RANdisNEY
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Sep 2, 2001
- Messages
- 23
We are a family of 5 parents 44, daughter 19, sons 16 and 8. Im writing this trip report to add to all the information about surviving a trip to Disney (and Universal Orlando) during the busiest week between Christmas and New Years. Ive read a number of posts in the last couple of days saying never again!, but we were pleasantly surprised by everything we were able to accomplish. I had set my families expectations VERY low, suggesting that we may spend the week admiring decorations, watching entertainment, eating, and shopping because of the crowds. We are all waiting-in-line-phobic and have been to Disney enough times that we wouldnt consider any particular ride worth an hour wait, but we didnt wait more than 15 minutes for any ride at Disney all week with the exception of the single rider line on Test Track which was 40 minutes (but only because it broke down for 20 minutes while we were in line.) The key, as many others have said, is to arrive at the opening of the park, get all the major rides in, then relax and do the big throughput rides and shows while everyone else waits an hour plus for the rides you walked onto a couple hours before.
A few general observations that apply to the entire week: I cant think of any bad or rude service from any CM they were all pleasant and cheerful, even with the large crowds. I thought the crowds were nicely behaved also, we only witnessed a couple mild incidents, mostly involving people who had been waiting a long time past their PS time. We almost always checked in very early, and this seemed to help our place in the queue. We never had any problem getting into the park or with the security checks. Anyway, heres my trip report:
Tuesday, Dec. 25th Christmas Day! We flew to Orlando from St. Louis on American, rented a mini-van from National, and drove to Marriott Orlando World Center. Thanks to this board, we requested a high, North Tower room with the view of Disney World. The check-in staff was wonderful and worked hard to get us two balcony rooms facing Disney on the 15th floor. They were ready it was around 3 p.m. and we unpacked and my husband took by younger son swimming in the indoor pool. A note about staying at MOWC parking is very convenient if one stays in the North Tower, we never had any traffic problems on our way to the parks, and our commute time by car was probably exactly the same as staying at any of the moderates or value resorts on property.
We had a PS for dinner at Artists Point at the Wilderness Lodge. We checked in about 20 minutes early and went off to admire the Christmas decorations. We were paged within a few minutes of our time. Artists Point had a Holiday set price menu (we had not known this, but it was fine) that included the house salad, choice of entrée, and dessert for $39.99 per person ($12.50 for a child). The cedar plank salmon was great (although the mushroom risotto was sadly undercooked) and my DHs beef filet was fantastic with a great sauce. The desserts came as a family style assortment of about five items. Nice service and atmosphere.
We had no energy for trying to enter the Magic Kingdom, so we headed back to our hotel for sleep.
Wednesday, Dec. 26th.
We were at the Magic Kingdom before the scheduled opening at 8 a.m. We circled the park counter clockwise hitting Buzz, Space Mountain, the test cars, Pooh, Snow White, Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, Country Bear, Hall of Presidents, Thunder Mountain, Pirates, Jungle Cruise and Tiki Birds, all with virtually no lines. Lunch at Pecos Bills, which we found about the same quality as Pinochio Haus, which we have always liked. We did a few more things after lunch including Carousel of Progress and Transit Authority, but by this time the MK was crowded beyond our (admittedly low) tolerance. Can anyone explain to me why someone would wait an hour and a half for that car ride in Tomorrowland????
My husband took my youngest by monorail to Epcot while I drove the car to facilitate our departure in the evening. I parked in the AAA parking without knowing that I didnt have the proper type of membership (found out a few days later).
We picked up our tickets for the Candlelight Processional. We had scheduled the 6:45 p.m. show with Gary Sinise as moderator, followed by dinner at Le Cellier at 8:00 p.m. The Tapestry of Nations Parade was cancelled due to high winds. As we were walking around World Showcase, we saw that the line was already getting quite long at 6:00 (three times as long at least in stand-by) so we went ahead and joined the line. Wonderful performance.
We had read about the long waits at Le Cellier with the Candlelight Dinner Package but we were seated within 15 minutes of our time. Dinner was great we had appetizers and entrees, plus we tried the cheddar cheese soup. Nice.
We only caught the end of Illuminations on our way out. Exhausting, yet great, day.
Thursday, December 27th. We got to MGM at opening and hit all the biggies. So far we hadnt really used fast pass as much as our trip last spring, probably because by the time we needed it the times were very far in the future. Had a very nice lunch (burgers, pasta special, sandwich, shakes) at Sci-Fi diner. We are one of the lucky families that havent had any bad meals or bad service there.
We were originally scheduled to have dinner at Mama Melroses and stay for Fantasmic but the large crowds in the afternoon had us change this plan (we heard the recommendation to get to the line a couple hours in advance ) Instead, we were at the opening of the Osborne Lights and did the circuit. Lovely. Then we headed back to the Marriott and had sushi for dinner at the Mikado Steak House.
Friday, December 28th. Today was our first visit ever to Islands of Adventure. It was great walk-on everything for a couple hours. Spiderman is unbelievable, and I personally loved Dr. Dooms Fearfall so much that we did it three times (if you go straight to the single line after you ride there is no wait ever that we could tell). We had lunch at Mythos which was deserving of the rave reviews weve read. Dont forget to use either AAA or Discover for a 10% discount (it was still $140!).
We spent the afternoon finishing up the park. Weve always been Disney snobs about other activities in Orlando, but Islands of Adventure is something special. I had read Kelly Monaghans book on Universal Orlando HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and enjoyed paying attention to her insights about the music and other details.
We left in the late afternoon and had dinner at the Flying Fish on the Boardwalk after enjoying the Christmas decorations in the Boardwalk Inn (the amount of glass ornaments hanging in that lobby is overwhelming). After a lovely dinner, we drove over to MGM (we decided this would be quicker than taking the boat back and forth) and walked into the 10:00 p.m. Fantasmic five minutes before show time. It was awesome, as always, and quite a bit warmer than it was last March.
Another great day, but boy do our feet hurt!
Saturday, December 29th. Today started with Animal Kingdom. We did the safari twice and there was an enormous difference between the quantity of animals and the distance from the animals between the first and second trip (first was MUCH better). This made us wonder about the later opening time of 9:00 a.m.
At the Lion King show we came in a little late right when they were asking everyone to move over. We got seats in the second row right next to a man who was by himself and didnt seem too pleased to be moving over. Within a few minutes we noticed that in the first row was former president Jimmy Carter, his wife Rosalyn, his daughter Amy and her husband and two sons. We were next to the secret service agent guarding him. (I dont think he had wanted President Carter to move over, but ever the gentleman, he had). This was special for us since Carter was the first president we could vote for. I dont think hardly anyone noticed, although the cast made a few extra sweeps patting the children. I caught his eye as we were leaving and got a direct, and very nice, smile.
The crowds became really heavy again so we left the park around lunch time and went to Chevys for Mexican food. Took naps and swam in the afternoon this was the only day that was warm enough to swim outside comfortably and the pool was packed.
We headed to the Grand Floridian for dinner at Citricos. Once again, the Christmas decorations were superb, and so was dinner. We had appetizers, steak, seared tuna and duck for entrees, and the chocolate banana torte for dessert.
After dinner, we took the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom and saw the fireworks from the bridge to Tomorrow Land (thanks DIS board!) and the 10 p.m. Spectromagic. Absolutely great viewing position across the street from Liberty Tree Tavern where the parade comes around the corner. In the 45 minutes between the fireworks and the parade, we did the Transit Authority, Small World, and the Haunted Mansion because the lines for almost everything looked ghastly. Again, a great day.
Sunday, December 30th. Today we went to Universal Studios, again arriving just before opening. We were able to hit all the major attractions and we enjoyed doing and seeing the park, but I have to say that this park gave me a renewed appreciation for Disney. This is a little difficult to explain, but the attractions at Universal are just so short and jarring to the body and the senses. Ive probably been on the Haunted Mansion ride more than 100 times over the last 30 years and still enjoy it every time there was nothing at Universal that gave me that feeling. Just MHO.
We had lunch at Louies Diner and stayed until late afternoon. In the evening we headed to the Contemporary Resort for our PS at the California Grill. Wow! We had a great table with a perfect view of the Magic Kingdom. Our multi-course meal was fantastic and we loved the music and lights being turned down when it was time for the fireworks. Does it get better? After dinner, we went out on the roof catwalk and watched the Electrical Light Pageant in front of both the Polynesian and Grand Floridian.
Monday, December 31st. New Years Eve! We got to the park before 9 a.m. and it was already open, but no particular traffic getting there, good walking distance parking spot, and no lines getting in. This was another day that I thought we might not be able to do any attractions, but we did Spaceship Earth, Test Track, Universe of Energy, Honey I Shrunk, Cranium Command, Food Rocks, and Norway before lunch.
Our PS for lunch was at the Garden Grill. This was our first time there with the new format, and this was the only meal my family didnt like. I thought it was fine. Apparently, because it was New Years, they added turkey and ham to the flank steak and catfish and charged $25.99 per adult and $12.99 for our youngest. The meal looked kind of like a big glop in front of us. They all wished they had a hamburger. Oh, well, one crab session in an entire week isnt too much to bear. The characters, service, and bread pudding were great.
I have to admit the afternoon started to get crazy. Wait time for test track was 220 minutes! We were able to give 5 fast passes to a lucky group. We moved into World Showcase for some slower action. We watched Off Kilter, the fantastic band in Canada, for the third time this week.
The second Tapestry of Dreams parade was scheduled for 5:10 and just by chance, we got a bench in front of Japan. This turned out to be ideal because the CMs started directing the flow of traffic off to the pavilion side which ended up 8 or 10 layers thick while our area was blissfully clear. The parade was beautiful, but it seemed to have many fewer characters that the Nations parade. Does anyone know if this is true?
Disney had a big area for passing out hats and noisemakers. After that started, there was never a moment without the sound. I cant even imagine what it got to be like as midnight approached. We watched the family Illuminations at 7:30 p.m. We were several layers back behind a wheel chair with a woman who thought she had a view. Just before Illuminations started, a man who had to be 6 4 stood up in front of her and held his child, effectively blocking about 20 people who thought they had a view. I felt sorry for the lady, but there was enough going on in the sky that we could still be impressed.
Our dinner PS was at Akershus in Norway. We have always enjoyed this restaurant, and it was the same on New Years Eve (no price increase!). We checked in early, and got seated about 20 minutes after our PS time, but on a trip to the bathroom I heard a family complain who also had an 8 p.m. PS who hadnt been seated yet (it was 8:45 by then). The buffet line never got crowded. Speaking of bathrooms, one of the toilets overflowed and flooded the bathroom. I guess there is a limit. Some of the lines for bathrooms looked absolutely horrible, but only took 10 minutes.
The weather was just so nice on New Years Eve, possibly the warmest evening of the week. We were pretty sure we werent going to make it to midnight, so we left after dinner and headed back to the Marriott. The show started from our balcony around 11:45 with Illuminations in Epcot. Then at midnight everything happened Pleasure Island which was closest to us exploded and we could also watch the fireworks at MGM, a new display at Epcot, and even the Magic Kingdom off in the distance behind Pleasure Island. We were lucky this year and the smoke moved off to the south. Fantastic experience. Happy 2002!
Tuesday, January 1st. New Years Day. This is our departure day so we packed up the car and headed for Island of Adventure (3rd day of our 3 day pass). Although we didnt make it until about 10 a.m., not many other people had gotten an early start. Spiderman impressed me all over again, and this time I could follow what was happening to us on the ride. For me, this is the absolute best combination of effects (visual, physical movement, fire, water, 3D) that I have ever experienced. We also did the Doomfall three times because we LOVE that take-off and drop. I even decided to take pictures on one of the trips.
My husband and I had missed Dueling Dragons the other day because I got too queasy after doing too many movement rides (Hulk, etc.) and then got pushed over the edge when I thought we would take it easy on the Seuss ride. Ugh! My teens recommended we wait the extra time to be in the front of the line. This was our big wait of the week, 40 minutes for Fire, and the ride was great. I only wish I could have spent the 40 minutes exploring that line through the castle, rather than standing in one place waiting to board.
We had to go back to Mythos for lunch because my family wanted the pasta that only my son had gotten last time. They were also having a Feast of the Gods menu that I got both times it included a nice glass of Chardonnay or Merlot, a Caesar or house salad, Cedar Plank Salmon or Balsamic Chicken, and the banana chocolate gooey cake. GREAT restaurant.
We split up so that my younger son could explore the play lands while some of us went over to Universal for the Hitchcock Special effects show and the Lucy tribute. Then, unfortunately, it was time to head for the airport. No problems there, although my son got the complete search including removal of his shoes for testing. American surprised us in first class with an actual meal, and the luggage arrived promptly. (When my daughter arrived from college a few days before our trip, we waited two hours for a bag that never came.)
Summary: Wonderful trip, but I never remember being quite so exhausted from a Disney trip before. Part of it may have been the Universal visits since that was all new experiences. Even with short naps before dinner on most days, the early starts at this time of year (dark when we got up) seemed difficult. I think the week between Christmas and New Years was great, but would only probably only recommend it for people that have been to Disney before.
A few general observations that apply to the entire week: I cant think of any bad or rude service from any CM they were all pleasant and cheerful, even with the large crowds. I thought the crowds were nicely behaved also, we only witnessed a couple mild incidents, mostly involving people who had been waiting a long time past their PS time. We almost always checked in very early, and this seemed to help our place in the queue. We never had any problem getting into the park or with the security checks. Anyway, heres my trip report:
Tuesday, Dec. 25th Christmas Day! We flew to Orlando from St. Louis on American, rented a mini-van from National, and drove to Marriott Orlando World Center. Thanks to this board, we requested a high, North Tower room with the view of Disney World. The check-in staff was wonderful and worked hard to get us two balcony rooms facing Disney on the 15th floor. They were ready it was around 3 p.m. and we unpacked and my husband took by younger son swimming in the indoor pool. A note about staying at MOWC parking is very convenient if one stays in the North Tower, we never had any traffic problems on our way to the parks, and our commute time by car was probably exactly the same as staying at any of the moderates or value resorts on property.
We had a PS for dinner at Artists Point at the Wilderness Lodge. We checked in about 20 minutes early and went off to admire the Christmas decorations. We were paged within a few minutes of our time. Artists Point had a Holiday set price menu (we had not known this, but it was fine) that included the house salad, choice of entrée, and dessert for $39.99 per person ($12.50 for a child). The cedar plank salmon was great (although the mushroom risotto was sadly undercooked) and my DHs beef filet was fantastic with a great sauce. The desserts came as a family style assortment of about five items. Nice service and atmosphere.
We had no energy for trying to enter the Magic Kingdom, so we headed back to our hotel for sleep.
Wednesday, Dec. 26th.
We were at the Magic Kingdom before the scheduled opening at 8 a.m. We circled the park counter clockwise hitting Buzz, Space Mountain, the test cars, Pooh, Snow White, Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, Country Bear, Hall of Presidents, Thunder Mountain, Pirates, Jungle Cruise and Tiki Birds, all with virtually no lines. Lunch at Pecos Bills, which we found about the same quality as Pinochio Haus, which we have always liked. We did a few more things after lunch including Carousel of Progress and Transit Authority, but by this time the MK was crowded beyond our (admittedly low) tolerance. Can anyone explain to me why someone would wait an hour and a half for that car ride in Tomorrowland????
My husband took my youngest by monorail to Epcot while I drove the car to facilitate our departure in the evening. I parked in the AAA parking without knowing that I didnt have the proper type of membership (found out a few days later).
We picked up our tickets for the Candlelight Processional. We had scheduled the 6:45 p.m. show with Gary Sinise as moderator, followed by dinner at Le Cellier at 8:00 p.m. The Tapestry of Nations Parade was cancelled due to high winds. As we were walking around World Showcase, we saw that the line was already getting quite long at 6:00 (three times as long at least in stand-by) so we went ahead and joined the line. Wonderful performance.
We had read about the long waits at Le Cellier with the Candlelight Dinner Package but we were seated within 15 minutes of our time. Dinner was great we had appetizers and entrees, plus we tried the cheddar cheese soup. Nice.
We only caught the end of Illuminations on our way out. Exhausting, yet great, day.
Thursday, December 27th. We got to MGM at opening and hit all the biggies. So far we hadnt really used fast pass as much as our trip last spring, probably because by the time we needed it the times were very far in the future. Had a very nice lunch (burgers, pasta special, sandwich, shakes) at Sci-Fi diner. We are one of the lucky families that havent had any bad meals or bad service there.
We were originally scheduled to have dinner at Mama Melroses and stay for Fantasmic but the large crowds in the afternoon had us change this plan (we heard the recommendation to get to the line a couple hours in advance ) Instead, we were at the opening of the Osborne Lights and did the circuit. Lovely. Then we headed back to the Marriott and had sushi for dinner at the Mikado Steak House.
Friday, December 28th. Today was our first visit ever to Islands of Adventure. It was great walk-on everything for a couple hours. Spiderman is unbelievable, and I personally loved Dr. Dooms Fearfall so much that we did it three times (if you go straight to the single line after you ride there is no wait ever that we could tell). We had lunch at Mythos which was deserving of the rave reviews weve read. Dont forget to use either AAA or Discover for a 10% discount (it was still $140!).
We spent the afternoon finishing up the park. Weve always been Disney snobs about other activities in Orlando, but Islands of Adventure is something special. I had read Kelly Monaghans book on Universal Orlando HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and enjoyed paying attention to her insights about the music and other details.
We left in the late afternoon and had dinner at the Flying Fish on the Boardwalk after enjoying the Christmas decorations in the Boardwalk Inn (the amount of glass ornaments hanging in that lobby is overwhelming). After a lovely dinner, we drove over to MGM (we decided this would be quicker than taking the boat back and forth) and walked into the 10:00 p.m. Fantasmic five minutes before show time. It was awesome, as always, and quite a bit warmer than it was last March.
Another great day, but boy do our feet hurt!
Saturday, December 29th. Today started with Animal Kingdom. We did the safari twice and there was an enormous difference between the quantity of animals and the distance from the animals between the first and second trip (first was MUCH better). This made us wonder about the later opening time of 9:00 a.m.
At the Lion King show we came in a little late right when they were asking everyone to move over. We got seats in the second row right next to a man who was by himself and didnt seem too pleased to be moving over. Within a few minutes we noticed that in the first row was former president Jimmy Carter, his wife Rosalyn, his daughter Amy and her husband and two sons. We were next to the secret service agent guarding him. (I dont think he had wanted President Carter to move over, but ever the gentleman, he had). This was special for us since Carter was the first president we could vote for. I dont think hardly anyone noticed, although the cast made a few extra sweeps patting the children. I caught his eye as we were leaving and got a direct, and very nice, smile.
The crowds became really heavy again so we left the park around lunch time and went to Chevys for Mexican food. Took naps and swam in the afternoon this was the only day that was warm enough to swim outside comfortably and the pool was packed.
We headed to the Grand Floridian for dinner at Citricos. Once again, the Christmas decorations were superb, and so was dinner. We had appetizers, steak, seared tuna and duck for entrees, and the chocolate banana torte for dessert.
After dinner, we took the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom and saw the fireworks from the bridge to Tomorrow Land (thanks DIS board!) and the 10 p.m. Spectromagic. Absolutely great viewing position across the street from Liberty Tree Tavern where the parade comes around the corner. In the 45 minutes between the fireworks and the parade, we did the Transit Authority, Small World, and the Haunted Mansion because the lines for almost everything looked ghastly. Again, a great day.
Sunday, December 30th. Today we went to Universal Studios, again arriving just before opening. We were able to hit all the major attractions and we enjoyed doing and seeing the park, but I have to say that this park gave me a renewed appreciation for Disney. This is a little difficult to explain, but the attractions at Universal are just so short and jarring to the body and the senses. Ive probably been on the Haunted Mansion ride more than 100 times over the last 30 years and still enjoy it every time there was nothing at Universal that gave me that feeling. Just MHO.
We had lunch at Louies Diner and stayed until late afternoon. In the evening we headed to the Contemporary Resort for our PS at the California Grill. Wow! We had a great table with a perfect view of the Magic Kingdom. Our multi-course meal was fantastic and we loved the music and lights being turned down when it was time for the fireworks. Does it get better? After dinner, we went out on the roof catwalk and watched the Electrical Light Pageant in front of both the Polynesian and Grand Floridian.
Monday, December 31st. New Years Eve! We got to the park before 9 a.m. and it was already open, but no particular traffic getting there, good walking distance parking spot, and no lines getting in. This was another day that I thought we might not be able to do any attractions, but we did Spaceship Earth, Test Track, Universe of Energy, Honey I Shrunk, Cranium Command, Food Rocks, and Norway before lunch.
Our PS for lunch was at the Garden Grill. This was our first time there with the new format, and this was the only meal my family didnt like. I thought it was fine. Apparently, because it was New Years, they added turkey and ham to the flank steak and catfish and charged $25.99 per adult and $12.99 for our youngest. The meal looked kind of like a big glop in front of us. They all wished they had a hamburger. Oh, well, one crab session in an entire week isnt too much to bear. The characters, service, and bread pudding were great.
I have to admit the afternoon started to get crazy. Wait time for test track was 220 minutes! We were able to give 5 fast passes to a lucky group. We moved into World Showcase for some slower action. We watched Off Kilter, the fantastic band in Canada, for the third time this week.
The second Tapestry of Dreams parade was scheduled for 5:10 and just by chance, we got a bench in front of Japan. This turned out to be ideal because the CMs started directing the flow of traffic off to the pavilion side which ended up 8 or 10 layers thick while our area was blissfully clear. The parade was beautiful, but it seemed to have many fewer characters that the Nations parade. Does anyone know if this is true?
Disney had a big area for passing out hats and noisemakers. After that started, there was never a moment without the sound. I cant even imagine what it got to be like as midnight approached. We watched the family Illuminations at 7:30 p.m. We were several layers back behind a wheel chair with a woman who thought she had a view. Just before Illuminations started, a man who had to be 6 4 stood up in front of her and held his child, effectively blocking about 20 people who thought they had a view. I felt sorry for the lady, but there was enough going on in the sky that we could still be impressed.
Our dinner PS was at Akershus in Norway. We have always enjoyed this restaurant, and it was the same on New Years Eve (no price increase!). We checked in early, and got seated about 20 minutes after our PS time, but on a trip to the bathroom I heard a family complain who also had an 8 p.m. PS who hadnt been seated yet (it was 8:45 by then). The buffet line never got crowded. Speaking of bathrooms, one of the toilets overflowed and flooded the bathroom. I guess there is a limit. Some of the lines for bathrooms looked absolutely horrible, but only took 10 minutes.
The weather was just so nice on New Years Eve, possibly the warmest evening of the week. We were pretty sure we werent going to make it to midnight, so we left after dinner and headed back to the Marriott. The show started from our balcony around 11:45 with Illuminations in Epcot. Then at midnight everything happened Pleasure Island which was closest to us exploded and we could also watch the fireworks at MGM, a new display at Epcot, and even the Magic Kingdom off in the distance behind Pleasure Island. We were lucky this year and the smoke moved off to the south. Fantastic experience. Happy 2002!
Tuesday, January 1st. New Years Day. This is our departure day so we packed up the car and headed for Island of Adventure (3rd day of our 3 day pass). Although we didnt make it until about 10 a.m., not many other people had gotten an early start. Spiderman impressed me all over again, and this time I could follow what was happening to us on the ride. For me, this is the absolute best combination of effects (visual, physical movement, fire, water, 3D) that I have ever experienced. We also did the Doomfall three times because we LOVE that take-off and drop. I even decided to take pictures on one of the trips.
My husband and I had missed Dueling Dragons the other day because I got too queasy after doing too many movement rides (Hulk, etc.) and then got pushed over the edge when I thought we would take it easy on the Seuss ride. Ugh! My teens recommended we wait the extra time to be in the front of the line. This was our big wait of the week, 40 minutes for Fire, and the ride was great. I only wish I could have spent the 40 minutes exploring that line through the castle, rather than standing in one place waiting to board.
We had to go back to Mythos for lunch because my family wanted the pasta that only my son had gotten last time. They were also having a Feast of the Gods menu that I got both times it included a nice glass of Chardonnay or Merlot, a Caesar or house salad, Cedar Plank Salmon or Balsamic Chicken, and the banana chocolate gooey cake. GREAT restaurant.
We split up so that my younger son could explore the play lands while some of us went over to Universal for the Hitchcock Special effects show and the Lucy tribute. Then, unfortunately, it was time to head for the airport. No problems there, although my son got the complete search including removal of his shoes for testing. American surprised us in first class with an actual meal, and the luggage arrived promptly. (When my daughter arrived from college a few days before our trip, we waited two hours for a bag that never came.)
Summary: Wonderful trip, but I never remember being quite so exhausted from a Disney trip before. Part of it may have been the Universal visits since that was all new experiences. Even with short naps before dinner on most days, the early starts at this time of year (dark when we got up) seemed difficult. I think the week between Christmas and New Years was great, but would only probably only recommend it for people that have been to Disney before.
