?'s for those going in December!

[christophfam]

I am planning my first December trip to DW and have some questions for all those I saw that are going.

1) When booking rooms, how do you get discounts that may become available for this time of year? I have a rs for Dec. 1-5 at the ASM and got a rate of $77. I know this is not a great rate and a lower one may become available. Will they honor a discount code on a reservation I've already made?

2) Swimming. Is it possible? Should I bother bringing the suits?

3) Coats. How cold can it get?

4) Is this really the slow season? What should I expect for crowds?

Thanks in advance for the help!!

 

[zulaya]

Originally posted by christophfam
I am planning my first December trip to DW and have some questions for all those I saw that are going.

1) When booking rooms, how do you get discounts that may become available for this time of year? I have a rs for Dec. 1-5 at the ASM and got a rate of $77. I know this is not a great rate and a lower one may become available. Will they honor a discount code on a reservation I've already made?

Yes they will apply the discount to your reservation, if a discount becomes available. Don't look for discounts for this timeframe any before August and September is more likely.

2) Swimming. Is it possible? Should I bother bringing the suits?

Swimming is possible - just check the weather forecasts before you leave. I am perfectly comfortable swimming when it's int he 60s and 70s but some people think that's too cold to swim.

3) Coats. How cold can it get?

A few years ago it was in the 30s at night. That's rare, but again, check the forecasts before you leave. Many people advise bringing a light jacket or dressing in layers.

4) Is this really the slow season? What should I expect for crowds?

Yes, this is the slower season. Crowd wise depends on what you have experienced before. If you typicaly have gone in the summer, the crowds are less than that. Most rides will be walk ons, but there may be waits and there may be FP for later in the day.

Thanks in advance for the help!!

 

[MJames41]

1. Book your room now (like you have) and wait for the discounts. They may or may not show up. The only discounts "guaranteed" would be Disney Club, and those are only good until they run out of reserved DC rooms. Once the discounts show up, if they do, call up and change your reservation (it would involve cancelling the ones you have and reserving the new ones with the new rate).

2. Yes, bring your suit. You may not be able to swim every day (depends on what you like or not), but it is possible. When we went in December in 2000, I went to the pool just about every day. Even if it gets cold out, the pool is heated to 85.

3. Even though it is Florida, it can get cold. It normally gets colder in January, but a drop to 32 would not be unheard of. At the very least you might want to bring sweats, or a sweater.

4. We went to MGM the Wednesday after Thanksgiving, and went up to the CM at Tower of Terror and asked them how long the wait was. He told us the elevator was about 40 feet away. We walked right up to the elevator and went in. No wait. It truly is a slow season. It gets busier on the weekends, when Florida residents who live near by come to visit, and the closer you get to Christmas the more crowds there will be, but early December you can walk right on to just about anything. When we were there, the only exception was Test Track. Thats why we're going back when we are.

158 days until we leave.

 

[BCV23]

1) Yes, they will change your reservation if you find a better rate. We've had no problem doing that.

2) When our children were young, that was our favorite week to go and they always swam. The air might be cool but the pools are heated.

3) We took along the coats our kids wore to the airport just in case when they were little. My DH and I just took light jackets. Most trips were quite mild...later in Dec/Jan it can get quite cold but we never hit that kind of weather in early Dec.

4) Yes, it is slow season. It's great! It's a wonderful time to go. Christmas decorations are up, no crowds, no heat. I can hardly wait to be able to go at that time again!

 

[CarolMN]

Just wanted to emphasize that Disney does not automatically apply a discount to your existing reservation. It's up to you to call and request the discount. There has to be a discounted room available when you call for you to get the discount.

If a discounted room is available when you call, the CM will take care of applying it to your reservation. (Actually, I think they make a new reservation with the discount code, transfer the depost and cancel the old reservation).

Keep an eye on DIS and on www.MouseSavers.com to be among the first to hear about any discounts. Good luck!


You've chosen a great time to visit. I know you will enjoy the trip!

 

[mrsltg]

Early December is a fantastic time to go! The parks are empty (except on weekends; 20 minute wait, tops), and decorated beautifully! I was amazed at how incredible WDW looks for the holidays. Make sure and take in Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, if you can! Also, last year it was close to 90 EVERY day we were there... definitely bring your suit!

Erin

 

[christophfam]

Wow! Thanks for all of the great advice! I am so glad we are going in December. I didn't know the pools were heated so that is great news. I will check the weather before we go and pack a bit of everything. I think we are going to have our best trip ever!!

 

[MickMan]

We went two years ago in December. We walked onto Test Track got off and walked right back on with no wait. It was awesome. We are going again this year.

Can't wait.

 

[helenk]

Last year was my first year to go during the holiday season. We were there the last week of Nov into the first week of Dec. The weather was great, we need our fleece jackets at night, especially if you are near the lagoons, like to watch illuminations.
We saw plenty of people swimming but we never got around to it ourselves.
The decorations were so beautiful and most lines were 10 to 15 minutes, the longest line was 20 minutes. we did the single line at TT and even that was not bad. We did the mvmcp one night too.
I loved it so much last year, we are going back again this year, just a bit later in the month so DS can go after exams.

 

[disdaddy]

I was at CR last year in the first week of December and have the following thoughts:

1. last year in December it was definitely warm enough to swim in the pools...

2. but Orlando winters are unpredictable, so bring coats AND swimsuits

3. weekdays are relatively slow, but the MK is crowded on Saturdays

4. i would recommend going to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP)...they close MK down at 6 on certain nights after thanksgiving and reopen it from 7 to midnight for those with separately purchased MVMCP tickets - it was my first time and we loved it! no lines on rides (we did dumbo, winnie the pooh, speedway racecars and buzz lightyear in less than an hour!), special Christmas parade, special Christmas shows, hot chocolate and cookies and fireworks, too...don't miss it!