What to expect for Christmas/New Year?

[Squigglove]

I'd like to ask your experiences for Christmas and New Year's Eve at Disney. Is the fireworks show at Epcot better and/or longer than the one at MK?
Compared to summer, what are the Christmas / New Year crowds like?
Is there a place other than Downtown Disney to meet Santa and Goofy Santa?

This is going to be our first visit for the holidays, we've always gone during summer only and I really, REALLY don't know what to expect. I'm doing as much research on my own as possible, but helps so much more to have input from those who are seasoned WDWers. Please give me all the tips you have. Thanks so much!!!

P.S. are there sales on the passing year's merchandise? When do they actually put out the new year's (2018) merchandise? Early, late, exactly on time?

 

[DryerLintFan]

Following for more insight. We're going between Christmas and New Year's and have never been to WDW before.

The crowds will be intense though. Every trip report I've read shows a sea of wall to wall people. But everyone who went during this time apparently still thought it was the most magical time to visit so I'm optimistic!!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Don't do it. Don't do it under any circumstances. The crowds are so much worse than summer, it's hard to comprehend if you haven't experienced it for yourself. The crowds are bad to the point of discomfort, where you honestly start to worry about your personal safety.

 

[Master Yoda]

The crowds during that time of year are insane and much worse than even the busiest days during summer.

You can still have a good time, but you must temper your expectations. Doing "everything" is just not anywhere near a practical goal.

Reservations for even the most out of the way, unpopular restaurants will be absolutely necessary.

Desert parties, firework cruises and the like will be worth your weight in gold as people will steak out the best fireworks spots hours prior.

Since Wishes is no longer a thing at MK, it is hard to say what the Christmas and New Years Fireworks will be like at MK, but I have personally always liked Epcot's a little better for both.

 

[nickys]

Don't do it. Don't do it under any circumstances. The crowds are so much worse than summer, it's hard to comprehend if you haven't experienced it for yourself. The crowds are bad to the point of discomfort, where you honestly start to worry about your personal safety.

I disagree! Totally!

We went 2016, our first time seeing Christmas there. Been at Easter and early July before. I was prepared for the worst and although it was busy, and we would amuse ourselves with checking the longest wait times on the app, we really enjoyed it.

I had done lost of planning, with touring plans that we never looked at in the parks (gasp). I knew them well enough by then, and don't do commando style anyway. We were still able to enjoy the atmosphere, stop for the street performers and still do what we wanted. It helped it wasn't our first trip, but I can't think of much we didn't do that was on our wish list. Boardwalk evening didn't come off, no Jelly Rolls yet, but apart from that..... We loved it. The decorations were gorgeous, we resort hopped to see WL, GF, Poly, BC, (AKL - stayed part of time at Kidani). I would happily go again. Never felt overwhelmed, except once returning from DHS when getting out of the park on Dec 30th was busy. Stayed out of parks on 31st and hit DS instead for the evening.

 

[DryerLintFan]

^ That's the theme I've read the most...... you can have a lot of fun as long as you either A) get there before the park opens every day and ride everything you want before the crowds wake up or B) choose a handful of things you want to do and get fast passes for those rides, and be okay with missing other rides if the wait lines get too long.

For the Christmas week of 2017 the parks are currently predicted to be opening at 7 AM.

 

[Squigglove]

I'd like to try to stay excited about this. I got really depressed about everything I read yesterday; but I've never seen the Christmas decor and it's important to me!

 

[Master Yoda]

I'd like to try to stay excited about this. I got really depressed about everything I read yesterday; but I've never seen the Christmas decor and it's important to me!

The Christmas decor is up 100% right after Thanksgiving. If you can go earlier that the week of Christmas and New Years, I would highly recommend it.

 

[Courtney6682]

In a perfect world I would like to have Christmas Eve dinner at LTT. If I'm unable to get that ADR, where else would u guys suggest eating Christmas Eve and or Christmas dinner?

 

[Squigglove]

The Christmas decor is up 100% right after Thanksgiving. If you can go earlier that the week of Christmas and New Years, I would highly recommend it.

The thing is, we're already making it an extended stay by including my birthday, which is January 02.

 

[DryerLintFan]

I've read *so many* trip reports from people who went between Christmas and New Year's and 90% of them said "yes it was unbelievably crowded, but I'd do it again".

I was a bit dissuaded by the crowd predictions as well, but that motivated me to plan more meticulously. And the good news is that even though it will be crowded, it won't be crowded AND oppressively hot!

 

[Squigglove]

I've read *so many* trip reports from people who went between Christmas and New Year's and 90% of them said "yes it was unbelievably crowded, but I'd do it again".

I was a bit dissuaded by the crowd predictions as well, but that motivated me to plan more meticulously. And the good news is that even though it will be crowded, it won't be crowded AND oppressively hot!

This is VERY true!!!!! I've only ever done DW during June, July, or August. Our last trip was for my son's 2nd birthday at the end of August and the crowds were what I'd consider standard but the humidity ruined everything! My mom ended up spending a night in the hospital with low potassium levels (dehydration).... my son was used to the water park we go to close to home so every time we entered one of the DW parks he'd start crying for water. It was just terrible. It's very difficult for me to fathom what it will be like at DW in good weather!

 

[Kate Alan]

It can be a lot of fun, but you absolutely HAVE to plan if you go between Christmas and New Year's. My family did it two years ago and I warned them to expect early mornings and the crowd levels. Book dining for everything, including restaurants you'd typically attempt as a walk-up. The parks will be absolutely choked with people, and lines for rides will be nuts as the days wear on (I've seen lines for up to 4 hours for rides like Soarin'). This is not the kind of vacation to attempt if you are the "sleep in and head to the parks mid-morning or early afternoon" types.

Take advantage of early morning EMH if they have it, get to the parks at rope drop, and knock out the headliner attractions straightaway. Save theater-type attractions or large loaders (Philharmagic, Laugh Floor, etc.) for the afternoon once the crowds are in high gear - they'll have lines but they won't be nearly as bad as those for Peter Pan, Thunder Mountain, etc. Strategically using your Fastpasses goes a long way as well. And I would absolutely recommend looking into using Touring Plans or a similar service.

I cannot tell you how many upset families we passed that week who fell into the trap of "oh, it's Christmas week, no one will be in the parks because they'll be home with family", did no planning, and were shocked by the crowds and the waits.

That being said, since we planned so thoroughly in advance, we hit up everything we wanted to do on our attraction list and even managed some unscheduled character meets. It can definitely be done, and it was enjoyable enough that I would do it again.

 

[Squigglove]

It can be a lot of fun, but you absolutely HAVE to plan if you go between Christmas and New Year's. My family did it two years ago and I warned them to expect early mornings and the crowd levels. Book dining for everything, including restaurants you'd typically attempt as a walk-up. The parks will be absolutely choked with people, and lines for rides will be nuts as the days wear on (I've seen lines for up to 4 hours for rides like Soarin'). This is not the kind of vacation to attempt if you are the "sleep in and head to the parks mid-morning or early afternoon" types.

Take advantage of early morning EMH if they have it, get to the parks at rope drop, and knock out the headliner attractions straightaway. Save theater-type attractions or large loaders (Philharmagic, Laugh Floor, etc.) for the afternoon once the crowds are in high gear - they'll have lines but they won't be nearly as bad as those for Peter Pan, Thunder Mountain, etc. Strategically using your Fastpasses goes a long way as well. And I would absolutely recommend looking into using Touring Plans or a similar service.

I cannot tell you how many upset families we passed that week who fell into the trap of "oh, it's Christmas week, no one will be in the parks because they'll be home with family", did no planning, and were shocked by the crowds and the waits.

That being said, since we planned so thoroughly in advance, we hit up everything we wanted to do on our attraction list and even managed some unscheduled character meets. It can definitely be done, and it was enjoyable enough that I would do it again.

Thank you!
Do they still only allow THREE FastPass per day? When we went in 2015 you could only schedule 3 per day, but the days are long so that doesn't seem really fair.
I'm glad to be doing all my research in advance for this trip.

 

[Master Yoda]

Thank you!
Do they still only allow THREE FastPass per day? When we went in 2015 you could only schedule 3 per day, but the days are long so that doesn't seem really fair.
I'm glad to be doing all my research in advance for this trip.

Yes, but once you use your three you can make more one at a time.

 

[Kate Alan]

Thank you!
Do they still only allow THREE FastPass per day? When we went in 2015 you could only schedule 3 per day, but the days are long so that doesn't seem really fair.
I'm glad to be doing all my research in advance for this trip.

You start off with three. Once those three are used up, you get an additional one (and once you use that, you get one more, etc.). Truthfully, short of using your initial three first thing in the day (which I don't recommend), by the time you are eligible to use the additional one, you'll find during that week that almost everything is already snapped up. If you do find there are attractions with Fastpasses available once you are on your additional pass, take advantage for sure.

When we went we planned out our FPs for attractions during the afternoon for when the crowds really start rolling in. We then immediately hit up the rides we didn't Fastpass first thing in the morning. (For example, we booked FPs for 7DMT, Splash Mountain, and BTMRR, and immediately went to Peter Pan and Space Mountain at rope drop). It was a strategy that worked well for us.

There honestly wasn't a single attraction on our list that we weren't able to do - but if we'd gone in blind without any strategy we would have been lucky to accomplish even a third of what we did. You're definitely smart to be looking into everything beforehand.