Very Merry Christmas Party

[everylastbreath]

Hi! Planning on taking my daughter & 8 year old Grandson down to WDW in Dec for the party- Never been to any Disney Parties before, can someone tell me what to expect? Also need to know how the weather is in Florida in December (again- never been! always in August!! HOT HOT) Is there anything else special going on during the weekend before Christmas that we should also book? I know the hotels are suppose to all be decorated, which ones are extra special to see? Also taking my 86 year old Mom, so we are going to have the extra added "scooter" issue, but it will be well worth it to have her with us there during this special holiday time!!! Any tips WELCOME!!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) There are LOTS of holiday items
. . . decorations
. . . snow on Main Street
. . . MANY holiday shows and performances
. . . characters in holiday outfits
. . . cookies and hot chocolate
. . . a really good Christmas parade
2) You both will enjoy, even though ti is crowded.
3) However, DO NOT use the party to ride the rides
. . . the ride lines are less, due to the other activities
. . . but, the price of a ticket does not warrant the rides
. . . besides, you will miss so many of the other STUFF

 

[JennyKS]

Love previous posters comments and hope not to offend previous poster but thats one of the main reasons we go to the Christmas party every year. No lines to ride the rides.

We've watched the parade, enjoyed the snow down mainstreet and the fireworks but last year I couldn't get my daughter off splash mountain and she was so excited because she got to go time and time again without having to wait in a line.

I told her this year I wanted to do some of the dance parties (she's 8) but she said no.

 

[Granny square]

It was really really crazy crowded. If your mom isn't used to driving the scooter take her Walmart or the grocery to practice. My mom was nervous before she practiced.

 

[CarolAnnB]

FYI I think the last party is Dec. 20. You said "weekend before Christmas" and that is the Friday of that weekend.

We usually go in the hot hot hot summer as well. Last year we went down in early December. We had an "unseasonably warm" weekend, which was great for us, we wore t-shirts and shorts. Others have gone in Dec and needed coats and gloves for late nights. I just watched the weather the week before we left to get an idea. We had sweatshirts and gloves but luckily never needed them.

We visited the Grand Floridian to see their decorations and gingerbread house. We went to MK in the morning, then took the monorail over there and relaxed for a bit before the Xmas party that evening. We also went over to the Yacht or Beach Club to check out the gingerbread carousel. GF might be easier with a scooter on the monorail if you could only choose one.

My DD only wanted to do things during the party that she couldn't do regularly, so for us that was special character meets, shows, parade, fireworks.

The Candlelight Processional at Epcot was really nice. Huge choir and celebrity narrator telling the Christmas story. Epcot has Santas from around the world telling their stories but somehow we could never be in the right country at the right time.

Osborne Lights at DHS was amazing. We were there when the lights came on and I remember thinking to myself that this alone was worth the entire trip.

If you go over to the Theme Park Planning board and search MVMCP or Candlelight Processional there are a lot of threads.

Have a great trip, it is really an awesome time of the year to go. And no mister fans needed!

 

[horseshowmom]

We loved the MVMCP! When we went, it was very cold. Having spent a lot of Christmases in Florida, I can tell you that there is no way to know for sure very far ahead of time. Like the previous poster said, check the weather as you get closer.

You can definitely get on rides much faster, but there are a lot of great shows as well. The Christmas parade is wonderful, but you may have to stake out your place a little early.

The exact date you are going will make a difference in the crowds. We went the week leading up to Christmas (left the weekend before when others were coming in in droves), and it wasn't crowded at all. Just perfect, in fact.

 

[Robbi]

OP, the weather could be anything from warm to freezing. There's really no way to know too far ahead of time. Check the local weather forecasts a few days before your trip. I would advise packing a jacket and at least 1 pair of jeans.

 

[Darcy03231]

I'm from southern NH. The last time we were there in December the first half of the week was nice. Sunny and in the 70's during the day and in the 60's at night (needed a light jacket or sweater/sweatshirt). The second half of the week a cold front came in and we were all in jeans, sneakers, long sleeve shirts and fleece jackets during the day and added a windbreaker, hats and gloves at night. Like a PP said, pack for everything. We actually saw some people wearing winter coats at night.

 

[vdoucet78]

Hi! Planning on taking my daughter & 8 year old Grandson down to WDW in Dec for the party- Never been to any Disney Parties before, can someone tell me what to expect? Also need to know how the weather is in Florida in December (again- never been! always in August!! HOT HOT) Is there anything else special going on during the weekend before Christmas that we should also book? I know the hotels are suppose to all be decorated, which ones are extra special to see? Also taking my 86 year old Mom, so we are going to have the extra added "scooter" issue, but it will be well worth it to have her with us there during this special holiday time!!! Any tips WELCOME!!

We went the 2nd week of December last year and it was pretty warm. I wasn't expecting that, and I was so jealous of DH who wore shorts all day while I was sweating some days in my jeans (didn't pack shorts ) lol. This year we are going the first week of Dec. and I'm packing both shorts and jeans and tops that can be layered as needed. It did get cold at night watching fireworks, but I was fine in just a light fleece jacket. All the resorts are decorated, but the deluxes are really amazing. We went a day early to do a resort tour. Grand Floridian has huge gingerbread house and a beautiful tree and Beach Club has a gingerbread and chocolate life-size carousel. We walked over to Beach Club to check that one out on one of our Epcot days. Contemporary has life size toy soldiers (can't remember what else) but you will see those in the MVMCP parade. WL and AKL had beautiful trees as well. There will be huge theme-decorated trees in the front of all of the parks also (Epcot's may be between FW and WS if I remember correctly). If you don't have time to go to all, I'd definitely say Grand Floridian and Beach Club are the don't-miss ones in my opinion. Easy walk to BC from Epcot and back, and you can get on the resort monorail at MK to go to GF and then back to MK. Osbourne Lights from 6pm-close (HS) and Candlelight Processional 3 shows/night (Epcot) are must-do's in my opinion and are at no extra cost besides park admission. There is a Candlelight Processional Dinner Package that includes dinner (appetizer, non-alcoholic drink, entrée & dessert) at various World Showcase restaurants that gives you guaranteed seating for the CP and also a reserved viewing area for Illuminations. It is 2 TS credits on the dining plan or you can check the oop costs as well as narrator schedule here: http://www.wdwinfo.com/holidays/candlelight_processional.htm If you are going close to Christmas, it might be a good idea to do the package, as the parks will be more crowded and it could be a long wait in the standby line to get seating. No experience using a scooter in Disney World, but my mom had to use a scooter in her daily life for months after extensive foot surgeries and she said they were a bit of a learning curve. I second the advice of having her practice with a grocery store scooter bc there will be more room for her to learn how to maneuver around and since these are a bit more difficult to drive (according to my mom) the rental scooter should be easy for her to drive in comparison. Also, I hear the Jingle Jungle Parade at AK (afternoon) is very cute, but we didn't catch this one. It is truly magical around Christmas-time, you and your family will have a great time!

 

[ChiCat]

Love previous posters comments and hope not to offend previous poster but thats one of the main reasons we go to the Christmas party every year. No lines to ride the rides.

We've watched the parade, enjoyed the snow down mainstreet and the fireworks but last year I couldn't get my daughter off splash mountain and she was so excited because she got to go time and time again without having to wait in a line.

I told her this year I wanted to do some of the dance parties (she's 8) but she said no.

We did the same thing for the Halloween party we mostly used it as one giant fastpass and it was worth every cent! I am going to the Christmas party this year for the first time although I will be with my inlaws so we will probably take part in the festivities more but I still plan on riding plenty of rides.