminder about down time. I don't want to wear everyone out to the point it dampers the magic. Thanks for the advice!

 

[jubeeanne]

Thanks so much for the posts everyone! I'm feeling good about my itinerary...and will do a little tweaking per these great recommendations!