Disney World at Christmas

[cchevela1023]

Hey all. Been to Disney World several times. I've managed planning for my wife, 2 boys and myself. Always have a wonderful time.

This year, my in-laws surprised my wife's whole family with a trip to Disney World. The catch? It's 12/29 - 1/4 -- Christmas/New Year's time. While we are extremely happy to be going to Disney World, it's not the time period I would pick, but...it's a free trip, so I'm not complaining to much lol.

So...with that, we have the package reservations made and all the dining reservations made. Big thanks to our awesome travel agent. My question for everyone is what to expect at each of the 4 parks? We use touringplans whenever we go and they help a lot. We will be planning to use them for this trip. What will the holiday crowds be like in the parks? Any specific tips/suggestions on being at the parks during this time period?

Thanks everyone.

 

[richmo]

I'm not going to give you specifics because I haven't done it myself, but just think how awesome it'll be to see Disney decorated for Christmas and just to get away from the Michigan winter. Everything will be so bright and green in Florida.

As you're already aware, the place will be crowded. You're staying til the 4th, so it might be a little quieter towards the end of your trip (I know my kids go back to school on the 2nd). Don't dwell on the crowds; take in the Christmas experience and realize that you don't have to do everything. Remember that you're at Disney and not at home freezing. I'm personally not a rope drop person, but if that's your thing, take advantage of it. Also take advantage of magic hours if you're staying onsite.

 

[buckeev]

The Christmas time is an incredible time to be at Disney! The decorations are really beautiful and we actually prefer it over any other time of year. Weather is usually very mild, but sometimes it gets pretty nippy.
Everywhere you go will be busy. Very busy. So go ahead and program yourself and family for that so it's no surprise. Even a simple task like a bathroom break will sometimes takes much longer than what you are used to during other times.
Be aware of park capacity closures, they will likely occur on 1-2 of your days, so rope drops might be the best plan for those days.
The crowds will lighten up bait on the 3rd and 4th, but still busy.
We are gonna be there from the 29th through the 6th, and will be wading through the masses with y'all!
Where are y'all staying?

 

[Traveliz]

I have done it many times. With a group that is traveling and wants to accomplish attractions, shows etc it is imperative that you arrive before park opening....now pretend I said that sentence three times...it is that important. If you are onsite take advantage of the early entry times especially for MK and secondly Hollywood Studios.

I had a group of 12 or so a couple of years ago and we did all the parks during that time. You can absolutely do it...as an example on December 27th we arrived at MK for the 7 AM opening and before 8 had done Space, Buzz, Stitch, had a Castle group photo and met the Fire Chief and had a picture with him (brother is also a fire chief). We then high tailed it over to Adventureland and did POC, got FPs for BTMR, did Jungle Cruise, Aladdin, saw the Pirate Tutorial and then moved on to Liberty Square...you get the idea. We were done with those three areas (for the most part) by 11:15, had lunch and then caught the 12:30 Christmas Parade (times are different that week). Those of us that had been many times took breaks for the afternoon but others stayed and did "easier" attractions. Met back up for dinner and did Cinderella's Castle lighting, night parade and fireworks.

Of course plans would have to be different with the new attractions but this was just to let you know how much we accomplished. Early mornings were great, crowds build and nighttime is really not good BUT you have to do it if you want the nighttime only shows/parades.

Have fun planning...and do plan.

Liz

 

[mm1971]

Hey all. Been to Disney World several times. I've managed planning for my wife, 2 boys and myself. Always have a wonderful time.

This year, my in-laws surprised my wife's whole family with a trip to Disney World. The catch? It's 12/29 - 1/4 -- Christmas/New Year's time. While we are extremely happy to be going to Disney World, it's not the time period I would pick, but...it's a free trip, so I'm not complaining to much lol.

So...with that, we have the package reservations made and all the dining reservations made. Big thanks to our awesome travel agent. My question for everyone is what to expect at each of the 4 parks? We use touringplans whenever we go and they help a lot. We will be planning to use them for this trip. What will the holiday crowds be like in the parks? Any specific tips/suggestions on being at the parks during this time period?

Thanks everyone.

The parks will be very busy most days, but if you go at RD and use FP (of course FP+ could be a factor by then as well) you should be OK. The afternoons were normally the busiest. We would get the must so's in early and then take a late lunch or return to the pool for a couple of hours. Later in the evenings are good opportunities to get on some rides quicker as well. The problem is the early mornings the next day.

Have a great trip. Being there over the holidays with everyone in a great mood is awesome!

 

[ars0525]

You are going to Disney at xmas which you know is the busiest craziest time to be there. But the great news is it's not on your dime! Enjoy the holiday, the decorations, the parks. Soak up the atmosphere. Recognize you may not do as much as you have on other trips, but that's what your next trip is for, right?

 

[Itinkso]

Take time to resort hop to see the decorations at GF, BWI, BC, and YC - amazing Gingerbread displays!

We were in the parks on Jan. 1st and 2nd and it worked out well to view the Osborne Lights after 9:00, after the second Fantasmic. There should be three showings of Fantasmic with the last one being the least crowded.

 

[dennis99ss]

I have done this exact trip, same time, same family type trip.

The parks are slammed, but, with some planning, they can be done without to much trouble. There is info about which parks are busier on the days leading up to new years. That info might be on this site, I don't recall, but look at it, and use it. Use fast pass, and plan out what you want to do ahead of time. Use the extra hours, even if it means getting up early or staying late. Make dinner ressies-they are a must if you want to sit down.

On Dec. 30 MK had a dry run of their NYE bash. Extra hours was to 3am or something. They had the same fireworks, same music piped in, etc. And, we literally hit every attraction (besides shows) rides, etc. once and many multiple times in 4-5 hours (10pm-3am). After midnight, it felt as if we were alone in the park. The only caveat is that the vendors shut down, so stock up on water etc. before extra hours start.

We hit, if I recall, AK on NYE, and it was not to bad. Other family went to MK, and it was ok in the am, but packed as the day went along. DS also gets busy in the afternoon.

Hope these ramblings help.

 

[cchevela1023]

Great info so far. Thanks!

We are staying at PO Riverside. We've stayed before and it was nice. We are getting the bayou section this time, so looking forward to the different theming. With 17 of us, this is one of the few places where you can sleep 5 in a room.

Yes, we are proponents of early morning touring as well. We'll be sure to take into account the the EMH -- I didn't think about that. We also have our touring plans set. I'm thankful not to be too much of a Disney noob for this type of trip.

Also -- thanks for the reminder on the resort decorations. I've always wanted to see the GF gingerbread house!! Saw that on Food Network last year. Ohh...we're very excited to see all the Christmas decorations. It will definitely be a new experience for my family. And for my wife's brother's family -- it will be their kids very first time at Disney, so it will be a big experience for them.

Dinner ressies all done and I can't believe we got everything we wanted LOL. This time we got - Chef Mickeys, Chefs De France, Sci Fi, Tony's, Ohana, San Angel Inn and Be Our Guest. Of those, CM, CDF and BOG will be new, so looking forward to it.

 

[chartle]

If it follows last year expect crowds throughout your trip.

With NYD so late in the week many schools will have the entire week off.

This year the MK reached one of the higher stages of closing AFTER NYD so don't let up on getting to the parks early.

 

[Angie_Ohio]

We're planning this trip for next year. So glad I can lurk around here for now. Any difference between the few days before and including Xmas and those between Xmas and New Years crowd wise. And yes indeed we know it's the busiest time but we are also are NOT noobs. Have always wanted to see the Xmas décor.

 

[chartle]

We're planning this trip for next year. So glad I can lurk around here for now. Any difference between the few days before and including Xmas and those between Xmas and New Years crowd wise. And yes indeed we know it's the busiest time but we are also are NOT noobs. Have always wanted to see the Xmas décor.

Between Xmas and NYD crowd levels go to 11. whether or not the few days before Xmas are crowded depends a little on when Xmas falls in the week but its still 10.5.

 

[RMulieri]

Because of the way the calendar falls again this year, MANY schools are out till Jan 6th.I wouldn't expect crowds to die down till the 5th

 

[cchevela1023]

Exactly Angie lol. We're going into this as dis vets, but know it will be crazy. I think this time, we'll try to slow down a little and soak in all the atomsphere.

Our schools are closed until 1/6/14 as well, so I agree, longer vacation for all this time.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

We flew home in 2007 on Christmas day. We had later flights, so we had some time to kill in the morning. I wanted to see just how crazy things were.

I still had snack credits left on my DDP and wanted one last serving of Figaro Fries. So we took the boat from the WL to the MK.

One thing I noticed is there were CMs outside every entrance to Pinocchio's Village Haus telling us "you can't go in through this door, it is exit only". There was no such restriction earlier in our trip. Then, after circling the entire restaurant, we finally found the one and only door you were allowed to enter through. Of course, here comes a guy exiting the only "in" door with a double stroller...

Fantasyland was mobbed!

After I had my Figaro Fries, we decided to take the monorail over to Epcot, just to see how it was. As the monorail passed the MK parking toll booths, I observed that they were not letting any more cars into the lot, and traffic was backed up quite a way. This was about 10 a.m.

I wanted one last ride on Mission:Space. Well, I don't remember what the posted wait time was, but it was too long for me. So we decided to take the monorail back to the TTC and make our way to the WL.

Before going up the ramp to the monorail, we had to show resort ID. Again, I have never had to do that before in all my visits to WDW. Guess if you weren't a resort guest, you weren't getting on the monorail heading towards the MK.

So you may observe these kinds of differences vs. when you normally go.

My advice: Pack your good humor and lots and lots of patience!

 

[Micca]

Lots of good advice here so far. Something that occurs to me is that keeping a group that large together in those heavy crowds is going to be crazy. Hopefully your group will be cool with splitting up into smaller groups and arranging some meet-up times.

Do you think the other members in your party have any idea how important a touring plan is going to be? Will they be willing to follow it? As the veteran guest and Dis-er, you should probably put together the plan, share it with the group, and tell them anyone who doesn't want to play along that you'll see them at the meet-up time/place. Otherwise there is going to be a lot of time spent waiting for members of your party to catch up.

Good luck & enjoy

 

[Saralyn]

We've gone between Christmas and New Year's a handful of times and it is definitely crowded. If you're not going to stay up late partying on New Year's Eve, you can get a lot done early on Jan. 1 while everyone else is sleeping it off. We got tons done in the MK on New Year's Day that way last time. Also, on New Year's Eve, you should get to your chosen park early in the day and not park hop. Last time we were there on NYE, Epcot and MK both reached capacity in the afternoon and they weren't letting anyone else in. In Epcot we saw lots of people napping on the grassy areas outside the Innoventions buildings and even in the less traveled hallways in the afternoon because they had shown up early in the day and wanted to be awake for the nighttime festivities. Also, by 11 am there was a 4-hour standby line for Soarin', so if that's a family favorite, be sure to get there first thing in the morning and get your FPs. When we got to the FP entrance at 11 am, the family in front of us was trying to get in line because they didn't notice their FPs were for 11 *pm*.

 

[cchevela1023]

Micca -- yes, tons of good info so far.

Yeah -- as the dis vet, they are all looking to me LOL! We use touring plans religiously, and I will be putting together for them. We had the same sentiment, with 17 ppl, there's NO way we are going to be in the park together. Best I can do is provide info and say we'll see you at dinner. Otherwise, no one will enjoy anything.

We plan on being at the parks 1/2 hour before opening everyday and getting as much done early as possible.

 

[Traveliz]

Micca -- yes, tons of good info so far.

Yeah -- as the dis vet, they are all looking to me LOL! We use touring plans religiously, and I will be putting together for them. We had the same sentiment, with 17 ppl, there's NO way we are going to be in the park together. Best I can do is provide info and say we'll see you at dinner. Otherwise, no one will enjoy anything.

We plan on being at the parks 1/2 hour before opening everyday and getting as much done early as possible.

There were 11 of us - which I realize is 6 less than you and I am widely recognized as the vet in my family. Anyway I put together a plan that detailed everything yet suggested that we could do our own thing and meet up for dinners and they would have none of it. It really turned out fine. In the morning we used the fast walkers as FP runners while the caregivers took little ones to the restroom etc. We did do some splitting up in the afternoons (but really leaving the park was the plan) so some did DTD, some golfed, some swam...anyway my point is none of them would have anything to do with not being with me in the parks and it worked out fine.

I did say if you weren't ready in the morning at whatever time I had for going to the bus stop then we were leaving anyway and you can catch up to the group but everyone was ready every morning. Oh and it make it fun I had silly times for leaving for the bus (like 6:13 AM, off times to keep them on their toes)
Liz

 

[bksomody]

I have done this exact trip, same time, same family type trip.

The parks are slammed, but, with some planning, they can be done without to much trouble. There is info about which parks are busier on the days leading up to new years. That info might be on this site, I don't recall, but look at it, and use it. Use fast pass, and plan out what you want to do ahead of time. Use the extra hours, even if it means getting up early or staying late. Make dinner ressies-they are a must if you want to sit down.

On Dec. 30 MK had a dry run of their NYE bash. Extra hours was to 3am or something. They had the same fireworks, same music piped in, etc. And, we literally hit every attraction (besides shows) rides, etc. once and many multiple times in 4-5 hours (10pm-3am). After midnight, it felt as if we were alone in the park. The only caveat is that the vendors shut down, so stock up on water etc. before extra hours start.

We hit, if I recall, AK on NYE, and it was not to bad. Other family went to MK, and it was ok in the am, but packed as the day went along. DS also gets busy in the afternoon.

Hope these ramblings help.

Do you remember if MK reached capacity on the 30 th?

We will be arriving on the 30 and would like to go to MK but Won't arrive until early evening. I heard some days around the holiday the park reaches capacity and turns people away. I was just wondering if a late arrival to MK on the 30 th would be an option?