Really nervous about our trip :(

[NicholeB630]

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)

 

[mm1971]

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)

Early to mid December in our experience is not crowded and is a good time to be there. We have been twice and lines were always short (except the normally long ones) and I don't think we waited more than 20 minutes in any line. The only busy time was weekend nights that were not Christmas party nights. So many people are at MK to see the parades and Wishes on those nights due to not being able to see them at other times you could not move. If you avoid that situation, I think you will have great experience. Ride lines at that time were non existent though so may be a good time to hit those.

The weather may be a little unpredictable then as we had 2 really cold days last time, but the rest of the week was 60's and low 70's.

Of course both of our trips were before FP+ and from what we are hearing, there is no real offseason anymore. Crowds should still be very manageable so stop that worrying and start the planning.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

We have been during that week And didn't wait more than 20 minutes for any ride. We did pull a few fast passes but overall it was a great week. We did not have FP+ at that time. The weekends were filling up but we vacation Sun morning-Friday night so it didn't effect us much.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[mom2cinderella]

I dont see how anyone enjoys the magic when you literally cannot move.

Just looking at photos of the Magic Kingdom at Christmas gives me anxiety!!

I am worried because there is so much negative on this board.

Honestly I feel like it has been that way forever. For years there have been posters insisting that WDW has lost it's magic and is a filthy mess. And then you get there and think "Were they at the same park? This place is awesome!".

I do feel as though WDW does not put as much care into hiring cast members as they used to - or maybe their needs have outpaced the local employee pool? And I'm sure the cutbacks have had an impact on the parks/resorts.

I just think it's still possible to have a really great vacation at WDW.

 

[MandiC]

We went last month and it was wonderful (other than the ride closures and some cold days). I do recommend planning but 3 FastPass+ were great (except I was not a fan of Epcot's tiered system) I am also not a runner so I was glad that we got to go after the new system, the MagicBands were great to have everything all right there (room key, FP+, charging capabilities, dining plan). We considered going that week also (my older son's birthday is December 13 so we wanted to go a few days before and stay a few days after), it is what you make it

 

[GillianP1301]

OP, I think the best way to alleviate some of the anxiety is plan really well. The days you've chosen should be very manageable crowd wise. Look at crowd prediction calendars and base your touring plan on those. Avoiding EMH's is something I do to help avoid crowd issues. Many on this board will say RD is critical to avoiding crowds and I do agree with that strategy. Although I don't always employ it myself only because doing so and the rushing is sometimes not worth it for me, but it may be for you. It really does give you a chance to hit a few attractions in the first or two with little to no wait.

I find you don't even have to plan down to every minute of every day. I just go there very familiar with the layout of each park, knowing what all of the attractions are and which ones are on our priority list and that allows me to really go with the flow on each day. If one area is too busy, I move to another. Being familiar with the parks and what you like will help avoid those moments of wandering aimlessly or standing around thinking "where to now?". Those are the times where stress can really start to build and likely the times when your DH is wishing he was anywhere else other than where he is. So avoiding those moments, should help a lot!

My DH is not a fan of WDW either, so I understand where you're coming from. Although in my case, it's not just crowds (which he does hate), but the whole Disney thing is just not near the top of his lists of enjoyable vacation spots. I'm fixing that this time by leaving him at home, which both he and I are happier with. This approach only works if both parties are in agreement, I wouldn't just ditch him for a week with my son if he wasn't supportive of it.

 

[msmama]

I am not a FP user because we don't usually ride the "big" rides that have them. Maybe 1 per park so I feel like FP+ would work well for me.

I think if you go into it trying to make it perfect, you are going to fail. There is no such thing as perfect. You have kids, plans will go awry!!

Our general rule of thumb is to each pick 3-5 MUST do's each day (depending on how many of us there are, crowds, which park, etc). We consider it successful if we do those things.

I also think crowds are relative. Someone who lives in NYC is going to think a crowd level is much lower from someone who lives in a small, no-stop light town, you know? You can't control the crowds, so don't worry about it.

My advice is to plan the best trip you can for you and YOUR KIDS. If your husband sees WDW through their eyes then maybe he'll be a little less of a grouch. Can you send him off to golf for a day or something? Give him a special treat for going along?

 

[NicholeB630]

Thanks you all have made me feel better. I def dont expect it to be perfect or empty any time of year. I am just nervous. My husband loves seeing things through the kids and I think with the right plan and lesser crowds he will enjoy it. Obviously our kids are little so there are a lot of rides we wont care to do. I def want a good plan that is why I am starting so early on planning all this. We are doing a lot of ADR and I am hoping to get into Crystal palace at 8am one day so we can see the park that early empty and a 8am BBB appointment. So both MK days we will be in the park at RD hoping we get those times. I just dont want to feel like I have to plan every second to have fun. I need to leave room if something comes up or we see something we want to stop and enjoy. I'll be posting my plans later on once I figure them out to get input for them. It's good to hear others have gone this time and it was manageable. I def want to be involved in the Christmas party but we'll pick and choose what we will do and take advantage of low lines. I was reading on easywdw about it and all it involves. We'd rather see the stage show in front of the castle at a certain then wait around for the parade and I read there's way less people doing that because they are lined up for the parade instead. I will pray for nice weather but I know it could go any way. Last time it ended up being cold and windy and it sucked. I just want to not have to wear coats and be cold!!!

 

[clutter]

I am not a FP user because we don't usually ride the "big" rides that have them. Maybe 1 per park so I feel like FP+ would work well for me.

I think if you go into it trying to make it perfect, you are going to fail. There is no such thing as perfect. You have kids, plans will go awry!!

Our general rule of thumb is to each pick 3-5 MUST do's each day (depending on how many of us there are, crowds, which park, etc). We consider it successful if we do those things.

I also think crowds are relative. Someone who lives in NYC is going to think a crowd level is much lower from someone who lives in a small, no-stop light town, you know? You can't control the crowds, so don't worry about it.

My advice is to plan the best trip you can for you and YOUR KIDS. If your husband sees WDW through their eyes then maybe he'll be a little less of a grouch. Can you send him off to golf for a day or something? Give him a special treat for going along?

+1!

 

[Pooh2]

We went this past Thanksgiving week, one of the busier weeks of the year. We got lots of rides in by being there at rope drop. We went straight out until about 11-11:30 am when the lines started to build. Then we got snacks or lunch, relaxed and walked back toward the entrance, enjoying other things along the way. After an afternoon break/swim, we came back to do our 3 fastpass plus in the early evening. A good plan should take alot of the stress out of the trip. Of course, those of us who are planners will stress about our plan until we put it into action! Do a character meal or two to get some great photos with the characters but not have to wait in a long line with little ones or a reluctant spouse!

 

[tanyaandallie]

It sounds like you didn't plan quite as well for your last trips as you are for this one. If you plan well, you can avoid the crowds. We have been all different times of year but most recently twice in August when crowds are high and the temps are even higher. Planning and making it to rd make ALL the difference for us.

Visiting in early December will be wonderful. I'd just make sure you have a touring plan of some sort to follow. The more time you spend planning and understanding how things work at Disney the better your trip will be.

 

[NicholeB630]

With making a touring plans, I've looked at touring plans and easywdw cheat sheets and I cannot figure out the best ways to go. Does it make since putting certain lands together in one day at MK and then the other two on another day? I'd guess walking back and forth across the park makes not a lot of sense. I was planning on doing our FP+ in the afternoon after our breaks or late morning.

 

[tanyaandallie]

It really depends on how much walking you want to do. If you do a customize plan on touringplans you can select the walking vs waiting ratio that you like best. I personally like a nice balance. I don't mind walking but with a hubby with a bad knee we have to have a balance.

We have always followed tourguidemike in the past but his website is totally out of date now so I am also trying to figure out which one makes the most sense to me. Easywdw is more similar to tgm so we will likely use more of his philosophy but also use some of the info from touring plans.

I honestly think either works. You just need some plan of action to help you avoid the worst of the lines.

 

[NicholeB630]

I think I'll need to start with a list of what all we do want to do and then decide which ones we'll use for FP+. If we are in the park for BBB appointment at 8am (hope we get it) and we are out by 9 then we should do something like Peter pan first right before the line builds up right and then make our way around fantasy land maybe? Then the morning we eat at Crystal Palace first think we could hit Astro & Buzz first those areas? I am just so confused lol

 

[tanyaandallie]

Also, the afternoons are the most crowded times. Especially at MK, we hit rd, tour til lunch, eat and head out of the parks around 1 for naps at the hotel. Then we come back in the evening. The few times we have stayed it has literally been wall to wall people and made me insane! I much prefer touring in the morning before the crowds arrive.

 

[bumbershoot]

I am worried because there is so much negative on this board.

And yet they still come and write trips reports. Focus on what people are saying, not on your perceptions of the good/bad of what they are saying.

What people have said is that if you weren't a big FP user to begin with, and if you use it as a way to get 3 "guaranteed" rides in a day, it works pretty well. So it doesn't seem like it will be a problem for you, unlike for users like my family.

...but we are not runners. I refuse to sprint to fast pass kiosks to get them.

FP runners should never have been *running*. Running in the parks on a normal day (not a rundisney event) should never happen. Unsafe! It simply meant someone going off to get it, and generally you chose the fastest brisk-walker.

Last time it ended up being cold and windy and it sucked. I just want to not have to wear coats and be cold!!!

Oh you're killing me with this one.

First trip, 2010 same timeframe as you (though we started earlier and ended later). Thought "from my research I see that 2009 was heinously cold, and Jan 2010 it was sleeting on the marathoners, so there's no way it will be that cold twice in a row!" And ha ha ha ha...it was. So so cold.

Then we were just there in January and again, horribly cold. 21 degrees with windchill the day we chose to take a boat to DTD and wander around all that water...didn't know it was that cold that day...


Please. Buy longjohns and bring them. For everyone. A nice thin warm layer under your clothes will do wonders. When WDW is cold it's really hard, because all that water turns the cold wind into what feels like ice. So get that under-layer on, plus gloves and hats and everything. And THEN have fun. And hope you don't have to use those warm clothes, but have them all the same!

 

[Katy Belle]

We have been to WDW that week in December. It was several years ago, but the crowds were very manageable. We just got back from a Spring Break trip. It was crowded. Especially 11a.m. to 4p.m. in every park. My kids are old, 14,16,18, and the past few Disney trips weren't excited about doing Fantasy Land. This trip I told them that on our MK day I was going to get up early and be there for rope drop. They could sleep in. Well, two of them got up and went with me! We rode Dumbo, Peter Pan, Pooh, and Small World in the first 45 minutes. Mickey's Philharmagic, which is wonderful in my opinion, never had long lines. We did it twice that day, once in the afternoon, and once in the evening.

If you are in the MK early both of those days, you should be able to get the long line attractions in early, and then enjoy at your leisure the rest of the time.

Have a loose plan and enjoy the rest! Get your DHs input on what he might like to do.

 

[NicholeB630]

I know the weather can be anything, but obviously going to FL in Dec you'd hope it was decent and not needing long johns. YES I will be extremely mad and disappointed if we get there and it feels like we are still in VA. But it wont ruin our trip.

I will def need help on which rides to do FP+ for and which ones to just try and get done first thing in the am. Both days at MK we will be in the park at RD and really hoping were done with our reservations by 9am and if thats the case we'll have a head start to the lands we go too

 

[SEA333]

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)

We went in November from the 14th-18th last year, and it was fantastic. not crowded at all, and we were able to do everything we wanted. We are the family that walks the other way when we see a crowd, so we avoid the parades! LOL In DHS, my boys literally went on Star Tours about 6 times that day, and we still did everything else we wanted to.

We did the 3 FP+ and loved it. I refuse to run around getting fastpasses...if I am there at an attraction and the line is short (less than about 20 minutes), we ride. If it is long, we move on and may check back later if we are in the area. We have had a pretty good degree of success this way, but we are not crazy about making sure we fill every second of our trip to make it "worth it". 3 were perfect for us - I made a little spreadsheet with our ADR's and FP+ times, and honestly I glad when we finished the last one each day! No more looking at the clock to make sure it was FP time! LOL

I think that before Christmas is slow because most people will not take their kids out of school when they know a 2 week break is coming up. Same with T-giving...I had no problem taking my kids out, and am proud of it LOL, and I did notice that the crowd level was VERY manageable.

Weather was AWESOME at that time of year, other than one morning of rain at Epcot (we poncho'd up and carried on!) We were in the low to high 70's and walked around in tshirts and shorts/capris without sweating or feeling sick from humidity. Just the way we like it! The kids swam every day.

I wouldn't go during Christmas, Spring Break, or in the middle of summer if you paid me a million dollars...it is NOT worth my money and time to be stressed because of crowds, sick from heat, or stuck in a 2 hour line. Yuck!!

 

[NicholeB630]

We went in November from the 14th-18th last year, and it was fantastic. not crowded at all, and we were able to do everything we wanted. We are the family that walks the other way when we see a crowd, so we avoid the parades! LOL In DHS, my boys literally went on Star Tours about 6 times that day, and we still did everything else we wanted to.

We did the 3 FP+ and loved it. I refuse to run around getting fastpasses...if I am there at an attraction and the line is short (less than about 20 minutes), we ride. If it is long, we move on and may check back later if we are in the area. We have had a pretty good degree of success this way, but we are not crazy about making sure we fill every second of our trip to make it "worth it". 3 were perfect for us - I made a little spreadsheet with our ADR's and FP+ times, and honestly I glad when we finished the last one each day! No more looking at the clock to make sure it was FP time! LOL

I think that before Christmas is slow because most people will not take their kids out of school when they know a 2 week break is coming up. Same with T-giving...I had no problem taking my kids out, and am proud of it LOL, and I did notice that the crowd level was VERY manageable.

Weather was AWESOME at that time of year, other than one morning of rain at Epcot (we poncho'd up and carried on!) We were in the low to high 70's and walked around in tshirts and shorts/capris without sweating or feeling sick from humidity. Just the way we like it! The kids swam every day.

I wouldn't go during Christmas, Spring Break, or in the middle of summer if you paid me a million dollars...it is NOT worth my money and time to be stressed because of crowds, sick from heat, or stuck in a 2 hour line. Yuck!!

That all sounds like a good plan. I think we will plan but not over plan and freak out if things change. From what I've heard so far I am really hoping crowds are manageable and I'll be happy with them!