First Time staying during Christmas, Give it to me Straight!

[mouselike-harrier]

From what everyone is saying, it looks like we should do the parks before Christmas Day, then just do non park stuff. We will definitely enjoy ourselves with the decorations and plan on not going crazy with doing everything from A to Z. I'm currently looking into the restaurants. Thanks again for everyone's thoughts and I still will be reading anyone who still wants to post!

 

[caskar]

We have gone to WDW many times during Christmas vacation. The crowds get worse starting on Christmas day. Magic Kingdom is said to be very crowded on Christmas so we go to AK then on to Epcot at night. The most crowded day and most exciting day is at Epcot on New Years Eve. It is wall to wall people. It is so crowded it is difficult to get your cell phone to work. With that said, we love the excitement. New Years Eve is celebrated around the world so it is everyone's celebration. Parties going on in all countries with a few having dance parties! The fireworks are amazing!! We stay at BCV so walking over and back is easy and we avoid the buses! I can't imagine how crowded they must be after the fireworks.

Just try to relax and realize the parks will be crowded. Get So prepare for that and don't expect to get as many rides in. Get to parks early. Take in the beauty of the parks and resorts all decorated for Christmas. Go to the Grand Floridian and Wilderness Lodge. Sit in the GF and listen to the live music. At the WL sit by the fire. Go to VWL sit at that fireplace. Go to Fort Wilderness and take a wagon ride or walk around the campground. Campers have decorated their campers. Very impressive light displays. This is another way enjoy the season without crowds.

So much to do besides the parks.

Have fun!

 

[Deb & Bill]

Do you plan on using your own park admission or trying to use his guest passes? The parks may be blocked out during that time to use Guest Passes.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I have read that early december is better in terms of crowds. We are planning to go from Nov 29-Dec 10. Can anyone comment on this time frame?

The crowds overall are lower, but that is one of the highest demand times of year to book DVC. Book your home resort at 11 months and have low expectations on switching at 7 months.

 

[gmboy95]

we have done christmas eve through new years day on a bunch of occasions....its all in the mindset...i would avoid magic kingdom on christmas day. However Epcot and the candlelight processional on Christmas day is second to none. It is also great on Christmas eve!.....If you have the mindset that it is going to be crowded then you will be OK. Use rope drop as your friend, extra magic hours, etc......Its my favorite time to visit Disney by a mile!

 

[gmboy95]

Oh and it sucks now, that i can no longer afford to by an annual pass that will allow me to go to Disney at Christmas....I feel better

 

[Madame]

We went last Christmas vacation Dec 20-27. We had a blast.

I had all our ADRs set up & we were in MK on Dec 24th in the morning and the 26th all day. Lots of people, but more good cheer & patience that we experience in Aug, probably because it wasn't as hot (although it was hot, just not melt your face off hot).

We were at CBR & had less bussing issues than on our Aug or Mar trips too. You'll have a great time!!

 

[gdrj]

We have gone at XMAS a few times. The days leading up to XMAS were less busy that I thought they would be. On XMAS eve we did BOMA and thoroughly enjoyed it. Also in regards to TIW, I did have success using at some restaurants on blackout dates, it wont hurt to give them the card and see what happens.

 

[chris springer]

We went the first full week of December in 2014, it was fantastic!! Sure there were people, but it didn't seem to be as crowded and the parks were much less congested. Enjoy it and have fun!

 

[ParkHoppers]

I have read that early december is better in terms of crowds. We are planning to go from Nov 29-Dec 10. Can anyone comment on this time frame?

This has always been our favorite time of year at DIsney World. All the Christamas decorations are up and crowds are not that bad. Plus it falls within the timeframe that your points go the furthest.

 

[ErinC]

We were there for Christmas last year. We are tied to a school schedule so we always do Disney with crowds. I won't repeat what others have already said, but I did want to mention that late evenings at the park are the best. We are not rope drop people. Between the time change, three teenage daughters, and it's my vacation and I refuse to use an alarm clock, we just can't do rope drop. If your kids can handle it, there is nothing like the parks at midnight. We've stayed at MK many times til 1am or 2am closings. You can ride without wait and multiple times. We love our late nights. Just go and enjoy all the little things. Have a great time. I know for me the early shopping and wrapping allowed me to actually enjoy Christmas Eve and eating at a Disney restaurant means I'm not cooking or cleaning. Maybe even get to avoid some crazy family members for the year(did I actually just type that?).

 

[Deb & Bill]

With the changes to APs and holidays being blocked out, the earlier days in December might be a bit more crowded.

 

[nicki.momof3]

We go every year Christmas week and we LOVE it. The parks are so festive and joyful. Yes it is crowded but it is so much better then the hot summer. People just are happier and less cranky when it is not hot and humid.

This is our daily plan:
Hit hte parks at opening or within an hor
Ride our favorites until 11am
Eat lunch in the park
Go back to the resort and rest and hang at pool
Have a dinner ADR at 5:30-6:30 near the evening park
Go to the park until about 11pm - us FP in evenings when crowds are heavier and also catch evening fireworks and shows.

We have gone the last 10 Christmas breaks and we have NEVER experenced a park closure. Maybe we time it right - I don't know.

 

[DonnaL]

Agree with what most have said. We have made a decision as a family to never go during Christmas week again because of the crowd level. With that said, I understand your wanting to be with your DS over Christmas, but, I would definitely not plan to be in any park after the 22nd. As other posters have said, plan for a relaxing resort vacation, enjoying the amenities of the resort hotels. As for Christmas dinner, if you have a 1 or 2 bdrm at AKV you will have a full kitchen. If you don't mind cooking a meal why not cook dinner in your villa? We love some of the table service restaurants Disney has to offer, but, I don't think during the extremely busy, crowded holidays are the optimum time to enjoy them to the full extent. CM's are usually not at their best because they are working so many hours, food is usually not at it's best because of the crowds and trying to accommodate/feed so many people in a short amount of time. Just my opinion.....but fighting the Christmas crowds one time was enough for us.....we'll visit the parks in early December and not have the frustration of walking shoulder to shoulder everywhere.

 

[tgropp]

We go every year Christmas week and we LOVE it. The parks are so festive and joyful. Yes it is crowded but it is so much better then the hot summer. People just are happier and less cranky when it is not hot and humid.

This is our daily plan:
Hit hte parks at opening or within an hor
Ride our favorites until 11am
Eat lunch in the park
Go back to the resort and rest and hang at pool
Have a dinner ADR at 5:30-6:30 near the evening park
Go to the park until about 11pm - us FP in evenings when crowds are heavier and also catch evening fireworks and shows.

We have gone the last 10 Christmas breaks and we have NEVER experenced a park closure. Maybe we time it right - I don't know.

This is exactly the plan one should use!!

 

[clm10308]

We went dec 22-Jan1 a few years ago. We enjoyed it so much that we have just made reservations to go back this Christmas.
We stayed at Magic Kingdom one night until about 2am. We rode as many rides from 11pm to 2am as we usually ride in 2 days at MK.
We did the Candlight Processional on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, we did avoid the parks. We had a late breakfast at Chef Mickey's then visited several hotel lobbies.

 

[staceymay00]

So my DS will be in the DCP during Christmas, and even though we probably won't get to see him much, at least I'll be in the same vicinity as him for Christmas. We have always avoided Christmas week like the plague. We will be staying on points at AKV from the 22nd-27th. So, what are we in for and what days are best to go into the parks? Christmas dinner ideas? I know we will be park hopping on the 22nd, but not sure of anything after that. We will be buying a TIW since that saves us a lot of money with a family of 4. Could use as much advice as you want to give. Thanks!

Be aware that TiW has blackout dates. Usually it can not be used anywhere on holidays, or during certain busy periods at some restaurants (if I recall correctly - please verify current rules). We stopped getting TiW for this reason because we often visit during holidays and could not use it half the time.

I love WDW at Christmas. This past year we visited Dec. 21-28. We've been once before during the week leading up to and including Christmas. We've also been after Christmas through New Years. It is crowded the entire two weeks of Christmas break, but in my experience crowds are worse after Christmas. The parks open early and stay open late. We take advantage of the early openings a few times each trip, and definitely take advantage of FP. Managing expectations is important, however it is most definitely possible to take in more than a few attractions if you plan accordingly and take advantage of FP, early openings and/or late closings. Our Christmas trips have all been at OKW and we've never had any trouble with buses. I actually think we've waited less at Christmas because WDW has everything operating at maximum capacity. This past trip we ate at 'Ohana on Christmas Eve, and I think Olivia's on Christmas Day. We also ate at Biergarten and Teppan Edo that trip and had no issues with service or long waits (ADRs were made long in advance, although did have some luck shifting things a bit after original reservations were booked). I recommend a meal at Sanaa since you'll be at AKV. We've had good luck with MK on Christmas Eve (arrived early for 7am or 8am opening, back to resort in the afternoon, and then back to MK for late closing), as well as AK on Christmas Day in the late afternoon/evening hours. I would not hesitate to go back at Christmas. Hope your family has a fun trip.

 

[gracelrm]

We've been a couple of times recently over the Christmas holiday. The key for us, as stated by others, is to hit the park early. Last year we left our room one hour before park opening each morning (using Disney transportation) and we were able to do just about everything we wanted to do. Most days we were out of the park by 1:00 or 2:00 p.m. We went to Magic Kingdom one day on an early entry day - left our room by 6:00 a.m. for a 7:00 am early entry, we were in the park by 6:45 and did SDMT and five or six other rides and sat down to eat breakfast around 8:15 and the park still was practically empty.

When we were walking to the bus stop in the pitch, black dark - it was funny to be headed to a park for entry in the dark. We were near another family and our teenagers were complaining because by our usual time zone - it was 5:00 am and they were waiting for a park bus. The other family said it was 4:00 am in their home time zone. The crazy things we do for a great Disney trip!

 

[Harlemgirl720]

Stayed this past Christmas Eve to New Years. We had a great time. We went to MK on Christmas Day around 7am. Went on a lot of rides. Had breakfast at crystal palace. Left the park before noon. Enjoyed the pool at Polynesian. Had dinner at ESPN zone to catch basketball games. Used boardwalks community hall. We spent less time at the parks and enjoyed the aminities. It's was 80-90s the whole stay until we left on January 2nd.

I booked early morning fast passes so we could leave the parks early.