Will I Regret Christmas Week?

[Gehrig1B]

I do wonder if those suggesting they would never do it have actually been. I too have never experienced "wall to wall" people (excepting Main Street before and after fireworks) and we go Christmas/New Years... I was called disingenuous on another board when I said we never get in a line of over 20 minutes but it is a fact. We do stay 8-10 days with park hoppers and move around a bit but enjoy ourselves greatly.

Also, you do not need to fear a closure if you are on property. It just does not happen. The only closures are for those off-site with no ADRs and it is MK only. Last NYE the MK closure was such that MBs were checked and everyone with an ADR or staying on site were still allowed into the park.

The naysayers remind me of the old Yogiism... "Nobody goes there anymore, it's way too crowded."

I agree it is all about expectations. If you plan well and know what you are getting into you can have a great time. If you are cynical going in you may be miserable. And remember... refresh, refresh, refresh for those extra fastpasses!

 

[Monykalyn]

I do think someone who makes frequent trips can manage an uber busy week better than someone who goes rarely. I know we can now manage uber busy times where 5 years ago, no way would I have attempted it. Experience is a HUGE factor. And expectations. Frequent visitors can go with very different expectations on what they want to get done. And we did a great trip for NYE but that was short with specific purpose and I'm not sure I would have had as much fun had we done the entire week and that been our only trip for the year, or for a few years.

This was our thought as well-however with good planning I think you can manage most things. We had a blast over NYE but it was just me and DH, and we didn't have a "must hit these attractions" list. I think that helped. We just wanted to experience NYE in the parks. I swear I saw a ton of "first time" buttons though and I wonder what they thought?

For MK fireworks on NYE get the Dessert Package, if not do MK on the 30th and Epcot on NYE.

This year we did the dessert package at MK on the 30th. You definitely want to see the fireworks at Epcot on NYE.

Ah-YES to dessert package at MK for fireworks! Best splurge money spent. We did 30th at MK and 31 at Epcot-ADR for later dinner at both-BOTH booked day of or day before. I had other ones I didn't much care for but the ones I wanted opened up so I grabbed them. Heck a CRT opened up on the 30th I think it was? and we nabbed FEA FP+ on the 31st while we were at dinner that day. I wouldn't advise such freewheeling planning unless you have back ups and OK with not getting your perfect restaurant at perfect time though.

The "wall to wall people"

-Epcot, from about 1030ish til midnight in WS was literally wall to wall. Sure you could move but that is the most I have ever seen in that park. However the crowds seemed to be in a great mood, everyone in festive mode-was still a lot of fun! But not something I would ever ever advise someone with younger children to attempt. 10+ years and up should be able to handle the crowd but younger could be scary...

While I loved the NYE fireworks at Epcot, I think I'd now choose MK twice as those just blew us away!

 

[AngiTN]

This was our thought as well-however with good planning I think you can manage most things. We had a blast over NYE but it was just me and DH, and we didn't have a "must hit these attractions" list. I think that helped. We just wanted to experience NYE in the parks. I swear I saw a ton of "first time" buttons though and I wonder what they thought?

Ah-YES to dessert package at MK for fireworks! Best splurge money spent. We did 30th at MK and 31 at Epcot-ADR for later dinner at both-BOTH booked day of or day before. I had other ones I didn't much care for but the ones I wanted opened up so I grabbed them. Heck a CRT opened up on the 30th I think it was? and we nabbed FEA FP+ on the 31st while we were at dinner that day. I wouldn't advise such freewheeling planning unless you have back ups and OK with not getting your perfect restaurant at perfect time though.

-Epcot, from about 1030ish til midnight in WS was literally wall to wall. Sure you could move but that is the most I have ever seen in that park. However the crowds seemed to be in a great mood, everyone in festive mode-was still a lot of fun! But not something I would ever ever advise someone with younger children to attempt. 10+ years and up should be able to handle the crowd but younger could be scary...

While I loved the NYE fireworks at Epcot, I think I'd now choose MK twice as those just blew us away!

I saw them too and thought, and commented to DH, the same thing. I wondered what all those First Time visitors thought. Having been at both New Years and every other month of the year there is a HUGE difference. If New Years was my first trip I am not sure I would have fallen in love with Disney like we did. That's the honest truth. I had to work up to the ability to want to do NYE. Now, I can't imagine wanting to spend it anywhere else.
I also wondered if maybe some of them were First Time at New Years or something.

 

[BigB0882]

It is not wall to wall. It is very crowded but saying it is wall to wall is an over-exaggeration. It can be at certain times if you are in just the right place but that is very specific to an event like the parade coming through or fireworks, etc. It is also not fair to tell someone they will only do half the rides and wait hours in line. I was there Dec 21-28 and never waited longer than 35 minutes for any ride and that one ride was Peter Pan without a FP. The posted wait time was 25 minutes (this was during the Christmas Party) and it took longer because the ride kept breaking down or having to stop for people to get on/off. We rode everything we wanted and rode everything multiples times over the 2 days we spent in MK, even if you completely ignore the Christmas Party which has shorter waits. It does take planning but some of these posts are really unfair.

 

[Gehrig1B]

It is not wall to wall. It is very crowded but saying it is wall to wall is an over-exaggeration. It can be at certain times if you are in just the right place but that is very specific to an event like the parade coming through or fireworks, etc. It is also not fair to tell someone they will only do half the rides and wait hours in line. I was there Dec 21-28 and never waited longer than 35 minutes for any ride and that one ride was Peter Pan without a FP. The posted wait time was 25 minutes (this was during the Christmas Party) and it took longer because the ride kept breaking down or having to stop for people to get on/off. We rode everything we wanted and rode everything multiples times over the 2 days we spent in MK, even if you completely ignore the Christmas Party which has shorter waits. It does take planning but some of these posts are really unfair.

Agree completely. You need not wait hours in line and you will not miss a lot of rides at MK. Rope drop E-rides, fast pass reserve 3 more, then use MDE to fast pass others. Do CoP when crowds are high as well as People Mover, Country Bears, Hall of Presidents, Disney RR... Park will stay open very late. It's a 2 day park anyway so manage your expectations. We always get 8-10 fast passes in a day, even during Christmas season.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

The only wall-to-wall I witnessed around NYE this year was the the line of cars getting into Epcot and MK on 12/31.

I have never been so happy to be on the monorail and up above the traffic. The congestion I witnessed that day was EPIC. Beyond anything I had ever witnessed in my WDW travels. I try not to feed into hyperbole in my posts around here, but that traffic was serious.

But the parks and such? Eh... crowded but manageable. We had an awesome time and I would gladly go again.

Although I do struggle with the “what would I think of this if I didn’t go regularly” question when it comes to the bigger holiday times like that.

 

[TwinkleKS]

The only wall-to-wall I witnessed around NYE this year was the the line of cars getting into Epcot and MK on 12/31.

I have never been so happy to be on the monorail and up above the traffic. The congestion I witnessed that day was EPIC. Beyond anything I had ever witnessed in my WDW travels. I try not to feed into hyperbole in my posts around here, but that traffic was serious.

But the parks and such? Eh... crowded but manageable. We had an awesome time and I would gladly go again.

Although I do struggle with the “what would I think of this if I didn’t go regularly” question when it comes to the bigger holiday times like that.

We were brilliant and drove this year ... sat in the parking lot until after 3:00 AM trying to get out. Kids and DH were asleep most of the time. But part of that was a total fubar on where we parked that I should have been smart enough to avoid.

Even when it was crowded it was so much fun and there were a ton of cast members out and about keeping people moving.

 

[Maxwell42]

We've been several times during the week leading up to Christmas, even staying through the day after Christmas on the last 2 holiday trips, and we've always had a great time. Never stayed through New Years, but you can have a great time if you plan for it and set your expectations appropriately. Yes, it will be very crowded, but there are a few things you can do to mitigate the effect that the crowds have on you and your family. Let me make a few strong recommendations:

1. Get up early and get to the parks before they open, tour through lunchtime, and then keep your options open. The first couple of hours of park time won't be very crowded no matter what time of year you go, but this is (in our opinion) absolutely essential during the holidays if you want to ride anything other than the rides you have FP+ for. On the other hand, if you're content with your FP+ rides and a few other shows/anytime attractions, then that's fine. But the parks will be crazy crowded from late morning through late afternoon/evening, so if you can tour early and then have the option of leaving for a break/nap/other activities, that will really help you maintain your sanity.

2. Learn to work the FP+ system. Book your first three as early in the day as possible. After you scan in for one, use the app on your phone to move your next one up if possible. After you use your third, use the app to get another one. The more you refresh the availability in the app, the more you'll see pop up. If you're persistent, you can get almost anything within the next hour or so. This one trick should enable you to do a lot without having to wait in insane lines.

3. Plan at least one non-park day. Go to Disney Springs for a meal or two at the great restaurants there, go tour other resorts, hang out by the pool if it's warm enough.

4. Consider booking free dining when that deal is announced (usually in April). Historically, free dining dates have run through about Dec. 22, and as long as you check in by that date, then you get free dining for the length of your stay. So if those dates work for you, it can represent significant savings at the most expensive time of the year.

5. Most importantly, go with a positive attitude. Don't have a list of must-do items that will render your vacation ruined if they don't happen. Just make up your mind to have a great time and enjoy your family, and you will.

Have a great trip!

 

[Klayfish]

I've been during summer several times and (using RideMax) never waited more than 15-20 minutes for any ride. Wait an hour plus for rides at Xmas? And end up going on only half the number of rides? No thanks. Not how I want to spend my vacation.

That's not how it works unless that's how you let it be. We never waited more than about 20 minutes for a ride...ever. Yes, this is where experience...or more precisely FP+ knowledge...pays off. If you understand FP+ and know how to use it, there's no reason to stand in hour lines. I don't count rides, so I can't tell you specifically how many we got on each day. But I can say that we got on plenty, we were never left "stuck" trying to find something to do that wasn't a long line.

Sure, if you just do all standby and have no idea what you're doing, I can see it being very difficult. Same would be true during summer, to a lesser degree for sure. But it doesn't have to be.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I do think someone who makes frequent trips can manage an uber busy week better than someone who goes rarely. I know we can now manage uber busy times where 5 years ago, no way would I have attempted it. Experience is a HUGE factor. And expectations. Frequent visitors can go with very different expectations on what they want to get done. And we did a great trip for NYE but that was short with specific purpose and I'm not sure I would have had as much fun had we done the entire week and that been our only trip for the year, or for a few years.

I completely agree with this. We have over 40 WDW trips under our belts and when we went Christmas week 2015 I was incredibly strategic in our planning (though, even then, I wasn't completely prepared for the crowds we would encounter specifically in MK and DS). I did not expect to do a lot in the parks and we planned a lot of activities which helped us circumvent the crowds (Wild Africa Trek, the Osborne Lights dessert party, etc.). We also had amazingly beautiful weather which made resort time easy and a lot of fun (but, of course, can't be controlled). We also stayed at BWI which, IMHO, completely saved the trip for us. Any means of transportation (bus, boat, car, etc.) that does not involve simply walking on your own two feet (or strolling or scootering) was INCREDIBLY busy. Being able to walk to two parks was priceless and gave us so much freedom. On our MK day, we tried to make RD, but the traffic was so bad (this was on Dec. 26), it took about 90 minutes to get there from BWI. And then, because of the crowds, we only lasted there as long as our 3 FP+ (we were out of MK by noon and we didn't go back).

If someone told me that was absolutely the only week I could go to WDW, yes, I would do it, but it would be my last choice! For the past two years, we have done the week before Christmas (which doesn't sound like an option for you) and it was night-and-day better than Christmas week. We've also been during spring break and the last week of August (super hot!), several times and I would pick those times over Christmas week as well.

If you do end up going, I would just lower your expectations of what you'll be able to accomplish in the parks and come up with some non-park alternatives. From WL, visiting Ft. W and going to HDDR is a lot of fun as is doing a monorail tour. DS was jam-packed at night that week, but opening times weren't bad and they had some nice activities over there. We did the Star Wars Void experience this past year and that was amazing!

 

[Summer2018]

We were in WDW 12/24/08-1/1/09.

We drove, so we were able to hide Christmas gifts in our trunk. DD woke up on Christmas morning seeing that Santa found her in WDW.

We did early mornings in the parks with a midday nap or pool time. Then we went back at night.

On Christmas Day we went to AK because at the time it was the least crowded park.

We went to the Candlelight Processional on the 26th. It was spectacular.

We enjoyed Osborne Family Lights in DHS. It’s too bad that’s gone.

We visited all of the deluxe resorts to see their incredible decorations.

On Christmas Eve, we ate at the Yachtsman Steakhouse and spent the evening on the boardwalk.

Christmas is beautiful in WDW. The decorations alone are worth the trip. If you take lots of breaks and pace yourself, you won’t be overwhelmed.

Have fun.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I'll be honest...DH and I are doing Disney solely because kids (DS11, DD8) want to go back. Unfortunately, the only time we can go are the busy times--summer (HOT) and school breaks.

We have always wanted to see WL--were actually booked there in Nov 2014 and moved the reservation to GF after learning that the WL's pool was going to be under construction. And WL seems especially nice for Christmas decorations. So I think we're going to have to "suck it up" and deal with crowds from Christmas Day to New Year's Day. I literally just put a hold on a room because I see how quickly the rooms are going.

So those that have done this--any recommendations to make this more bearable for DH and me? Clearly a least 1 or 2 resort days? Or are we better doing parks early every morning and do pools every afternoon? Club Level looks VERY expensive, but might it be worth it that week for an "escape" and to avoid lines at quick serve dining or pool bars for just a snack or drink? Ideas for NYE?

BTW, we would NOT do the Very Merry event at MK-we did that in 2014 and thought it was a disaster THEN. Can't imagine how many more people Disney will shove in there the last week of the year. We also aren't water park people.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Feeling overwhelmed.

We did Christmas but in 2002 at WL. I'm a little bias, I'm a DVC Member and WL is our home resort and we love it. The Christmas decorations were beautiful. I'm at the mercy of the school schedule too. I moved to Georgia from California two years ago (originally from NJ) and find the summers unbearable. I couldn't imagine going to WDW in all that. Honestly, it was crowded Christmas, but manageable. Make sure you have your ADR's and FP. I wouldn't count on the pools, I recall it being too cold for that, but you never know so pack a swimsuit just in case. I'm not a big fan of Club Level. I've been on it at other resorts and I don't see the value (IMO). For what it costs, I'd rather spent my money on something else and/or go out for a really nice dinner.

 

[TinkSassy]

I love and hate Christmas week. There are not many more magical places to spend the holiday. That being said - it is about expectations. We made the must do list and focused on the Christmas stuff we couldn't do on another trip. You will not get as much done but you can still have a great time.

The crowds are unbearable from 11am to about 3pm - we would leave the park, make dining reservations, transfer parks or hit show rides (CoP, HoP, CBJ, etc.) during that time. As always, morning is very doable because if you rope drop it is still pretty empty at that time of the morning. We got our normal 8-10 rides in for the first few hours of the day. Held shows for peak times and expected to need breaks.

I cannot do summer heat at WDW - a July trip I was only able to do half days because I was so miserable. Spring Break is less crowded but I have seen days that rival Christmas during March.

 

[cman]

I do wonder if those suggesting they would never do it have actually been. I too have never experienced "wall to wall" people (excepting Main Street before and after fireworks) and we go Christmas/New Years... I was called disingenuous on another board when I said we never get in a line of over 20 minutes but it is a fact. We do stay 8-10 days with park hoppers and move around a bit but enjoy ourselves greatly.

Also, you do not need to fear a closure if you are on property. It just does not happen. The only closures are for those off-site with no ADRs and it is MK only. Last NYE the MK closure was such that MBs were checked and everyone with an ADR or staying on site were still allowed into the park.

The naysayers remind me of the old Yogiism... "Nobody goes there anymore, it's way too crowded."

I agree. It is all about expectations. If you plan well and know what you are getting into you can have a great time. If you are cynical going in you may be miserable. And remember... refresh, refresh, refresh for those extra fastpasses!

I agree. I think most people that haven't gone and say that they would never do it have seen the famous pictures of wall to wall people and think that it's like that at all parks every day. Just not so.

We've been twice over Christmas week and are going back this year and have never experienced those types of crowds unless it was during the obvious parade\fireworks time.

Do you need to plan? Yes. Our strategy is to do rope drop and get as many rides in as possible. Go back to resort late morning until mid-afternoon. Book an ADR for dinner and work in 3 FPs before and after dinner. Rinse and repeat. If the crowds get annoying adjust your expectations and do something else. It works for us but may not for you.

Christmas at Disney is not for the family that has one shot at a Disney trip, sleeps in and MUST see everything. That's setting you up for disappoiment.

Be flexible and you'll have a great time.

 

[Mainemama]

I have been twice the week you described (2015 and 2016) and loved it. We did luck out with 90 degree weather both years-- water park, and had to rethink Christmas dinner when it was way too hot to eat prime rib! Wilderness Lodge will be fantastic. I would plan plan a full resort day. We loved our WL resort day the year we stayed there... bike, Fish, visit the barn or horseback ride. Have a meal at the fort. Rest day is always a favorite. The other days, I would rope drop, then head back to the resort. Leave evenings open and you can decide what you are up to. One of my favorite things about our Xmas trip was the new traditions we came up with. Each of my 5 family members picked a name and picked out a present for that person. That was it (plus a Santa present for each kid.) The kids totally embraced it, and it was really fun to shop and open just 1 present, versus the usual holiday excess and stress. We also packed a little fake Xmas tree and challenged the kids to decorate it with only found or free objects. We were scavenging all kinds of Disney bits, an orchid, origami Mickey heads, ribbons. The memories you make will be unique. I would do it once. I would not bother with Club Level, unless you are traveling with other family members and are looking for a gathering space. Having done Club Level, I think it is unnecessary Xmas week. There are going to be a lot of other things you want to eat. Epcot holiday foods are a great option. There are special touches/menu items at different restaurants.

 

[b52hbuff]

We are Disneyland regulars. We went back to WDW with kids for the first time in a decade. We were terrified that we would be shut out by Christmas crowds during the last two weeks of December.

Our only hope was that we were familiar with Disneyland and hoped our experiences would transfer. And we were really great at planning and moving through the parks. This site as well as a couple of YouTube! channels were invaluable in helping us navigate the planning.

We made ADRs about 180 days in advance and we used FP+ advice from this board to pick out the best use of FP+.

In all honesty, our trip was amazing. We stayed on property and rope dropped every EMH we could. Our general strategy was RD E-ticket rides that we didn't have a FP+ for, and be ready to rush rides at back of park at park opening before off-resort guests got there. Keep rushing rides until about 11AM, then do FP+ rides for 11-4PM. Then we would do shows and other less popular rides.

The only day that turned out to be a disaster was Christmas day, when they closed the Magic Kingdom. It was wall to wall people. It took us 15 minutes to walk from Pan/iasw to Liberty Square. We were like everyone else and wanted to be in MK. We should have bit the bullet and stayed at the resort. We still got to rope drop a bunch of rides at EMH and we got three FP+, but we didn't get much done after noon.