Dis florida at christmas

[jackiesquirrel]

My family (7 adults, 4 children) are off to florida on the 16th December this year. Although I have been to florida during the summer months I've never been at Christmas and would love some tips - like- what to pack, will it be warm enough for vests and shorts and a cover up of an evening or will I need to take long sleeved tops and trousers? What to see? and what to miss? And just to hear from someone who has experienced Disney Magic at Xmas...
I'm really interested in everyones ideas on how to spend Christmas Day. I'd love it to be really special for the children (3 boys and a 5 year old niece) and my parents (65ish and getting younger by the day) it will be the first visit for the grandparents.

 

[WDWfan uk]

Hi there Jackie ! Welcome to the DIS!

I'm afraid you are going to need a little of everything - every year the weather in December/January seems to vary SO much I would be prepared for anything so that you aren't caught out.

In EPCOT you have the Candlelight Processional - there is a Candlelight Processional Dinner package which gets you into a reserved section of the show. The tickets are not on sale for that yet, then there is a Tree Lighting Ceremony there and Must Sees in EPCOT are the Canopy Of Lights and the Gingerbread House in the American Adventure.

In the Magic Kingdom, there's Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party ( you'll see that abbreviated to MVMCP on the boards).

Downtown Disney is beautifully decked out and has carollers etc,

The only thing missing this year is the Osborne Spectacle Of Lights in MGM Studios - they are rehabbing the part of the Studios where the lights are usually displayed as they create another major attraction.

Then there's the Disney resorts all decked out - are you staying in a Disney resort or off-site? If you have a car, I know those who visit around this time always recommend a drive round the residential areas just to see the house decorations!

 

[WDWfan uk]

Me again

I'm just popping this onto UK Trip Planning Jackie - if you need any help with anything boardwise please don't hesitate to send me a Private Message !

 

[jackiesquirrel]

Thanks for the great and quick advice. This is a really brilliant site. Wished I'd discovered it years ago.

Any more ideas on Xmas, especially plans for Xmas day itself would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks everyone.

Jackie

 

[profdsny]

Jackie, you didn't say, or may I just missed it, where you are staying. You can always do a bit of Christmas at your hotel/condo/whatever by having gifts shipped over, and by decorating your room a bit. For the real young kids, maybe a Christmas breakfast at Chef Mickey might be fun. That's at the Contemporary. Then off to the parks, maybe doing a special dinner somewhere in the park. Don't forget to make priority seatings well ahead of the date. I think most are at 120 days now, but someone can tell you for sure.
Also, Sometimes the Disney resorts have special little things that day for the young kids, if you are staying on site.

 

[vernon]

The Disney parks (particularly MK) themselves can get absolutely mobbed on xmas day. If I was to spend some of Xmas day in a park I'd probably choose SeaWorld as it does handle crowds better and is the least likely choice for people IMHO.

Depending on where you are staying ( although I'd guess a villa by your group size) you could let the kids have a big pressie opening and play with toys ( allowing a slightly more relaxed start to the day for the adults and maybe a few glasses of Bucks Fizz ) . I have the feeling last Xmas we visited a couple of shops at DTD although a visit to a waterpark for a few hours would be a very different way to spend Xmas day (if your tickets allowed it). I do know that for our xmas lunch/dinner we booked Boma's at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge. This was a great buffet (something for everyone) meal and some nice wines as well. Afterwards we wandered around the hotel a little and took a walk around watching the Zebra, Giraffe and antelope on their "Serenghetti" area. It was a relatively relaxing day but there were a couple of nice things mixed in. There are plenty of "busy" days to be had in Orlando but I prefer not to have xmas day itself as one of them.

If you wanted something special it may be possible to book an "Illuminations cruise" to watch the fireworks at Epcot ( although I'd guess these are all booked up now). I can understand the attraction of the "romantic" notion of spending Xmas day in one of the Disney themeparks but the reality of spending the day fighting with the masses and long queues for all the rides means that idea isn't for me. IMHO if you're planning to get into the parks, you HAVE to do it early, if you're offsite you run the risk of not getting in ( I believe they often have to close MK on xmas day due to capacity issues) with 7 of you there are going to be quite a few pressies to open IMHO it would be a shame to make everyone rush that part of a special day.