Tell me about Dec please??

[bcarson]

Okay my family would like to go the first or second week in Dec. Any advice on which would be better and why would be great. I sort of thought the second only becasue its further away from the Thanksgiving Holiday. My next question. We have twice stayed off site in a time share. This time we are thinking of staying on site. What is the likelyhood of free dining packages during that time? We would go AS or Pops to save money but can we get something better for the same price? Like a code or room upgrade or something. I have never stayed on property so this is all new to me. Thanks.

 

[ohdisco]

Okay my family would like to go the first or second week in Dec. Any advice on which would be better and why would be great. I sort of thought the second only becasue its further away from the Thanksgiving Holiday. My next question. We have twice stayed off site in a time share. This time we are thinking of staying on site. What is the likelyhood of free dining packages during that time? We would go AS or Pops to save money but can we get something better for the same price? Like a code or room upgrade or something. I have never stayed on property so this is all new to me. Thanks.

The likelihood of there being free dining in December is really low.

 

[soccer mom]

We love December. We have stayed every week between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year it will be the 14-21. Every week could have a slight drawback, the first sometimes has overflow from Thanksgiving week, I think the second week is pop warner's (I think that is football/cheer), I think the first weekend they are taping the Christmas parade and the end of third week you can see the crowds growing as Christmas approaches, but none of these weeks is like going in the summer or Holidays. Read the boards for tips and crowds will be a non-issue. Also, you have MVMCP to look forward!

 

[lovemesomedisney]

We are planning for Dec9-14 because pop warner week is the week before. According to projected crowd levels the second week should be better.

 

[inloveindisney]

We went the first week of december a few years ago and it was great. The crowds were low and the weather was nice. I'd recommend that week, but really, either of those weeks would probably be fine. Check the rates because sometime around those dates I think the rates go up. I think we got a code when we went the first week of december, but I'm not absolutely sure of it.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

We are going Dec. 1-5, but booked before we knew that was when Pop Warner was going to be there. I would switch to the next week if it weren't for the non-refundable airfare. Although if you look at the crowd charts it dosen't look like it will make much difference. You mentioned that you were looking at Pop or an All-Star...I you may notice the Pop Warner Teens more there, though.
As for codes, there is a Dec. code watch thread on here...no codes posted yet, but you may want to subscribe. I doubt we'll luck out with free dining, though.
Also, if you have AAA, check through them, as you can get some pretty substantial savings that way, too.

 

[rlduvall]

Regarding Pop Warner week - It really doesn't affect the themeparks until the last couple of days of that week, because they are in competition at the beginning of the week. Also, if peace and quiet are important to you at your resort, stay away from any of the Allstars, as this is where they mostly book the groups. Supposedly, they do not book these groups at Pop Century.

A friend and I went during the 1st week of December in 2004 and we truly did not notice any difference in the crowds at the themeparks. We stayed at AKL and it was very nice.

 

[kathie859]

The first 2 weeks of December are wonderful times to visit WDW! The decorations at the resorts is worth a visit alone!! The weather can be cool in the evening...but the days are pleasant. I did hit a rainy spell one year though in December but a wet day at WDW beats a day at the office anytime .

 

[Piglets Mommy]

Regarding Pop Warner week - It really doesn't affect the themeparks until the last couple of days of that week, because they are in competition at the beginning of the week. Also, if peace and quiet are important to you at your resort, stay away from any of the Allstars, as this is where they mostly book the groups. Supposedly, they do not book these groups at Pop Century.

A friend and I went during the 1st week of December in 2004 and we truly did not notice any difference in the crowds at the themeparks. We stayed at AKL and it was very nice.

That's good to hear. We leave Dec. 5, which is still pretty early into Pop Warner, I think. Also, we are at WL, so no worries at the resort. We were there the week before Pop Warner on our last trip, which was pretty much the same dates (Nov. 30 to Dec. 4), but Pop Warner must have switched their times this year.

 

[Colleen27]

We are planning for Dec9-14 because pop warner week is the week before. According to projected crowd levels the second week should be better.

How much better? We had to change our dates from Nov 28 - Dec 9 to Dec 5 - 16, and I haven't checked the crowd charts for our new dates yet (had the '07 UG from the library, haven't checked it out again to get to the crowd chart again). For our original dates, the crowd levels were 4 & 5 for 9 of the 12 days, with 2 days that were a 6 and one 7 on the Pop Warner park day (Dec 8). I was hoping that missing the parade taping and most of Pop Warner would mean lighter crowds, but given the crowd chart numbers, I figured they couldn't get much lower.

 

[tinawv]

I have heard that the week after Thanksgiving is a good time to go. You can see the Christmas decorations and the crowd level is low. We once went during the timeframe December 13-20th, and it didn't start to get crowded until the day we left. You really should be fine the first 3 weeks of December; the earlier the better though.

 

[mom-mom2three]

We go every Dec. usually the second week. We love it! The decorations are beauitful and the crowds are not too bad. Last Dec. the room rate for CSR was 99.00 a night until Dec 19th I think

 

[TammyBell]

I just made reservations for Dec 1 - 5 for my great nephews 1'st trip. We have been in December before and the crowds were very manageable.

 

[brandijo5]

We go every Dec. usually the second week. We love it! The decorations are beauitful and the crowds are not too bad. Last Dec. the room rate for CSR was 99.00 a night until Dec 19th I think

Was this just a regular code rate, or an AP or AAA rate?

 

[crazy4wdw]

If you're planning on going the first week of December, I'd make my ressies ASAP. The first week of Dec. has been getting more popular each year. I've noticed more and more posts from people who don't make their ressies until 2 to 3 months in advance and can't find a room anywhere on property. The CR has been sold out for the first week of Dec. since early May. There are usually AP discounts for the first two to three weeks in Dec. however they are becoming harder to obtain, especially for the first week.

 

[Piglets Mommy]

I just made reservations for Dec 1 - 5 for my great nephews 1'st trip. We have been in December before and the crowds were very manageable.

Where are you staying? We'll be at WL the exact same time!