Ticket dilemma, please advise.......

[disney4us2002]

We are going over Christmas for 8 days with 5 day hoppers and 2 days for Univ/IoA. My current thinking is now to stay out of the parks on Christmas day. However, if we should decide to change that plan, what are the options? There are five of us. My dh will probably have an AP (if good discounts are offered at least, otherwise he will have a 5-day hopper as well), we have an old pass with one day left which leaves three kids who will need a pass but with a one day we can't park hop correct? So if we get up early to head to MK, then later after dinner we won't be able to go anywhere else but MK? Is there a better way to plan this?

 

[zurgswife]

We were there last Christmas and didn't go near a park and had a great day....MK was closed by 11am on Christmas day....Too many people...why waste a day of your ticket and not get to experience very much because of the crowds....The crowds are heavy after Christmas too but it was much more doable...

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Personally Id also avoid the parks esp if you plan on leaving then coming back- Disney has a tiered closure system and if enough people come then you may not be able to get back in- Yes there is a slim chance of that but Ive seem it happen.

What about resort hopping? -em

 

[XStAnt]

If you want/need to go to a park on Christmas Day then stay away from MK. It almost always reaches max capacity by mid morning. You will not be able to do much in MK that day.

I recommend Epcot for Christmas Day. DW and I went in 2002 and went to Epcot that day. Because it is so spread out it seems to handle the larger crowds better. Plus, a lot of people don't think Epcot is very kid friendly so it's not their first choice. Since many people begin their vacations that day, the masses go to MK or MGM first.

If you go on Xmas Day make sure you get to the park before it opens. Keep an eye on park hours as they sometimes change that week. In 2002 I recall Epcot officially opening at 8:00 am despite the fact it usually opens at 9:00 am. If it's an early entry day, get there for early entry. Make PS for any sit down meals. Tale your time and enjoy yourself. You won't be able to do everything, but you can still have fun.

 

[disney4us2002]

I hear what you guys are saying, I swear I do, it's just that the Magic Kingdom shouts Christmas to me!!

The current plan is to have a relaxing morning, go to Chef Mickey's for breakfast around 10:30 then over to DisneyQuest for the day. I'm leaning toward Rainforest Cafe for dinner around 5pm and then I get stuck. What to do that night? The kids would be fine going back to DQ but I can't do that all day. I also thought perhaps the Boardwalk after dinner could be fun.

Then I read thru some trip reports from those who went at Christmas and the reports about the MK being so wonderful at opening with tons of characters and how special it was to be there Christmas morning. My kids haven't slept on Christmas morning past 6am for the last 10 yrs, so then I start wondering should we just go to MK first thing and then monorail to Chef Mickey's? Is that a complete waste of admission? Should we return after we have dinner at RFC? I know it's open til midnight on Christmas so we could plan to go late say after 8pm. My dh will think I'm nuts but I want the day to be special. He thinks I'm nuts anyway actually, lol, as I overplan and overanalyze every detail! I love my Disney obsession!