Really nervous about our trip :(

[Ceryssa]

I think that sounds like a great time to go--WDW for the holidays, but before the Christmas rush! You'll get to see all the beautiful decorations, and (if the rumors of their demise aren't true) the Osborne lights.

As for the negativity, keep in mind negative things seem to get chewed over a lot more than positive things (this seems to be true for every set of message boards I've ever seen). And with all the recent changes everyone is still getting used to how things work. Honestly there's no telling what FP+ will look like by December...things could change between now and then. So I'd say don't second-guess yourself and just have fun planning!

 

[nadira36]

I am going to start this by saying my DH is less than thrilled to be going to Disney for a full week. He is a sport and is doing it for me and my kids. We went last Feb/March and it was jam packed and we didn't do much. But only had 4 days, park hopped and really didn't have much of a plan. He hated it. Then we went to San Diego this past December for a week. After Christmas into Newyears. We decided to take a day drive to DL because we didn't know if we'd ever be back on the west coast. Well that was miserable. I knew it would be crowded the week after Christmas but holy hell you couldn't walk it was all to wall people just miserable. I dont see how anyone enjoys the magic when you literally cannot move. I am excited for our next trip I am doing so much research to make it the best trip.

I am worried because there is so much negative on this board. I am learning that even low crowds 1-5 are still extremely heavy. So many people are bashing FP+, which I thought was a good idea because it ensures you three things for the day but we are not runners. I refuse to sprint to fast pass kiosks to get them. I have a 5 and almost 2 year old that just isn't what sounds fun to us. So obtaining as many as possible in a day doesn't really matter to us. But having three each day sounds nice. So that I am not worried about. We are going Dec 7-13 and the crowd calendars are saying that week is around a 4 with weekend days being like a 6 which is fine we are only there one Saturday. But all the talk about how long lines are and crowds. I just dont want to spend as much money as we are and hate it because its still wall to wall. We decided this week because of the "lower" crowds and the Christmas stuff and decent weather. We thought about Jan but rides being down and the colder weather we decided Dec. Should I be worried? Will we have a good time or are these increased crowds just going to ruin the trip. It's hard to soak up the magic when its so over crowded and you cannot even see anything. We also are people though that wont care to miss a parade or two. We wont line up hours before so we can get a good spot. We'd rather be away from the crowds in other areas. Some advice would be great. I am just really starting to doubt this trip even though I really want to go. DH will never let me plan another trip if he is miserable again there (let me add its just the crowds that he doesn't like)

Without reading other responses, I will say, relax. You'll have a great time. As long as you focus on being happy and not forcing things to happen.

We are nervous about how FP+ will change things, but we seldom ever used FP to begin with b/c our children were so small. This would be the first year we'd actually get any use out of FP, and I suspect FP+ will allow us to do what we want in most cases. That and some planning.

We love the beginning of dec. We've been during crowds of 1/2 and 4/5 I've been on the most ridiculously busy day(s) of the year. I've had so much fun every time. However what I do is different each time. on a super busy day, id get my FP or two and then just take in Disney without worrying about rides. The low cord days we're inclined to just let he children choose 100% what we do each day. It's great. a mid-level crowd means we plan some, but also keep in mind, we have children and plans sometimes must change.


We're taking out next trip in August, not my preference, however I'm sure despite the crowd levels being higher than our preferred time we'll still have a blast. And so will you.

 

[Marionnette]

I was there last week and the crowd predictors had the parks at a level of 6-7 each day. The crowds in early December tend to be a little lighter but not by much. I have been there many times in the first week of December and I will be returning again this year. The Pop Warner crowd is in town for their football tournament and it can make things pretty tough if you're staying at one of their designated resorts. They kind of just take over the pools and food courts.

MVMCP will be in full swing, which will mean that the MK will close early (7 PM) to guests without a ticket for the event. That makes touring the MK rather difficult on those days, because you don't get those evening hours to stretch things into. Go with a plan to avoid the MK on party days.

They also film the Christmas parade at the MK on the first weekend in December. You cannot walk down Main Street while they are doing it. All guests who have not signed up to be a part of the crowd (and stand all day as they take multiple shots of the same float going down the street), will be directed through backstage pathways to either Tomorrowland or Adventureland. The hub in front of the castle is also closed. This makes getting around the MK rather difficult because of the congestion it creates behind the castle in Fantasyland. Don't go to the MK that Saturday.

Other than that, please don't stress out about what FP+ will be like in December. The situation is VERY fluid. If you were going next week, it would be another story. I did not find the FP+ system to be all that and a bag of chips. I have more than 15 trips under my belt and I much prefer the old system. However, I know that the current system is still in its testing phase and Disney has a lot of bugs to work out of it. There is also a learning curve for all of us and the advice of those who have experienced the system will be a big help to you. Just go armed with the information that you read on the TPAS board and allow yourself to go with the flow if your planning does not fit the situation.

 

[NicholeB630]

I was there last week and the crowd predictors had the parks at a level of 6-7 each day. The crowds in early December tend to be a little lighter but not by much. I have been there many times in the first week of December and I will be returning again this year. The Pop Warner crowd is in town for their football tournament and it can make things pretty tough if you're staying at one of their designated resorts. They kind of just take over the pools and food courts.

MVMCP will be in full swing, which will mean that the MK will close early (7 PM) to guests without a ticket for the event. That makes touring the MK rather difficult on those days, because you don't get those evening hours to stretch things into. Go with a plan to avoid the MK on party days.

They also film the Christmas parade at the MK on the first weekend in December. You cannot walk down Main Street while they are doing it. All guests who have not signed up to be a part of the crowd (and stand all day as they take multiple shots of the same float going down the street), will be directed through backstage pathways to either Tomorrowland or Adventureland. The hub in front of the castle is also closed. This makes getting around the MK rather difficult because of the congestion it creates behind the castle in Fantasyland. Don't go to the MK that Saturday.

Other than that, please don't stress out about what FP+ will be like in December. The situation is VERY fluid. If you were going next week, it would be another story. I did not find the FP+ system to be all that and a bag of chips. I have more than 15 trips under my belt and I much prefer the old system. However, I know that the current system is still in its testing phase and Disney has a lot of bugs to work out of it. There is also a learning curve for all of us and the advice of those who have experienced the system will be a big help to you. Just go armed with the information that you read on the TPAS board and allow yourself to go with the flow if your planning does not fit the situation.

We plan on doing MK on Tuesday and Friday. Those are non EMH days which we wanted to avoid. Tuesday we plan on staying for the party. One of the reasons we are going at Christmas time. Easywdw has that whole week at a 4 from last Dec so I am hoping its the same this Dec, guess I'll see once he puts that one out. Everyone has said that week is really manageable as far as crowds. I def dont plan on lining up on main street for the Christmas parade or standing in line for hours for the 7 dwarfs. We will avoid those areas for sure and enjoy other parts of the parks. We are staying at the Bay lake tower so hopefully we wont be affected to much by the pop warner people.