Looking for some advice

[Khokhonut]

I posted a couple of days ago and just got one response, so here I am again

We are going the week between Christmas and New Years (myself, my husband, and 12 yo son).
I understand this is the busiest week, it just happens to be when we can go, so we'll make the best of it.

I read the thread that Bob lead me to on my post last week and took it all to heart.

I get that we need to be at WDW at opening, expect crowds etc.
I've been trying to prepare my 12 yo to be patient and flexible...maybe I should be working on the hubby instead now that I think about it LOL

I have 1 dinner reservation at the Crystal Palace on 12/28 and trying to decide if I want to make more....opinions?

I'm not sure which would be the best place to be on New Years Eve...ideas?

Is it too late to subscribe and get the Tour Guide Mike plan? would that be helpful?

Any advice at all would be appreciated.

I'm just excited we'll get to be "away"

~ Kim

 

[ADisneyQueen]

I really suggest you get TGM. It will tell you which parks to go to each day (Least Crowded Parks) and also there are articles about going specifically at Christmas time and what to do. There are forums there just like here, join us at the December one! Even if you just read some of the stuff for a few days, it's not too late.
Yes, I would try to do some ADRs if you want to spend the money or get the dining plan. Counter service is fine, but the lines may be long. Hopefully there are still some ADRs left for you, but it will be better than walking up. I would make the reservations before paying for the DP, in case you can't get many.
We will be there too ( leaving Friday). I know it will be crowded, but it beats staying up here in the cold and snow1

 

[MHSweb79]

You already know you're going at one of the busiest weeks of the year, if not THE busiest.
Do you have park hopper tickets? Because it's nice to have the option to bail out of a park that is insane in favor of trying one that won't be quite as crowded. Epcot is usually a good bet.
You should familiarize yourself with the various stages of park closings so you'll know what to expect. A dining reservation will NOT get you into a park that's closed due to full capacity!
If you want to experience the most number of attractions, you'll have to arrive before park opening, and use morning EMH if you are staying on site. You'll be able to do all the headliners before the masses get themselves out of bed. Also, be sure to understand and use FastPasses- they will save you lots of time in line. In general, you can pull a FP for a second attraction about 2 hours after your first one (the time will be printed right on your FP ticket). Don't worry if you are late returning - you can ride any time after your FP window opens until park closing, which saves a lot of criss-crossing the parks, which is especially important when the parks are so crowded.
As for dining reservations, at this late point you probably wouldn't be able to get any. Some places to try would be Kona Cafe at the Polynesian and Biergarten in the Germany pavilion at Epcot. During free dining these places were accepting walk-ups, at least when we were there in September.

 

[Julylady]

We were there a few years ago arriving on Dec. 29. Dec 29 & 30 were very crowded, but manageable with fast pass. However, beginning about mid afternoon on New Year's Eve at EPCOT, the crowds really began to build. We had a 6pm dinner reservation at Chefs of France. Upon leaving the restaurant, it was wall to wall people. Our goal was to find a place to sit and just wait for the fireworks/midnight. We could not even find a place to sit on the grass ANYWHERE. After 45 minutes of slowly shuffling along with the crowd, we gave up and decided to go back to our hotel (Swan). However, along the Boardwalk there was street entertainment and a lot of people having a great time. We stayed until after midnight, watching the fireworks from the Boardwalk area.

Just an idea in case things get too crazy for you.....

 

[princess lovers mom]

do you have the dining plan? you will not get any walk up reservations for any sit down meals - so looks like you will be eating a lot of counter service with the others who didn't make reservations - try to eat at "off times"...not sure you will be able to get any other dining reservations this close to the vacation.....

to plan I would encourage you to decide now what parks you are doing on what days - look at EMH - try to do the morning EMH's the night ones can get really packed so I am not sure they are as "valuable"....sometimes the park that had the evening EMH the night before though is the best one to go to the next day early...

decide what are your "must do" rides and make your own plan on doing them...utilize fast pass - it is a must...you may have to criss cross the park to get or use another fast pass, but better than waiting 2 hours in a line !

make sure to see the parades - spectro, 3pm parade at MK, are a must for first visit....plan to sit on main st up to an hour ahead to get a good seat....see the castle lighting...

pick up a daily times schedule in each park to tell you when shows are. parades etc...

for NYE...well.....that depends on what youare looking for....MK and EPCOT will be very busy - EPCOT has alcohol so changes the ambiance a bit - i would suggest MK if youwant to be in a park...it will be crazy crazy busy and will close early due to capacity - so you have to plan to stay all day...

hope this helps? do you have more specific questions?

 

[Khokhonut]

Thanks for all the advice so far
I appreciate is so much!!

There are actually still dining reservations available, so maybe I'll go make a couple more at least.

I already have our tickets....6 day park hopper tickets. I purchased them through Undercover Tourist.

I forgot to add that we aren't staying on-site so that does take away some great options as far as the dining plan and EMH. By the time I figured out we could go I couldn't find an on-site reservation anywhere. So, we'll have a rental car and be our own transportation.

I plan on making a list of fast pass attractions available and utilizing FP for sure!

Also, on our list is the Osborne Family Lights. I have what is probably a stupid question....I looked at the WDW website and the only info I found about the lights is where (which I already knew...DHS) and the dates. What time is the light show? Is there more than 1 show per evening?

I'm sure I have more questions, which I'll post as they come to mind...if thats ok

 

[princess lovers mom]

http://www.wdwinfo.com/holidays/osbornelights.htm

open from dusk to park closing

 

[Khokhonut]

Thank You !! Wherever I was on the website that is not what I saw...thanks for the point in the right direction

 

[MHSweb79]

Osborne isn't a ''show" per se, the lights are on all night.
Since you're staying off site, you will for SURE need to understand the various stages of park closings. Off site guests are the first to be denied entry when the parks are reaching capacity. If it's an extremely busy day, you may not want to leave the park you're already in as you could have trouble entering another park. Generally, Magic Kingdom is the most likely to have closings, but someone who's had more experience travelling that week may have some better advice.
You will still want to get to your chosen morning park about a half hour or more before park opening in order to get those headliners in!
If parades are a must-do, it's a good idea to claim your space at least 90-120 minutes (or more!) ahead of time. We like to bring our dinner (sandwiches from the Earl of Sandwich, but you can bring anything you want) and just sit & eat and crowd-watch while we wait. It makes the time go faster.
If the parks are too much for you, try the Boardwalk and Downtown Disney, both of which should have some entertainment going on.


PS- Don't worry, you'll have a great time! I bet 90% (unscientific poll) of the posters here would gladly switch places with you!

 

[princess lovers mom]

this link is from the top of these forum pages under theme parks....many useful bits of info up there often over looked....

 

[Khokhonut]

Are you allowed to bring outside food and drinks to WDW? I'm at work or I would do some more investigating on my own <grin>

 

[princess lovers mom]

yup...no alcohol; no glass containers; no coolers with rolling wheels

 

[lpizzuro123]

Yes to food and I would highly recommend it. We were in Epcot a few years ago for NYE and midafternoon the line for CS in Mexico was close to an hour wait. We usually bring something to snack on in the parks and we always bring a bottle of frozen water and it melts during the day.

Linda

 

[Khokhonut]

Thanks guys, for all of the great tips

I have made a list of each parks hours. I have a list of which attractions offer Fast Pass. I have checked the 10-day weather forecast, and I like it a lot better than the forecast here in CO. LOL I made us a dinner reservation at the Biergarten @ Epcot (how is this restaurant?). I have a dinner reservation @ Crystal Palace. Oh....I do want to check parade times, I'll go do that now. I rented a vehicle. I have our park tickets (through Undercover Tourist). Now, just to decide what to do on NYE.

I'm sorry...am I boring you going through a checklist? I just know that if I forget something vital one of you will point it out