New here! Christmas 2016 trip!

[MollieW]

I'm really excited, but also really overwhelmed. I'm going with my husband and two kids (11 year old daughter and 7 year old son) for eight days. Also, I have done NO planning. Like, literally none. I hope I can get some awesome help here!

 

[Pooh2]

Christmas is such an awesome time to visit WDW! The decorations and atmosphere are amazing!
Epcot has Storytellers and Santas at each country. Also fun to visit the different resorts, especially Grand Floridian for the Giant Ginger bread house, Animal Kingdom and Wilderness Lodge for the trees. They had photopass photographers in the hotel lobbies to take photos for you.
Have a great trip!

 

[magicaldisney]

Welcome to the DIS! You've come to the right place to get help with planning. When you have a specific question just ask away and someone will have an answer for you.

 

[Kiersten]

Welcome! I'll be there the week after Christmas!

 

[Stacey Faria]

Welcome! Christmas is the best time in Disney! We love love love it. Planning is fun, I havent done it in a few years, I used to go crazy with my planning but tried to be more relaxed the more times we went. I intend to plan a little more this year as there are a few musts on my list we havent gotten to do the last few trips! Planning can be overwhelming for sure so start with your list of musts for each park , and then I consider everything else icing on the cake! I found after the first few times I really had to learn to be a little bit more flexible because I got all flustered when something didn't work out! You've certainly come to the right place to help with your planning!

 

[MollieW]

Thanks everyone!!

 

[rebelbuddhist]

I'm really excited, but also really overwhelmed. I'm going with my husband and two kids (11 year old daughter and 7 year old son) for eight days. Also, I have done NO planning. Like, literally none. I hope I can get some awesome help here!

My wife and I have gone to WDW at Christmas for several years now. The crowds can be overwhelming, but PLANNING has been our answer. Also don't plan on doing everything at each Park-- just too many people and not enough time. Be sure to make ADRs at you 180 day mark and use FastPass + wisely. You have plenty of time to read, plan, and ask questions on the boards.

 

[mlucey03]

I'm planning a WDW Christmas trip too -- 8 days, too (17-24) for 7 people (3 adults, 4 kids). I'm totally overwhelmed but can't stop reading and changing my mind about what we are going to do/where we are going to stay/where we are going to eat. We will be celebrating a birthday while we are there... a 17 year old boy (never been to WDW). Any thoughts on a great place to take him for his birthday or any other helpful tips? We will be doing park hoppers and possibly venturing to that "other place" in Orlando for a day or two...

Thanks in advance!

 

[SirMickey]

Pick him up a Happy Birthday pin to wear while in the parks (if he's not too shy to wear one). You can get them inside shops - just ask a CM for one and - they're free! I celebrated my birthday while in Epcot and had one (one of my friends and my partner picked one up for me).

I was wished happy bday by so many CMs and other guests too! I was definitely a star that day. 4 CMs in Germany even sang "Happy Birthday" to me in German! Then, one CM at the American Experience handed me a phone saying I had a call. When I answered, Goofy was on the other end wishing me Birthday greetings! It was all so cool and very memorable. I hope he enjoys his special day while he's in Disney!

 

[Firefly03]

Christmas is so magical at Disney! But, due to crowds, planning will be key. Have you thought about using an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner? If you've not booked yet I would highly recommend it. They are paid by Disney, so it doesn't cost you anything, and their knowledge and advice will likely help you save both money and time (both in planning the trip and while in the parks). You can definitely plan a trip on your own, it'll just take some time A couple of sites (besides this one of course!) that I use when planning:
EasyWDW.com
Disneytouristblog.com
Wdwprepschool.com
Good luck! Hope y'all have a great trip!

 

[xlsm]

Just wanted to let you know we have a December thread HERE if you'd like to join in the planning fun!

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

Sounds like fun!