Everything you need to know about WDW Christmas- Tips & Secrets

[DoBug]

Thank you -That's great news. We will be staying at WL for the first time. And we have dinner reserv one nite at Cal Grill so can do the monorail loop to see GF at nite.

I have a dinner reserv at Flying Fish so we could see Yacht and Beach club that nite but not sure how much time I'll get since have to drag DH and DS away from Epcot for that. Would it be worth it to try and visit Swan and Dolphin and Boardwalk too maybe after a morning at DHS?

 

[D&D's Mom]

oops...posted on wrong thread

 

[Robindianne]

Wow what a great thread! I've searched and read what I found about breakfast and now I have more questions. I want to plan a memorable (perhaps beginning of a new tradition?) Christmas breakfast. At home we just have pop n fresh cinnamon rolls and juice and coffee while we do stockings. What to do?

Characters: me 50
DH 60
DS 28
DDIL 27

Staying at home resort Kidani in a 1 bdrm
We have a 5:30 pm sleigh ride booked at wilderness lodge campground and a 9:15 dinner booked at the Wave.
Do you have suggestions for a memorable breakfast?

Thanks in advance. Oh, btw, DS and DDIL have never been to the World!

 

[BDL]

Wow what a great thread! I've searched and read what I found about breakfast and now I have more questions. I want to plan a memorable (perhaps beginning of a new tradition?) Christmas breakfast. At home we just have pop n fresh cinnamon rolls and juice and coffee while we do stockings. What to do?

Characters: me 50
DH 60
DS 28
DDIL 27

Staying at home resort Kidani in a 1 bdrm
We have a 5:30 pm sleigh ride booked at wilderness lodge campground and a 9:15 dinner booked at the Wave.
Do you have suggestions for a memorable breakfast?

Thanks in advance. Oh, btw, DS and DDIL have never been to the World!

For a comfy cozy breakfast, you can't beat the Kona Cafe and order either the Tonga Toast or the macadamia nut and pineapple pancakes. I never had either of them until my last trip to The World, last December. And I can tell you... for future trips, I don't think I'll be able to leave FL without partaking of them at least once during my vacations. I have heard good things about Boma's breakfast too.

But if you want to shoot for the moon, you can try to get the Princess Breakfast at Akershus

 

[Robindianne]

For a comfy cozy breakfast, you can't beat the Kona Cafe and order either the Tonga Toast or the macadamia nut and pineapple pancakes. I never had either of them until my last trip to The World, last December. And I can tell you... for future trips, I don't think I'll be able to leave FL without partaking of them at least once during my vacations. I have heard good things about Boma's breakfast too.

But if you want to shoot for the moon, you can try to get the Princess Breakfast at Akershus

Thanks for the good ideas.

 

[BigDogDaddy]

any discounts yet for the week before Christmas? We've been looking and waiting for our Disney Visa to send us a pin, but nothing yet.

Should we just make our reservations now to allow us to make our dinner reservations and hope the Free Dining or Room Discount comes later? If so, does Disney happily 'adjust' our booking or do we have to beg?

Thanks.

 

[smidgy]

any discounts yet for the week before Christmas? We've been looking and waiting for our Disney Visa to send us a pin, but nothing yet.

Should we just make our reservations now to allow us to make our dinner reservations and hope the Free Dining or Room Discount comes later? If so, does Disney happily 'adjust' our booking or do we have to beg?

Thanks.

this is a common question.

if you make a reservation now, you can make ADRs 180 days out, plus 10. otherwise, you can still make ADRs 180 days out (just NOT plus 10)

it does SEEM lke Disney "adjusts" your reservation, since you get the same reservation number. but having a reservation at XXX resort now, does NOT guarantee you the same reservation for free dining. there will be an alloted # of rooms at various resorts for the free dining promo(IF it comes out). if there are rooms available in the "free dining" block at the resort where you are already reserved, they will "adjust" your reservation. but haveing a reservation does not "guarnatee" one at the same resort with that particular promo when it comes out. (example, : Movies often is not available for some promos) OR even tho you may have a room reserved at , say POFQ, the rooms blocked out for that promo might be gone. KWIM?

in fact , the more rooms reserved, the less chances they will extend the free dining promo.

 

[minniebride]

Sorry if this has been answered already, 67 pages is a ton to try and sort through. What, if anything, special is done at the resorts on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? I thought I'd read somewhere a few years ago that the characters and/or Santa sometimes visit the resorts. Is this the deluxe resorts only? I'm playing with the idea of finally doing a trip for Christmas this year, and wouldn't want to miss any special happenings at the resort.

I have been trying to figure this out as well, but still no luck

I heard rumors that they have had Carolers in some of the MK resorts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. I also heard rumors that either Santa or some of the characters do meet & greets in all of the lobbies (even value resorts!) on Christmas Day. These are all rumors though, I haven't heard anything confirmed from someone who has been.

 

[KJMAX1]

I have been trying to figure this out as well, but still no luck

I heard rumors that they have had Carolers in some of the MK resorts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. I also heard rumors that either Santa or some of the characters do meet & greets in all of the lobbies (even value resorts!) on Christmas Day. These are all rumors though, I haven't heard anything confirmed from someone who has been.

I could be wrong, and Im sure if I am someone here will let you know....but I thought at the GF they put a stocking on your door for Christmas morning?

 

[minniebride]

I could be wrong, and Im sure if I am someone here will let you know....but I thought at the GF they put a stocking on your door for Christmas morning?

Really?? Wow, that is so much fun!! I wonder if all MK deluxes do that....we will be at WL (CL level).

 

[Ghosts64]

We've been down for the past 4 Christmas weeks, last year Port Orleans Riverside lobby had Santa there for a while.

 

[loribell]

Does anyone know how much, if any, the hours will change the week before and after Christmas? We haven't been since 2006 but it seems like at least part of the time the parks were open at 7 am. Maybe I am just dreaming that though!

Thanks!

 

[BDL]

I have posted this on the Official December 2011 thread and that I'd post it here as a caveat.

From http://www.popwarner.com/superbowl/pop.asp


"The 2011 Pop Warner Super Bowl and National Cheer & Dance Championships will take place from Saturday, December 3rd through Saturday, December 10th at ESPN Wide World of Sports™ Complex."

 

[KR1343]

I have posted this on the Official December 2011 thread and that I'd post it here as a caveat.

From http://www.popwarner.com/superbowl/pop.asp


"The 2011 Pop Warner Super Bowl and National Cheer & Dance Championships will take place from Saturday, December 3rd through Saturday, December 10th at ESPN Wide World of Sports™ Complex."

Does anyone know if it is busier during this time? I have found a calendar and it says the week of Dec 4 is one of the quieter weeks?
thanks

 

[lurkyloo]

I think the old theory that the first two weeks in December are a nice, quiet time to go to WDW is outdated—not just because of Pop Warner, but due to all the Disney fan community events that go on the second week and just generally people getting wise to the "lower pricing + Christmas decorations" combo. We were shocked at how crowded it was during that period on our last trip. I mean, OK, it's not like spring break, but it's certainly much busier than in the real off season, like early February or September, and even more crowded than when I've been in May.

Pop Warner generally only affects the All-Star resorts. Do a search for it on the DIS and you'll turn up scads of threads on the subject.

 

[C&OsMommy]

Does anyone know if it is busier during this time? I have found a calendar and it says the week of Dec 4 is one of the quieter weeks?
thanks

I went the second week of December and the second week of January and it was WAY more crowded in December (it did overlap with Pop Warner and was a free dining/promo week). We did luck out in January and the decorations were still up b/c there was a cold snap and it was too cold for the workers to take them down overnight.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

I think the old theory that the first two weeks in December are a nice, quiet time to go to WDW is outdated—not just because of Pop Warner, but due to all the Disney fan community events that go on the second week and just generally people getting wise to the "lower pricing + Christmas decorations" combo. We were shocked at how crowded it was during that period on our last trip. I mean, OK, it's not like spring break, but it's certainly much busier than in the real off season, like early February or September, and even more crowded than when I've been in May.

Pop Warner generally only affects the All-Star resorts. Do a search for it on the DIS and you'll turn up scads of threads on the subject.

I agree. We go every other year to WDW this week and over the last decade it has decidedly gotten more crowded. Pop has never been a factor except for a rare "cheering in line" phenomena.

 

[Grandmouse]

I think the old theory that the first two weeks in December are a nice, quiet time to go to WDW is outdated—not just because of Pop Warner, but due to all the Disney fan community events that go on the second week and just generally people getting wise to the "lower pricing + Christmas decorations" combo. We were shocked at how crowded it was during that period on our last trip. I mean, OK, it's not like spring break, but it's certainly much busier than in the real off season, like early February or September, and even more crowded than when I've been in May.

Pop Warner generally only affects the All-Star resorts. Do a search for it on the DIS and you'll turn up scads of threads on the subject.

Very definitely higher crowds-- the folks at Disney have been promoting this as "quiet" time but it isn't any longer. I was there in 2003 and 2009 and the increase in guests from 2003 to 2009 was very high.

It isn't just All-Stars that are affected, POR was the over-flow resort for Pop Warner in 2009 and I wished I could have gone to another resort (not possible at the time). It was awful.

 

[Mercenary]

Besides the 7 dwarfs are there any other special character greetings at the party?

As far as I know it changes every year. The dwarfs were out at the Halloween Party and not the Christmas Party. Everyone was dressed in Holiday gear. Belle and Beast rotated with Snow White and her prince by the end to the old sky ride. Lilo and Stitch were in an old restaurant that is not normally open in Adventureland. Some of the Country Bears were out and they were riding the Magic Carpets with kids. Then the princesses all had their princes in Toon Town so I would assume they would again in their new home. It was Belle and Cinderella.

This all changed last year... The dwarfs were out at the old sky ride, belle and beast were moved under the tent... Who knows what they will do this year. Dont forget Genie and Abu! (next to the Lilo and Stitch M&G) Also since they took Flynn out he will make his appearances at the parties with Rapunzel.

 

[Chicago Mo]

we are going to Disney November 13-19 going to the party. but will most of hte decorations be up? santa be around? all the fun stuff everyone is talking about will it be there at this time?