What days should I go during xmas..help

[ValDisney]

Hi.. I;ve bben reading alot but I still can't figure out the best way to see the parks. I planned on spending 2 days b4 and after the cruise in WDW. (b4 that we are doing universal) I will be at the parks dec24, 25 we cruise the 26th. come back the 30. Go home on the 1st.
I booked the Luau for the 30th.
Can anyone give me advice of which day to do the parks. We have never been to epcot, so I really want to go. we were in WDW this past feb and did all the parks , so i would just like to see the diff decorations and spectromagic parade (we missed that last time). I should also mention I am a single parent and my children will be 5 and 8 (just turning that age) so they will make a diff.
any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
Valerie

 

[kocar]

Definitely go the days BEFORE your cruise. We went in 2001 Dec. 20-26. It was amazing the difference between the crowds on xmas eve and xmas day compared to the morning of the 26th. We had a character breakfast at 1900 Park Fare and rode by MK about 10 a.m. when finished via the monorail. Yikes! The line to get in was all the way back to the boat docks for the ferry! Some things you could do without going to the park that are holiday magical when you return from your cruise might be- hayride at Fort Wilderness to see all the xmas lights; tour the hotels to take pictures in front of all the different xmas decorations; mini golf; Downtown Disney; Disneyquest; Hoop-De-Doo Revue; Luau at the Polynesian; Pirate Adventure cruise; Princess tea party at grand floridian; etc. They offer so many out of the park magical activities. Go to any of the disney planning sites and you can find out all about them. Have fun!

Only 20d:23h:32m:46s until our 07:30PM arrival at Disneyworld on 06/12/2004.

 

[XStAnt]

If I read your post correctly, you'll be at the parks on 12/24, 12/25, 12/30, and 12/31. They are perhaps the most crowded days to go. 12/25 is probably the busiest day of the year and MK routinely closes to new guests by mid-morning (it usually reopens by late afternoon).

I would go to MK on 12/24 since it will be slightly less crowded than the other day since many people don't actually start their vacations until Christmas Day. It will be packed, though, so arrive early, use FP and make any PSs you want early. Make sure everyone understands they will NOT be able to see and do everything on this trip--it's just too busy.

For 12/25 I'd do Epcot. Because it is such a large and spread out park, and because many people don't find it very kid friendly, I think it handles the Christmas Day crowds a little better. Oh, it will be packed, but with a little planning and effort you can see some highlights. DW and I were there on 12/25/03 and were able to get a lot done. Of course, we had no children and went commando, but...

The other to parks are probably something of a toss-up. I'd probably do MGM on 12/30 and AK on 12/31. This is because AK isn't open late so some people probably won't go there on New Year's Eve. But, you may not be able to get into another park for New Year's because of the crowds.

Now that I've scared you let me tell you to relax. You can still see and do a lot at Disney on these days. The parks are open later to handle the crowds. Get up and arrive early and make efficient use of FP. Make PSs ahead of time. And remember, you're in Disney so have FUN!!!