Help me please! (sorry, I'm longwinded)

[Pooh's Mom]

O.K., here’s the deal:

We are somewhat local and try to avoid peak times at all costs, normally. However, we have family coming for Christmas and my brother REALLY wants to do EPCOT. They aren’t getting in until Christmas Eve, so it will probably be either the 26th or 27th when we go. I know, I know, busiest time of the year! And to top it all off, my dad has decided he wants to go. Sounds great, right? Not so much. My dad is a wonderful guy, love him infinitely. But anytime I bring up Disney World he goes into a diatribe about how he hates theme parks and the crowds that go with them. So this could be a make or break situation with him. If I do it right, I can really impress him with my knowledge and he’ll be more willing to go in the future. If things don’t go well he’ll probably never agree to return.

My expectations are low. My only “must dos” as far as rides are the highlights. #1 is Test Track, as my DD3 is finally tall enough, and it’s tame enough that I think my mom will ride. #2 Mission: Space for my DH and dad (the rest of us have weak stomachs). #3 Spaceship Earth, well, just because. So if it takes all day just to do these 3 things, that’s fine. We want to take in as many of the holiday storytellers around the WS as we can. And, of course, we want to see the CP. I am not able to book a package at this time because I won’t know until the last minute how many people we have (could be as few as 6 or as many as 10). Besides, they are probably all sold out by now anyway.

So, to get to my questions:

1. Which day would be worse, the day after Christmas or a Saturday?
2. Do we stand a chance to get into the CP? Any show will do.
3. Any other tips?

Thanks so much,
Cindy

 

[Grumpy92]

Dont think Friday or Saturday is going to be any busier then the other. So I leave that too your personal preference. I would start planning for the larger of the groups that way you can make reservations and always call later to adjust them if you need too. This is a must for you right now. If you have 10 you would fall into the group dining reservations and they are very helpful.

Go ahead and call, make a PS for the CP Pkg you never know. But like I said plan for the larger group you can always change it.

Attractions: Get there early and use the fast pass option for Mission Space especially. Then the rest of you get FP for TT, as soon a the other two can get FP for TT do them as well. It will tell you on the FP Tik what the earliest time for a second fp is. Do SE later in the evening the line tends to be the longest in the morning. Casually stroll WS dont do a marathon and plan breaks. Such as a relaxing meal or sitting in the UK garden people watching while you enjoy a drink. So many shows to see.

Dont expect a group and that large/varied in age to stick together for the whole day. Give them the oppt to split up and do what they want to do. Flexibility is the key. Then meet later for dinner and share your expereinces.

As for your father find something special that really interest him and incorp. it into your schedule. This might be a garden tour or less attractions. Make it more about being with family for the holidays. Set up a family photo with a xmas background.

 

[Rileygirl]

Hi Pooh's mom

Your specific questions about christmas week, how to survive it, and how to impress your dad..... I have to tell you about tourguidemike.com..... I dont work for him please understand... but he has the absolute best planning information on this topic (personally I think he has the best planning information on all the topics!)
He tells you exactly where to be on what day to avoid crowds on the christmas week of this year.. he gives you a christmas week survival guide, and he gives you other major pertinent articles regarding...emh, candlelight processions, MVMCP, and all sorts of other stuff. It costs about 20 bucks, its an interactive vacation planner on the internet, its wrtitten by a VIP tour guide to the rich and famous, and he gives all his tips and tricks. It is a moneyback guarentee that you will love it, with no time limit. I think mousesavers.com has a discount coupon for it on right now to save 5 bucks.
His site is vast, he covers everything to how to get the best ps's to where to view the fireworks in the best spot... not the places told to you in those other guidebooks. I have one hundred percent faith that you will be jumping for joy when you read his info. One thing though, lots of people on the dis have mentioned that they find it hard to navigate at first... i have had it for over a year now, so I find it pretty easy to find stuff.
Along the lines of impressing your dad... he has info on every single attraction like where is the very best place to sit, and how to get that seat, how not to wait more than 10 minutes for anyride, during the holiday season too, and some awesome trivia that will knock your dads socks off.. Look at the preview of the site and check out his credentails... they are impressive....
hope this helps you out
guess I am long winded too! ha!

rileygirl