Strategy for 2-days over Christmas break

[letmbkids]

DH and I have made a last minute decision to take our DD6 and DS9 to Florida the week between Christmas and New Years. We have agreed to two days at Disney. I would appreciate any advice on the following:

1) What days between Dec 28 and Jan 1 would you recommend we go?
2) What parks do you recommend we visit? We have never been to Disney before. Should we purchase the Park Hopper?
3) Where do you suggest we stay overnight that is most convenient to the parks and transportation? We will have a rental car but prefer to stay as close to the action as possible.
4) What is the best strategy to avoid being turned away due to park capacity?

I’m a newbie here so bear with me. I’ve tried to post this question 3x. I hope there are no duplicates.
Thanks!

 

[Goofy DS]

Please don't take this the wrong way but.....
you may want to rethink your choice of destinations for your Christmas break trip.

1. That is the BUSIEST time of the year at WDW. The crowds are just nuts!!
2. If you have never been to Disney, I'd hate for this to be your 1st experience. You will not see anything in 2 days. You will be cranky and tired from dealing with the crowds, and you may never want to go back again. I HIGHLY recommend a slower time of year for your 1st trip.
3. Sounds like you haven't booked anything yet and it's getting VERY late to try to get a room etc...

If you are doing other things in FLA that's fine, but I just don't want you to be disappointed in your 1st Disney experience.

 

[Got Quattro?]

1) What days between Dec 28 and Jan 1 would you recommend we go?

None! Stay at home if you are only going 2 days. You will see next to nothing but wall to wall people.


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[disneycrazzzy]

The parks are beautifully decorated for Christmas and if you get to the parks first thing you can get some shows/rides in. I would recommend staying on site anywhere your budget allows...we loved POR. I would recommend not going to a park on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day leaving you December 28-30th. I would avoid parks with early or late EMH. Checkout Disney's site to determine which parks remain. I would suggest a day at MK and a day at AK with possibly going to MGM to see Fantasmic on the AK day which would require a park hopper. If possible I would go to the parks on the 28th, rest on the 29th, and parks on the 30th. Good luck with your planning.

I would agree with the previous posters however that I would not recommend your first trip to WDW during Christmas week if it can be avoided. This is our 10th trip and I am still intimidated by the idea of being there during this week (we are there 12/23 - 1/2) and can't imagine trying to do it in less than 10 days.

 

[letmbkids]

I had a feeling that's what you'd say. We're staying the rest of the week in New Smyrna Beach but thought we'd take two days to go to Disney. Unfortunately, the cat is already out of the bag and the kids are getting excited.

 

[Deb & Bill]

What days you go may depend on where you can find availability. I would not choose Christmas week for my first time unless I had the entire week. Even then, lines will be extremely long for the most popular attractions. Can you plan on spending 90-120 minutes waiting to ride one attraction? That's the type of lines you will have on Peter Pan, Dumbo, Splash Mt, Space Mt, Big Thunder Mt, Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear, etc. And that's only the MK.

You definitely need to stay on the property. Otherwise the parks will be closed to you very early in the morning. They close to offsite guests first. And they do this regularly during Christmas week.

Wall to wall people.

We have gone at this time, but we have also gone many other times. So what we don't get to do on a trip, we try to do on another. You may not want to return after spending two days during the busiest time of the year.

Heard of the most magical place on earth? WDW will be the most crowded place on earth during this week.

 

[domestic goddess]

It is possible to do it then and still have fun. First, GET YOUR RESERVATIONS NOW!!!!! Get what ever is available, on site, that you can afford. That is, if anything is still available. Then I would recommend MK and AK, and do EMH. Pick 2-3 things in that park that you really want to do, and do those things right away. Then anything else that you can fit in will be a bonus. Don't expect to do everything that you want to do, just do what you can. By going with the right expectations, you are less likely to be disappointed. By the time that the parks get really crowded, go back to the resort and do something outside of the parks.

WDW at Christmas is awesome!! It is just great to soak up the atmosphere and the magic. Go with the right frame of mind and just relax and enjoy and it will be a great trip, even at Christmas!!