WDW in December....

[ChisJo]

Hola everyone,

I finally booked the plane tix to go to WDW in Dec. (By the way - if you live in Edmonton, flights to MCO airport are only $345 return all taxes included the first week of December...)

I am really excited, but more so because my boyfriend has never been and this will be our first time to enjoy this time together. I am so excited to see his reaction to everything and the first time he sees Mickey....more importantly, I am excited to experience all those "couple" things that I have yet to experience in WDW with someone I so care about.

Anyways, I could go on about this for awhile....what I am really looking for is if someone has ever been to WDW the first week of December, what was the weather like? Did you need coats? Were all the rides open? What about the water parks? What were the parks like - busy? Were they ready for Christmas? How was WDW? How was Universal?

I thank you in advance....Jo

 

[tone.def]

I am really excited, but more so because my boyfriend has never been and this will be our first time to enjoy this time together. I am so excited to see his reaction to everything and the first time he sees Mickey....more importantly, I am excited to experience all those "couple" things that I have yet to experience in WDW with someone I so care about.

There are lots of romantic spots to dine at:
Bistro de Paris
California Grill
Citricos
Spirit of Aloha (later show, less kids)

I like taking behind the scenes tours with my boyfriend and we've stayed at POR and taken the boat to downtown Disney at dusk, stayed at the Polynesian and enjoyed Wishes from the beach.

what I am really looking for is if someone has ever been to WDW the first week of December, what was the weather like? Did you need coats? Were all the rides open? What about the water parks? What were the parks like - busy? Were they ready for Christmas? How was WDW? How was Universal?

Weather is spotty and inconsistent. According to some dissers, it was hot and humid a couple years ago, my personal experience - December 2005 was cold. I had to buy sweaters while there. Either Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach will probably be closed for rehab - it's been that way the past few years - they alternate, but close during the "winter" - so one is supposed to be open.

I did swim in the afternoons at the Volcano Pool at my resort. I was brave enough to jump in the quiet pool in the evening - water was warmer than air, like a bath!

Most rides open - I didn't miss anything. Lines were not bad in 2005, most were walk ons, Fastpass makes life easy.

Christmas decorations were all up and everything was decked out. I'm going to try and go in December again this year - at least for the weekend for some Christmas shopping (at least that'll be my excuse... I just can't get everything I want here)

Didn't do Universal - next time ;o)

 

[jenkh]

I was there this past dec 1-8 06.

The crowds are amazing. Most rides are 5 min or less. The main attractions.. Soarin was the only one we needed a fast pass for. EE, RnR and ToT were all less then 15min waits. (keeping in mind we are morning people.. we are there for openings, back at the hotel for lunch and nap, and then back in the evening... So these times don't reflect a peak time in the afternoon)

As far as weather it was a bit spotty but still overall warm/hot. We only needed sweater one night (and it was the night of MVMCP so it was fitting)

Every other day we were in T-Shirts. Rain was a bit spotty. We only had one morning where it actually required rain jackets. (but we've never considered the rain a downer anyway.. it lessens crowds, you throw on your mickey poncho and go on your merry way haha)

The x-mas decorations are just beautiful. We can't imagine Disney any other way now and even though there's no vacation planned in the future we already know the first 2 weeks of Dec is the window we will almost always use.

 

[dwnnp]

Jo,
We are also going down from ottawa in the first week of Dec., and the answers to your question about what it's like in the parks and weather is of interest to me too!!

Just wondering which airline did you get such great rates from for that week?
We are a family of 5 and I was able to get 4 seats on westjet using our airmiles (anyone else notice that westjet seems to only have 4 seats on any given flight???) we will likely have to buy the seat for the 5th person and to go on the same flight the price is $580.00 including tax! yikes! (although i think we'll have to bite the bullet and get it just so we can all go together...) I wish I had read these boards BEFORE having booked our flights with airmiles because after reading these boards i have since learned that you can fly for so much cheaper by driving into the U.S. and flying from there!! ( i payed a fortune in taxes to airmiles anyway and i could have saved my airmiles for other things like hotel stays, car rentals.... or my dream vacation to italy in a few years.....)

 

[ChisJo]

I used Delta airlines....from Edmonton to Orlando return with all taxes it was $345 each.....AWESOME deal....

 

[stashf]

I have been early Dec the past three years. First yr was 2-6th, then 8-15thand last year was 8-18th. It's a great time to go! It's very festive, lots of decorations and Christmas activities! A romantic item to check into - the Sleigh ride at WL! Hoping to do it this year, hear it's nice. The weather is hit and miss, be prepared for various types! First year we werent prepared and FROZE! A light winter jacket is necessary many evenings. We typically pack shorts for days (or capris) and jeans/pants for nights. Zip up sweatshirts are great, versatile. We found this past Dec to be the warmest yet. We even bring light gloves, and blankets for the kids at night in the strollers. You just need to be prepared for hot and cold so pack enough, we have swam once on each vacation but it is a little more chilly than we like!! The crowds are manageable you can really enjoy the rides, it's a GREAT time to go! Have fun! We cant wait!!!

Stacey

 

[hockey mom]

Oh you are in for a treat. Disney that time of year is beautiful.

We went Dec. 10th to 17th 2005. My kids did the surfing lessons at TL at 6:30 in the morning- bit cold but they loved it. We wore shorts during the day and long sleeves/sweatshirts at night.

BB was closed.

Make sure you do MVMCP- wishes is very romantic.

Tour the resorts also. GF and WL are beautiful.

 

[digskat]

we were there the first week of December 2006, and are returning this December. Crowds were spectacular, the lowest we had seen. We won dream fast passes, and didn't need to use them. Only lines were for Soarin and EE. We rode RnR 4x without a line. We had rain for a half hour, the day we went to MGM, and had a cooler day (low 60s) for MVMCP on Dec. 4th. BB was closed, TL was open. We swam at POFQ during the day (comfortably), and braved one evening swim.

 

[Pokemom]

Thanks for the tip on airfare from Edmonton ChrisJo. We were able to book at that price for Christmas time - unbelievable price. We have a group of 11 going and everybody was able to get that fare. Thanks again.

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

I used Delta airlines....from Edmonton to Orlando return with all taxes it was $345 each.....AWESOME deal....

Thanks for the tip on airfare from Edmonton ChrisJo. We were able to book at that price for Christmas time - unbelievable price. We have a group of 11 going and everybody was able to get that fare. Thanks again.

We just got a similar fare with NWA for our trip in May!!