Plan of attack for December trip

[prestonsmomma]

Yes I'm a nerd and already wanting to plan my days out. We will be there for 5 full days that will be completely and 100% available for Disney. We took Wednesday to go to DD and goof around a bit (and relax a bit) when we were there in November. I'm thinking the same plan might be good but what hours will the parks be open??? Should we schedule MVMCP on the night that we go to MK for the day?? Or should MVMCP be a seperate day??? We will have a nearly 5 year old with us and four grandparents so rest might be a good idea. I don't want to wear anyone out so what do you think would be the best plan of attack for us???

 

[dimoe]

I plan on going to Disney this Dec. It will be our second trip and I would love answers to these questions too so bumping it up for you .
Diane

 

[lustergirl]

I think taking a break in the middle of the day is a great idea. But of course the last time we went was this past september and was it HOT!!!!!! We are also going in December, from the 12th to the 19th so the weather will be a interesting factor for us. I am waiting for the December Extra Magic Hours to come out so I can plan what parks to hit on certain days and also using this info to plan my ADR'S. If you have little ones it is a great idea to take that break so they don't tire out. I seen so many tired babies and believe me they weren't pleasant.

 

[MHTeacher]

You don't say when in December you are going to WDW. Your plan will depend a lot on when in the month you are going. We went this past year at the week after Thanksgiving, end of Nov-beginning of Dec. We had a plan, but it didn't have to be super-detailed, because the crowds were so low. We did Candlelight on a Monday evening, and MVMCP on a Tuesday evening.

In reference to your question about doing MK and MVMCP on the same day, does this mean you do not have a hopping ticket? We actually went to MGM that day (DH's favorite park, and it WAS his birthday), went back to the hotel around 2:00 and had a late lunch, then swam and relaxed a bit before going to the party. The party is a late night, so you will definitely want to rest that afternoon before heading to it.

 

[kyirish25]

I also agree alot will depend on when in the month of Dec you are going. If early Dec, then no worries. We have been 4 years in a row at this time with our 5th trip planned for 2006.

Our group sounds simliar to yours: Me (31), DH(30), DS(4), MIL & FIL (mid 50's). We are up early (7am at latest) and waiting for the parks to open. We hit park opening and then after touring and lunch we head back for an afternoon nap. We then hit the parks for a bit before dinner and calling it a night.

With this time of the year, the parks close early for the most part. Typical hours are MK: 9am - 6pm on nights of MVMCP and 9pm on the other nights; MGM: 9am - 7pm; AK: 9am - 5pm; Epcot: 9am - 9pm.

As for your rest day. I would recommend that being the day you are planning MVMCP. Take it easy during the day and then head to MK after 4pm and gain entrance with just your MVMCP ticket. With a smaller child and older folks they won't last if you tour the parks all day and then try to go all night with the party.

 

[prestonsmomma]

Thank you so much for your help. That is exactly what I was thinking. We didn't go back to our room for a nap or anything last year but we took some time to sit back and relax at the park with an ice cream cone or something. It gave us all a break. We are going Dec 10-16th. I think we will do Epcot the first day since it's the most walking (is that right I can remember it's been a while since we went to Epcot), then maybe Animal Kingdom on Tuesday, MVMCP on Wednesday, Thursday MGM and Friday Magic Kingdom. Does that sound like a plan??? We don't worry too much about EMH because we aren't staying onsite (other than the crowd fluctuations).

 

[DemonLlama]

This will be our fourth December trip, always the week before Christmas.

Our plan is always built around the park hours and early entry (now EMH). We avoid the park scheduled for early morning entry now and counter plan.

For example, If MK will be opening early Wed, we plan for MK on Tuesday morning from opening til around 2:00.

We generally take a break at the resort from 2-4 and then head out for a different park that evening.

We will be staying until close on the EMH evenings for MK and MGM and planning on sleeping in those following mornings.

This year, we will do MVMCP in the evening on a day we've gone to a different park that morning, just to keep things fresh. We have done all day at MK and back again until midnight for the party, though, and I'd say in 2004 there were heavier crowds in the MK on those party days. Of course, there are heavier crowds everywhere since we started going in 2000.

 

[kyirish25]

Michelle - you will need to tweak your plan just a bit as MVMCP has been held on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday in years past. I would avoid Friday as this tends to draw a larger crowd. We usually do Tuesday night and it has been wonderful with low crowds and us also not being so tired at the end of our trip.