Disney in December?

[indiesgirl4ever]

Hello, we were looking at a trip to WDW in December, from 16-22. How crowded will it be? Has anyone gone during this time and enjoyed themselves. I know there may and probably will be crowds since its so close to Christmas. How is the weather during that time? Tips for tripping in December? Thanks!

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Went that time last year and doing it again this year. Crowds are medium during this period and right after you leave the place will be packed!

Weather can vary from spring like to somewhat cool. Be prepared to dress in layers and peel off/add on as you progress though the day. Don't forget both shorts and hats!

The decorations are really nice.

Because it is not oppressively hot like it is in June/July/Aug, you will have more energy to hit the rides and take in the sights. Afternoon ferry rides/boat rides seem more appealing in the afternoons than when the heat index hovered around 100 degrees.

It would be a worthwhile trip to take.......Enjoy!

 

[Blueline]

during December its normally packed, but I've always gone for Christmas (couple days before and after). They have a light shew sort of at Hollywood studios that is defiantly worth going to see!

 

[jcb]

DD and I went roughly these same dates last year. We drove down on Thursday and returned on Wednesday. Friday was very low for crowds but that was probably because it was rainy weather. Saturday before Christmas the crowds picked up considerably and by late morning lines for popular attractions were long. Getting to the Parks when they opened and then relaxing mid-day made it very enjoyable.

Weather was fabulous (including the day it rained )

 

[indiesgirl4ever]

OK, so its safe to say that we wouldn't be wasting our money if we went during this time?(The only reason i say this is of crowds and enjoying ourselves.) one more question for you awesome people, is the disney dining plan worth it? which one would you suggest?

 

[Nicole&Becker]

I have not yet been in the time frame you are talking. Our next trip is november 29th-December 7th this year. So we will see. From a dining stand point, everything is booked for our trip already so I don't know.

As far as the Dining Plans go, we love them! We went to WDW on our honeymoon and didn't know squat about what we were doing. We did not have a dining plan and we stayed off site. We were not able to get any food other than quick service food because we didn't know you had to reserve things in advance and honestly we didn't bring enough money with us to eat at any of those places anyway. So we didn't eat very well that trip and always felt really bogged down because of the greasy food.

Our second trip we went with our kids and did the Deluxe Dining Plan because we all have weird food issues and like being able to sit down for meals. We loved being on the dining plan and having all our food pretty much paid for. We were able to eat where ever we wanted really (I reserved 90% of our meals that trip ahead of time). I am sure we didn't really get all the savings we could have with it, but it was really nice to have the peace of mind to know our meals were already paid for. I am sure you can do a similar thing by just saving up, but I really liked just doing the meal plan.

This year we are doing the Deluxe Dining Plan again and are really excited about it. We are still getting a few things delivered from Garden Grocer that we know we won't be able to get in the parks, but other than that we are really happy that we won't have to worry about finding good food to eat.

Just our experience. This will only be our third trip so I am sure some people who have gone more often will be able to chime in more. But that is our experience. We likely won't ever stay off site again and won't go without a dining plan just because that is what we like best.

 

[pooh4evr]

You should be OK - it will be a bit more crowded than it would be a few days earlier- usually the christmas crowds hit the weekend befor the 25th - before that weekend Dec is a great month to visit, we have had minimal wait times for most attractions even the big ones (20 min or less without fast pass -except TSM) and the weather while variable is great!

 

[DisneyRookie2007]

Hello, we were looking at a trip to WDW in December, from 16-22. How crowded will it be? Has anyone gone during this time and enjoyed themselves. I know there may and probably will be crowds since its so close to Christmas. How is the weather during that time? Tips for tripping in December? Thanks!

You need to be making advanced dining reservations ASAP if you intend to have any sit-down meals at the nicer restaurants

 

[chrisc88]

We have attended around that time for the last few trips and it is now the only time of year we go. Crowds can be a bit heavy but it is so festive and the weather is usually great that we really don't care. Planning on being there in December 2011.