Going to DW December 25 - January 1st -- Tell me how wonderful it was!

[montessori]

The only week I close my pre-school and kindergarten is "Christmas week".
Since we started doing this a few years ago, the timing has always worked out nicely for our Boardwalk Christmas vacation.
This year we were there from December 20th through December 25th.
We were pleasantly surprised at how uncrowded everything was. It did start getting busier the last couple of days.

Next year, Christmas is on a Saturday. I'll have to have the school closed for the week AFTER Christmas.
So we will be at DW from December 25th through January 1st. It's the first time we'll be there for New Years Eve and we're looking forward to that.

I'm just a little bit disappointed that it's going to so much busier.
We don't worry about getting on the rides.
We get up early and always arrive at the parks before opening.
We've learned to make our dinner reservations for rather late in the evening and that seems to work for us.

It sounds like I don't have much to worry about but I thought it would be nice to hear some comments from people who enjoyed being there during that time this year.

Thanks!

 

[XStAnt]

In 2002 DW and I were there from 12/22-12/27, so I know a little about Disney right before and right after Xmas. That week will have huge crowds. Usually MK closes to new guests by mid morning on Xmas day (and possibly NY's day). However, park hours are longer.

It sounds like you are a Disney vet and hitting "all the rides" or "doing everything" isn't a requirement. That's good. With that approach I think you'll have a great time.

Definitely get to the parks early. Check at your resort for opening times because they often open the parks earlier than usual that week. Also, take advantage of EMH if staying on site. This time of year is when it is most useful. Use FP and make PSs for any sit down meals. If you do that you should be able to accomplish the things you want to do.

DW and I surprisingly found people very friendly and most parents doing a wonderful job of dealing with tempermental children. In any situation with such large crowds you will find people who are nasty or can't handle the crowds. (I'm always amazed at people who go to Disney Xmas week and are SHOCKED! that they can't just walk onto Space Mountain, get a table at a restaurant right when they walk up to it during the dinner rush, or have to wait 15 minutes for a bus or monorail.) Don't let them spoil your fun.

Most people at Disney are friendly and having fun. Most CMs are busy but try their best to be friendly and helpful. I've found that when you are friendly and understanding to them, they reciprocate and sometimes go out of their way to help you if there is a problem.

With all the decorations and holiday festivities going on Disney is a lot of fun at this time of year. Magical things can happen. For example, my wife and I were on a bus returning from MGM to Poly after Fantasmic. The bus was crowded, people were tired, kids were exhausted. Almost spontaneously people on the bus started singing Xmas carols. Because it was spontaneous and unplanned it is one of my favorite memories from that trip (and I was so sick of Xmas music by then ).

Enjoy your trip, I think you'll have a blast.

 

[montessori]

thanks for the reply, XStAnt!

I do know we will have a great Christmas week in DW, no matter how many others are there celebrating with us!


It's the moments like you had on the bus that make DW vacations so wonderful!
Thanks for sharing.

 

[CamColt]

We were there from 12/20-12/29 this year and loved it! I wouldnt go after Christmas if this was a once in a lifetime trip and I wanted to do it all, but since you dont sound like thats what you have in mind, I thik youll find it wonderful too. I posted a day by day trip report of what we got done(actually a lot) if you interested in details.

 

[Deb & Bill]

It is the most crowded time of the year. We have done it several times to keep our son from missing school. But I'd rather go for the marathon instead now.

 

[disneylover61]

We were there Dec. 28th -Jan. 4th and it was VERY, VERY, VERY, crowded. WE have gone previous trips in May and October when crowds were extremely light so this was a big change for us. Our first day there we went to Epcot and headed to Test Track and were met with the longest line I have ever seen. The wait time was 180 minutes!!!! (Fast Passes had long since been used up and the machines closed) This was the case for most rides with fast passes available. We went to World Showcase and walked around and had dinner. Thankfully, I had made PS in advance for most nights so that was not an issue. We went back to Epcot New Years Eve and the crowds were as bad if not worse. We got there before opening and utilized the fast pass system and it was not too bad. We stayed until closing 1AM and the crowds at night were mind boggling. At one point were were walking throuth the World showcase and came to a complete halt ans there were so many people and no where to move. I have never seen a traffic jam of people before! It was fun to be there but I hated to think about having to get out in a hurry if there were an emergency. We heard MK closed early in the morning. We stayed on property and have heard that if the parks do close you are guaranteed admission to a park (usually Epcot). New YEars Day was crowded but not as bad and then the crowds dropped off drastically. Jan2-4 not too bad but more crowded than we are used to. We had fun (always do) but don't think we would go again this time of year.

 

[montessori]

Thank you for all the replies.
I am really not worried about the Christmas trip.
We have never had a DW vacation that was anything less than fantastic, each vacation somehow turns out even better than the one before.
I was just interested in hearing some positive input from others who manage to get the most from a Disney vacation during the most crowded times.
I've already heard all the nightmare stories...hence the title of my thread.
"Tell me how wonderful it was!"
Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

 

[funhouse8]

We just came back. Stayed from 12/29-1/9/04. Yes it's crowed but it was wonderful. They has so much going on you never have to even go on a ride. Mals your PS's asap. We used fastpasses for the rides we wanted to go on and one day in MK I was holding four fast passes at once. The kids were calling me the fastpass manic. We took the time to look around and explore what the rest of the world has to offer. Get early to the parades, see the shows and I could not believe how many character were out and about. Take some down time and check out the resort decorations. Rent mouse boats, go to Disney quest. See all the shows in Epcot. Wow I miss it there already. The weather was great, the parks were open late and we were in the most magical place in the world for NYE. You can't beat that. Gina

 

[montessori]

Originally posted by funhouse8
We just came back. Stayed from 12/29-1/9/04. Yes it's crowed but it was wonderful.
...... Wow I miss it there already. The weather was great, the parks were open late and we were in the most magical place in the world for NYE. You can't beat that. Gina

I'm glad you had a GREAT DW vacation!
My husband and I just can't ever seem to get enough of DW,
we are looking forward to our first New Years Eve there.

We're going for a 3 night weekend at The Animal Kingdom Lodge the end of this month.
Really good Annual Passholder rate that I just couldn't refuse.

Thanks for your reply!

 

[BuzzMe]

We've been visiting WDW during Christmas/New Year's for the past 7 years. While I thought this year was the most crowded, we had a terrific time. The weather was absolutely beautiful-warm temps and sunny skies(the first year I haven't had to wear long-johns, hat, and gloves!). Getting to the parks early and making use of FP is a must, but we also found that by going back to the parks later in the evening was almost like having our own "enight". We hit the parks early in the day and then spent most of one afternoon back at the hotel. We returned to the MK at around 9pm and walked onto most rides with little or no wait. We had front row "seats" for Spectro, and stayed in the park until closing at midnight-great fun!

 

[dvc guy]

We are Christmas veterans and have been there for the past 6 years. We usually go from the 21/22 thru the 26th. this year we decided to go 28-1/2. We are used to the parks being crowded, but not like this. We were at Epcot on 12/31 and it was wall to wall, including a pretty ugly bottle neck around Canada, you could not move. The holidays are fun , with long park hours. Can't wait to go back, but we will be moving back to our pre Christmas thru Christmas day.

 

[dgaston]

I have been at WDW for 3 Christmases and found this to be unusually crowded. We stayed off-site at a home in Windsor Palms and whenever we got to the parks for opening, we were able to get FP and get a lot done. If we waited until later, there were horrendous lines and very late or non-existant FP. I had made reservations for the Candlelight Processional, booked a Fantasmic Package at Hollywood and Vine, and had other PS at CRT, Ohana's, and Boma.

We had a wonderful trip. We spent much of NYE at Blizzard Beach with our nephews and then saw Sorcery in the Sky at MGM.

I think with planning and dedication to early ams, it's possible to enjoy even this very crowded time.

I know I had a terrific time with my nephews and brother and sister-in-law and my family (minus older DS23, and his girlfriend).

HTH