Tackling Christmas Break at WDW!

[DisneyMommy77]

Hi,
I am looking for suggestions on how to best enjoy the crowded weeks at Christmas. How would you plan a trip during this time if you were going? I'm looking for all of your tricks and advice to make it a great trip. Pleas help me!!!!
We will be visiting WDW during the two week Christmas break. We will arrive 12/23 and stay until 1/8. We only have visited during the quieter month of February, but the kids are getting older so we can only visit during school breaks now. I really can't stand crowds, but did manage Presidents week this year and didn't find it bad at all since I had everything planned out, but I am sure Christmas crowds can't even compare. However, I am determined to have a great time!

Should we completely avoid Christmas Day in the parks? What about xmas eve and the day after Xmas? I'm sure New Years Eve is crazy too. Do the crowds begin to get a little smaller after New Years. How have you decided what days to make park days?
What resorts are your favorites to visit this time of year? I will post my restaurant questions on the other board.

A little info:
We have AP's and will spend probably about 10 days (not all full days) in the parks. We like to take "break days" after every 2 to 3 park days. We won't be visiting any other Orlando theme parks, but may head back to St. Pete Beach and maybe visit the Space Center. We will also have pool days and like to visit some of our favorite resorts.
Kids will be 10, 5 and 3 and get tired early, so I can't see us in a park ever later than 9, maybe 10.
We will be staying offsite at our timeshare and will have a rental car.
I'm considering booking a 1 night stay at Disney, and actually staying in it to help open up 60 day FP+ options.
I will also book ADR at exactly 180 days.


What else do I need to know?
Thank you!

 

[Disneylover99]

If going on the rides is a priority, rope drop is your friend.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

We went at Christmas 2015 for the first time. I was dreading the crowds being a wheelchair user! But with some planning it was not as bad as we thought. This is what we did.

Parks morning as you are driving this will get you a parking spot. Breaks and visit resorts in the the afternoons.

Nice resorts AK, BC, GF , CS . Do a monorail tour! then a boat to Wilderness Lodge. Fort Wilderness was also cute.

The MVMCP was a must for us. We loved it. You get a AP discount on ceetain nights.

We did go to MK christmas morning. It was magical. Well worth it. We had lunch there and left.

We visited the town of Celebration lovely! They have snow on Main street.

 

[Klayfish]

We stay off site and bring our own food, so I can't give any commentary on what resorts to stay at or ADRs. However, we did spend Christmas 2015 at WDW.

It's going to be crowded, nothing you can do about it. So you just need to wrap your mind around it.

We're not big "planners". We make our 3 FP+ and that's it. The rest we do ah hoc, even on Christmas. We're also not rope droppers. The only exception to that was Christmas Day. We wanted to see MK on Xmas Day, so we made sure to get there when the park opened...but even then we didn't show up early, just on time for park open. Yeah, it was crowded, but we knew it would be. With our 3 FP+, we still got 7 (I think, maybe it was 6 or 8) rides in before lunch, without running around like crazy. We ate lunch and then left for another park.

Beyond Xmas Day in MK, it wasn't horrible at all, we had a wonderful time. Like I said, expect a crowd, use FP+ to your advantage, have a little extra patience, be in the holiday spirit and you'll have a blast. We'll be there again for Xmas 2017 and can't wait!!!

 

[Sarah K]

We too were at Disney on Christmas 2015 and had a magical trip! I'd consider booking your one hotel day for a time you want to do EMHs. We hit the parks early every day and that's how we ended up getting so much done. For example we did MK Christmas Day got there 7am we met tinker bell, Mickey, Minnie, got our pictures in front of castle, rode pooh, barnstormer, dumbo, it's a small world, carousel, met goofy, Donald, Daisy all before 10 then used our 3 fps which was meet Ariel, Ariels grotto and enchanted tales with belle. Then we had lunch at 1pm and headed back to our hotel where the kids swam all day and hubby and I had drinks it was wonderful. We were there 23rd till 28th all very busy days but we did rope drops, left around 1 or 2 for naps and went back. It worked wonderful for us we never waited longer than 25 minutes.

 

[constanze]

We'll be there then too! Looking forward to seeing what folks suggest

 

[BaseballMoM2007]

We will be there the 21st-29th. Following to read all the great suggestions. It will be our first time during Christmas. We have survived Memorial Day week and 4th of July Week easily with only one disaster 2 hour bus ride after 4th of July fireworks. I imagine Christmas is much worse than either of those however.

 

[Cixelsyd]

We'll be there Dec 23 to Jan 7. DW and I have done Xmas and NY at the parks, but this will be first time with DD (3yo). Will be following this thread with interest.

 

[disneygolfer1985]

We have gone multiple times over Christmas and Thanksgiving. I try to stay away from MK on either of those days. We usually go to AK for the morning and then have dinner at a resort. For Christmas Eve, we always do the Candlelight Processional in Epcot. Focus on the stuff that is only there for the holidays. It will be crowded, but make sure you enjoy the Holidays Around the World in Epcot.

 

[DisneyMommy77]

Thanks everyone, keep the tips and advice coming! Is the parade during MVMCP only during those party dates, or can you catch it after Christmas at MK? I'm trying to decide if the price is worth it, but not sure if we will even be there For the right dates.
How crowded does the park feel on those nights?
Thanks!

 

[disneygolfer1985]

Thanks everyone, keep the tips and advice coming! Is the parade during MVMCP only during those party dates, or can you catch it after Christmas at MK? I'm trying to decide if the price is worth it, but not sure if we will even be there For the right dates.
How crowded does the park feel on those nights?
Thanks!

The parade will be in the parks after the last MVMCP as will whatever Christmas firework display they have as part of the party. Also, the last MVMCP is going to be sold out, so I would advise to wait until you can see it regularly.

 

[jvz82]

We did Christmas 2016 and it was wonderful! The crowds didn't bother me more than any other time of year. We would get there at rope drop and the crowds were pretty manageable from morning until 12.

We went to MK on a MVMCP day, but did not attend the party because of cost. I felt the crowds were pretty low that day! Obviously it started getting busy towards the later afternoon but it didn't feel busier than other days. There was a parade that happened in the early evening before non-party guests had to leave. We didn't go to it, but we could have.

I've been to MK on New Years Eve, but that was before kids. The park was almost empty all morning! We walked on everything with no wait. But by 1 pm it was so packed that we could barely move. The crowds were absolutely insane that evening, they had opened all the back alleys that are usually just for cast members so crowds could move around better. It was really fun at the time in my 20s, but I don't think I would enjoy that with kids. You could do a half day though since the mornings were so light!

I agree with doing a resort day when you want to make use of EMH. MK opens early quite a bit that week of Christmas. It's amazing how much you can get done at MK when you get there at 7 am. And the castle is all lit up and beautiful at 7 am because it's still dark out.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

I'm interested to hear some of this advice and reports of prior experiences. We have been to WDW many times but never at Christmas. Now that we are AP holders I'm thinking we might wind up going south the week after Christmas. Probably stay off site. Hit the parks with some FP+s planned,and not worry about riding a whole lot else. Spend some days at the beach or the Space Center or whatever else strikes our fancy. Mostly I would like to see Epcot World Showcase at Christmas, see the holiday parade at MK (but not necessarily do MVMCP), and maybe get a few unique Christmas photos since we will have "free" Memory Maker.

 

[jawa7400]

Have a plan! This is not the time of the year to do Disney on a whim. It will be very crowded, so determine if that's a deal breaker for you. However, rope drop, pre selected FPs and a well thought out touring plan will make your days manageable. We took kids age 1 and 4 at Christmas 2014 and never waited more than 30 minutes for anything. Enjoy your trip!

 

[Klayfish]

I'm interested to hear some of this advice and reports of prior experiences. We have been to WDW many times but never at Christmas. Now that we are AP holders I'm thinking we might wind up going south the week after Christmas. Probably stay off site. Hit the parks with some FP+s planned,and not worry about riding a whole lot else. Spend some days at the beach or the Space Center or whatever else strikes our fancy. Mostly I would like to see Epcot World Showcase at Christmas, see the holiday parade at MK (but not necessarily do MVMCP), and maybe get a few unique Christmas photos since we will have "free" Memory Maker.

This is what we did in 2015. We had made many, many trips to WDW, but never at Xmas. We always stay off site, so that was nothing new for us. You've got the right mindset. Get your FP+, do what you can and enjoy!! We had an absolutely wonderful time and can't wait to do it again in 2017. We didn't do MVMCP or even see the holiday parade, but we did tour the monorail resorts and a few other places to see their decorations. It was really cool.

Have a plan! This is not the time of the year to do Disney on a whim. It will be very crowded, so determine if that's a deal breaker for you. However, rope drop, pre selected FPs and a well thought out touring plan will make your days manageable. We took kids age 1 and 4 at Christmas 2014 and never waited more than 30 minutes for anything. Enjoy your trip!

I completely disagree. We're not planners at all. For our Xmas trip, the only plans we make are our three FP+ per day. Beyond that, no thought into our touring plan. We do it as we go. Being park veterans, we know what rides are where, so we know when we have a FP+ at ride X, rides Y, Z and D are nearby, but we don't pre-plan it. As I said above, we had a great time on Xmas break. We went to MK on Xmas Day, didn't even "rope drop"...we showed up about 5 or 10 minutes after the park opened. We got about 6 or 7 rides in before lunch, then left to do other things. Never waited more than 30 minutes for anything. Nothing wrong with planning, if that's your style, but you unquestionably can do it...and have a ton of fun...on a whim.

 

[Accident]

A lot of the vloggers did some xmas week and xmas day videos last year to get an idea of what xmas crowded looks like if that might help you gauge what is coming.

 

[IllinoisMommy]

We went 12/23-12/31 in 2012 and it was one of my favorite vacations! We stayed off-site also and got to the park at opening each day, and we were able to do a ton before it got busy (around 10:30). Never waited more than about half an hour- saved the less popular rides for later in the day. The decorations are amazing! We did not do MVMCP because it did not seem worth the cost- felt like it was all so Christmas-spirity even without being at the official party. We did take bag lunches most days, just pulled over when we were hungry and ate. This saved money and a ton of time because the food lines were crazy (eat at off times if you choose to do counter service meals). New Years Eve at MK was insane- even in the morning. I'd maybe stay away from the parks on that day. You will have a great time!

 

[Dizney73]

We have visited wdw more than 20 times over the past 10 years with our kids during the crowds of summer, Thanksgiving and spring break (I am a teacher). We are visiting this year for the first time ever over Christmas break... Arriving the 26 through January 1.
Or plan is to arrive at rope drop each morning, use our fp+ wisely, make dining reservations for lunch and dinner at off times and go with the flow the rest of the day.
I know it will be crowded and plan to not do it all with smiles on our faces!

 

[Nevaland]

We spend 2 weeks there during Christmas\New Years every other year at Fort Wilderness. Its by far our favorite time of the year to go, but we go with managed expectations. It will be crowded, you may miss\skip things, but the overall spirit of everyone and the season more than makes up for it. I don't believe an exact plan down to the minute is a must but certainly a loose outline of what your planning to do each day would be wise. As others have mentioned, rope drop is a must. I'm sure others can give far more useful advice than myself but I can only relay what has worked for our family of 6 (DD12, DD11, DD8, DS4). This year is our "on" year. We will be there for a trip in April and again for an extended period in the summer so all the must do's will have been satisfied before we reach our December trip. We are there 12/18-1/2 this year. We do Candelight Processional a few days before Christmas and have enjoyed it very much. We have more time planned at Epcot and Disney Springs leading up to Christmas so that we can do some final shopping before Christmas. We rope drop the MK on Christmas Eve and we are usually able to do a lot of what we want in the morning. We leave around lunch or just after for some afternoon relaxation. We always get dressed up and have Christmas Eve dinner at the California Grill. For us this is the highlight of our trip. Christmas day is spent opening gifts, making a big breakfast, relaxing\playing with new "toys" and lots of family time. We dart in and out of the parks the following week during rope drop or the evenings. New years eve we rope drop Animal Kingdom for half the day then head back to the campground for the remainder of the evening. We avoid the parks on NYE fireworks, far too many people for our preference, but clearly with the amount of people in there it doesn't bother them!!! No matter how busy the parks are I still believe it to be the best time of the year. You will enjoy every minute of it!!! Have fun!!

 

[MelanieRI]

If you're starting out going a few days before X-Mas, the crowds usually get worse as you get closer to X-Mas and the schools letting out. Although, I believe in 2016 the crowds were terrible pre-Christmas and not too bad during Christmas. During the actual Christmas break, plan your 3 FP well, because they might be the only rides you get on with out long lines. Rides that aren't usually too long can be out the door and around the corner. They usually have CM's in the middle of the crowds with signs pointing which direction for people to walk. It's crazy. However, it so fabulous! I love being able to watch the MVMCP stuff during the day. I think it's nicer to see the parade during the day then at night. I recommend for down time, going to the hotels especially the monorail resorts. If you feel like splurging, take a carriage ride at Fort Wilderness and see all the decorations people put up. I definitely recommend hitting the parks early and then taking a break mid-day as the parks become overly crowded. I like to make an ADR for the dinner for the park we want to see the fireworks at. I haven't spent actual NYE at Disney, but the parks practice the night before. I loved going to MK where they had music playing everywhere, all the parents dancing and singing while walking along with their kids. So cute! The hotels also have a lot going on around the holidays. Meet and greets and activities. Make sure to look online at the various resort activity calendars in case there is something special you see that you want to do. Especially on Christmas day and NYE since the actual parks are so busy those days.