I came to read about Christmas Day admissions

[Luv2Roam]

I was wondering what other's experience was yesterday, Christmas Day, in the parks.
The rain certainly appeared to be keeping a steady flow of guests leaving and entering the parks, from what we saw.
It was certainly a WET day!!
We got up earlier than usual for a park outing and we herded the dogs into the car and drove to the Magic Kingdom kennel.
After dropping the dogs off we ate breakfast at Kona Cafe. I had eggs benedict. DH ate the famous Tonga Toast. And we had a pot of french pressed coffee. mmmmm
Then off to Epcot.
It rained what must have been all night. Rained in the morning, but was barely drizzling at Epcot when we arrived.
Starting around noon the skies opened up and did not stop. The crowds all day did not seem any busier than any other Saturday. WS opened at 10:00. It was DEAD all morning.
Mid day we returned to the kennel and walked the dogs. We also stopped at the Grand Floridian and sampled some (free) roasted chestnuts.
We returned to WS and did all the tourist stuff. We did not see one Santa. I think they gave up on that because of the rain.
We sat through a little of the first candlelight processional. But the rain was just too much of a damper. (no pun intended)
Even the tree lighting ceremony was only a half attempt. And by then only a few kiosks were open. It was like they were wanting guests to leave.
Around 6:15 we headed back to the kennel.
All in all, could have been better. Could have been worse. Just one of those days of tired of being wet, even with wearing ponchos and carrying umbrellas.

 

[seashoreCM]

Christmas day and not turning away guests due to capacity limits?

I am supposing that many local residents stayed home leaving the parks to the resort guests and tourists.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

Last trip: Jan 1-7, Pop Century, weather was excellent, only a bit of rain 1/7 part AM.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I don't know if it was that or just sooo much rain.
Those who arrived early I would doubt would stay all day.
From what I saw there was a steady stream entering. But an even larger stream leaving.
I could even see if guests arrived for the morning, took their resort break to rest and change to dry clothes, then return.
It was nice having that park hopper option without having to worry about re-entering.
DH was there last year Christmas day. (park hopping) He said last year was much busier, without a doubt.
Today is damp and cool, but no rain. So the parks may be just as busy today as yesterday. (Only 40 degrees at 10:15)

 

[paigevz]

We got to MK about 10.............it wasn't raining yet, and we had only picked one ride each to do, to take in shows and crowds into account...........anyway, we rode all 4 rides we had picked.......we got fastpasses for Space Mountain first (boy, was it crazy crowds in Tomorrowland!) and saw Buzz and Stitch over there.....got autographs and pics.........then we rode Big Thunder, decided to eat at Pecos Bill's and then explored Tom Sawyer Island.............now grabbed Jungle Cruise fastpasses and went for our Space MOuntain fastpass..............it broke down so our wait was longer than expected, but only about 20 min. When we got out of there, it was pouring. We went through the parade crowds..........did they have that parade? It would've been the first one..................some lady had two ponchos spread out on the ground there and was standing on them, and we just wanted to go through, so I said to my son, "Let's go right through here"...........she says "No, don't step on the ponchos".................we thought that was kind of funny....I assume she was saving places, which we weren't taking, but wasn't everyone going to stand on them when they got there? She was already standing on them..........surely she wasn't trying to keep the sidewalk dry, do you think? Anyway, we just moved a few feet over and went through so as not to step on her ponchos........it was important to her, anyway, so we respected it. It was also a nice time to explain to my son the difference between giving leeway and being a doormat, and that in this case it didn't hurt us or her to give in, but in some cases it wouldn't have been possible, like if all the ropes were up and she were in the walkway or something......................anyway, we got to Jungle Cruise for our fastpasses and didn't need them, as it was a walk-on at that point. After Jungle Cruise, we decided, while a brief shower or light rain makes touring easier, this kind of crazy rain was no fun at all..................so we joined the throngs leaving.....it took us an hour and a half to get on our boat back to Wilderness Lodge...........thankfully the two year old fell asleep in his stroller (the first of only two times he did this the entire trip), and so it was not a difficult wait. We stayed in the room until 5, called the LIberty Tree Tavern about our 5:20 PS and if we could get in later, and they said anytime before 9. So, we got ready and headed out,,,,,,,,,,the big boys went to MGM to ride ToT and RnRC one more time (this was our last park day), and I took the little guy back to MK. We rode the railroad around to Toontown, he played in the playground there, explored Donald's boat.............and then the lightning was in the distance, so we went in to Mickey's house, then MInnie's and then the rain came down again. We headed on over to LTT where CM Mike was wonderful with my little guy until the big boys showed up..........we were to meet at 8, but they didn't get there until 8:30............so we checked in and watched the delayed Spectromagic from the LTT steps.......then had our dinner..............we were one of the last families to leave, and yes, I did feel as if they wanted us to go (and the CMs on the Jungle Cruise had seemed the same way)......I'm sure, on Christmas, they wanted to get out of there...........we missed Wishes, but had seen it earlier..........now, in a nearly deserted MK, we did all of Fantasyland before leaving....................it was a perfect end to our vacation!

Crowd levels: busy but manageable before the rain, except in Tomorrowland and by the other mountains
crazy exodus during the rain
very busy after the rain in the evening, and during the second rain
Very light in Fantasyland after Wishes

 

[eeyore0062]

"It was like they were wanting guests to leave"

Kiosks normally close when the rain is more then just a light shower. Many have electrical equipment that will short out if it gets wet.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

We followed TourGuideMiKE's advice and went to the Animal Kingdom. Not many there at 8:40. Our family was chosen to be the ambassadors with the scorpion in the entry way.

Kids had fun, got a free picture and they each got some little trinkets. Very nice. I went back to get fastpasses for KS while little one went to ride Dinosaur Dumbo (don't know name). I met them in Dinoland and DS and I went on Dinosaur (no wait). We then went on Primevil Whirl (no wait). At this point, DD is riding Dino Dumbo non-stop. They just let them stay on. It wasn't raining at this point.

ITTBAB was a walk on. DH and DS then rode KRR twice in a row without getting off - didn't get very wet at all.

We walked the Maharaja Jungle Trek and got to see the tigers - only one bat out.

Went back to KS with fastpass - standby line was only 5 minutes. By now it is starting to rain - very few animals out. Saw giraffes, elephants, Opaki, and a few others, but not many.

Ate lunch at Tuskers, really raining hard now. Went and saw The Lion King - wonderful as always. Arrived at Lion King about 5 minutes before show time and there was no problem getting a seat.

All in all, park was very quiet. I don't know if it was the cold and rain or just AK, but very easy to get around.

 

[simba2]

We went to MGM on Christmas Day as we had PS at Hollywood & Vine at 1:00. It was pouring as we arrived. We walked through the stores to make our way down the street. There were quite a few people walking around in ponchos but not the crowds that were expected. We figured by the time we finished lunch that the rain would stop. Wrong. It poured all day. Line for RnR was only 10 mins. in the afternoon (although the ride broke down after we got inside the building). We returned to our hotel around 4:00. Rain stopped between 7:00 and 8:00 and we then went to MK. Many left right after Wishes. Buzz Lightyear only had a 10 min. wait. Stitch was 25. Haunted Mansion was a walk on. Big Thunder was 10 mins. Weather wise we were unlucky but crowd wise we were fortunate. We were prepared to not be able to do many attractions over the Christmas holiday and were pleasantly surprised.

 

[Geoff_M]

We (11 of us) spent most of Christmas Day at the house we rented off-site. We had 5:30 PS for CM. Afterwards my wife and I plus two older kids went to MK (with APs) while the rest of the clan headed back to the house. We had a good time in the park. Splash was a walk-on, as were a lot of other rides, in FL most of the rides showed a 20-25 minute wait. My wife said she wanted to be in MK on Christmas, and due to the series of events on Saturday, she got her wish!

 

[trampslady]

We arrived at MK at opening on Christmas Day and rode all the rides that we were interested in before our 11:00 Liberty Tree Tavern lunch. We had a great lunch and planted ourselves in the rocking chairs out front to watch the 1:00 parade. As you may know, the parade was ultimately cancelled. We left MK after that and ventured back to the resort for a while, Downtown Disney for shopping, and then our Ohana dinner.

We made the best of a very soggy day, but I was very disappointed in the way people behaved at MK during the rain. Yes, we sat down at noon in the chairs to wait for the parade. Meanwhile, folks with dripping wet ponchos show up to stand directly on top of us, leaving us wet too! The poor folks in wheelchairs beside us couldn't even breathe because people were basically in their laps!

 

[toystorymom]

We attended 8:00 mass at the Contemporary on Christmas morning and arrived at MGM around 10. We saw Playhouse Disney, Little Mermaid, RnR coaster, Tower of Terror and Star Tours before heading back to POP to dry out. Definitely not very crowded. We headed back out for dinner at Garden Grill and then attended the 8:15 candlelight processional. It was NOT raining at all at this time and the processional was wonderful and so was Gary Sinise! When it was over we walked through World Showcase and it was a ghost town. They were anouncing 5 minutes to Illuminations and there were empty spaces right up close everywhere. I've never seen anything like it!!

Sunday, the 26th we went to AK in the morning but not until about 10 (it opened at 8). Again, the place was quite empty, and it was very cold! We walked right on to Bug and the Safari, and then saw the Lion King. We went to MK that night, made it to Splash and Big Thunder about 8 pm and they were both walk-ons. The CM let my son and DH stay right on BTMRR a couple of times.

We left early AM on the 27th so I wonder what the crowds are like now. We arrived on the 19th and even before the rains came I found the crowds very manageable as long as you had a plan and use fast pass wisely. We saw and did everything we had hoped, most more than once. Wish it could have been a little warmer though, who do I write to about that?!

 

[CheshireVal]

We went to AK in the morning-- it was EMPTY. We rode Safari TWICE with no wait, then sat on Primeval Whirl THREE TIMES in a row without having to get off because no one else was in line. Same with Dinosaur-- no one. We ate lunch at noon at Rainforest and by the time we left, it was pouring. We headed to Epcot, which was busy but not very crowded. We did Living Seas for a while to pass the time, then Imagination (no wait at all).

We toured WS after that but the little street vendors were mostly closed and there were no entertainers or Santas out. It was really uncomfortably rainy and wet. We did American Adventure to pass the time and browsed in some shops for a bit. We had PS at Rose and Crown for 7, so we sat in the Pub there for a while and just waited til we were called.

Kind of a crummy Christmas Day!

 

[flyingenie]

Hi All! Just back from my Christmas trip to Disney... so sad it rained on Christmas day!!

We decided to go to MGM on xmas day (thank GOODNESS we went to MK the day before when it wasn't rainy and we could see all the parades!). The morning wasn't rainy, and we were lucky to get photos with the characters all decked out in Christmas gear- Mickey, Goofy, Pluto and Minnie! Hardly any lineups, walked right on Rock n roller coaster and Tower of Terror- twice a piece!! Plus most of the shows and attractions are indoors so aside from getting soaked from attraction to attraction, it was fine. Thank goodness Fantasmic still went on though it was pouring (feel sorry for the characters, esp. ariel, out there in a bathing suit!) but Osborne lights were cancelled Oh well, at least we have pics on the disboards!! Xmas day's rain was definitely the worst part of our trip, but we still had a great one! Will post a review when I have time!!

flyingenie!

 

[Lollipop Mom]

yep, the rain definitely kept people away!

We had a great start to our trip. We arrived at like dinner time Christmas Eve. The kids had slept most of the trip down in the RV so they were wired. DH and I decided to take them to the MK to burn off some energy since we knew we weren't having an early morning Christmas day. We watched Wishes from the Ft. Wilderness dock and ended up walking in to the MK 5 minutes before the 2nd Spectro parade. We were able to get a front row seat in front of the Christmas tree at the end of Main Street. After Spectro we walked through the shops to avoid the crowd heading out. Everything we did from that point till midnight was a walk on. The kids LOVED it. As we were leaving we saw the kiss goodnight and when we turned around at the end of it we saw it was snowing on Main Street. My kids went NUTS they were so excited! What a special touch of Christmas Magic!

Christmas morning we hung out at Ft. Wilderness doing Christmas stuff for the morning and then got ready to leave for lunch at Beaches and Cream. We got there around 11:30 and waited maybe 5 minutes for a table. After that we went to MGM prepared for HUGE crowds and with the goal of doing 2 things...meeting the Incredibles and seeing Playhouse Disney. We ended up walking in to whatever we wanted to do. Wait times for RnR and ToT were like 10 and 15 minutes in the standby lines. We had a great...albeit wet...day! We had dinner at Ohana and got our kids to bed and left them with Grammy and Poppy. After that DH and I went back to the MK and walked on to everything we did there as well. Granted we got there at like 9:45 so most people were on the way out but we stayed till midnight and had a ball! Closed out the night having a dole whip and watching the castle change colors. My parents had stayed behind in the RV and said they got a big kick out of watching the Disney parade on TV and seeing a nice sunny pretty day and looking out the window to see RAIN RAIN RAIN. We found out it snowed at home so we missed our first ever white Christmas. Oh well...I'd pick the wet Christmas at Disney over the White Christmas at home any day!

12/26 we went to AK and again had no waits. Walked right on to pretty much everything. Rode the safari 2 or 3 times (but with wind chills in the upper 30s, most of the animals were huddled up and not too active), the kids rode Triceratops Spin with my parents multiple times without getting off while DH and I did Primeval Whirl and Dinosaur both with less than a 5 minute wait. My Dad and I went back to Dinosaur later with still a 5 minute wait. No problems getting in to any show or a front row seat for the parade. It was a fabulous day just quite c-c-c-cold. My Mom and I came prepared and arrived with hats, gloves and scarves for us and the kids. My Dad and DH did the "manly man" thing and insisted they didn't need that stuff. Boy were they sad!!! My Dad just wore a polar fleece type vest not even a jacket. He was too freakin' stubborn to buy a sweatshirt too (that would involve admitting the women were right and it would be cold...can't do that!). We knew he was cold when I put my somewhat feminine knit cap on his head and he didn't take it off! LOL

We were there this same week last year and I think it is definitely safe to say that the cold and rain were what kept people away. It would have been a totally different story had it been nice. The bad news was that when the sun finally came out later in the week I think it was MORE crowded than I remembered! Even with all of the insane crowds later in the week we had a fabulous time. We used TourGuideMIKE again this year and once again didn't wait more than 10 minutes for anything at all! Can't beat that!