December which parks?

[disneycjm]

Hi everyone! We are planning a trip Dec. 19th thru the 24th. Its our first time and we are suprising out 8 year daughter for her birthday and x-mas. Are there certain parks we should focus on instead of trying to do all of them? I guess I am trying to keep costs down and worrying some parks may not be as much fun for an 8 year old. Also need info on character breakfast/dinners and is MVMCP worth the money??

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[zulaya]

If this is going to be your only trip to the world in the foreseeable future, you will want to hit all the parks and make it truly memorable.

My DS is 8 and enjoys all the parks. There are things for 8 YOs to do at each park that they will enjoy.

You have enough days to hit every park once, and truthfully, the best ticket deal is going to be a Park Hopper which gives you privileges at every theme park for however many days you are there.

MVMCP will not be going on during your stay. BUT all the shows and the Xmas parade will be part of the daily activities at MK during your stay.

My best advice, if you are looking to avoid crowds, is to avoid staying at MK long on your departure day. The closer you get to Xmas, the busier it gets.

Definitely hit all the parks and do some research. Get a guidebook and go over the attractions, keeping in minds her interests and that should help you make a list of "must-dos" for her.

Have fun!

 

[zulaya]

Forgot to address character meals. If she is into princesses there are several meals you can try and get a PS for (feel free to ask on the Restaurants Board here as well):

* Cinderella's Breakfast - in the castle, hard to get into, but worth it IMHO.
* Princess Storybook Breakfast - at Norway in Epcot. Cinderella is not here, but there are many other princesses that go here as well. We enjoyed this one.
* Cinderella's Gala Dinner. This is in the GF at 1900 Park Fare. Good food, good characters.

There are quite a few other character meals with Pooh and Friends, Mickey & Friends, etc. Knowing your DD's likes and dislikes, you can plan accordingly.

 

[RebeccaLovesDisney]

We're also planning to be at WDW during that time. I think your daughter will enjoy all the parks. I also think you should definitely try to hit them all. You will have time to spend a day at each park and then go back to your favorites and see the things you missed the first time.

My kids really enjoyed the character dinner at the Crystal Palace in MK. The characters were fun, food was plentiful and very good.

 

[Suzanne033]

Unfortunately, you will not be there to experience the MVMCP. The last one for the year is Friday, December 17th.

 

[disneycjm]

Thanks for your suggestions/advise everyone!!

Has anyone stayed at CBR? How far is this from the parks?

 

[RebeccaLovesDisney]

We stayed at CBR and really enjoyed it. The grounds are beautiful, the rooms are spacious and have lots of storage, and the kids enjoyed the pool. CBR is close to Epcot and MGM, a little further from AK and furthest from MK. We took Disney busses to the parks, we didn't have a car, and it worked fine. Busses were prompt while we were there. The ride to MK was maybe 15 minutes.