The OFFICIAL December 2014 - Christmas Magic

[happy tink]

We booked Coronado Springs for Dec 15-20 with Free Dining!! We've never been at Christmas before and are wanting to surprise our kids (2 girls ages 10 and 9). Can't wait to see WDW at Christmas time!!

I haven't read through the whole thread yet, so forgive me if this has already been asked but would y'all recommend us getting tickets to MVMCP? I could do without PH and this would make it about even, but I'd love to hear from some that have done it before.

Thanks!

We did MVMCP, 12/2012, at the advice of people here on the boards. It was myself, DH & DS 12. I was a bit worried, thinking he was too old and it wouldn't be a big deal to him. Although he didn't do the little dance parties etc, we all had an amazing time! Stayed until midnight closing. I will be purchasing MVMCP tickets for our upcoming Christmas trip, loved the entire party!

 

[happy tink]

Hello Christmas trip goers!! We recently switched our dates from February to the week before Christmas! We are booked for Coronado Springs from December 15th to the 21st with free dining. I have a dilemma though and maybe you can help me decide.

We can go to Coronado Springs with the free dining and 7 day tickets OR we can budget $200 per day for food, upgrade the two day tickets we have when we get there and rent DVC points for AKL and it would cost the same.

Here's the dilemma. These 2 day tickets are still on KTTW cards. I have confirmed I will be able upgrade them when I get there BUT I wouldn't be able to add them to MDE until then (IT has tried.. they can't do it for some reason). So that means I would not be able to book any fastpass+ until I got there. . I don't even know what would be left at that point. I dread the idea of waiting standby for 7 dwarves mine train, or Soarin and Trest Track. I also wanted to try and book fastpass+ for MK fireworks and parade later in the week because it would be so nice to stand somewhere and not be crushed by crowds. No chance I would get that the week of I don't think.

So basically.. stay at CSR, use new tickets and be able to prebook fast passes and free dining... or stay at AKL (which I would prefer), eat OOP (which would be fine) but have no ability to book fastpass+ until the last minute.

What would you do?

Well as far as the fast pass +, I don't think it will be crazy busy at the time you are at the parks, so it may not be too bad. We stayed at AKL, Savanna View, rented DVC points. I have to say it was great, my son loved it. We sat on our balcony having coffee or dinner and watch the giraffes, zebras and other animals. They were right there! Pros and Cons.

 

[BDL]

We booked Coronado Springs for Dec 15-20 with Free Dining!! We've never been at Christmas before and are wanting to surprise our kids (2 girls ages 10 and 9). Can't wait to see WDW at Christmas time!!

I haven't read through the whole thread yet, so forgive me if this has already been asked but would y'all recommend us getting tickets to MVMCP? I could do without PH and this would make it about even, but I'd love to hear from some that have done it before.

Thanks!

Good luck with the surprises. I'll keep my ears open for the sonic barrier breaking screeches of joy.

As for MVMCP, I am 1 of it's biggest proponents. It costs a little extra, but when we've gone, we walked on to Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Splah, Big Thunder and Space Mtns. And the parade is really cool and takes place twice per party. You get free ho-cho and cookies. And it snow(p)s on Main Street. It looks like you will be there for the last 3 parties. You'll prob want to got to the 16th or 18th party, rather than the 20th party which tends to sell out.

 

[MonsterWDWmom]

We are also surprising our girls with this trip. In the past we have always done MVMCP but this year my girls wanted to try MNSSHP. When we first booked our Sept trip we explained to them that because we are going in the fall the Xmas party would not happen. Now that we have book for Dec we are going to tell them on Thanksgiving (3 days before we leave) I can't wait to see how happy they are to know that they are going to MVMCP!

 

[danceintherain]

This week I just hopped back on the disboards after an almost 5 year hiatus (it was too painful to read - knowing we couldn't go for a long time!) but we were blessed to make reservations for Dec 18 - 24 for my DH, DS15 and DS13 at CBR. We LOVE everything about Disney, but probably one of our favorites is Typhoon Lagoon. I just printed out the hours for December and saw that it won't be open! It's being refurbished. :-( I have already purchased the water parks and more option - would I be able to take those off my reservation? We like Disneyquest - but wouldn't it be cheaper to just pay OOP for an afternoon at Disneyquest rather than the whole water parks add on? We really don't care about Blizzard Beach. Any insights would be appreciated! Thank you!

How did you purchase your tickets? If you already have hard copies, then there may not be much you can do. If it's simply an add-on to a package, then you should have no problem calling to make the adjustment. Worst case scenario: Cancel the whole thing and rebook with different tickets.

Hello Christmas trip goers!! We recently switched our dates from February to the week before Christmas! We are booked for Coronado Springs from December 15th to the 21st with free dining. I have a dilemma though and maybe you can help me decide.

We can go to Coronado Springs with the free dining and 7 day tickets OR we can budget $200 per day for food, upgrade the two day tickets we have when we get there and rent DVC points for AKL and it would cost the same.

Here's the dilemma. These 2 day tickets are still on KTTW cards. I have confirmed I will be able upgrade them when I get there BUT I wouldn't be able to add them to MDE until then (IT has tried.. they can't do it for some reason). So that means I would not be able to book any fastpass+ until I got there. . I don't even know what would be left at that point. I dread the idea of waiting standby for 7 dwarves mine train, or Soarin and Trest Track. I also wanted to try and book fastpass+ for MK fireworks and parade later in the week because it would be so nice to stand somewhere and not be crushed by crowds. No chance I would get that the week of I don't think.

So basically.. stay at CSR, use new tickets and be able to prebook fast passes and free dining... or stay at AKL (which I would prefer), eat OOP (which would be fine) but have no ability to book fastpass+ until the last minute.

What would you do?

I don't think the parade and fireworks will sell out in advance (except maybe on the busiest days) especially now that they've started allowing people to get more FPs one at a time after they've used their original three. It just doesn't make sense to pre-book something with such a high capacity, even if it's not from the best location. To me the only reason those are included in FP+ at all is as carrots for the people who suck at planning for Disney. If all the Tier 1 attractions sold out before the park opened, then all the people who buy their tickets at the gate would be frustrated. That's not to say other people won't book them, but they won't be a high priority for anyone who books their FPs in advance at all. Therefore, if you link your tickets to MDE immediately after it's possible, you will likely easily get at least those towards the end of your trip, if that's what you want.
Bottom line: I haven't read a single advice column on FP+ that has screamed - book parades and fireworks!

Soarin, Test Track, and the Mine Train are slightly different stories, but even those I doubt will sell out completely in advance. You may not get the exact time you want, but I expect you'll be able to get something.
If those are the only 3 things that you're concerned about, then by using Rope Drop and possibly Extra Magic Hours, you'll likely be able to get in to see them without too much drama, if you plan well.
Maybe plan your first 2 days at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, so you have a few day buffer to get what you want at the other two parks.

Sooo....my planning spreadsheet had some errors and I'm balking a bit at the price of our trip. A large part of the problem is the airfare which I haven't booked yet, so I'm overestimating, but it's still more than we've ever spent on a trip before. Probably because this one is a bit longer, and we won't be using the Armed Forces Salute tickets for the first time since 2009.

 

[gtpoohbear]

.
Sooo....my planning spreadsheet had some errors and I'm balking a bit at the price of our trip. A large part of the problem is the airfare which I haven't booked yet, so I'm overestimating, but it's still more than we've ever spent on a trip before. Probably because this one is a bit longer, and we won't be using the Armed Forces Salute tickets for the first time since 2009.

Hi Becca! Saw your post in the April FB group but hadn't thought to look for you on here The underestimating/balking is pretty much the story of every trip for me, lol!

Although for this trip, it's more about time. There are so many things the family wants to do, and just not enough days. Especially since it was supposed to be mainly a trip to visit my family for Christmas. They are already a little offended that we are going to WDW first before coming to see them, I know I can't stretch the dates any farther and still keep the peace, ha!

Other than our day at MK, we were hoping to do Cirque du Soliel, a Pirate Adventure Cruise ( for the kids), Afternoon Tea at GF (and maybe a kids manicure at the spa beforehand), a date night (w/ Kids Club), and a tour at Kennedy Space Center (we have APs there from our March trip) And of course I want a little time to enjoy the resort.

With only 3 nights, I think something's going to have to be abandoned this trip. but one of the most important things I learned from our April trip was that too many late night/early morning combos are a recipe for failure!

 

[dutchdisneyfamily]

We just booked Free Dining at Coronado Springs from Dec. 20-27! We are so excited! This is our first time going over Christmas. I know it is crowded and crazy, but that's okay. Anyone else anxious because the Christmas week hours still haven't come out???

 

[jlynnpaulk]

Booked 11-30 thru 12-5, hoping for a least a room discount? Free dining offer skips this week

 

[pigletto]

Well as far as the fast pass +, I don't think it will be crazy busy at the time you are at the parks, so it may not be too bad. We stayed at AKL, Savanna View, rented DVC points. I have to say it was great, my son loved it. We sat on our balcony having coffee or dinner and watch the giraffes, zebras and other animals. They were right there! Pros and Cons.

How did you purchase your tickets? If you already have hard copies, then there may not be much you can do. If it's simply an add-on to a package, then you should have no problem calling to make the adjustment. Worst case scenario: Cancel the whole thing and rebook with different tickets.



I don't think the parade and fireworks will sell out in advance (except maybe on the busiest days) especially now that they've started allowing people to get more FPs one at a time after they've used their original three. It just doesn't make sense to pre-book something with such a high capacity, even if it's not from the best location. To me the only reason those are included in FP+ at all is as carrots for the people who suck at planning for Disney. If all the Tier 1 attractions sold out before the park opened, then all the people who buy their tickets at the gate would be frustrated. That's not to say other people won't book them, but they won't be a high priority for anyone who books their FPs in advance at all. Therefore, if you link your tickets to MDE immediately after it's possible, you will likely easily get at least those towards the end of your trip, if that's what you want.
Bottom line: I haven't read a single advice column on FP+ that has screamed - book parades and fireworks!

Soarin, Test Track, and the Mine Train are slightly different stories, but even those I doubt will sell out completely in advance. You may not get the exact time you want, but I expect you'll be able to get something.
If those are the only 3 things that you're concerned about, then by using Rope Drop and possibly Extra Magic Hours, you'll likely be able to get in to see them without too much drama, if you plan well.
Maybe plan your first 2 days at Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, so you have a few day buffer to get what you want at the other two parks.

Sooo....my planning spreadsheet had some errors and I'm balking a bit at the price of our trip. A large part of the problem is the airfare which I haven't booked yet, so I'm overestimating, but it's still more than we've ever spent on a trip before. Probably because this one is a bit longer, and we won't be using the Armed Forces Salute tickets for the first time since 2009.

Thank you both. You've really made me feel better. This is our 10th trip, and we actually went the same week last year and had a great time. But this fastpass+ stuff just throws everything for a loop doesn't it?
I think you are right that I will still be able to book the things we want. And we do like to ride our favourites multiple times, so there is no avoiding standby anyway. We'll have to take advantage of rope drops and evening EMH. I think we will rent points for AKL and pay as we go for dining. That's the other issue, as much as free dining saves us, we don't eat in the most expensive restaurants, ds just turned 10 and would prefer kids meals half the time, and none of us eat dessert at every meal. So paying for meals OOP makes more sense.
Thanks for the clarity!

danceintherain, I hear you on the sticker shock. I always try to plan our trips to come in around $5000. It's getting harder and harder. The week we've picked is more expensive, prices keep going up, airfare is more, etc etc. We also planned a few days at Universal which did nothing for the total.
We're closer to $6500 when all is said and done and I'm not too happy with that.

 

[danceintherain]

Hi Becca! Saw your post in the April FB group but hadn't thought to look for you on here The underestimating/balking is pretty much the story of every trip for me, lol!

Although for this trip, it's more about time. There are so many things the family wants to do, and just not enough days. Especially since it was supposed to be mainly a trip to visit my family for Christmas. They are already a little offended that we are going to WDW first before coming to see them, I know I can't stretch the dates any farther and still keep the peace, ha!

Other than our day at MK, we were hoping to do Cirque du Soliel, a Pirate Adventure Cruise ( for the kids), Afternoon Tea at GF (and maybe a kids manicure at the spa beforehand), a date night (w/ Kids Club), and a tour at Kennedy Space Center (we have APs there from our March trip) And of course I want a little time to enjoy the resort.

With only 3 nights, I think something's going to have to be abandoned this trip. but one of the most important things I learned from our April trip was that too many late night/early morning combos are a recipe for failure!

Hi Jaime!
I always want to plan too much too. For this trip I'm trying to focus on just one thing, which will be the Jedi Training Academy. I'm considering a Pirate Cruise too, but I don't know.

I'm kind of glad I don't have family in Florida, because it would be frustrating. Since my sister's in-laws have a house down there, I know she could never go and not see them at least part of the time. She doesn't love Disney as much as I do though, so it's not a big deal for her.

The money was silly for me, because the price was coming in less than our last trip which was a bit ridiculous, since we have to pay for G this time for everything. It was after I added an estimate for airfare that I realized my mistake.
The biggest difference for us this year is that I'm not planning on the Armed Forces Salute tickets. First of all, the last week of the year is blacked out, so it's not even an option, but even if they were... If they were 5 day tickets, I'd consider it, but 4 days just isn't enough for all 4 parks. We managed to complete all of our main list during our last trip, but we didn't have much meandering time in 3 of the parks. I felt as if the Magic Kingdom was the only park with any wiggle room, and we spent 2 full days there.
I'd rather have park entry every day with long breaks

Thank you both. You've really made me feel better. This is our 10th trip, and we actually went the same week last year and had a great time. But this fastpass+ stuff just throws everything for a loop doesn't it?
I think you are right that I will still be able to book the things we want. And we do like to ride our favourites multiple times, so there is no avoiding standby anyway. We'll have to take advantage of rope drops and evening EMH. I think we will rent points for AKL and pay as we go for dining. That's the other issue, as much as free dining saves us, we don't eat in the most expensive restaurants, ds just turned 10 and would prefer kids meals half the time, and none of us eat dessert at every meal. So paying for meals OOP makes more sense.
Thanks for the clarity!

danceintherain, I hear you on the sticker shock. I always try to plan our trips to come in around $5000. It's getting harder and harder. The week we've picked is more expensive, prices keep going up, airfare is more, etc etc. We also planned a few days at Universal which did nothing for the total.
We're closer to $6500 when all is said and done and I'm not too happy with that.

I really think you'll be ok. I think FP+ is throwing everyone a little off. It changes touring so much. It may end up being an improvement for us, but we won't know until we try it.

I'm hoping to keep ours under $4000, which I think may happen once I actually purchase airfare and rental car. I've exaggerated both of those expenses, so the actual numbers don't shock me. In reality, I can probably get each component for less.

We may be changing our dates, so I may end up leaving this group. DH may be getting his masters through a different program. Their holiday break is longer, so he wouldn't have to go back to class until January 20th, in which case, we'd probably plan on arriving on our anniversary (Jan 2nd) and staying 7-10 days, depending on how long I can convince DH we should stay. We may even push it back a little bit further to avoid the holiday crowds completely.

 

[rubberbootbunny]

So in addition to eating our way across WDW my goal for this trip (pm Dec 1st to am Dec 5th) Is to ride all of the roller coasters in WDW.
We have pm of day 1 and day 4 MVMCP at MK with Magic Hours -probably a full day at both EPCOT and DHS. With the morning of the 4th in AK.
Do you think that I can pull it off?
And have I missed any from this list
SPaM
BTM
SPshM
MatHrn
EE
Mine
ArwSmth
Thanks

 

[pad406]

So in addition to eating our way across WDW my goal for this trip (pm Dec 1st to am Dec 5th) Is to ride all of the roller coasters in WDW.
We have pm of day 1 and day 4 MVMCP at MK with Magic Hours -probably a full day at both EPCOT and DHS. With the morning of the 4th in AK.
Do you think that I can pull it off?
And have I missed any from this list
SPaM
BTM
SPshM
MatHrn
EE
Mine
ArwSmth
Thanks

Isn't the Matterhorn in Disneyland?
And I have no idea where the 'Thanks' coaster is

 

[danceintherain]

Oh dear...DH just showed me his actual course schedule, which varies slightly from the rest of the university, and their Winter Break is December 13-January 11th.
So we could do December still.

 

[rubberbootbunny]

Isn't the Matterhorn in Disneyland?
And I have no idea where the 'Thanks' coaster is

Lol

my PP should have said Barnstormer not Matterhorn.
Sorry
Thanks for the laugh PAD 406

 

[gtpoohbear]

Oh dear...DH just showed me his actual course schedule, which varies slightly from the rest of the university, and their Winter Break is December 13-January 11th.
So we could do December still.

Maybe you could get there at the beginning of break while the Christmas stuff is going on, but before the big crowds hit - that would be perfect!

Unfortunately, it looks like all of our trips in the next few years will be around holidays, so no escaping the crowds for us. This year it was/is Spring Break and Christmas, and next year will most likely be Memorial Day and Thanksgiving. If my plans hold, 2016 would be Spring Break, 4th of July, and Christmas again. (We've decided that instead of one BIG trip every few years, we will just take short trips whenever we visit my family. Saves on airfare, and we went ahead last year and bought 10-day NE tickets w/ WPs, so we should be set for a while)

 

[rebelbuddhist]

Magic Kingdom December hours have been added to calendar.

http://media.disneywebcontent.com/St...t_December.pdf
Link from post 448 in this thread. When I copied it did stay live!

 

[rebelbuddhist]

Does anyone know when the park hours calendar for December will be released? I picked up a version from one of the dining threads

http://media.disneywebcontent.com/StaticFiles/ParkHours/WDWTravelAgent_December.pdf

but it doesn't have the MK hours?

 

[pigletto]

Magic Kingdom December hours have been added to calendar.

http://media.disneywebcontent.com/St...t_December.pdf
Link from post 448 in this thread. When I copied it did stay live!

Yay!!!!!!!!! I make ADR's in under 3 weeks. We aren't doing hoppers this time so this really helps with the planning. Thank you!

 

[pigletto]

I'm really struggling with whether or not to do a MVMCP. Mostly it comes down to cost. We did it last year and had a nice time. However, we only did one character meet (just weren't interested) and the kids don't care about the dance party. So if I am going for the parade and fireworks, I might as well wait until the end of the week, brave the crowds and see them when they become part of the standard Holiday schedule I think. It's an easy way to save $250 and I don't think anyone in our family will care. I just don't want to get there and feel like we're missing out. Anyone else not doing the party?

 

[happy tink]

My planning is clicking away. Flights booked, hotels done, tickets check. Still need MVMCP tickets and rental car. Oh yes ADR and fast pass + reserv, which I can't do until 1 I'm within the 180 day window and 2 they post hours for all the parks!

I've been reading TR to keep me going until December!

I may need to start planning another vacation!

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.