Is it a nightmare to go during Christmas break?

[DAKnits]

I just got back from my trip with my four year old on Monday, and I'm already planning another one! DH wants to go during Christmas break, but I'm afraid it will be a nightmare. This time, I'd go to Sea World, Animal Kingdom, and Magic Kingdom -- and maybe Epcot. Any advice on whether this is a good/bad idea, and also, are there any discounts on packages during this time?

Thanks!

 

[ilovediznee]

We never go at Xmas for Spring Break - it normally takes 6 hours to drive and it took 13! This is what we do and are doing for the second year. We are going to Disney from December 10-13. DD already has a 1/2 day on the 10th and we got permission from her teacher for her to be out. A lot less crowded and we can still enjoy the decorations.

I will say though that we did this last minute - just last week and I was lucky to get dining reservations but not to all the ones I wanted.

If you need any addional help - just PM me.

Good luck - Diane

 

[the who #3]

yes it is a nightmare, but it is also worth the trouble.

we always loved to go in the fall and attend the halloween party, but the schools will no longer allow the children to miss school for disney.

we have been at wdw for new years and loved it. the new years eve party at the mk was the best ever. we have been for spring break and had fun but don't really want to do that again. so crowded you could not see your own family when they were right next to you. we have also been there for thanksgiving and had a great time. the best thing that has happened to my family and wdw is our dvc membership.

we are going to spend our christmas at wdw this year and plan to really enjoy it. i will let you know.

i have gotten too old for the hot weather in the summer, so we hop, skip, and jump around the cooler months. but it has become increasingly difficult to get the reservations without planning way ahead.

 

[jpmom]

We have been at many different times.....

I WOULD NOT return for Christmas break.

The only thing that saved us the one and only time we went was the weather.
It was 75-80 degrees each day and we spent a lot of time at the pool.

The parks were CRAZY crowded. You had to get there early to use your fastpasses to make sure you got on the rides you wanted.

Talked to lots of people about New Years Eve and heard that you had to get to MK by noon -- they will usually reach capacity by then. We just ended up having a nice dinner and staying in our room...

The only way I will do Christmas week in Disney again is if we can't take our kids out for more than 3 days (for a 5 day trip) during the off-season.

I love the first 2 weeks of December.

I also love October and May --

Good luck with your planning.

 

[mommyoftwo08]

We did it 2 years ago, checked in on the 27th and stayed for 7 nights. I WOULD NEVER EVER NEVER EVER recommond this to my worst enemy. Literally, Fast passes didn't even help. People were so rude. Waits were crazy, they actually shut MK down on 2 different days because of park capacity and Epcot on 1 other day. MGM (before rename) was shut down at 1pm on New Year's Eve. I what I mean by shut down is they don't allow anyone else in until a certain number have left.

I will say that we went this year during Spring Break, which was April 3rd - 7th here in GA. Crowds were AWESOME - comparable to our September trip we just got back from. Whether was PERFECT. We rode everything we wanted and got to enjoy the flower festival at Epcot and the Pirate and Princess party.

Not to scare you away by any means. Just adding my 2 cents. I do hope it helps.

 

[TMB1203]

Hmmm...now I'm scared. We are planning on going the week after Christmas in 2009. I knew it would be crowded...we'll just have to go with the mindset that we will make the best of it no matter what the crowd level is....

 

[tjmw2727]

We LOVE WDW at Christmas .... it's wonderful and with extended hours and so many special events you really don't notice the crowds. Honestly IMHO Christmas isn't as crowded as some weeks at the F&W in Epcot.

In particular Epcot really shines during the holidays. My DD's Love the holiday storytellers around the world showcase IMHO not to be missed. Each country has a story teller in costume telling about Christmas/Holiday traditions in that country. The Candelight processional at the American pavilion and the special Illuminations are all favorites of ours.

On NYE you may have to pick a park and stick with it or plan a non park day but otherwise you should be ok. We usually do MK the day prior to NYE to see the same fireworks and such as on NYE and then do NYE at Epcot because it seems to hold the crowds better.

We have been lucky enough to do an extended stay or a one day during the week between Christmas and NY for the past few years and have never been dissapointed. Hopefully this will remain true agan for our trip this year

TJ

 

[perkyperla]

we too are planning on going 1/2 to 1/7. because 1/2 falls on a friday i fully expect the parks to be packed that weekend - but i am keeping my fingers crossed that it thins out tremendously by monday.

our plan is to visit epcot and dhs that sat. and sun. as they tend to be less busy than MK or AK - does that sound right to you disney veterans????

 

[fiasco]

we are first timers going this dec 29th- jan 5th. i'm so excited- my kids are going to be so excited when we surprise them the morning of the trip. however, i am concerned about the crowds as well.

i'm guessing that using TGM is a necessity this time of year? I've been trying to decide if it's worth it to use it or not.

our plans are to go to MK on our first day (30th) but take new year's eve off from the parks. with a napping infant, we would probably get locked out at some point anyway, and i'm sure my kids will love to play at the resort. then on the 1st, we'll go to AK and on the 2nd, hollywood studios. we'll leave the rest of the trip open so we can decide what to do once we're there. does this sound reasonable?

~fiasco

 

[Mushamagic]

There won't be any discounts during Christmas breaks but you with a little planning, you can have a great time. Sleeping in will not be an option. We have been on a few trips from Dec 27- Jan 3 and it is crazy, but can be done. I remember the parks official opening was 8 am so EMH was at 7am! But boy did we get the attractions in. Get all of the popular attractions in during the early hours. Use fastpass to the max. This may mean that you stop what you are doing and send someone to get another fastpass, just because it is time and if you wait, you will not be any available.

Staying off site is terrible during this time. When we parked at the TTC one time, we were held at the gates on that side of the lake until the official opening time. So we arrived at the park at about 25 minutes after the opening with all the other thousands of people.

I cannot give advice on Seaworld because I can never get my kids to leave Disney!

Evening EMH are really crazy! Sometimes they are until 3am! We never make it until that hour.

Hope that helps. Don't let the crowds scare you if this is the only time you can go. You can always have a great time at Disney but you have to think ahead.

 

[kent285]

i'm guessing that using TGM is a necessity this time of year? I've been trying to decide if it's worth it to use it or not.

I went last Christmas using TGM. I would say that it is a necessity. We had a great time. And, yes, evening EMH were a nightmare...stay away from MK on Christmas Eve!! I would recommend going at Christmas at least once in your life-it was definitely a memorable time.

 

[perkyperla]

what is tgm???/

 

[ZoZo]

We LOVE WDW at Christmas .... it's wonderful and with extended hours and so many special events you really don't notice the crowds. Honestly IMHO Christmas isn't as crowded as some weeks at the F&W in Epcot.TJ

Seriously? I find that hard to believe. I've been four times during F&W Festival (but never Christmas week) and have thought the crowds were never worse than a four or five (on a scale of one through ten). From what I've heard about Christmas, it's wall-to-wall people. If they shut the parks down at Christmastime because they're at capacity - yikes!

 

[disneypolybride2008]

the week of christmas would be more crowded than the week after, which is when we're going. We're two adults but going w/ kids would be even more of a challenge. We went the first week of Jan. once and it was crowded and we got hit by people's strollers b/c there is just people going every which way like ants. We had a much better time going in April and Oct. However we're going again for our wedding which the break for the holidays made that time a good one. We know it'll be crowded but we're planning around them. The holiday decorations are SO pretty and we're excited that we'll get to see the storytelling santas, Candelight Processional, and having NYE at WDW. I would guess that the economy may lessen the crowds this year. The weather is cool which makes it much more enjoyable. Go for it! But get in while you can! We're paying $600 per night, ouch!

 

[tjmw2727]

Seriously? I find that hard to believe. I've been four times during F&W Festival (but never Christmas week) and have thought the crowds were never worse than a four or five (on a scale of one through ten). From what I've heard about Christmas, it's wall-to-wall people. If they shut the parks down at Christmastime because they're at capacity - yikes!

That's why I said IMHO -

I have also been for F&W the past 3 out of 4 years and last year was IMHO out of control the most crowded trip. During F&W last year we waited in line for everything - incluidng the bathrooms. It took over 30 minutes to get counter service and FP's were gone by noon.

I have been to WDW at least 3-4 times a year for the past 5 years and that was by far the most crowded trip so far. This includes 2 Christmas trips, one July trip and 2 trips during Easter week.

I have also never experienced a shut down - at Christmas or Easter.

Believe it or not -

TJ

 

[kmccain]

yes it is a nightmare, but it is also worth the trouble.

we always loved to go in the fall and attend the halloween party, but the schools will no longer allow the children to miss school for disney.

we have been at wdw for new years and loved it. the new years eve party at the mk was the best ever. we have been for spring break and had fun but don't really want to do that again. so crowded you could not see your own family when they were right next to you. we have also been there for thanksgiving and had a great time. the best thing that has happened to my family and wdw is our dvc membership.

we are going to spend our christmas at wdw this year and plan to really enjoy it. i will let you know

i have gotten too old for the hot weather in the summer, so we hop, skip, and jump around the cooler months. but it has become increasingly difficult to get the reservations without planning way ahead.

Can you tell me about the New Years Eve Party at MK? I am trying to plan for next year!

DS is in college and DD will be a senior and there just isn't another time we can go to see the Christmas decorations. We have never seen them!

Thanks so much!

 

[Seewhatimesdone]

You know a lot of people on the DIS tell you not to go during Christmas break but I went a few years ago and had a wonderful time. I don't particularily remember lines being huge but we weren't really focusing on that. It was wonderful to just be able to spend time with my family at the parks and see the decorations. I think it's a great time to go, even if crowds are big; it doesn't bother me.

I've never done New Years Eve in WDW but I have done it at DL and it does get crazy busy but that's because there's only one park. I think New Years at WDW would be really fun. Don't worry, just go have a great time!

 

[Mom2PrincessesLinSy]

We generally go sometime between the weeks after Thanksgiving and before Christmas. All the Christmas stuff is out and up, and its really beautiful.

Last year we went the week before Christmas, which put us into the weekend before Christmas, when the crowds starting coming. I can't begin to tell you what a difference it was from the beginning of that week to the end! We were able to get on and off WDW transportation without problems in the beginning, but by the end, we waited an hour to get on a bus back to the Contemporary from MGM! And then it was standing room only (a whole other nightmare....) The people were RUDE. There are other words, but RUDE is one of them. Pushy, agressive, cut throat, it was awful! People pushed you, cut in front of you in line (alot!), were really agressive at the elevators, you name it. The whole atmosphere of Disney seemed to change when the crowds came, it wasn't as magical...

I don't think it's worth paying the hundreds of extra $$$ in rooms, food (because they do raise their prices in certain table service restaurants during peak season) and travel to "see it at Christmas" right on Christmas. It is dirt cheap, far less crowded and much more magical between Dec. 1 and about the 20th (depending on how the Christmas holiday falls that year)

No matter what, have a magical time!

 

[futurecastmember]

we are going from dec. 18 to 26th.

I know it is going to be packed based on what ya'll said, and since we used to have annual passes, and they dont let you go at that time of the year.

I am hoping that with the state of the economy right now, that families are not too wiiling to take a vacation. (I know that sounds really rude, but i want to have a magical time!)

Wish me luck in December!!

 

[tjmw2727]

snip
I don't think it's worth paying the hundreds of extra $$$ in rooms, food (because they do raise their prices in certain table service restaurants during peak season) and travel to "see it at Christmas" right on Christmas. It is dirt cheap, far less crowded and much more magical between Dec. 1 and about the 20th (depending on how the Christmas holiday falls that year)

No matter what, have a magical time!

ITA and that is what we did until the kids were in school and sometimes even in the lower grades. Unfortunatly now its too much work for the kids to miss school so we go during vacation weeks with everyone else.

No the rides aren't a walk on but we alwyas have a great time and have never left dissapointed. Best of all the kids didn't have a week of schoolwork to make up on top of their regular work and other activities.

If the OP and others can go earlier in December they can experience all the Christmas magic without the crowds. If want to go and can only go during popular times IMHO that shouldn't stop you

TJ