Jan 1st-7th, 2017

[DisneyPlanner14]

Anyone else going this week? We had to change our trip dates multiple
times due to my husbands work schedule so this is where we finally landed. It seems like it will be a lot more crowded that we want but we are preparing for that and are going in with the mindset that we will have fun no matter what!

Have you been this week in the past? If so what did you think?

Does anyone know if the Christmas parade and Frozen Holiday wish will still be happening this week?

I would love to hear your plans and if you have suggestions then I'm all ears!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

MK: Christmas parade and Frozen Holiday Wish will be done - last ones are on 12/31. The holiday-theme Celebrate the Magic may still be going on.

DHS: Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM ends 12/30.

Epcot: Holidays Around the World ends 12/30, and the last CP is 12/30.

Some of the decorations will still be during your week, which overlap New Year's Day (slightly less busy than 12/31 but still busy) and is the week that includes marathon. Have some good solid plans and keep expectations on how much you'll get "done" lower.

 

[rteetz]

Anyone else going this week? We had to change our trip dates multiple
times due to my husbands work schedule so this is where we finally landed. It seems like it will be a lot more crowded that we want but we are preparing for that and are going in with the mindset that we will have fun no matter what!

Have you been this week in the past? If so what did you think?

Does anyone know if the Christmas parade and Frozen Holiday wish will still be happening this week?

I would love to hear your plans and if you have suggestions then I'm all ears!

I am there for Marathon weekend from the 2nd to the 10th.

I have gone the last two years during this time. Crowds aren't big but its not low either.

No Christmas parade but they will still have Christmas decor up in the parks for the races. They usually run the holiday wish into the first couple days of January but that is no guarantee.

 

[DisneyPlanner14]

I am there for Marathon weekend from the 2nd to the 10th.

I have gone the last two years during this time. Crowds aren't big but its not low either.

No Christmas parade but they will still have Christmas decor up in the parks for the races. They usually run the holiday wish into the first couple days of January but that is no guarantee.

Thank you! We actually arrive the morning of the 31st but we aren't sure if we want to brave the parks or not

 

[mouseearstx]

We'll be there January 1-5. It has been a very long time since I was there during that time frame, but from what I recall it was busy, but not crazily crowded! We booked 90 days out and I had no trouble getting the ADRs we wanted, even managed a BOG breakfast and three character meals. Then two weeks ago we decided to add another person, upping our party to 5. I was able to reschedule everything with no more than a 15 minute time difference on our ADRs (except BOG, but found one PPO on a different day) and managed to get appointments for two girls at BBB in the castle at exactly the same time. We also had no trouble booking fast passes for all of us including FEA and 7DMT. The way I figure it, if I was able to get all of that done this close, it cannot be too overly crowded. I had more difficulty moving things around when we went in mid-September last year (granted it was during free dining)!

It's Disney World! We're going to have a wonderful time even if it is crowded!

 

[Anal Annie]

We were there this past January 2nd - 8th and we're going again this year from the 3rd to the 9th. Last year the decorations were still up in all of the parks but by the time we swung by the GF to see the gingerbread house it was gone (although the tree was still up). I want to swing by there as soon as we arrive this time to see if we can catch it. It was also the last year for the Osbourne Lights and those were still going on at HS and we caught the last night ever. The crowds thinned out for about 2 days in the middle of that week then picked up again for the marathon weekend. I think one thing that affects standby wait times is that they're not always running the rides at full capacity (ie only 1 side of BTMR at a time etc.). I'm sure that ride capacity & operations fluctuates depending on actual attendance. But if they can scale back on CMs they do.

 

[rteetz]

We were there this past January 2nd - 8th and we're going again this year from the 3rd to the 9th. Last year the decorations were still up in all of the parks but by the time we swung by the GF to see the gingerbread house it was gone (although the tree was still up). I want to swing by there as soon as we arrive this time to see if we can catch it. It was also the last year for the Osbourne Lights and those were still going on at HS and we caught the last night ever. The crowds thinned out for about 2 days in the middle of that week then picked up again for the marathon weekend. I think one thing that affects standby wait times is that they're not always running the rides at full capacity (ie only 1 side of BTMR at a time etc.). I'm sure that ride capacity & operations fluctuates depending on actual attendance. But if they can scale back on CMs they do.

GF gingerbread is usually one of the first things they take down. I forget which day it was down last year but at BC the gingerbread carousel was down around the Thursday or Friday of that week.

 

[Anal Annie]

GF gingerbread is usually one of the first things they take down. I forget which day it was down last year but at BC the gingerbread carousel was down around the Thursday or Friday of that week.

Yeah it was definitely down by Thurs. this year 'cuz that may be when we stopped by. The whole calendar has shifted by a couple of days tho this year because it was a leap year. This past year we went down on the 2nd which was a Saturday and this year we're going on the 3rd but it's a Tuesday so I don't know how many days we might have before it's gone. Do they go by the number of days after the 1st or the day of the week on the calendar? I hope we can swing by on our arrival day or at the lastest the next day on the 4th (we transition from EP in the morning to MK in the afternoon that day so it would be easy to hop on the monorail & hop off that day for a quickie pit stop).