Questions About Holiday Time

[Sepo]

For the first time, we will be there during the holidays- In our case, after Christmas and before New Year's. A few questions:

1) What, if anything, will we be missing by not being there before Christmas? A Very Merry Christmas is no longer happening but I thought I read that other elements of it would then be open to all after Christmas. Is this true? Are the parades and shows still Christmassy even in the week after Christmas?

2) If time was limited, what would be some do-not-miss stops with regard to Holiday theming. I've heard WL and GF are particularly nice. Any other thoughts? The fam loves to see this sort of thing whether at parks or hotels.

3) Any other tips?

I know it's supposed to be insanely crowded then; we've already mentally prepped for that.

Thanks all.

 

[Klayfish]

We didn't stay long after Christmas last year, I think we left Dec 26th or 27th. I'm a serious Christmas junkie when it comes to theming, decorating, etc...you ought to see our house. With the Osborne Lights now gone, I'd be curious to see what, if anything, they do to put more theming in. The GF was really nice, and there are nice touches all over the parks. However, I didn't see anything that was breath taking, over the top theming (with the exception of Osborne). But that's OK, all the little touches, combined with so many guests wearing holiday themed stuff, make it a really fun atmosphere.

 

[dis_guy]

We've been there during the "transition" a couple of times. After Christmas, as I recall it, the first thing to go were the Christmas shows, parades, etc. I don't recall exactly when. Then slowly, mostly during the night, the decorations begin going away. By the 5th or 6th of January, they're all gone. On one trip we were there from Dec 22 to Jan 5 and I found it kind of sad seeing the resorts and parks being returned to their usual themes after all their Christmas splendour.

 

[hiroMYhero]

The Christmas Parade usually continues through December 31st and then FoF returns. This year Christmas and New Year's Day fall on a Sunday so it's hard to predict when the parade will switch over.

The Christmas stage shows remain in daily operation through December 31st as well along with the Castle lighting show.

Castle lights should remain on through Marathon weekend.

If you tour the Monorail resorts early in your trip, you'll be able to view the Gingerbread houses and displays. Also try to fit in the Epcot resorts for their displays.