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

[mouselike-harrier]

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!

 

[buzzrelly]

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!

Sorry, I can't help but I'm following along because I am thinking of going during Christmas maybe in 2017.

Also, I'm curious how the choir gets picked for the DCP? I went last December (early December) and saw it and those kids were AMAZING! I came back and told DD that she would love that. Really cool that your DS gets to do it!!

 

[Tigger031266]

Sorry, I can't help but I'm following along because I am thinking of going during Christmas maybe in 2017.

Also, I'm curious how the choir gets picked for the DCP? I went last December (early December) and saw it and those kids were AMAZING! I came back and told DD that she would love that. Really cool that your DS gets to do it!!

Sorry, I can't help but I'm following along because I am thinking of going during Christmas maybe in 2017.

Also, I'm curious how the choir gets picked for the DCP? I went last December (early December) and saw it and those kids were AMAZING! I came back and told DD that she would love that. Really cool that your DS gets to do it!!

 

[Tigger031266]

We go every year at Christmas. Its where most of our family lives now days.

Its great as long as you never go to a park and don't do the meal plan and don't drive anywhere. The 22nd should be ok, it gets worse as you get closer to Christmas. Seriously, they close to parks around noon to any non Disney hotel guests. Its not the place to be. Make this a vacation of using the great accommodations that DVC has to offer. Go to the Community hall, swimming and play a little tennis, rent bikes. Watch a movie and relax a bit. Plan some Christmas stuff (presents, church....). Play games and watch the fireworks from the safety of your hotel.

Use the non-meal plan restaurants to stay away from the crazies. The food is better, the service is better and you dont need a dang reservation to eat at a time your not hungry for.

We have family that works for Disney and they can get us in to the parks for free (the greatest Disney employee benefit). Not during Christmas week, its blacked out and we are certainly not going to pay $300 to get into a packed park. You know the routine, if you really want to do the parks, get there before it opens and wait and wait and walk and walk and you can get on the 1 to 2 rides you want. Trust me, try the relaxing vacation for this one.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Christmas is all about expectations.

Expect crowds. Even at AK. If you want to go to MK on the 24th-26th be sure to have an in-park ADR in case they start phasing closures. Do not expect to enjoy personal space anywhere.

As far as Christmas dinner, I would avoid leaving the resort and enjoy something at AKV; Boma or Sanaa both have options for you. On-property traffic is jammed all day.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

We go every year at Christmas. Its where most of our family lives now days.
Its great as long as you never go to a park and don't do the meal plan and don't drive anywhere.

Alrighty then!

 

[poison ivy]

We've gone last minute for Christmas twice over the past 3 yrs.
Spread your time out to include visiting/enjoying the resorts.

AK is beautiful you will love the resort and tree! They have a holiday schedule. don't miss the choir if they're there.
The Grand Floridian is a must see!

Early am is always the best strategy if you want to go to the parks. My routine has been to utilize FP+ with limited time in any park.
Just be prepared to leave. I've read rope drop Christmas morning at MK may have lower crowds.

We've done the Candlelight processional dinner pkg on Christmas and Christmas Eve which was mobbed but really special.
We were able to easily incorporate some family traditions with great dining resv. and even attend mass Christmas day.

 

[Cinderpamela]

We went for 10 days over Christmas break and had a great time.... be sure and have reservations for meals (you can always cancel the day before if you change your mind) as dining can be crazy.... dine during off hours such as 11 am for lunch and 4 pm for dinner...

A friend who was also there and staying at AK said the buses were often a 2 hour wait from that resort.... so if you can have a car.... or get a rental if you want to avoid that.

We rope dropped every morning and then went back and relaxed in the room in the afternoon when things in the parks got really busy. Then went back in the evening.

Easy WDW and WDW Prep School both have a great crowd chart on which park to go to for which day.... I followed that and we had a great time. The one day I didn't have dining reservations ( I had decided to have a tbd schedule for that day) I really regretted it. I did notice that Easy WDW does not have their chart up yet for December.... so maybe check out WDW Prep.

Christmas Day we went to the "least crowded park" which was listed as AK for that year (according to Easy WDW) and even that park closed to new admittance by noon. After we did all we wanted to do that morning in the park we went back to our hotel and relaxed.

For Christmas dinner we had reservations for Raglan Road. It was a fun atmosphere, but more loud with all the dancing and such. Liberty Tree Tavern would also be nice, or Narcosee.

Tables in WOnderland was great- and as someone stated above the servers were always happy when we mentioned that we had TIW (instead of the dining plan), I think they must get so tired of having to explain to folks what they can and cannot have on the DP.

 

[BillPA]

Good luck!!!

 

[lisaviolet]

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!

First, have a wonderful holiday.

_____________________________________________________

A few points - the TIW is not available on two days during your stay Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Just wanted to make sure you knew that. And certain restaurants are blocked out almost your entire stay.

I have been during the holidays quite a few times. And I just loved it. I do not find the crowds as crazy as some people do; I guess it is different perspectives on crowd levels. And even if you do I feel that the energy, which is beyond beautiful, makes up for it.

One holiday stay, I walked with absolute ease on Christmas Day around Epcot. However, there was a huge east coast storm that unfortunately made a lot of people cancel their plans at WDW.

I do find that Christmas crowds a la pre-the day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are much lower than the 26th into NYE. There is no argument here that the crowds are crazy that week. But once again for me the energy is spectacular all around you; so it makes up for that.

I will try to find one of my Christmas TRs that has pictures of Christmas Day crowds.

http://www.disboards.com/threads/bw...nished-with-picture-overload-the-end.2626545/
(Here is one. I totally ramble so the Christmas crowd shot at Epcot is on page 10. And I think this one was my first Christmas holidays there. Beyond magical Christmas Eve and a great EMH. For your help though I do remember getting out of the MK on Christmas Eve was an experience!)

Meals - I have done take out - don't ask NBA schedule and I've done Trail's End at FW. It was okay. I can't remember what I did on my last Christmas!

Be excited. You should be! Just take time just to hang out.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

We actually really enjoyed our Disney trip last Christmas, we are even doing it again this year and staying longer, so it couldn't have been too bad! I agree with the previous poster that said it's all about expectations. The crowds are incredible that time of year and you can't get anywhere fast. Our parks strategy was to arrive well before rope drop everyday. We avoided Disney transportation and drove our own car. Several days they even opened the park earlier than they posted. For example, on our Epcot day, they let everyone in 30 minutes earlier than posted and had Test Track and Soarin open. We were almost always out of the parks by 12:00, and enjoyed our resort amenities and the quietness of our resort. My latest trip report in my signature has a report of the trip if you want to read more.

 

[lisaviolet]

Christmas is all about expectations.

This.

 

[lisaviolet]

Oh and I don't know if I missed this in another post. But weather. It can be hot and it can be beyond crazy cold. All in one vacation. I live in Toronto and one thinks that is cold. But there is nothing, I repeat nothing like the cold in the south.

 

[cvjw]

We stayed at Jambo House this past January 3rd - 7th - during the last of the holiday crowds and the start of the Marathon weekend. The parks were still packed, but we had no problems with the buses. Hope you have the same bus karma during your stay.

 

[mouselike-harrier]

Also, I'm curious how the choir gets picked for the DCP? I went last December (early December) and saw it and those kids were AMAZING! I came back and told DD that she would love that. Really cool that your DS gets to do it!!

Sorry I should have been more explicit. DCP = Disney College Program. I know TIW won't work for the 24th and 25th, but it sure will help on the other days. I really appreciate everyone's feedback. I think we may do the parks up to and Christmas Day and then do other things when it gets really insane. I think we will be able to use his tickets on the 22nd, maybe... I didn't think about the buses, but I may just "borrow" his (our) car back while we are there. Never occurred to me. Sounds awful, but we are starting with low expectations re. the crowds because of all the horror pictures and stories we saw posted so it can only go up! Hey just being in Disney will be great and we always like resort hopping to see all the decorations. Keep your tips coming, they've been helping even with the Disney "pro".

 

[gabriellyn]

Sorry I should have been more explicit. DCP = Disney College Program. I know TIW won't work for the 24th and 25th, but it sure will help on the other days. I really appreciate everyone's feedback. I think we may do the parks up to and Christmas Day and then do other things when it gets really insane. I think we will be able to use his tickets on the 22nd, maybe... I didn't think about the buses, but I may just "borrow" his (our) car back while we are there. Never occurred to me. Sounds awful, but we are starting with low expectations re. the crowds because of all the horror pictures and stories we saw posted so it can only go up! Hey just being in Disney will be great and we always like resort hopping to see all the decorations. Keep your tips coming, they've been helping even with the Disney "pro".

Don't worry - we typically go during this time of year (including this year) and we always have fun! Rarely do we have issues with bus service - that has actually improved a lot over the years IMO, so we typically never wait more than 20 minutes although occasionally we do have to stand instead of sit (and we always give up our seats for those that look like they could use it.) We usually get the ADR's we want, the FP's we want, even with some last minute trips we've scheduled! The only real difference is the crowds in the parks - narrow walkways can get pretty tight during this time of year and sometimes the bus takes a bit of time due to traffic (New Year's is the worst!)

Regarding the weather - yep, it can get wacky. We've frozen on one day and then jumped in the pools two days later. Wacky.

Relax - you'll have a GREAT time!

 

[jeepnjudy]

We go every year at Christmas. Its where most of our family lives now days.

Its great as long as you never go to a park and don't do the meal plan and don't drive anywhere.

My response was going to be ...busy, busy, busy!!

 

[dgaston]

My late DH was a HS teacher and our family has survived 9 Christmas weeks at WDW. Although at the time we were points poor, and we stayed off property at Windsor Hills or Windsor Palms for expensive points times like holidays, we would plan to order a dinner from Publix and add our own favorites to create our special holiday dinner. In our case that was a special stuffing and a sweet potato recipe. We also avoided MK on Christmas, watching their fireworks on the day before, or from the Polynesian beach. We also created a tradition of judging the gingerbread houses in the deluxe hotels and employing as many forms of transportation as we could on Christmas Day. As an earlier poster said adjust your expectations. Perhaps plan to see a movie during your stay at Disney Springs, take advantage of special offerings at Jambo and Kidani like the art tours, and if weather allows do a water park day.

 

[chris springer]

We stayed 12/27/15-1/2/2016 and it was everything that was expected. ALOT of people, long wait times but most importantly we had fun. As I said it was expected, so don't think you will be able to do everything you want to because you won't. Planning is imperative, more so then normal since the crowds are bigger. Bottom line is, have fun and enjoy the Christmas theme!

 

[stratus]

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?