Holiday trip planning questions; am I crazy?

[leebee]

DH and I are considering a trip over Christmas 2019, arriving 12/21 (evening) and leaving the morning of 12/27. AM I crazy? We have been to Disney a LOT; DH has 10 trips and I have about 30 under my belt, so there really isn't anything that is a "must do" and it's not a "once in a lifetime" trip. We are there 5 days but I am thinking of getting a 4 day park hopper as we have a dear friend in Cocoa Beach who we'd like to visit one day. I can't imagine doing this without park hoppers, and with the DDP I know I'll need an ADR for a sit-down meal. We are not rope-droppers, usually. There are definitely things we'd want to do in each park, but I don't do coasters except BTMRR, so I'm not sure that DH will choose to use FP to ride on his own (and there's always single rider). Is it reasonable to think that we'll be able to do 5 or 6 favorite things in each park, each day? Is hopping recommended? Is this trip going to be manageable at all, do you think, or am I crazy to consider it?

 

[DWillowBay]

I don't have any experience being at WDW AT Christmas...and probably will never have that experience...but, I was there for the week after New Year's this past January. I won't lie. It was intense! But, we scheduled our 3 FP and a nice meal each day and enjoyed each other's company. As long as your expectations are low, I think you'll be fine. There's no doubt that the resorts and the parks look beautiful for the holidays.

 

[Ned Lostmore]

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[KayaWildfire]

This will be our third Disney Christmas this year, we went last year as well as in 2013. We also didn't go crazy, planned the three FPs, and made an ADR for each day. Eating QS at off times and using mobile order was great. We were able to get more FPs after the initial three so you should be fine.

 

[AP1209]

Those are the exact days we are going this year. This will be our first time so late in December. We've been from like the 16th-22nd before so before the crowds get too heavy. We are going to definitely rope drop and do as much as we can. Then we have late breakfasts scheduled in park we will be in. Then we will do our fast passes and then take a mid day break back to hotel. Plan on coming back out in the evening for shows and more rides. No matter what we are gonna have a good time!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

DH and I are considering a trip over Christmas 2019, arriving 12/21 (evening) and leaving the morning of 12/27. AM I crazy? We have been to Disney a LOT; DH has 10 trips and I have about 30 under my belt, so there really isn't anything that is a "must do" and it's not a "once in a lifetime" trip. We are there 5 days but I am thinking of getting a 4 day park hopper as we have a dear friend in Cocoa Beach who we'd like to visit one day. I can't imagine doing this without park hoppers, and with the DDP I know I'll need an ADR for a sit-down meal. We are not rope-droppers, usually. There are definitely things we'd want to do in each park, but I don't do coasters except BTMRR, so I'm not sure that DH will choose to use FP to ride on his own (and there's always single rider). Is it reasonable to think that we'll be able to do 5 or 6 favorite things in each park, each day? Is hopping recommended? Is this trip going to be manageable at all, do you think, or am I crazy to consider it?

You will get so many different responses on here. I think it really comes down to your tolerance of crowds. We went Christmas week in 2015 and I would never do it again. We were in MK on 12/26 and by 10 am we could barely move. I remember being in Tomorrowland and I paid for my DS to get his face painted just so he could have a place to sit and take a break from the crowds. We could barely get down Main St. to get out when we had had enough around 11:30 am. We got our 3 FP+ done and we were out of there. Again, it comes down to your tolerance of crowds. Our isn't high. EP was a bit better - if you do go I HIGHLY recommend avoiding WS during Candlelight Processional show times - there will be huge crowds in America and the pavilions right next door as people line up to get into the show. We found CP showtimes were a good time to go to FW. If you've ever considered some type of tour and it's up and running during that week, I would recommend doing it. We did Wild Africa Trek that week and it was one of the best decisions of the trip as we were on the safari with only about 10 other guests the whole time and weren't in the crowds at all. DHS was fine that week, but with SWGE opening this year and the new FP+ tiering, all bets are off on that park. We found the Boardwalk to be quite fun and not too crowded in the evenings (we were staying at BWV which was great as we could walk to so many things and not rely on the bus). DS was a nightmare - just as crowded as MK. We did enjoy touring the deluxe resorts - that was a nice respite from the crowds. If you go, just be prepared. Go in knowing it will take at least twice as long to get anywhere as transportation and the roads are packed and you will not get as much done as you typically do.

 

[Quarky]

I'm currently planning our family trip to WDW this Christmas as well! We'll be there over similar days (looking at Dec 22 or 23-29 most likely). The thought of the crazy crowds during that time of year, particularly with the added opening of RotR at Galaxy's Edge, is definitely super daunting, and I honestly almost cancelled the entire thing any number of times.

However, I've been to WDW in the past for post-Christmas/New Year's (without a park hopper!!), and they just do festivities SO well. The theming is phenomenal and there are so many great decorations & special activities. The lines for rides are insane of course, but if you won't be interested in a lot of the roller coasters/headliner rides, you'll have a much easier time of things. The hardest thing was leaving during park close, so definitely timing will be important if you want to beat the crowds.

 

[thepicklebee]

I have found that in my experience heavy crowds are less problematic when I’m on a couple’s trip, even when the crowds are very heavy. When it’s just the two of us, we have no problem finding things to do off the beaten path. It’s more challenging the larger group you’re with. So, no. I don’t think you’re crazy.

 

[SillySallySews]

Not crazy at all! If you were taking a pack of kids with you, or this was your “must do it all once in a lifetime” trip, then yes. But the plan you have described actually sounds ideal for a holiday trip. I would definitely go with park hoppers during that time of year. Have a wonderful time!

 

[Shsmith341]

You will love it at Christmas! We went with our 6 and 7 year old boys from December 19th-27th last year and stayed at Boulder Ridge. Because of the crowds, we chose several add-ons. We went to the last MVMCP and had the Tony's package for reserved parade spots. It was the best! We also added the Frozen Ever After dessert party at Epcot for prime fireworks seating. We had the best view and to top it off, they chose us to be the Epcot family of the day. My boys got to lead the parade through the park to ride Frozen Ever After when the park had already closed. When we arrived at the closed gates for the ride, my boys were instructed to knock and demand the guards open the gates. It was the cutest thing. We felt so special and got to ride in the front. We also did the dessert party at Hollywood Studios to have reserved seating for Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam. All of the upgrades were well worth the costs for the ease of priority seating instead of dealing with the crowds. We also enjoyed the horse drawn carriage ride around Fort Wilderness to view all of the Christmas decorations and lights. We never go to the parks expecting to do everything. This helped to set our expectations for the crowds. I chose not to get park hoppers. With the crowds, we did not want to get over ambitious with going to more than one park a day. I'm so jealous we won't be there at Christmas this year. We just got back from our summer stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. We enjoyed it but honestly, nothing compares to our Christmas trip.

 

[Wild4Walt]

I think you have the right attitude if you want do go - will it be busy, absolutely. Will waits be long, for E ticket rides, yes, but if you can get a FP that will help. I'd make my ADRs and have plan B's in place in case a park is at capacity. The lights and the tree will be beautiful at that time of the year.

 

[mamamelody2]

Nope, not crazy. Sounds awesome!

 

[disneygolfer1985]

I’ve been many times over Christmas and the one piece of advice is that by Christmas Eve, the crowds will start to pick up. I would avoid MK on Christmas Day. We tended to go to AK in the morning, then have dinner at a resort. I would suggest if you can get reservations for Candlelight Processional to see that. It’s a good way to get out of the crowds.

 

[kiford]

We did almost those dates last year. We went in with little to no expectations of what could be done but we are OK to go to a park and only do a couple of attractions and just spend the time wandering about. We met up with friends who made us get up at 4 am on Christmas Day and we left the hotel at 5:15 am. The park opened up at 6 am for onsite guests. Our friend wanted to eat breakfast at Crystal Palace but we hadn't made ADRs but I indulged her wish to try to do a walk-up. We got in about 10 minutes after opening - I was totally astonished. We then did a couple of rides and watched the show at the castle. We left a little before 11 am when it was getting really busy then went over to AK which wasn't too bad. The previous day we'd watched the parade at MK so that we wouldn't have to try to do it on Christmas Day and that worked out well. The rest of our trip we spent at the other parks, used FPs, had a few ADRs, went to DS, and spent some time in the pool at our resort.

I had booked the time over the holidays because of limited vacation days and the more I read about how crazy it was over that time period, kept rethinking it but since we'd already made arrangements to meet friends there for a few days, I kept it. So glad we did. We had a great time. I would never recommend it to someone for their first time but we've been several times, had reasonable expectations, did a few attractions in each park, had some leisure time, did early days on Christmas Eve day and Christmas Day but not on the other days, wandered around, shopped in DS, had some nice dinners and breakfasts. I would probably do it again.