Did I make the wrong decision?

[catrax]

So, I have been planning for a very long time to arrive on 12/8 and stay until 12/16. Now, I'm getting nervous about the 12/10 date on the current PIN offering for free dining - not that I received it, but rather if it goes public that I would need to break up my stay, etc. So, tonight I got the bright idea to just leave a week later. I changed my flights and my reservations to 12/13-12/23.

Am I crazy?
Is it going to be WAY more crowded?
What if free dining is released for 12/13 but I can't get a reasonably priced room for 5?

I never feel just right about these decisions because I'm basing them on dreams of pixie dust.

Thoughts? Support? Heckles?

 

[maryj11]

In 2010 we did a short trip and arrived on the 12th to the 15th and it was not bad at all. The only complaint I had was we stayed at Pop and I think everyone else did too because the buses were always crowded and the food court. Oh one more complaint it was a record cold for Florida when we went and it was brrrr cold. We went to the MVMCP and loved it, it was only crowded on main street. On a scale of 1-10 I would say the park crowds were about a 5. I did read up on the crowds that week before we left and most said the closer you get to Christmas more people begin to come . So I would say when kids start getting out for Christmas vacation it would begin to become more crowded.

 

[Selket]

We were there last year (2011) for a weekend trip the 15-18th and the crowds were obviously different by the 18th (Sunday) when we left.

I think that the crowds would be much lower on your original dates. But if you catch the free dining then that would be worth the switch perhaps.

If I was doing it over - I'd probably go a different weekend than the one we went last year. It was the last two MVMCP's that weekend (we went to the 2nd to last one).

If I had to guess - I'd say the crowds are going to roll in more towards the 20th - the later in your trip the more people will be there. If you are doing a party - I'd do the earliest one you can do - except not on a weekend - maybe the Sunday night (16th) or Tues (18th).

Our weather was GLORIOUS by the way! Warm enough for the pool but not hot!

 

[djblu883]

next time dont second guess yourself!!! you original dates were much better! the closer you get to Christmas the worse the crowds are! we did a short weekend just to see Whoopi Goldberg on the 19th and to do MK....horrible!!!! i'll NEVER book that close again!!!

So, I have been planning for a very long time to arrive on 12/8 and stay until 12/16. Now, I'm getting nervous about the 12/10 date on the current PIN offering for free dining - not that I received it, but rather if it goes public that I would need to break up my stay, etc. So, tonight I got the bright idea to just leave a week later. I changed my flights and my reservations to 12/13-12/23.

Am I crazy?
Is it going to be WAY more crowded?
What if free dining is released for 12/13 but I can't get a reasonably priced room for 5?

I never feel just right about these decisions because I'm basing them on dreams of pixie dust.

Thoughts? Support? Heckles?

 

[THERESA522]

Next time keep in mind that the reason they release discounts for a certain week is because they don't have enough reservations.

 

[Koz]

So, I have been planning for a very long time to arrive on 12/8 and stay until 12/16. Now, I'm getting nervous about the 12/10 date on the current PIN offering for free dining - not that I received it, but rather if it goes public that I would need to break up my stay, etc. So, tonight I got the bright idea to just leave a week later. I changed my flights and my reservations to 12/13-12/23.

Am I crazy?
Is it going to be WAY more crowded?
What if free dining is released for 12/13 but I can't get a reasonably priced room for 5?

I never feel just right about these decisions because I'm basing them on dreams of pixie dust.

Thoughts? Support? Heckles?

Yeah, you did screw up. I am booked the same week as you were originally, and found no less than 3 different charts which gave historical data, etc, and pointed to the week of the 8th as being THE quietest for the entire year. The closer you get to Christmas, the worse it's going to get.

If there's anything you can do to change back, I'd advise that you do so, unless crowds and waiting aren't an issue for you.

 

[gert]

I'd change it back if you can. I've gone to Disney that first & second week of December a few times because it nicely lines up with two birthdays in my family.

It really is the sweet spot for when to visit:
- After the Thanksgiving crowds leave but before the Christmas crowds arrive
- Comfortable weather on most days
- Holiday decorations are up in full force as are the Holiday events

 

[lmbcdb]

Ditto on the changing it back, if you can. We've been the week leading up to Christmas, and it was crazy busy, even with all my planning - using 3 different sites to pick a park for each day, and using Ridemax.

Went just that once to experience Christmas at the parks. While it was magical on Christmas eve in MK, won't do it again.

 

[Koz]

Catrax's reaction after seeing the last few posts:

 

[bpesch]

Good luck because that week before Christmas is absolutely terrible crowd wise! So if the crowds are an issue for you, you were much better off with your first dates!

 

[mommyof3princess27]

LOL ^^^ anyway, if you look at the calander from last year, The dates started on Dec 10th the second sat of the month. Now if this follows the same pattern for this year, itll include the 8th. Which is your original day...then you might kick yourself

 

[discookiemonsta]

Hmm...I have a similar dilemma. I'm deciding between a trip Dec. 10th to the 20th or December 13th to the 23rd, but since we have kids, we need to work with their vacation schedule and I do not know yet when they will get out for Christmas vacation. I have been to Disney in December before (11th-18th) with FD and it was relatively busy the whole time. In my opinion, FD will make it busier than usual, but we really need FD to be able to afford to go, so to us it is worth it! I am still not worried about the crowds and would be a lot more worried if we were going over the Christmas holidays. If FD is worth it to you and you decide to stick with your dates, just plan ahead accordingly. We have always gone during 'slow' times and I have never seen Disney 'slow' so I am personally not that worried!

 

[mommyof3princess27]

Catrax's reaction after seeing the last few posts:

 

[Mrs D]

I can tell you the crowds will be significantly lighter during your first set of dates. If you can change your flights without a cost difference I would recommend doing so.

 

[catrax]

LOL! I cannot believe the fast and furious response to this. And, since everyone was on the same page, I changed our flights and everything else during the intermission of my son's Glee concert tonight. I guess I already knew the answer to that question, but I needed some moral support! I started to imagine getting frustrated at the crowds and yelling at my kids and losing all coping skills. So, it's back to 12/8-12/17! Thanks for all the wisdom!

 

[lmbcdb]

Hmm...I have a similar dilemma. I'm deciding between a trip Dec. 10th to the 20th or December 13th to the 23rd, but since we have kids, we need to work with their vacation schedule and I do not know yet when they will get out for Christmas vacation.

You might want to check the school district's website. Here in Texas, most school districts publish calendars as early as February or March for the coming school year.

 

[discookiemonsta]

You might want to check the school district's website. Here in Texas, most school districts publish calendars as early as February or March for the coming school year.

Thank you so much for your advice...since we live in the Bahamas, that won't work, unfortunately The number of school weeks from the start of school in September to December are always the same so by my calculations they would get out of school on Friday, December 7th. It sounds so early to me, but every year they get 3 1/2 weeks off for Christmas vacation I am leaning towards the dates of December 10th -20th and now just have to decide to book now, hoping for FD to be announced later, so I can at least book all of our ADR's early on....ah, decisions, decisions, lol

 

[mrmdisneyfl]

I recommend trying to switch back should crods not be your thing. Either dtaes will work because you will be in Disney.