December Holiday crowds

[BoilerGirl91]

We are canceling our October disney trip as our 8th grader does not want to miss 4 days of algebra. We are thinking of planning a surprise trip the week after xmas, so no school days missed.

We visited williamsburg this summer and have platinum passes. We really want to take advantage of the discovery cove discount and there are no guarantees beyond 12/31 of this year. So, we would do discovery cove, sea world, busch gardens tampa and aquatica (weather permitting).

We currently booked residence inn from the sunday after xmas to the friday after new years. I know that disney and universal will be super crowded, but how are the parks we are planning on visiting???

Any input from someone who has been that time of year would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We did a SW parks trip during Christmas week 2012.

SeaWorld was very, very quiet on Christmas Day, but much, MUCH busier thereafter. That said, you have the option to purchase Quick Queue and/or reserved show seating if you want to help minimize the impact of the crowds. And SW absorbs the holiday crowds much better than their Disney and Universal counterparts, as the shows in particular can hold large amounts of people at one time.

Aquatica was DEAD on Christmas Eve day. We felt like we had the place to ourselves. Just remember that the temperature plays a huge part in whether or not Aquatica will be busy at that time of year. If it drops below a certain point, they won't even open the park for the day as guest attendance will be too low to make opening worthwhile. So a visit to the waterpark will depend largely on Mother Nature.

Discovery Cove admission is capped at a low number on any given day (they only sell a certain number of tickets for each day, year round) so that's a great place to book for a day that has the potential to be crowded elsewhere. We went on New Years Day 2012 (the holiday trip prior to our Christmas 2012 visit) and it was heaven! Again, though, it may be cold (or it may be hot) so you need to be ready for anything. The wetsuits will help if the weather happens to be on the chilly side (they do a great job at keeping the warmth in and the cold out), the water is heated (some as warm as bathwater) and there are portable heaters in the "dry" areas (like the outdoor seating areas around the restaurant) to help warm you up and dry you off if need be.

Busch Gardens I cannot help with. Its still on my to-do list.

I have a trip report from our Christmas 2012 vacation, if you are interested. Click on the link in my signature and it should take you there. SW is absolutely magical at Christmas time!! I think you will *love* it!

 

[BoilerGirl91]

Thanks Gina! Your trip report is fantastic. Luckily, since we would be staying at the residence inn at seaworld, it looks like we get the quick cue for free at SW and I think we get reserved seating for shows with our platinum passes. We are thinking about DC for new years eve for a stress free day.

Thanks again. It is nice to see a fun Orlando trip that does not have to be focused on Disney.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I totally missed in your first post that you were staying at an official hotel!! Sorry about that!

Your stay at the RI SW will provide you with all the great benefits of being onsite, which are found here:

http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/vacations/hotels/benefits/

You are going to have an AWESOME trip!

 

[greenclan67]

We did Xmas & New Years last year. We did Xmas Eve at SW and did Santa's fireside feast. We loved it. Crowds were very manageable. Never felt over crowded. I always find the flow at SW allows that. We did Xmas day at Discovery Cove. That was awesome. Although we have been there 3 times before, doing it Xmas day was just great. No cooking, no cleaning, wonderful. We did New Years Eve at SW with our Platinum Passes we didn't go until 8 pm. We spent the day at the resort, went for a nice dinner with our girls, then onto SW. We were still able to get Preferred parking, the kids rode Manta, and Kraken, with about 20 mins waits. Never bad. We then watched the fireworks, and slowly made our way out of the park around 1 am, figuring getting out of the parking lot would be a nightmare. They had people controlling traffic and really it was good.
We were supposed to stay at home for Xmas this year. Maybe make this an every other year thing. But when flights dropped to $113 on Southwest Dec 20th to Dec 27th. ( a very short trip for us) we jumped on them. We are booked to go in March for 12 days so when booking the flights for Xmas, I committed to driving to Flordia from Northern Ontario EEEEK! But we have the time in March.
How did you like Williamsburg? One of our favourite vacations of all time. We loved it.

 

[BoilerGirl91]

Thanks Gina for the link. I did not realize there were so many benefits.

Williamsburg was a mixed bag for us. We were kind of disappointed with Colonial Williamsburg itself. However, we really like Busch Gardens. We thought the theming/landscaping was great and it did not seem overly crowded, even in July. Since we have the passes, I think we are going back for a few days at BG during spring break next year.

 

[Cira]

I have never been to SW during Christmas, would you kindly let me know just how much it is decorated? We want to go to a park that has LOTS of Christmas and holiday spirit. Based on your experience, please.

What shows, if any, are included in the general admission tix, if anyone knows please? We plan on doing a weekday, much cheaper, but don't know what Christmas stuff is included in that price.

Can we see the holidays fireworks and fountains at night during the holidays too for general admission price? I haven't been there in about 4-7 years.

We did a SW parks trip during Christmas week 2012. I have a trip report from our Christmas 2012 vacation, if you are interested. Click on the link in my signature and it should take you there. SW is absolutely magical at Christmas time!! I think you will *love* it!

 

[KBF]

I have never been to SW during Christmas, would you kindly let me know just how much it is decorated? We want to go to a park that has LOTS of Christmas and holiday spirit. Based on your experience, please.

What shows, if any, are included in the general admission tix, if anyone knows please? We plan on doing a weekday, much cheaper, but don't know what Christmas stuff is included in that price.

Can we see the holidays fireworks and fountains at night during the holidays too for general admission price? I haven't been there in about 4-7 years.

Pretty much all of SeaWorld is decorated with the exception of the dolphin area. I have heard that people think that the SeaWorld Christmas experience is the best in Orlando, even over Disney and Universal/IOA.

All shows are included with your park admission, so nothing for Christmas is an extra cost like some of the Christmas events at Disney.

There are several Christmas themed shows that are only performed during the night time. You will have the regular SeaWorld day shows during the day and then at night the park comes alive with the Christmas celebration. Christmas shows are obviously different than the day shows. Some of the Christmas shows include:

"Shamu Christmas Miracles"- Which is the Shamu Christmas show.

"Winter Wonderland on Ice"- A Christmas themed ice skating show.

"Holiday Reflections"- Fireworks show at the end of the night set to Christmas music.

"O' Wondrous Night"- Probably one of the most popular Christmas shows in central Florida. It was the highest rated Christmas show in Orlando. The show is about the traditional Christmas story from the animals point of view. Very very popular show especially since it is one of the few shows that keeps Christ in the storyline. Every time I have seen the show, there is a standing ovation at the end.

"Elmo's Christmas Wish"- Sesame street themed Christmas show popular with young kids.

"Sea Of Trees"- There are about 100 Christmas trees on the giant lake in the middle of the park that light up to Christmas music at certain times of the night. It's about a 10 minute show and you can view it from anywhere around the lake.

"Santa's Fireside Feast"- This is the only extra cost show that you will find because it is a dinner show. Never seen it so maybe others can give you some info on it.

There has been a Christmas themed Sealion show in the past however, the Sealion stadium is currently down for refurb and won't open until 2015 so I don't think there will be any Sealion Christmas show this year.

There is also the polar express experience which is a motion simulator ride set to scenes from the popular movie.

There is a pathway filled with Christmas goodies, treats and souvenirs.

I think it's an amazing event especially since its included with park admission. Keep in mind that the Christmas themed shows aren't performed every night. You will have the Christmas Celebration select nights from Saturday November 22nd- Wednesday, December 31st. Usually the Christmas Celebration is every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from November 22nd until mid December when it is then performed nightly until New Years. Friday is included with the weekday ticket if you decide to go the route.

Here is more info on the Christmas celebration you can read more about shows and Christmas offerings:
http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/christmas/?from=Top_Nav

And here is a park time schedule. The Christmas celebration takes place in November and December whenever there is a park closing of 9:00pm or later. (Park closing is 7:00 on Christmas eve but the Christmas celebration will still be performed) Just go to November or December on the calendar and select the day you're interested in visiting to see if the park closing is 9:00 or later. Show schedules aren't out yet. Novembers show schedule will be released the last week of October and Decembers show schedule will be released the last week of November.
http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/park-info/park-hours/?from=Top_Nav

If you decide to go to SeaWorld for the Christmas celebration, you won't be disappointed!

 

[greenclan67]

We went last year and loved how beautiful the park was decorated. IT was amazing. We did the Xmas eve fireworks and New Years eve. What a great atmosphere. We enjoyed it so much we are going back this year. We also did the Fireside Feast, and it was a lot of fun, good food, and a very Christmassy thing to do. We did this on Xmas Eve as well, and have already booked to do it again the Xmas. You will not be disappointed. By about the 3rd day I was getting tired of the Xmas music, but that is just me. The shows are wonderful, and we left feeling in "the spirit!"

 

[RabFlmom]

We went last year and loved how beautiful the park was decorated. IT was amazing. We did the Xmas eve fireworks and New Years eve. What a great atmosphere. We enjoyed it so much we are going back this year. We also did the Fireside Feast, and it was a lot of fun, good food, and a very Christmassy thing to do. We did this on Xmas Eve as well, and have already booked to do it again the Xmas. You will not be disappointed. By about the 3rd day I was getting tired of the Xmas music, but that is just me. The shows are wonderful, and we left feeling in "the spirit!"

And you have to get the all-day-meal deal so you can stop in for Christmas Cookies and hot chocolate to take out on the patio to eat while you watch the light show(trees) on the lake.

Decorations at SW are 100% more than the Disney parks in recent years......even the tall old live oaks have lights hanging in them which makes the park magical at night.

Going before Christmas the crowds are doable, but for the Christmas shows-especially O Holy night, you will want to get in line early to get in. We have never been able to get them all done in 1 night.

If you are driving into the park the week after Christmas, expect a back up of traffic. We got off the 528 and it took 1 1/2 hours for us to get parked in the lot. We were in the over fill lot at 10:30 AM on the 28th. Good time to pay for preferred parking if they have any available. We did not go to any of the shows during the day because they filled up so early. Figured if we didn't go to them some newbies to the park could see the shows we see as regulars. We still had fun just going to the animal exhibits and enjoying the christmas atmosphere.

 

[JaxDad]

Hi KBF and Gina! I am trying to figure out my Christmas trip to SW and I need some confirmation. I hope to go for just one day, on Monday, 22 Dec. If I understand your posts, the shows Shamu Christmas Miracles, O' Wondrous Night and Holiday Reflections are all included with admission. Is that correct? Is it possible to see both the Shamu show and O' Wondrous Night, as far as times? (I know the times for 22 Dec are not out, but have the shows conflicted in the past?) Also, I have an 11-year old boy and a mature 7-year old girl. Is the Santa's Fireside Chat worth it or is it geared to younger children? Gina, I wasn't planning on doing the all-day dining, but after reading your trip reports and just realizing the park is open to 11(!) on the 22nd, I think the dining and unlimited quick queues are a must. Can I get discounts on those if I am in a Sea World hotel (Marriott Renaissance)? Thanks for your help. I warn you there may be more questions in the future.

 

[greenclan67]

Hi there, although not Gina or KBF hope I can help.
The schedule can and may conflict. To see all the night time Xmas shows you may have to do 2 nights. Or pick and choose once you see the schedule. We were there last year for Xmas and loved it. We never did find the crowds terrible to be honest. We didn't have Quick que. But we also have Platinum passes so we could go as much as we wanted.
Santa's fireside feast we Loved it. Our girls were 12,& 13 and thought it was fun. Nice Xmas atmosphere. We booked it again for Xmas eve this year.
Any other questions ask away.