Great thread! I have been to disney in 2006 for 9 days Dec. 8-16 and to
mvmcp twice! I love going in early/mid Dec.
Here are my recommendations/tips:
MK:
-See the Castle lights show. It has Cinderella and the fairygodmother. It's short and cute and the lights are unforgettable.
-Decorations and snowfall on mainstreet (so pretty at night)
Tip: Around Dec. 22nd, the stuff shown at Mvmcp is usually shown in MK during regular days with a regular park ticket!
Epcot:
-Tree lighting with characters (usually at 6pm between FW and WS).
-Candelight processional (narrarators and dates announced for 2010). Tip: Small kids (and some husbands) find this boring.
-Storytellers in each country only at Christmas. Some stories are really worth listening to.
-Illuminations holiday ending
-You can meet Santa and Mrs. Clause in America several times each day! Check the times guide.
DHS:
-Decorations
-Sometimes there is a special choir/show by the Beauty and the beast theater. (Not sure if they are returning this year).
-Osborne lights (Tip: you can see these even after Fantasmic when the park is "closed"). You may want to see these when turned on though. It's pretty cool.
AK:
-Camp Minnie Mickey has decorated trees and Santa Goofy
Characters are in their holiday outfits.
-Jingle Jungle parade
-Carolers strolling around are a nice touch.
DTD:
-Festival of the seasons (decorations and meet Santa in the marketplace).
Resorts:
-Fort Wilderness has holiday sleigh rides
-Also in FW, many campers put up xmas lights and decorations. (Although you shouldn't go out of your way to see these, if you have time and don't have anything else to do or if you are already in the area, you may want to check it out)
-Grand Floridian has gingerbread house
All resorts decorated and have Christmas trees! (The WL is gorgeous at Xmas)
Tours:
-There is a Christmas tour called the Yueltide tour. It shows you some backstage magic of Christmas at Disney. Tip: I think its only 16 and older.
Mvmcp:
Tip: Go to mvmcp on a weekday and the earlier date you choose, the better. Some parties also sell out in advance, so get your tickets early. You can buy online or over the phone and have them mailed to you before your trip.
-See the first show in tomorrowland and get there early. You may not be able to see the later shows. This happened to us. We missed it because they were all full well ahead of the scheduled time.
-The parade is unbelievable. Its my fav. parade all year and its not to be missed in my opinion. Tip: There are 2 showings of the parade. The later one is much less crowded than the first, but they are both pretty bad and you must line up early either way.
-You can also see Holiday Wishes, get cookies/cocoa for free, meet characters, watch snowfall, and see the caslte lit up in gorgeous lights.
I cannot wait to do this all again next year!
