Is WDW open Christmas Day??

[icebrat001]

Hi everyone!

I'm a new here. My significant other and I are planning on spending a couple days at the Disney parks during Christmas time. Are they open Christmas eve, Christmas Day and the Day after Christmas? Are the hours shortened or extended? Are the ticket prices extra's or will simple park hopper tickets work?

Thanks in advance

 

[luvindisneyworld]

Disney is always open.Christmas and New Years is the absolute busiest times for Disnay.The parks will be open very late these days.
You really need to research and plan for this time of year.They say it is Wonderful but it is extremely busy.Have a Wonderful time.

Misty

 

[Mermaid02]

Yes they are open- It's a VERY busy day- all you need are regular tickets- I'm not sure about the hours.

 

[icebrat001]

Disney is always open.Christmas and New Years is the absolute busiest times for Disnay.The parks will be open very late these days.
You really need to research and plan for this time of year.They say it is Wonderful but it is extremely busy.Have a Wonderful time.

Misty

Call me stupid - But research and plan what?

My significant other and I are both 22 years of age and financing this trip ourselves.

We are flying into Ft. Lauderdale on Dec 13th
Leaving for a 10 day cruise on Dec 14th
We get back Dec 24th
We planned on going to the everglades on Dec 24th
Disney Dec 25th and Dec 27th ( We are aware of the distance)
Busch Gardens Dec 26th (we are aware of the distance)

We planned on purchasing Park Hopper tickets to Disney. Are you telling me we need to do more planning? How much more planning can there be for WDW?

I love to plan but for 15 days at onces geez, I think i'm going to get a little overwhelmed.

 

[Bob P]

Hi Icebrat,

At the basic level, the planning you'll need to do includes:

What park(s) do we want to see?
Where do we want to eat?
How should we use Fastpass?

December 25 is one of the busiest days at all the parks, particularly the MK. The parks are often closed by lunchtime to guests not staying at a WDW resort. As you might imagine from this, if you don't have an idea of what you want to do there you will be face to face and shoulder to shoulder with tens of thousands of your new friends trying to salvage the day by seeing one attraction that has less than a 2-hour wait!! And if you don't have a priority seating (WDW speak for "reservation") you may not even get close to the front door of any restaurant, be it sit-down or counter service!

Here is a link where you can check the hours in December for the last few years:

http://www.intercot.com/infocentral/calendar/historical/archive/default.asp


Good luck!

Bob

 

[disney junky]

Disney World for most of us is a vacation destination and not a stop along the way. People often not only plan where they are going but the order they will do certain attractions. On Christmas day it will be jammed. The parks have been known to be closed when they reach capacity. For most of us, there are certain attractions/activities that can be booked up to two years in advance, just like your cruise and activities on board an on shore. So when we talk about research, understand that most people who frequent these boards are Disney savvy and sometimes we forget that there are people out there who just come and do just fine. Hope you have a great trip.

 

[icebrat001]

Disney World for most of us is a vacation destination and not a stop along the way. People often not only plan where they are going but the order they will do certain attractions. On Christmas day it will be jammed. The parks have been known to be closed when they reach capacity. For most of us, there are certain attractions/activities that can be booked up to two years in advance, just like your cruise and activities on board an on shore. So when we talk about research, understand that most people who frequent these boards are Disney savvy and sometimes we forget that there are people out there who just come and do just fine. Hope you have a great trip.

Thank you for the Tips.

I guess a better idea would be to go the day before and after Christmas and spend Christmas day at Busch Gardens and maybe even extend our trip an extra day to have 3 days at Disney.

I guess I better start looking at disney maps to really get to planning where to eat and what attractions/activities we plan on doing...

Are there any guidebooks to help me with this.

Thank you for all your help.

PS. Is Priority Seating only for those staying at a Disney Hotel?

 

[robinb]

I go to WDW every Christmas/New Years Eve and I have to tell you that while Christmas Day itself is probably the busiest, the rest of the days are not that far behind. The key is to (1) stay in an on-site hotel and (2) get to the park when it opens. I don't mean to discourage you, but you really won't see a lot if you're not in the Magic Kingdom or MGM in the first hour. The lines will become really, really long. Epoct and Animal Kingdom are better parks for a late start in the case of a previous late night.

My guess is that Busch Gardens will be much the same. However, I think you can buy a front of the line pass for them which will help. Disney has "Fast Pass" which is free to all guests, but they often run out of FPs by early afternoon.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

I hate to tell you this, but there is a VERY good chance if you are staying offsite, you won't even get in to a Disney park on Dec 25th. The parks almost always close to capacity on Christmas day, and onsite people are guaranteed entry, offsite people are not. Unless you plan to be up at the crack of dawn and there at least an hour before the park even opens.

You might get to take in a handful of attractions. It will be extremely crowded. You may really want to reconsider when you will go.

 

[Bob P]

Thank you for the Tips.


Are there any guidebooks to help me with this.

Thank you for all your help.

PS. Is Priority Seating only for those staying at a Disney Hotel?

Hi again Icebrat,

You're welcome...people here on the Dis are always happy to help!

I recommend "The Unofficial Guide to WDW" by Bob Sehlinger. You can also pick up a lot of tips by searching these boards and the Dis website, as well as allearsnet.com.

Priority seating is for anyone. You need to call 90 days in advance (407-WDW-DINE) and tell them how many people, what time, and what restaurant. Sometimes they won't have the time you want available.

 

[Belle5]

For all you Christmas Day experts, this is probably a dumb question but if you are admitted to a theme park in the morning, want to go to your hotel for a nap--will you have any trouble getting readmitted if that park has been shut down due to capacity crowds? I haven't been to WDW for Christmas since I was in junior high and now I have my own high school and college age kids. (We were shut out of Magic Kingdom two days in a row when I was in junior high--so I know I want to be very careful...) Obviously, if we decide to stay onsite admission won't be a problem, I know. Thanks!!!!!

 

[WDSearcher]

For all you Christmas Day experts, this is probably a dumb question but if you are admitted to a theme park in the morning, want to go to your hotel for a nap--will you have any trouble getting readmitted if that park has been shut down due to capacity crowds?

You might. Chances are, any park that closes in the AM will be reopened by mid-afternoon, as crowds thin out. But if the park is at Level 4 close, that means closed to EVERYONE, no matter what kind of ticket you have ... no matter where you're staying ... no matter where you were that morning.

 

[robinb]

For all you Christmas Day experts, this is probably a dumb question but if you are admitted to a theme park in the morning, want to go to your hotel for a nap--will you have any trouble getting readmitted if that park has been shut down due to capacity crowds?

Like WDSearcher said ... you might. I have personally never had a problem doing just that for 5 New Year's Eves. We get to the park when it opens, hang around until lunch, nap and/or swim back at the resort and return around 6:00 pm. We have been successful at both Epcot and the MK and even on NYE 1999/2000. The parking lots close before the parks do, so leaving and returning is far more problematic when staying off-site.

 

[Grandmouse]

"I guess a better idea would be to go the day before and after Christmas and spend Christmas day at Busch Gardens and maybe even extend our trip an extra day to have 3 days at Disney. "


Going to Busch Gardens in between two days at WDW isn't very practical. BG is about a 90 minute drive from Orlando. Don't know what the crowds would be like at BG -- probably just as bad.

 

[Eeyore2003]

The week between Christmas and New Year's is one of the most crowded times of the year, if not THE most crowded. From the sounds of it, it's not possible, but you would have a more relaxed time at WDW, with dramatically less lines by making your first two days there and then going on the cruise. The first two weeks of December are some of the least crowded times there. The closer you get to Christmas, the more crowded it gets.

For the best time on Christmas itself, I would plan on not getting allot of rides in, unless you want to wait in long lines, having your Priority Seating for your restaurants, and just enjoy the atmosphere.