How Was The First 2 Wks of December??? 2005

[My2BabiesLexis&Dill]

This is for the folks who recently went the first two weeks of December. How was the weather, park crowds? Did the filming of the Christmas parade slow your day down in MK? How was the resorts with the Pop Warner kids? I am wanting to plan a vacation for the first 2 wks of December but am wondering how these things changed your vacation, if any? I really want to stay at ASMo b/c of the kids and I know that the pop warner kids & family stay at these resorts, but I don't want to put up with allot of late night kids screaming,etc outside of the resort room. ANY HELP ON THIS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

 

[FSUGrad97]

We went Dec. 1-4 of this year, and the weather was great! Cool enough to wear jeans and a t-shirt or a sweatshirt and shorts during the day, and cold at night (50's) which was great for us.

I thought it was busier than I read about on the DIS, and the other parks on the MVMCP nights tended to be very busy. We did not go to MK on the parade filming days, because we had already planned to go to other parks. I will say that MK on Saturday night was PACKED! It was so busy that we left about an hour after we got there to go back to the WL.

I cant't help you out with info about Pop Warner, since we left before they showed up, or ASMo since we stayed at the WL.

 

[ch261]

We were there fom the 3rd-10th. It was more crowded than I had expected, but definitely managable, especially if you do your homework beforehand and have a game plan. We avoided MK on Sat. 3rd when they were filming the parade, but went on Sunday when it was still being filmed. It was crowded, Main Street was pretty packed, but we did ok. Fastpasses are always key.

I would not have stayed at any of the value resorts, based on what I had heard about Pop Warner. Truthfully, I think I would avoid that week completely in the future. We wished we had gone the following week after Pop Warner left. It wasn't a huge problem, but we did notice the groups.

The weather was nice and warm, but we had more rain than we had ever had before. Of course, it beat the snowstorm we were missing in Ohio, so we weren't complaining.

It was awesome to see the Christmas decorations and do MVMCP. And, as always, a completely magical trip overall!

 

[J. Galt]

We went Nov. 30th - Dec. 7th. It was more crowded than I was expecting and hoping... but nothing too horrible. Rides were not all walk-ons as we have experienced in the past, but they weren't hour long waits either. EE and FP helped. Went to MVMCP and could not believe how crowded it was. I had attended a party about 5 years ago when rides were all walk ons and you could easily catch a last minute spot for the parade. This time.... you had to grab a spot asap for the parade if you had any hopes of seeing it and lines were long for rides (again... not horribly long, but not as nice as it was in the past). The party was on a Tuesday night too... can't imagine what the weekends were like. We had little kids (7 - 1 1/2) with us. If you had older kids who could stay up late I think MVMCP would be worth it because after the first parade and fireworks things started to clear out a little bit. We will skip the party for a few more years until the kids can handle later nights. Weather was great for us... 60s and 70s during the day, 50s and 60s at night. We had no rain (I think it rained overnight one night, but didn't affect our plans).

 

[kruegeme]

DW and I have been there the second week of Dec for the last two years and really enjoy that time. This last trip, I wore shorts most of the week with a pull over in the evening. We did MVMCP on a Tues and walked right onto most of the rides that night. Getting ADRs and into Candlelight Processional was challenging but our plans were flexible enough that we were able to get everything done.

 

[Rachie0507]

We were there 12/3-12/10. It wasn't as bad as I expected but it was also busier than it was when I was a kid and we would go around that time. The only place we had to wait a long time was Fantasyland, but that is probably because of the ages of my kids (3 and 5) and the fact that they weren't interested in rides in general. We stayed at POFQ and it was booked but still quiet. We rode the boat down to POR and I was SO thankful we weren't staying there--it was loud and chaotic! The weather was awesome too. My kids used the pool just about every day and we wore shorts/tshirts during the day and added jeans and/or sweatshirts at night.

 

[dsnymomof4]

We were there Dec 2-8. We actually were part of the taping on the 3rd - it was an "experience", but I probably wouldn't do it again. MK was really crowded that day. In fact, we left right after the parade taping. The weather was gorgeous - just perfect for walking around Disney - high 60s -70s every day. We stayed at AS Sports for the first 2 nights before going over to BWV - that was a HUGE mistake. The Pop Warner kids were there and took over the resort. They were everywhere in large groups - in the foodcourt, in the courtyard playing football constantly - it was hard to get by without feeling like we were going to be hit with a ball. Also, the cheerleaders were very loud and I've read stories of there being line-cutting and rudeness - in the parks and on the busses. So, IMO, even though it is a great time of year to go, I would avoid that particular week. Hope this helps with your planning.

 

[billwendy]

hi,

i had friends with 2 children who were there over this time,,,,the POP warner kids were really difficult for them at night time because they were sooooo loud. it was so loud that in fact my friends had their room moved and they also got a 2 night refund (they were at POR). other than that they had a great time, it was rainy, but they thought that helped to keep the crowds down.

i had thought in the past the POP kids stayed at the all stars,,,,,do they go to all different hotels now? my friends thought that it was just difficult for the chaperones to keep track of so many kids at one time. is disney ever going to open up some dorm type accomodations for this type of event over at the sports area? they could give the kids lots of room to practice and hang out, feed them cafeteria style and allow the chaperones to be able to oversee the kids in the dorm style rooms. i would think they could have a regular meeting space as well,,,i dont know, just wondering.

 

[alicenwonder99]

This was our 2nd time going the beginning of December. I don't think we'll do December again for quite awhile. Our trip last month was cold. Not freezing cold, but cold enough (though I'd rather have it cold than hot). It was more crowded than in January, but alot less than the summer.

There is so much going on at home to get ready for Christmas, that a trip in Dec to WDW for me isn't a great time to get away on vacation.

We stayed at Pop Century and it was quiet and peaceful. But I don't think I'll stay at a value again.

I said I was going to stay away from WDW for a couple of years, but I'm already planning a trip for 2006. I'm thinking of trying the end of September this time, but everytime I try to book it online, the WDW ressie site says the Contemporary is all booked up for those dates! I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Mary

 

[BAYSIDE MOM]

We were there from Dec.3-8. We thought the weather was very comfortable, shorts during the day and sweats and windbreakers at night. We did not do MK on the saturday they were filming. We did not think the lines were too out of control, certainly not what you would see during holiday weeks, but it was more crowded then we expected. I would NOT do an evening magic hour during Pop Warner. Mk was absolutely chaotic the night we tried the EMH. Packs of cheerleaders doing cheers and running around. I did not found them really obnoxious, but you definitely knew they were there!

 

[ThreeMusketeers]

Hi! We were there December 2-9. The weather was great. We wore shorts and t's days and jeans and sweaters at night.
The crowds though were WAY more than we expected. Yes I think that the Parade taping did slow us down and I prepared for over a year for the trip. It was VERY caotic and I wouldn't do MK again that day. EVER. lol As the week stretched on we found that less people were at the parks, but by then..we were leaving. But most days we did have hour long waits at MK, the other parks didn't seem as bad. But..nonetheless..we still had a great time!
I was thinking this year we would try maybe Middle of November and see what happens..
However..I really do think that everyone should see Disney at Christmas at least once! Osborne lights are amazing!

We stayed at ALL Star Movies and found that the hotel stay was very peaceful and uncrowded.

Good Luck with your planning

 

[My2BabiesLexis&Dill]

Thanks for all of your input. I was talking to my brother this evening and now he wants to go but can't go b/c of his job (works at a hunting store..PRIME TIME for him) Maybe we can go next year for the Christmas decorations. Thanks again.

 

[welovedis]

Thanks to all who posted on this thread. We are planning a short trip, Dec 10-15 and wondered how we would find out when PW is going to be at WDW?

If you did MVMCP, what did you think? We've never been at this time of year, just got back from a 9 day early Jan trip and loved seeing Osborne Lights for the 1st time!

 

[hjic15102]

Reading all these comments about larger than expected crowds has me a little upset. I thought the first full week in Dec would be great but....... weather, crowds, parade taping amd POP WARNER FOOTBALL have made me concerned. I usually go in August but loved the idea of shorter lines and Christmas Decorations. Should I change my reservation to January?

 

[hjic15102]

Reading all these comments about larger than expected crowds has me a little upset. I thought the first full week in Dec would be great but....... weather, crowds, parade taping amd POP WARNER FOOTBALL have made me concerned. I usually go in August but loved the idea of shorter lines and Christmas Decorations. Should I change my reservation to January?

 

[alicenwonder99]

Reading all these comments about larger than expected crowds has me a little upset. I thought the first full week in Dec would be great but....... weather, crowds, parade taping amd POP WARNER FOOTBALL have made me concerned. I usually go in August but loved the idea of shorter lines and Christmas Decorations. Should I change my reservation to January?

It won't be wall-to-wall people. In fact, August will be much more crowded. And if the crowds don't get to you, the heat will!

December isn't that crowded, and if you do your research, you won't have long waits for the rides.
We saw a few cheerleaders and no obnoxious behavior. So, if you stay away from the resorts where they stay, you should be fine.

There's nothing you can do about the weather. It's a hit or miss if it will be warm and sunny and in the 70's, or cold and rainy and in the 50's. But you can pretty much guarantee that you won't be miserably hot like in the summer.

The Christmas decorations are nice to see, so are the Osborne lights. We did MVMCP and I thought it was a waste of money. It was too crowded, too cold, and too late for my young children.

We've been to WDW twice in December and we probably won't go again for a long time. It's not that it isn't fun, but more that we are so busy at home with Christmas activities (and 3 December bdays). I would rather go to WDW another time.

HTH.

Mary

 

[akrake]

lots & lots of people. we didn't even get to do peter pan. the late nights (until midnight) were better but it was cold.

make sure you make your PS before you get there!
have fun.
akrake

 

[dutch_girl_scout]

We were there Sunday, December 11-Thursday, December 15 for our first trip. I didn't think the crowds were bad. I had printed off all the touring plans and was ready to be a cammando but didn't need them. Our longest wait was about 20 minutes and that was for Peter Pan on a Saturday afternoon. We went to MVMCP on Sunday the 11th and rode Space Mountain and Big Thunder back-to-back and walked on everything else. MGM, Epcot, and AK was fabulous too, and we never left our resort before 10:00. The whole trip we only used one fastpass. The weather was great, we're from the Midwest so we think high 50's and low 60's are warm in December, southerners were freezing We liked it enough we're going back this year at the same time.