xmas day ?

[kelmac284]

So we arrive really late on xmas eve and are staying at a hotel close to the airport as we can't check into our timeshare till 4 on xmas day. I had no plans to go to the parks but thought if we got up early we could drive to the ttc and just ride the monorail and look at the decorations at the monorail resorts and ferry to WL and then either bus or drive over to HS and take the boat to Yacht and beach club to see those. I made the mistake on another board of asking if there were any "non" fancy restaurants that might have a walkup since we don't really have a plan and don't know when we will be where. I got my head bit off and was told that no sit down places would be available unless we had an ADR. Even coffee shops like Kona. So I said ok we can just do Quick Service and was told that if I am not staying onsite I won't even be able to get near the MK or Epcot and don't even bother.

So I am asking is this true. We can't get to TTC at 8 and just ride the monorail to look at the decorations and get a sandwhich at a quick service?

We are not going to go to any parks just wanted to look at the resorts and not going to try to park at any of them but take the monorail, boats or buses.

I completely get that we are going at THE worst time of year. I have been told this over and over but obviously thousands of other people are doing it too so obviously they think they are going to get in wherever.

I already know that it is going to be horribly crowded our entire time and we are going to be "miserable" and why should have never even planned to go...but did we just waste 10 grand cuz that is what it is costing us to come all the way from CA and that is staying offsite. We couldn't afford to stay on and we can't go at an "off" time cuz my kids are in HS and can't miss.

I am starting to feel like we did we even bother so hopefully you can shead some light cuz I am feeling pretty disgusted and esp since we haven't been in 6 years and who knows when we will be able to go back.

It is making it really hard to get excited or even want to go when everyone is basically telling me I am an idiot.

 

[hakepb]

8 am or pm?
At 8am, TTC parking would still be open. By 11am it will most likely be closed to capacity...and World drive becomes a traffic jam..

Parking in Epcot and taking the monorail to MK will probably not be an option, either. (As security may only let you on the monorail at Epcot if you are AP or on-site ..seriously that happened to us Christmas Eve 2 years ago)

There might be a minor chance of parking at WL or FW and taking the boats to monorail resorts. But I would plan on AK on Christmas Day, it would be the least "insane" of the park's.
Usually several QS places add a special holiday dinner of turkey and all the fixings.

Don't stress too much. While you can do as many rides (with crowds) you are with your family, ad Disney, on Christmas Day, and many wonderful CM's greet you with a "Merry Christmas!"

 

[kelmac284]

8 am and we were just going to look at hotels and wanted to grab a late breakfast or early lunch probably quick service then probably take a bus to dhs and ride the boat to ybc to look at decs

 

[BigredNole]

If you get there at 8AM, you will be fine. However, all parks will probably be at capacity by early afternoon. As far as QS restaurants, they are all walk up as long as they are not behind locked gates for pools. You can easily do that. As for walking up to a sit down restaurant, it is highly unlikely they will have openings or wait lists. Offsite may be a better and cheaper option.

 

[Klayfish]

So we arrive really late on xmas eve and are staying at a hotel close to the airport as we can't check into our timeshare till 4 on xmas day. I had no plans to go to the parks but thought if we got up early we could drive to the ttc and just ride the monorail and look at the decorations at the monorail resorts and ferry to WL and then either bus or drive over to HS and take the boat to Yacht and beach club to see those. I made the mistake on another board of asking if there were any "non" fancy restaurants that might have a walkup since we don't really have a plan and don't know when we will be where. I got my head bit off and was told that no sit down places would be available unless we had an ADR. Even coffee shops like Kona. So I said ok we can just do Quick Service and was told that if I am not staying onsite I won't even be able to get near the MK or Epcot and don't even bother.

So I am asking is this true. We can't get to TTC at 8 and just ride the monorail to look at the decorations and get a sandwhich at a quick service?

We are not going to go to any parks just wanted to look at the resorts and not going to try to park at any of them but take the monorail, boats or buses.

I completely get that we are going at THE worst time of year. I have been told this over and over but obviously thousands of other people are doing it too so obviously they think they are going to get in wherever.

I already know that it is going to be horribly crowded our entire time and we are going to be "miserable" and why should have never even planned to go...but did we just waste 10 grand cuz that is what it is costing us to come all the way from CA and that is staying offsite. We couldn't afford to stay on and we can't go at an "off" time cuz my kids are in HS and can't miss.

I am starting to feel like we did we even bother so hopefully you can shead some light cuz I am feeling pretty disgusted and esp since we haven't been in 6 years and who knows when we will be able to go back.

It is making it really hard to get excited or even want to go when everyone is basically telling me I am an idiot.

First, relax. Your post clearly shows frustration, and that's a shame. If you're getting information that you wasted your money and are wasting time because it's Christmas (i.e. busiest time of year) and you're staying off site, then you're getting bad information. I couldn't disagree more. We were there for Christmas last year and stayed off site...we always stay off site...and had a wonderful time. Best. Christmas. EVER. So keep that in perspective. It's Christmas, you're going to be in WDW. How awesome is that!?!? Woohoo!!!!

Yes, Christmas Day is going to be really, really crowded. But you already know that and are already prepared for it. You'll just have to go with the flow somewhat. Frankly, if you have the ability, I see zero reason not to go into MK that day, or Epcot. We did, we went to MK, and I'm so, so glad we did. It was nuts, no question about it, but for us to be able to say we went to MK on Christmas Day is something we'll always cherish. Frankly, we're already looking forward to being able to do it again in 2017. I don't remember what time we got to the TTC last year, but it was probably 7:45ish. Yeah, it was quite busy. I don't recall if we were even given an option of riding the ferry, monorail or buses, I think we were just herded to the buses by a CM...but I could be wrong. I was just following my wife and kids. As crowded as it was, they were doing a wonderful job getting people around. We didn't wait more than 5 minutes for the bus. MK was definitely crowded, but honestly before about 11:30ish, it wasn't as bad as you may expect. If I recall, we got about 6 or 7 rides in, including the 3 FP+ that we had. We packed our own food, but we still found a place to sit down at a QS restaurant, it was one of the outdoor tables at Cosmic Rays. After lunch, MK was insanely crowded and we left for another park. But as crowded as it was, the atmosphere was quite festive, which was neat.

Anyway, I'm sure you can get to the resorts if you wanted, they're cool to look at. If you want to go into a park, don't shy away just because it's Christmas. Go. You spent tons of money and planning, make the most of it. Just have the right mindset of dealing with a huge crowd and you'll be fine.

 

[Alesia]

The TTC parking lot will almost certainly still open at 8:00, I wouldn't push it much past that. 7:00 would be better. Worst case scenario, you can park at DHS or AK, but that would be less convenient.

You will be able to eat QS at a resort. That's not going to be a problem.

I won't lie, Christmas week is unbelievably crowded, but you can still have a great time. I think it requires more attention to detail when it comes to planning, though. I wouldn't go without a very detailed touring plan. And you're also going to have to be flexible and realize that no matter how well you plan some things are not going to work out.

 

[kelmac284]

Thank you. Sheesh. I mean I have been super nervous about this as it is but this other site I was on bascially they told me that eventhough we spent all this money we should just not even go. I mean I get it. I KNOW it is going to be super crowded. I went to DL on NYE and they get to capacity by 10 a.m. It was super crowded but we still had fun. I don't think I would go that day again but glad I did it once. And thanks for the advice about going to the parks but we just have 6 day tickets and our first day is going to be the 26th. I know to get to the parks an hour before they open every day to park and get in line for rope drop. I know that we prob won't get many fp since I can only do them 30 days out so for the new rides we plan to just head straight to them and do standby and I know we probably won't get to do a lot of rides period but I was trying to think positive and just absorb all the xmas. What I don't get is if it is SO miserable why do so many people keep doing it. I know for me we did NYE because it is my daughter's birthday but it was bad and we said we would never do it again. When my mom suggested going on xmas week I was really hesitant esp because it HAS been so long and I KNOW how bad it is. But eventhough I am trying to do the best we can I just got so much negativity. It is really depressing because I had anxiety as it was but this is a surprise trip for my kids and I am really having a hard time getting excited when everyone has been so negative and down right rude. So thank you for your words cuz I was getting pretty upset.

 

[sharonabe]

Sheesh. I mean I have been super nervous about this as it is but this other site I was on bascially they told me that eventhough we spent all this money we should just not even go

Get off that other mean site and just stay here where people will encourage and give you great tips!! If Christmas week was the only week I could go, I'd go and make the best of it. After all, I'd be at Disney!!

I think you have a great plan for Christmas day. If for some reason you don't get up and out as early as you plan, have the back up plan of going either to an MK resort to park (you'll still need to pay) or one of the other parks. There are buses to/from all the parks, so you should be able to get to either EP or MK to utilize the monorail. I would also be sure to have the MDE app on your phone and start checking for an opening at the TS restaurants where you're near. You never know what MIGHT be available, and while they probably won't allow walk-ups, they might have some day-of ADRs out there.

Have FUN!!

 

[kelmac284]

Thanks Sharon!! That is kind of what I thought. I mean I knew better to try and go to the parks and eventhough we are getting in really late the night before I am going to tell my group that we are just going to need to suck it up and get up early and hopefully we can see a few resorts and get out of there before 1. I never planned to spend the whole day there just something "fun" to do while we waited to be able to check into our timeshare. I DO have ressies for that night at the Boathouse and I guess if it is bad enough we can just go to DTD although based on what everyone has said I have a feeling we are going to have a hard time parking there too LOL. But thanks for the encouragement. We knew this was going to be a one time thing as by the next time we go my girls will be in college and we will either go during their long break in January or go without them but I never thought I would get so many people making me feel like I was ignorant LOL

 

[HappyHaunts999]

Thank you. Sheesh. I mean I have been super nervous about this as it is but this other site I was on bascially they told me that eventhough we spent all this money we should just not even go. I mean I get it. I KNOW it is going to be super crowded. I went to DL on NYE and they get to capacity by 10 a.m. It was super crowded but we still had fun. I don't think I would go that day again but glad I did it once. And thanks for the advice about going to the parks but we just have 6 day tickets and our first day is going to be the 26th. I know to get to the parks an hour before they open every day to park and get in line for rope drop. I know that we prob won't get many fp since I can only do them 30 days out so for the new rides we plan to just head straight to them and do standby and I know we probably won't get to do a lot of rides period but I was trying to think positive and just absorb all the xmas. What I don't get is if it is SO miserable why do so many people keep doing it. I know for me we did NYE because it is my daughter's birthday but it was bad and we said we would never do it again. When my mom suggested going on xmas week I was really hesitant esp because it HAS been so long and I KNOW how bad it is. But eventhough I am trying to do the best we can I just got so much negativity. It is really depressing because I had anxiety as it was but this is a surprise trip for my kids and I am really having a hard time getting excited when everyone has been so negative and down right rude. So thank you for your words cuz I was getting pretty upset.

We have been on Christmas Day many times. You will be fine. You need to get to TTC early then you can go to those deluxe resorts. Don't count on taking the monorail to Epcot many times it is blocked because of capacity. Counter service will be fine. Don't forget that Disney Springs will have lots of Christmas decorations too and you can book dining reservations through opentable.com. You can book places like Raglan Road now. Enjoy your trip and your family. We are spending Christmas day at Disneyland and will be enjoying all the crazy as well.

 

[kelmac284]

Thanks Happy. Yea we weren't going to do the epcot line just the MK loop. We figured we would get on it and do Cont, Poly and GF and then take the boat to WL and then either drive or take a bus to HS and take a friendship over to Y&BC. But worst case if it is too bad by the time we are done with the monorail resorts we can just skip that one if we have to. Like I said I was hoping to go early and look at those 4 and whenever/wherever we got hungry we would just grab something wherever we were. That was why I didn't want to make an ADR and based on what everyone is saying I prob wouldn't get one anyway LOL. I just was thinking most people would be at the parks but I guess not. I am fine with quick service. We were going to get up early and do the continental bfast at our hotel so we have something in our stomachs before we head to the parks and then we figured if we got hungry we would do an early or late lunch wherever we could before we headed out.

Do you think it would be impossible to get into Art of Animation to just walk around? That was the only other one I wanted to see.

Oh and we have an ADR for xmas night at the boathouse. I knew I needed one for xmas dinner just didn't have plans for during the day and figure we would get what we could get

 

[Klayfish]

Thank you. Sheesh. I mean I have been super nervous about this as it is but this other site I was on bascially they told me that eventhough we spent all this money we should just not even go. I mean I get it. I KNOW it is going to be super crowded. I went to DL on NYE and they get to capacity by 10 a.m. It was super crowded but we still had fun. I don't think I would go that day again but glad I did it once. And thanks for the advice about going to the parks but we just have 6 day tickets and our first day is going to be the 26th. I know to get to the parks an hour before they open every day to park and get in line for rope drop. I know that we prob won't get many fp since I can only do them 30 days out so for the new rides we plan to just head straight to them and do standby and I know we probably won't get to do a lot of rides period but I was trying to think positive and just absorb all the xmas. What I don't get is if it is SO miserable why do so many people keep doing it. I know for me we did NYE because it is my daughter's birthday but it was bad and we said we would never do it again. When my mom suggested going on xmas week I was really hesitant esp because it HAS been so long and I KNOW how bad it is. But eventhough I am trying to do the best we can I just got so much negativity. It is really depressing because I had anxiety as it was but this is a surprise trip for my kids and I am really having a hard time getting excited when everyone has been so negative and down right rude. So thank you for your words cuz I was getting pretty upset.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what FP+ you can get. Certainly you're not going to get FEA or probably won't get 7DMT unless you get lucky, but I think you'll get more options than you anticipate. I honestly can't remember what we got, but I do know we were able to get enough FP+ to keep us happy, and even picked up 4th and 5th ones. Like you said, you'll have to do rope drop or other tactics to get on the newest and most crowded rides, but the other 95% of them you'll be able to get on, either with FP+ or just a little extra patience to wait in line. We had no shortage of rides to pick from that we could get on.

Don't be negative, be excited. You have reason to be. Yeah, it's crowded, but it's FUN if you have the right mindset. Know that you won't get on whatever ride you want whenever you want, go with the flow, get into the spirit of the holiday and you'll have a blast. Like I said, we were there last year for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, staying off site, and it was the best holiday season ever for us. Can't wait to do it again!!!

 

[HappyHaunts999]

Thanks Happy. Yea we weren't going to do the epcot line just the MK loop. We figured we would get on it and do Cont, Poly and GF and then take the boat to WL and then either drive or take a bus to HS and take a friendship over to Y&BC. But worst case if it is too bad by the time we are done with the monorail resorts we can just skip that one if we have to. Like I said I was hoping to go early and look at those 4 and whenever/wherever we got hungry we would just grab something wherever we were. That was why I didn't want to make an ADR and based on what everyone is saying I prob wouldn't get one anyway LOL. I just was thinking most people would be at the parks but I guess not. I am fine with quick service. We were going to get up early and do the continental bfast at our hotel so we have something in our stomachs before we head to the parks and then we figured if we got hungry we would do an early or late lunch wherever we could before we headed out.

Do you think it would be impossible to get into Art of Animation to just walk around? That was the only other one I wanted to see.

Oh and we have an ADR for xmas night at the boathouse. I knew I needed one for xmas dinner just didn't have plans for during the day and figure we would get what we could get

AOA should not be a problem. Another beautiful tree is at AKL, plus you can look at the animals there.

 

[kelmac284]

Thanks Klay! I was nervous but hoping for the bet till I went on that other site and they just blasted me LOL. I was told that about going to DL on NYE but it is my daughter's birthday so we got up super early. Were first in line and got in and never left. We stayed till 11 and then it was so cold we had to leave before midnight if you can believe that. I am kind of glad we did though as we caught the fireworks from the hub and it took us over and hour just to walk from Small World out of the park. But I am glad we did it once and this is a one time thing too. We chose HS for NYE this time and I booked lunch at Brown Derby for her birthday. I am hoping since so much is closed there that it won't be AS bad as the other parks. But I def know to go with the flow and that we won't get to do everything.

 

[MrsIncredibleNY]

Hi! I'm going at Christmas too. Don't get too nervous. I think some people are very opinionated about other people's vacation. I plan to go to Animal Kingdom on Christmas Day because I heard it won't be as crowded but checking out the monorail resorts sounds like fun too. Enjoy!

 

[kelmac284]

And just for the record I decided to take everyone's advice and went looking and I was able to get Kona for lunch. So at least we have something and we can always cancel but I was just worried about if we got stuck somewhere and couldn't get there but hopefully it will all work out. I also was able to switch our AK day from Sanaa to Tiffins since I don't know if they will have ROL up or not. But at least now we will still be in the park either way. So glad that at least something worked out LOL

 

[clm10308]

Something else that has not been mentioned, but may work well for you since your kids are in high school is that MK will be open very late some the days you are there. I had the best time every when we were there over Christmas and stayed at MK until 2am. That one night we were able to ride every ride that we wanted which would normally take us 2-3 days. The "crowds" that late where mostly teenagers and younger adults. The only down side was that not that many food places were open after midnight, but some were.

In face, I had such a good time, that we are planning a visit over Christmas break again this year and planning late nights rather than rope drop early mornings.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

We arrived on Christmas day last year and stayed at the Boardwalk. We stay there a lot and quite honestly, the resort area was not crowded at all. I think everyone is in the parks! I would actually suggest parking at Disney Springs and taking a monorail resort bus from there. You can then do your MK resort touring and either take a DHS bus from a resort or an EP resort bus from MK and then do your EP resort tour. Lots of good QS places in all of those resorts (we really like Boardwalk Bakery, but we are biased LOL!). If you want more of a TS meal, you may want to try The Fountain at the Dolphin when you get to the EP resort area. Otherwise, I would just check the MDE app around the time you want to eat and see if anything is available. People cancel all the time, so you never know!

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

So we arrive really late on xmas eve and are staying at a hotel close to the airport as we can't check into our timeshare till 4 on xmas day. I had no plans to go to the parks but thought if we got up early we could drive to the ttc and just ride the monorail and look at the decorations at the monorail resorts and ferry to WL and then either bus or drive over to HS and take the boat to Yacht and beach club to see those. I made the mistake on another board of asking if there were any "non" fancy restaurants that might have a walkup since we don't really have a plan and don't know when we will be where. I got my head bit off and was told that no sit down places would be available unless we had an ADR. Even coffee shops like Kona. So I said ok we can just do Quick Service and was told that if I am not staying onsite I won't even be able to get near the MK or Epcot and don't even bother.

So I am asking is this true. We can't get to TTC at 8 and just ride the monorail to look at the decorations and get a sandwhich at a quick service?

We are not going to go to any parks just wanted to look at the resorts and not going to try to park at any of them but take the monorail, boats or buses.

I completely get that we are going at THE worst time of year. I have been told this over and over but obviously thousands of other people are doing it too so obviously they think they are going to get in wherever.

I already know that it is going to be horribly crowded our entire time and we are going to be "miserable" and why should have never even planned to go...but did we just waste 10 grand cuz that is what it is costing us to come all the way from CA and that is staying offsite. We couldn't afford to stay on and we can't go at an "off" time cuz my kids are in HS and can't miss.

I am starting to feel like we did we even bother so hopefully you can shead some light cuz I am feeling pretty disgusted and esp since we haven't been in 6 years and who knows when we will be able to go back.

It is making it really hard to get excited or even want to go when everyone is basically telling me I am an idiot.

Hey there.

First off, don't worry. A lot of people have only been to Disney once for Christmas or have never been at all: they've just read about the crowds and they feel very, very strongly about not going. After 6 years and going for my 7th this year, I can assure you it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I mean, it's super crowded, but if you know what to expect going in, you'll be fine.

I like your plan. Most likely, the "Phase 2 or 3" closure will be lifted by the time you arrive, but you don't wanna wear yourself too thin. Do the monorail tour.

As far as QS spots worthy of stopping: Contempo Cafe at Contemporary and Capt. Cooks at Poly are our two favorites.

You could also go with DisneyWishes14's recommendation. Park at DS and grab dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express or one of the many, many options. Then you'll be able to see all the decorations there before heading to the resorts.

Don't miss the decorations at Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness. They're often overlooked being that they're not part of the monorail.

Also - it's not gonna be "miserable." The trip is what you make of it. If you wanna let a 2-hour wait for a ride ruin your day, then so be it. BUT, we were nervous going for our first trip and we absolutely loved it. Once you see the castle all lit up and experience the parks during Christmas, nothing else matters. PLAN. Plan out your days and you'll be fine.

I keep a blog about Christmas at Disney. The link is in my sig. I also wrote a free ebook that's available for download on there. Feel free to check it out.

 

[kelmac284]

Thanks Pluto I appreciate it. I was nervous but still excited till I got all those people blasting me. I def feel better talking to you all. Thank you!!