Which park the day after Christmas?

[poppop]

I can't decide which park to visit the first day of our trip which will be Dec.26th. I know it is extremely crowed that time of year and even worse, we won't be able to go to a park until mid-morning.

My wife and I will be traveling with two four yr. old girls. We will be staying at POFQ. Our flight arrives 9:30AM and we will be taking Disney's Magical express to our resort. Our plans are to check-in, get our park ticketsm, meal vouchers, and go directly to a park. Which One?

 

[poppop]

Bump.

 

[poppop]

Bump.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

Ummm, maybe you can afford to rethink the late park arrival thing and do something else on arrival day. I only say that because it's miserably crowded, and by the time you arrive, all the FastPasses for the day will be gone, the lines for the rides will be ridiculously long, and MK will be closed to any new entries. Maybe book a nice dinner at a resort restaurant for later in the evening (possibly with fireworks views), and just enjoy the resort and pool upon arrival, maybe DisneyQuest. Next morning, get up at the crack of dawn and prepare to hit the gates well before opening. I know everyone wants to go to a park upon arrival, but it's a tough start to the vacation.

 

[disneydiz]

I also agree that you would be better off doing something else on that day. Lines might be 2+ hours and fastpasses will probably be gone by the time you get to a park. Also, there is a chance that MK will close for a couple hours during the day because of crowds. I suggest that you join TourGuideMike or get the Unofficial Guide. You are going to need expert advice for that time of year -- especially with little kids!

 

[rkmassa]

Not a good idea to go to the parks that late in the day. Lines will be unbelievably long. After Christmas, you really need to get to the parks when they open. It gets really crowded really fast. Maybe you could spend some time at the resort. Take the boat to DTD. Maybe even ride the monorail.

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

Awh, come on guys they aren't arriving that late!!! They will be at their resort by 10:30am and ready to hit the parks by 11:00am or so. I think Epcot would be a nice park to start with. The World Showcase usually doesn't open until 11:00am although it probably is open earlier on Dec. 26( I can't remember last years schedule) Epcot is a great place to be at any age. You could make lunch ressies there and tour leisurely on day one. Your kids are too young to do the big rides anyway. There will be characters through out the park and plenty of entertainment. They usually have kids stations at each of the countries where they can color or make masks etc. They can go on the Norway or Figment ride if you want them to go one. There is so much to do and see. My children loved Epcot at your childrens age. Make sure you have a stroller for them to sit in! Enjoy! Enjoy! We are arriving on the same day but not until 430pm.....and we are going to Epcot.....

 

[domestic goddess]

I would say EPCOT or AK. EPCOT because of it's size and AK because it is the least popular it seems. We were at EPCOT on the 26th a couple of years ago and it was great until about 12-1:00pm, then it got pretty crowded. Ak is smaller and my children love to walk around there. Either way I wouldn't plan to ride too many things because, as has been said previously, the lines will be very long and most Fastpasses will be gone.

Have a great trip and enjoy WDW! It is great during the Holidays!

 

[Boardwalk Tigger]

bump

 

[poppop]

Thanks for the ideas. Keep them coming. Any information is appreciated.

 

[UrsulasShadow]

Awh, come on guys they aren't arriving that late!!! They will be at their resort by 10:30am and ready to hit the parks by 11:00am or so. I think Epcot would be a nice park to start with. The World Showcase usually doesn't open until 11:00am although it probably is open earlier on Dec. 26( I can't remember last years schedule) :

I guess I'm assuming it's going to take a good deal longer to get from the airport to the resort (having never used ME during the really busy holiday season), and to check in. I very possibly am wrong. And if there's any way you can get to WS in Epcot at or close to opening, that would be a wonderful place to start. Most sources I've read have suggested Epcot on the highest volume days, because it can handle much larger crowds than the other parks. And AK usually does have lower visitation than most parks. But I'd suggest looking on UG's TouringPlans.com to check out recommended parks for that day. And all the people who state that MK will be closed by that time aren't just making it up.